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Meet Libby Foster and Regan Foster of The Dove Inn

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Today we’d like to introduce you to Libby Foster and Regan Foster.

Libby and Regan, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
Regan’s been interested in real estate for a while now. A friend sent us the listing and (because we’ve loved Golden since forever), we were immediately intrigued. We went by the inn and saw a ton of potential. The house was clearly loved by the many owners it has had in the 30 years that it operated as a Bed and Breakfast. It was outdated and needed a modern twist, in our opinion.

We toured the inn many times that summer and in November 2017, we signed the papers! In December, we closed the inn to do a complete renovation. It was crazy! There were times that there were 15 guys in there, working on different things.

In February, we hosted our first guests. It was rocky at first. We had NO idea what we were doing and we were exhausted! Luckily, we had (and have continued to have) amazing employees to do this journey with us!
We decided to run the inn with a “Behind the Scenes” approach. We really feel like tourists, vacationers, business-people are excited about unique spaces and don’t want to chat-it-up with the owners, typically. So, we chose to supply great, local amenities, comfy beds (with THE BEST linens), good coffee and also to stay out of our guests way. Of course, we’re around (and available via phone, text and email 24/7) and ready to chat or offer advice when needed. Our guests have been so gracious to us and we’ve loved chatting with the ones that we meet – they’re the best!

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc. – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Ummmm, no. The timing was a struggle while renovating. Anyone who has ever done a remodel of that size (or any size) knows that it’ll take longer and cost more than you ever expected. We. were. rushing to get everything done for our first guest, and second, and third for that matter.

Once we opened, we had some great, loyal guests who had stayed before and weren’t super excited about the changes we had made. You learn real fast that, in a world of anonymous reviews, you have got to have thick skin and be kind or try to be.

Now? There aren’t many struggles, but we know that small, family businesses have their fair share of struggles and we are not immune to that. We feel SO lucky to be where we’re at – Golden, the hospitality industry, working with great people, and in a beautiful space – what more could we want?

So, as you know, we’re impressed with The Dove Inn – tell our readers more, for example, what you’re most proud of and what sets you apart from others.
We are a boutique hotel. We offer our guests autonomous, peaceful stays with the best of the best amenities. I am proud of the history and aesthetic of the inn. I am proud of the Golden community. Golden and the greater area is rich with businesses that are the best in their industry. They have great products and even greater customer service. We couldn’t do what we do without them. Our amenities are the thing that guests comment on the most: super comfortable beds (and those linens!!), amazing (local) bath and body products, local coffee, yogurt, pastries, flowers, etc, kombucha and nitro cold brew coffee on tap!

But, lastly and mostly, I am proud of the team that we have working with us. Being an innkeeper can feel really thankless and our employees show up every day, with smiles, and do everything in their power to make the inn and the guest experience everything it can be.

So, what’s next? Any big plans?
We do have some BIG plans for the future. We are in the middle of landscaping the front of the inn (another project that’s taken a bit longer than anticipated). It will have seating for about 30, room for acoustic musicians to play and a great vibe. We hope people will love hanging out there, eating breakfast, connecting, drinking wine, etc.
Besides the landscaping, we’ve been chosen by a committee to rework another historic space in Golden, The Astor House. Our hope is to turn the upstairs into a micro hotel and for the main floor to have retail and community space. It’ll be lovely, I promise.

Pricing:

  • Rooms range from $145-$235/night

Contact Info:


Image Credit:
Courtney Wildson, Jo Ramsey, Griffin McKenzie, Kailin Chase, Justin Wirtalla

Getting in touch: VoyageDenver is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.

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