As if the surrounding forests and views of Mount Rainier didn’t already cement Packwood as a logging town-turned-tourist destination, now visitors can sleep in the very rooms occupied by loggers as far back as the early 1900s — or one room that was possibly slept in by Teddy Roosevelt.
After spending a year remodeling the historic building, inside and out, a local family has been operating the Hotel Packwood in the downtown strip of the East Lewis County town for the last few weeks.
Alyssa Sebren, whose family owns the business, said her family moved to Packwood when she was young and owned Packwood Station before they purchased the historic hotel in the summer of 2021.
“They’ve always been interested in projects like this. Renovation, restoration, waking things up, I guess you could say,” Sebren said, adding later, “I think they just had a real vision of what they wanted it to be, and our family was really on board with it after Packwood Station having been such a fun thing for us all to do growing up. When they mentioned that they were interested in buying the hotel, all of my siblings — all seven of us — were like, ‘Go for it.’”
In their blended family, Sebren said her mother and step-father’s renovation projects became something the couple and their children bonded over.
The building was at least built in 1912, Sebren said, though they have found pieces of it dating back to 1911. Formerly, it housed loggers who were passing through. Still today, there are holes in the floor where timber industrialists walked in their spiked caulk boots.
There are also some accounts that former President Teddy Roosevelt stayed at the historic hotel, though owners have not yet been able to officially confirm that. They have one room advertised as the “alleged” Roosevelt room for this reason.
So far, their numerous visitors have included several international folks traveling the Pacific Crest Trail, along with many guests from the Seattle and Portland areas, Sebren said.
At the newly-remodeled business with a central air conditioning unit, they offer rooms, a wrap-around porch and backyard, coffee and tea, a living room and a library/work space area.
At this time, the hotel does not serve meals or allow multiple children, though Sebren said they do allow one parent with one child or a couple with an infant in a private suite. They are also willing to consider allowing kids if there is a full hotel bookout of all nine rooms.
Including adding breakfast services, the family’s vision for the future of the hotel is possibly turning its large backyard area into an event and gathering space for guests and community members alike.
Sebren said they were excited to continue offering “modern comforts but then also bringing a little bit of historical accuracy.”
For more information on Hotel Packwood, visit @HotelPackwood on Facebook or call 360-494-5431.
