From Jocko’s Motel to Somewhere Inn: How a first-time hotelier made an award-winning transformation

May 22, 2024

How does a marketer at a Toronto telecom firm become the owner of the award-winning Somewhere Inn in the Ottawa Valley? Joel Greaves says it’s been a learning experience that has required a bit of an obsession with following his dreams.

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How does a marketer at a Toronto telecom firm become the owner of an award-winning rural inn in the Ottawa Valley? Joel Greaves says it’s been a learning experience that has required a bit of an obsession with following his dreams. Greaves was 34 and living in downtown Toronto with 15 years of experience in the telecom industry under his belt when he decided to take a leap of faith — a leap that took him straight to the boonies. “My dream was always to become a hotelier and I became increasingly obsessed with the idea,” said Greaves. “The brand I wanted to build was about inspiring people to escape the city and spend time in nature. “We had good friends in Calabogie and would go have these amazing weekends here and we’d always driven by this motel,” he continued. “Then it came up for sale during the pandemic, so that was it. I left my job in Toronto and moved to Calabogie.” The property, built in 1971, housed Jocko’s Motel and was a “well-loved” establishment frequented by long-term renters including fishermen, hydro workers and hunters. The two-acre treed site on Calabogie Road across from the lake offers views of the mountains. But the decor of Jocko’s “felt very tired” and Greaves said he wanted to give it a new life. “It was super well-maintained and we loved the property, but it had these old drop ceilings, brown bedspreads, pleated lampshades that were from the 1980s …,” said Greaves. “Our vision was to take it up a notch.” Together with his wife, Devon Vaillancourt, Greaves purchased the property in March 2021 and threw himself into revamping and “reinventing” the motel. The goal was to build accommodation that centred around nature and relaxation, he said, and the process to get there was “certainly a learning experience.” Vaillancourt, as president of Zebrano Concierge, a Toronto-based property management company, brought plenty of skills to the project. The couple combined their education and experience in business and marketing, but Greaves admits they both became “students in hospitality.” “Leading up to (opening), we stayed at a lot of boutique hotels and I always say that the first day I don’t rest; I’m noticing everything,” laughed Greaves. “Like, ‘That’s interesting what they did on that trim work, I wonder if they did it affordably,’ and that sort of thing. “We did a lot of courses, tried to learn from anyone who would speak to us, learnt on the fly, and made a lot of mistakes.” The cost to buy the property and renovate it was about $1.6 million. The result is Somewhere Inn of Calabogie, an 11-room boutique hotel that was recently named Business of the Year by the Ottawa Valley Tourism Association. Greaves credits much of the recognition to the inn’s nature-centred philosophy. “(Vaillancourt) and I both grew up going to cottages, visiting friends on the lake, that kind of thing. We bought a cottage for ourselves before we even bought a home in Toronto and used it as an Airbnb rental,” he explained. “Our philosophy living in Toronto working demanding jobs was to work hard and then rest and relax and get into nature on weekends.

The Somewhere Inn at 5254 Calabogie Rd. was previously Jocko's Motel.

“We really believe in the power of nature to restore and reset and we recognized that everyone has that fundamental need to slow down,” Greaves continued. “That’s the foundation of the business.” The inn, with its Scandinavian-cabin design, prioritizes rest with high-quality linens, soaker tubs and big windows. The rooms don’t have televisions — instead, Greaves said, they’re oriented around the outdoors, encouraging guests to head outside. There are community fire pits, loungers and hammocks, as well as complimentary yoga and outdoor movie nights for guests and the community. Guests can also check out the on-site wine bar, which often hosts tastings with local organic wine.

“It’s all about being outside and having fun experiences with others and with those you’re travelling with,” Greaves said. “We’re creating a sense of outdoor community.” In the summer, the rooms are booked at about $300 per night and are usually sold-out. In the off-season, prices decrease, but weekends tend to be booked full year-round. “When we launched in August 2021 it was COVID and there were a lot of people wanting to escape the city, so that helped us build momentum in the beginning,” Greaves explained. “It was very encouraging from the beginning, but things have definitely evolved.” The inn employs five staff. Its philosophy around mental health and a living wage has helped attract employees, Greaves said. “Because it’s small, they’re unique roles; everyone is kind of an innkeeper. They're learning about wine and taking care of guests and then, on Sundays, it’s all hands on deck flipping rooms,” he laughed. “It’s fun that way and we’ve been fortunate to have really great staff that have embraced what we stand for.”

As for the award, Greaves said he has the inn’s team to thank. “I tell my staff all the time, (Vaillancourt) and I can create experiences, design the space and programming, but if you look at most of our reviews, you’ll notice every five-star review talks about our staff,” he explained. “At the end of the day, we can design a concept, but they’re the ones that are delivering. We want the staff to own it and feel proud of it, because they’re the ones who made it happen.” Ultimately, Greaves said he plans to include the community’s other entrepreneurs. “There are some really really amazing entrepreneurs that are part of the Ottawa Valley and we've always said we're only as strong as those around us because it turns into a full experience for our guests. We’re falling flat if there aren’t those amazing breweries and tours and trails and gift shops.” Greaves and Vaillancourt welcomed a daughter, Maeve, last year, and recently opened a second inn in Collingwood — “the Calabogie of the GTA,” as Greaves calls it. The new inn has 10 rooms in a refurbished 1800s century home and taps into a similar market as Calabogie. To keep up, the family “bounces around” between the two inns, their cottage in Muskoka, and Toronto, where Vaillancourt still runs Zebrano. But plans for expansion don’t stop there. “There is so much potential in Ontario tourism. We have these amazing assets, so if I think about my peers in Toronto who consider New York for the weekend … I want to convince them,” he explained. “Just take a road trip through Ontario and spend two nights at a boutique hotel in Calabogie. “There’s a demand for that and there are other markets across Ontario where we can continue to do that.”