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The speedway. The opera house. Lake Icaria. These are just a few of the many reasons to visit Corning. And where might one consider staying during their trip to this city in Adams County? The Corning Hotel, located at 2260 Juniper Ave., just had its grand opening from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Aug. 28.
“We had so many people from the community and surrounding communities that came through and toured the hotel,” Board President Donna Hogan said. “It really was nice. We were continually, four people, giving tours all day.”
Manager Re Nae Fulton said it was a very humbling experience to see the support and gratitude from all the guests. Even though grand opening day has come and gone, the staff welcomes people to stop by the hotel for a tour anytime.
“We are so proud to have such a wonderful hotel on Highway 34,” Fulton said.
Hogan said the day before the grand opening was a special opening day for their 46 local or locally-connected investors.
Many guests have already stayed at The Corning Hotel or currently have a reservation, including one wedding reception last weekend and another that is booked for this week. A softball tournament group also stayed at the hotel recently, she said.
Hogan said the hotel’s sign was damaged during shipping and they are still waiting for it to be delivered again. But even without signage, the hotel traffic has not ceased.
“We’ve had people coming off Highway 34 and just staying there, seeing it, and coming in,” she said. “That’s quite impressive.”
Hogan said that even people from the Council Bluffs area have ventured down to The Corning Hotel so that they could stay and fish at Lake Icaria and go to the races at the Adams County Speedway.
“Lake Icaria has just been booked solid all summer long, so I think this is going to work great as an overflow for them,” she said. “The (Corning) Opera House is another one. Even though with COVID things are different right now, that’s another one that I think we will pull quite a few people in from.”
Hogan said they’ve even had people staying who were interested in visiting the Villisca Ax Murder House.
“This weekend the hotel will be buzzing with guests attending a wedding,” Fulton said.
Fulton said they have a reservation during harvest season, as well.
“We just appreciate all of the support that we have had from our community and some of the towns around us,” Hogan said. “And we just hope that they will be sure to have their relatives, or friends, families—when they’re coming to visit and they don’t have space in their own homes—that they promote coming out to stay at The Corning Hotel.”
The rooms
The 33-room boutique hotel features standard rooms with the choice of king or queen-sized beds, two deluxe queen rooms, one double king suite, and two handicap-accessible, two extended stay, and two pet-friendly rooms.
Each room provides a mini-fridge and microwave along with the usual TV, coffee maker, and hair dryer. The suite and extended stay rooms have even more. The suite, in addition to two king-sized beds and a full-sized sofa bed, has a table for two. The extended stay rooms offer two rooms, one a bedroom with a king-sized bed and the other a room with a full-sized sofa bed. The extended stay room also has a larger refrigerator and a one-burner stove. A stay in the accessible rooms will include an easily-accessible shower in addition to the standard room provisions.
The Corning Hotel also provides a complementary hot breakfast, free high-speed internet, complementary passes to the CHI Health Wellness Center in Corning, a computer and printer that are available for guest use, and free parking including space for boats and up to four semi-trucks. To make a reservation, visit their website at thecorninghotel.com or call 641-418-8190.