Loose Leaf Notes

Four years ago I was one of a small group of local writers from The Floyd Writers Circle who helped design and decorate a writers suite at the Hotel Floyd, our downtown green lodging with locally themed rooms that showcase Floyd’s art and literature, handmade furniture, music and mountain culture.

An antique wooden desk with a pull down table, drawers and letter slots was the first item we purchased and became the centerpiece of suite. An early 1960’s donated typewriter with a local story, an Oxford dictionary owned by a writer’s circle founding member who had passed away, a book shelf filled with books by Virginia authors, a Scrabble game, a wingback reading chair, lamps and  doilies rounded out the uncluttered atmosphere of self-reflection and study that we were going for.

One of the finishing touches we made to the suite was the addition of a leather bound journal, placed on the antique desk.   A writer’s circle member made the first entry, inviting hotel guests to take up the pen to compose a journal entry or make a literary contribution.

And they did.  A couple of weeks ago, I held the leather bound journal in my hands after one of the hotel owners passed it on to me to read, full and full circle.  I learned that from October 2007 to April 2011 guests came for family reunions, anniversaries, funerals and weddings, the Friday Night Jamboree, concerts at the Sun Hall, antique hunting, wine tasting, Crooked Road touring, Floydfesting and more.  And they love it here.

One guest came by way of the Blue Ridge Parkway fog. Another wrote that she lived a half hour away and checked into the hotel after finding a snake in her house. There were several guests from England, one from Thailand and one from Germany. Others came from other parts of Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Pennsylvania and Illinois.  Someone left a book of poetry for the writers suite “library” another crafted a poem.

Many complimented the local eateries and the writer’s room décor and everyone spoke highly of the hotel describing it as “a home away from home,” “a get away from the rat race, “the lap of luxury,” “and oasis,” “the best hotel I ever stayed at” and more.

Journal writers included a retired newspaper man, a tattoo artist, a group of girlfriends, bikers and bicyclists, and a journalist from the Richmond Times Dispatch who was doing a story on the hotel, which has since then has added two pet friendly suites and the only electric car charger in the area.

Reading the journal was a heartwarming experience that gave a sense of fruition to what we set out to create when we designed the suite.  I felt proud of our town and almost wished I didn’t live in here so I could come as a tourist and vacation.

~ See photos and read more about the creation of the Writers Suite HERE and HERE. See more photos of the rooms at the Hotel Floyd website HERE. Other Floyd themed rooms at the Hotel Floyd include The Crooked Road, Blue Ridge Parkway, Country Store, Jacksonville Center, Floyd Artist, Floydfest, Harvest Moon, Winter Sun, Jeanie O’Neil, Malawi, Bell Gallery, Old Church Gallery, and Chateau Morisette Bridal Suite.