The Ozarker Lodge wins national award

After opening earlier this summer, a Branson boutique hotel now is a national award winner.

The Ozarker Lodge, a 102-room, 36,000-square-foot venture, was named best independent hotel by Philadelphia-based hospitality industry organization Independent Lodging Congress, according to a LinkedIn post by the group. The award is part of the Indie Awards, an annual event the organization holds to recognize independent hospitality enterprises and share their achievements. This year’s Indie Awards are scheduled for Oct. 24 in San Francisco as part of the organization’s three-day conference, dubbed Indie Congress.

Jeremy Wells, co-owner of The Ozarker Lodge, said via email the hotel was nominated for the award, adding the nominee pool was narrowed to a final four, which is determined by a popular vote of industry professionals. According to the ILC, the other three finalists were Scribner’s Catskill Lodge in Hunter, New York; Farmhouse Inn in Forestville, California; and Noelle in Nashville, Tennessee. Other Indie Awards include most innovative hotel design and best bar or restaurant, according to the ILC website.

“When we found out, we had a group email to our entire team and there was a lot of excitement and exclamation points,” Wells said.

In a LinkedIn post, Wells said if someone told him a few years ago he’d be part of a group of people launching a new independent boutique hotel in the heart of the Ozarks and receive an Indie Award, he wouldn’t have believed them.

“So incredibly honored, blessed, and grateful to receive this award,” he said in the post.

The $10 million Ozarker Lodge opened June 30 at 965 State Highway 165. BP Builders LLC was general contractor for the renovation and expansion project designed by Kansas City-based Clockwork. Detroit-based firm Parini handled interior design, according to past Springfield Business Journal reporting.

Wells and Dustin Myers, partners in Springfield hospitality branding firm Longitude LLC and investment group Flyover Developments LLC, teamed with national firm Eagle Point Hotel Partners on the project. The hotel work involved renovating the former Fall Creek Inn & Suites, as well as expanding the building to add a lobby, coffee shop and wine bar. Exterior amenities include a new heated pool, a playground, fire pits and creek-side soaking hot tubs.