Selah Inn, located on the Hood Canal in Belfair, is frequently the place of choice for nonprofit organizations’ board meetings, business planning and even large-scale job interviews. The inn, with its quiet atmosphere and beach access, is also a popular getaway for visitors and a small-wedding venue.
The inn’s bedrooms are all upstairs, and the first floor was designed to have many private nooks and crannies — which means the venue could also accommodate small-scale conference-type events that need a few breakout rooms.
“It’s very quiet here. It’s definitely a place to get away,” said Bonnie McCullough, owner with her husband, Pat. “They can really leave the office behind when they’re here. It’s more of a retreat feeling.”
Two meeting rooms and a boardroom can accommodate smaller groups, while a conference room can seat up to 40 people at tables or 50 in a classroom-style seating. Additionally, a library, a sunroom and a small dining room all have doors, providing additional private meeting space. The facility is set up with wireless Internet, a white board, computer access for PowerPoint presentations and a copy/fax machine.
The inn’s hospitality includes gourmet meals made from scratch. McCullough, who has a degree in food and nutrition, loves to cook and entertain, and sometimes also hosts cooking schools.
While guests don’t have to order food while renting space for a meeting, many do. McCullough also opens up the dining room to the general public, and invites anyone to stop by for lunch or dinner, as long as they call ahead and there are no other events going on.
When customers rent Selah Inn for an event, they can leave just about everything in the capable hands of the staff. “For the smaller weddings, we have a package that includes flowers, cakes, dinner. We can recommend musicians, a judge, a pastor — and then they can stay here overnight if they’d like,” McCullough said.
The McCulloughs originally purchased the property as a summer home. They moved to Kitsap County from California in the early ’80s, and to Belfair about a decade later. They hosted guests and entertained so frequently, that they thought the idea of opening up an inn would be the next natural step. Selah Inn has been in business for more than 14 years, hosting visitors from all over the world as well as groups ranging from political parties to fire departments.
The business is a family affair. The couple have a dozen grandchildren, and several have helped out. Currently, their daughter occasionally comes in to help with the bigger events and one granddaughter has worked there since she was 8 and can run the place by herself now.
For McCullough, the dream was for the property to live up to its roots. Once a gathering place for Indians, the parcel hosted beach parties and salmon dinners in its old days. She wanted to turn her business into a gathering place as well — and she has.
What makes Selah Inn (www.selahinn.com) popular, she said, is the personal touch. “Our No. 1 comment is that people have enjoyed the personal service and the setting here, that’s always very important to people,” she said. “We generally don’t do large-scale (events) so there’s more time to focus on the details, and the personal service.”
