-Submitted photo
Jim DeBoer, left, and Matt J. Johnson, managing partners of Crossroads Partners, LLC for Best Western Starlite Village Inn & Suites Brookstone Inn & Suites, pose in front of Brookstone Inn & Suites.

What is the name of your business?

Brookstone Inn & Suites and the Best Western Starlite

Village Inn & Suites

Where it is located?

Brookstone is on the east side of Fort Dodge, next to Fort Frenzy and across the farm field from Walmart. Address is 5 S. 32nd St.

Best Western Starlite Village is on the west side of Fort Dodge, at the intersection of U.S. Highway 169 and Iowa Highway 7. Address is 1518 Third Ave. NW.

When was it founded?

We formed the LLC in late 2017. The LLC is comprised of multiple local investors, whose first project was to build the Brookstone, which was completed in August 2019. We then purchased the Starlite property in January 2020.

Who are the key leaders?

General manager of Starlite is Scott Galyen.

General manager of Brookstone is Starr Ledford.

Jim DeBoer, Matt Johnson and JP Mansfield are all members of Crossroads Partners, LLC and oversee all operations on

behalf of the other investors.

How many people does it employ?

The company employs approximately 50 people between the two properties.

What products and services do you provide?

Our primary product is hotel rooms at both properties. Between the two properties we offer a variety of room accommodations for business travelers, leisure travelers, families and singles, including suites at both properties and poolside rooms at Starlite.

We also have Buford’s Steakhouse and Barbecue, which is located at the Starlite. Buford’s is a full-service restaurant that we believe offers the best steaks and barbecue in our part of Iowa. We are open for lunch Monday-Friday and dinner every night but Sunday. Buford’s offers a full menu with something for everyone, plus a full bar featuring draft beer, craft beer, wine and mixed drinks. Buford’s also offers off-site catering for events at customer’s homes, businesses or other venues.

The Starlite has one of the largest event and meeting spaces in the area, and is a popular venue for weddings, business meetings, reunions, dances, charity events and more.

The Brookstone offers a beer and wine bar with snacks and pizzas.

Both properties have in-ground pools and fitness centers.

Staycation packages are currently available at both properties, for golf at the Fort Dodge Country Club, or family fun at Fort Frenzy.

We recently introduced a shuttle van service for customer convenience.

What are you doing differently to serve customers during the pandemic?

With Starlite as a member of the Best Western network of hotels, we have implemented Best Western’s “We Care” cleaning and sanitizing protocols at both properties. Customers are separated from front desk

employees by plexiglass shields, and our employees regularly clean and disinfect the common areas throughout each day. To comply with social distancing recommendations, the pool at Starlite remains closed until

August 15. The Brookstone pool is open but capacity is limited and

monitored. Housekeepers have also implemented the enhanced cleaning and sanitizing protocols in individual guest rooms as directed by the Best Western “We Care” program.

What is the biggest challenge your business has overcome recently?

The pandemic has of course been pretty devastating to the hotel and restaurant industries. Through it all, we have done our absolute best to ensure the safety of our guests and employees. During the initial phase of the pandemic, we actually closed the Brookstone property for several weeks and consolidated staff and resources at the Starlite.

While Buford’s was closed during the shutdown, we partnered with DoorDash and promoted their delivery service as well as carry-out business, which helped us keep some of our food and beverage employees on payroll during the shutdown.

We reopened the Brookstone on June 1, and this summer have launched a new shuttle service at both properties, and have introduced “Staycation” packages for local residents to enjoy a getaway at one of our properties with an inclusive package price.

The volume of event and meeting business has of course declined considerably, but we have re-configured the seating arrangements in our meeting and banquet space to allow for smaller capacity and greater

social distancing.

What is the biggest success your business has experienced recently?

July was actually a pretty good month in terms of hotel occupancy. The hailstorm that hit Fort Dodge in July brought a large number of

insurance adjusters, estimators and contractors to town, and of course state softball, even with its limited crowds, brought a large influx of guests to town.

We will continue to do everything we can to provide great service to our guests while maintaining the highest possible level of cleanliness and sanitation for guest and employee safety. We are excited about bringing more visitors to the Fort Dodge area, and are cautiously optimistic that our community and our country will rebound from this pandemic.