Guntersville Lodge Makeover Complete
By DAVID RAINER
Anyone who visited Guntersville State Park Lodge before it was closed for renovations in 2004 is not going to recognize the place now. The beautiful site perched atop Taylor Mountain with a breathtaking view of Lake Guntersville on the Tennessee River will be a familiar location, but the lodge’s rebirth into a modern facility will leave previous guests with mouths agape.
After almost four years and a price tag that will end up between $24 and $25 million, the lodge has re-opened in grand fashion.
 “This lodge means a tremendous amount to our state parks system,” said Barnett Lawley, Commissioner of the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. “This is one of the parks that makes money to carry the whole park system load. We’re excited about it, and all the reports I’ve gotten have been positive. It was a long time coming, but it turned out extremely nice. It turned out to be something for the people of Alabama to be proud of and a great facility for the people of Alabama to take advantage of.”
Mark Easterwood, Director of Alabama State Parks, said he hopes this renovation is one of many steps that will restore the appeal of Alabama’s state parks and its wonderful natural resources.
“It took a lot longer than we expected, but we feel we’ve got a beautiful product,” Easterwood said. “We had a positive response from the public with lots of calls about reservations. They served 600 people for Sunday (Jan. 27) brunch, and that’s the local people coming on Sunday.”
The Alabama Legislature and Alabama voters passed a bond issue in 1998 to upgrade the parks system. Although other projects have been undertaken, the Guntersville Lodge was the first major outlay of bond funds.
“This is the biggest renovation out of the bond issue,” Easterwood said. “Our goal is to improve our facilities and image. Before the bond issue, our facilities were at least 30 years old and little had been done to maintain or upgrade the parks. We are now dedicated to renovating rundown facilities and improve image and hopefully improve our cash flow so we can continue to operate the park system with upgraded facilities.”
 Although the park is now open, a grand opening is scheduled for Feb. 8, and Talmadge Butler, Guntersville State Park Superintendent, is going to be all smiles on that day.
“We’re just so glad to get it open,” said Butler, who came to the park in 2003. “I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been asked when the lodge was going to open.”
Butler said he could remember talk of renovations as far back as 1997 and then a series of public meetings and discussion about the use of bond issue funds were required before any money could be used.
“As far as I know the last time we (state parks) got any funds through the legislature was 1988,” Butler said. “We were operating on funds raised through user fees. We weren’t making enough profit to plow any money into maintenance, so the parks got in bad shape.”
When the Guntersville State Park Lodge, which opened in 1974, was closed for renovations in March of 2004, there were hopes the work could be done quickly. However, those hopes vanished quickly.
“Everything was stripped out to the walls,” Butler said. “Pretty early on they got into the asbestos issue. Then we got into the mold and mildew issue. It took some time and money to deal with those two things. It’s a lot harder and more complicated to do a renovation project than just to build a new lodge. It would have been simpler to build from the ground up, but I don’t think there is a better place to put a lodge than here on Taylor Mountain.”
Now that the wait is over, guests can enjoy the new lodge with all the modern amenities expected in a hotel room – mini refrigerators, microwaves, large TVs with DVD players, pillow-top mattresses in either queen or king sizes.
“We’re in the process of putting in wireless internet,” Butler said. “We’re going to a new property management system that will automate wake-up calls and put voice mail in the rooms. We’ve upgraded our kitchen with some natural gas appliances. That might not mean anything, but we have winter storms from time to time and when the electricity went out we were cooking with the little Sterno cans. We also have generators for each hotel wing and the lodge. We should be in better shape when we get another storm.
“We completely redid the lobby and put a floor over the kitchen and dining room. We put our Grand View Ballroom (seating for more than 300) up there and then added meeting rooms. We made our space more efficient. We have better access to the view of Lake Guntersville with the new cable and post railing system instead of a solid rock wall. We’ve added an exercise room. The first Sunday we were open, we fed 533 people that day. There were tremendous numbers of people coming to see the new lodge. Sunday brunch has always been a big draw. They have a big food bar with prime rib. People have been coming for that. Everything I’ve heard has been positive. The only complaints I’ve heard has to do with the fact we’ve been so busy that people are having to wait. People are just amazed how pretty and nice the lodge is, and the hotel rooms.”
 Butler realized he needed help getting the word out about the new lodge and the park hired Patty Tucker, former director of the DeKalb County Tourism Association.
“Since we hired her, she’s been going non-stop,” Butler said. “There’s been such a response, we’re trying to hire her some help. She’s been getting from 35 to 50 calls a day. Weddings, church retreats and business meetings are the main business right now. We’re just inviting people to come and look. If they come and see what’s here, then it pretty much sells itself.”
Although she has a sore ear from having the phone stuck to her head all day, Tucker agrees that it’s not a difficult sales job, and she’s glad that the park’s past wasn’t completely diminished by the transformation to the modern era.
“The renovations to the lodge really maintained the rustic quality of the park, but added an elegant flair with all the decorations and colors,” Tucker said. “We brightened the spaces. Before the renovation, the lodge had a 70s look with a lot of dark wood, so we have put new life into the lodge. The fireplaces and some of the wood flooring is about all that is left from the old lodge. It was pretty much gutted, including the 112 hotel rooms. Everything inside is brand new, and that dark wood has been removed from the hotel rooms and we have a rustic, yet elegant décor in the rooms.
“So, now you not only have the gorgeous view of the Tennessee River, but you have the beautiful atmosphere with this vibrant location and all the stone here, like the stone pillars and fireplaces. Everybody walking in can’t believe the changes that have taken place. It’s fun walking into the lobby, watching people as they walk in and seeing the looks on their faces. They say they can’t even remember what it was like before because it’s so different. Even the front door is in a different location. Now you walk in through a stone pillar entrance into a grand lobby with a large fireplace and a grand staircase going downstairs.”
The lodge has 13 suites and 99 hotel rooms. Only 25 of those rooms are parking lot views, so the majority of the rooms have that beautiful view from the bluff side of Guntersville Lake.
Tucker said the only thing she has to sell is the higher room rates.
“We had people who used to come and rent a room for $65 a night, and when they find out the new rate is $100, we have to explain to them the value of the new facilities,” Tucker said. “We have king rooms and the double rooms have queen-size beds. You’ve got the refrigerator, microwave, large TV, DVD player and that view to die for. What more could you ask for. Plus we’ve got the suites with king and queen beds. The king suites are a little more conservative in size with separate bathrooms. The queen suites are spacious with a large bathroom with separate shower and bathtub.
“Plus, you can enjoy the hiking trails. We have the nearby 18-hole championship golf course. Then throughout the spring, summer and fall we have fishing boats and pontoon boats for rent. There are plenty of activities in the park.”
To entice people to experience the new facilities, the lodge will be running a special for the entire month of February.
“We’re running a $75 a night special through the month of February on all accommodations at the park, which includes the lodge, the chalets and cabins,” Tucker said. “We want to introduce everybody to the newness of the park and get them to try a suite. They might be hesitant to rent a $175 queen suite without really seeing it. This will give them an opportunity to spend a night at $75 and then they’ll know how plush that suite is and they’ll want to book it in the future. We want those people who were used to spending $65 a night to come back and see why the value is here.”
PHOTOS: Top - The renovated Guntersville State Park Lodge has a new entranceway among the many new features of the renovated facility.
Middle - The lobby at the Guntersville State Park Lodge combines both rustic and elegant elements to the decor.
Bottom - The panoramic sunset on the Tennessee River is best viewed from the Guntersville State Park Lodge's new expansive rear deck.
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