A classic Door County motel is changing into a contactless, luxury boutique motel

Christopher Clough, Green Bay Press-Gazette
·6 min read

FISH CREEK - One of Door County's iconic motels is getting a new life from its new owners as a contactless luxury boutique motel.

Katie Wanzer, Mitch Ehly, and Luke and Katie Nelsen are opening the Fresh Coast Motel this spring at the site of the former the By-the-Bay Motel they bought last fall from previous owners John and Mary Koehler.

Fresh Coast will continue to operate the two motel buildings located across Main Street from Fish Creek Beach, but the buildings are being heavily renovated, upgraded and updated with more modern amenities. It also will be the first contactless short-term rental in Door County.

A look at one of the double-queen rooms in Fresh Coast Motel, the former Bay-the-Bay Motel in Fish Creek which is being remodeled into a contactless, luxury boutique motel.
A look at one of the double-queen rooms in Fresh Coast Motel, the former Bay-the-Bay Motel in Fish Creek which is being remodeled into a contactless, luxury boutique motel.

Plus, the private house on the property is being converted into a five-bedroom luxury vacation rental.

Here's a few facts about the new owners and new boutique motel.

Meet the owners

The two married couples are from Wisconsin and have visited Door County for a number of years.

Wanzer and Ehly bought their first Door County property in 2021 and renovated it into Northwood Farmstead, a three-bedroom short-term rental in Sister Bay. They also run four other short-term rental properties in Door County through their company Wisco Hosts. Wanzer also noted on the Wisco Hosts website that she has family roots in the hospitality industry, as one of her grandfathers built and operated several of the famed orange-roofed Howard Johnson's Motor Lodges back in the 1960s and '70s.

The Nelsens are the owners of Smoky Retreats Cabin Rentals, a set of rental properties near Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, and Great Smoky Mountain National Park on the Tennessee-North Carolina border.

Mitch Ehly, Katie Wanzer, Luke Nelsen and Katie Nelsen, from left, are partners in Fresh Coast Motel, the contactless, luxury boutique motel they're creating at the site of the former By-the-Bay Motel, across the street from Fish Creek Beach, in downtown Fish Creek.
Mitch Ehly, Katie Wanzer, Luke Nelsen and Katie Nelsen, from left, are partners in Fresh Coast Motel, the contactless, luxury boutique motel they're creating at the site of the former By-the-Bay Motel, across the street from Fish Creek Beach, in downtown Fish Creek.

Wanzer said the two couples were looking for an opportunity to go into a partnership on a short-term rental property in Door County, so when the By-the-Bay went on the market, they took that opportunity.

"Having these businesses, we were looking for the next big challenge," Wanzer said. "When By-the-Bay Motel came up, we decided to go for it."

A great location

The first building on the By-the-Bay property was the private house, built in the 1940s, Wanzer said. The first motel building went up in 1954, with an advertisement in an issue of the Fish Creek Times that year touting the "new and modern motel" with "modern housekeeping cottages." A second motel on the site was built in the 1980s.

"The motel has been so historic," Wanzer said. "It was a great opportunity for us to go back and restore such a historic piece of Fish Creek."

Besides the history, Wanzer said the couples were attracted to what they consider a prime location for visitors to stay, with a downtown location on Main Street (State 42), the beach directly across the street and an off-the-street parking lot for guests to avoid the crunch of trying to find a parking space on a Fish Creek roadway during tourist season.

"The biggest thing is, our location is so unbelievable," Wanzer said. "We're right across from the beach, the views are unbeatable. and we're right downtown, and so close to Peninsula State Park."

Boutique-ing the motel

Fresh Coast Motel will offer 15 rooms in its two buildings, seven king rooms and eight double-queens. Eleven of them have views of the water, and Wanzer said some will be dog-friendly (one dog per guest).

Wanzer said the basic shape and layout of the rooms is remaining as before, but just about everything else will be, well, fresh, with a lot of cosmetic and amenity upgrades to bring the motel and rooms into a current boutique setting.

Rooms were gutted all the way down to the studs, and in the process of tearing down, it was found the foundation of the older motel building was in disrepair and had to be rebuilt. New paint is covering the walls, and rooms will have new furniture, lighting, fixtures, carpeting and beds with luxury-grade linens. Smart TVs, high-speed Wi-Fi, coffee bars and refrigerators are part of each room. The patio overlooking the street and the beach for guests will add a fire pit and string lights.

"We're going for the full boutique experience," Wanzer said. "We're going with the cozy Cape Cod vibe, lots of blues and yellows."

The kitchen takes shape in The Deck House, a newly remodeled, five-bedroom, luxury short-term rental at the also-remodeled Fresh Coast Motel (the former By-the-Bay Motel) in Fish Creek.
The kitchen takes shape in The Deck House, a newly remodeled, five-bedroom, luxury short-term rental at the also-remodeled Fresh Coast Motel (the former By-the-Bay Motel) in Fish Creek.

Also undergoing major remodeling is the former private house. Now called The Deck House, it's a five-bedroom, four-bathroom vacation rental that can sleep up to 10 people and will feature similar luxury upgrades to the motel. It will offer two private patios for use by its guests. Reservations can be made through the Fresh Coast website.

Local workers hired

Although none of the partners live in Door County, they wanted to make a local impact with their project. Wanzer said that's why every person hired to work on it is from the area.

"We pride ourselves on working with local contractors. Every one is local," she said.

The contactless experience

Also part of turning the classic motel into a 21st-century boutique vacation is that Fresh Coast will offer what Wanzer called a "digital contactless experience."

That means guests don't check in at a front desk – in fact, there won't be a front desk. Guests will use their cellphones or devices to check in and check out, and room entry is gained by punching in a combination (sent to their phone) on a keypad instead of using a key.

"It really gives guests the ability to arrive when they can and not worry about losing their keys when they're on the beach or out biking," Wanzer said. "They don't have to worry about having to be there to check in at 4 o'clock or by 10 o'clock."

And if guests need something fixed or something for the room, like an extra towel, they can send a text, which Wanzer said helps ensure that the right person to solve the problem is dispatched. She said a small supply of extra room items will be in the lobby, too.

When is it opening?

Wanzer said Fresh Coast Motel is on target to open in May, while The Deck House is anticipated to be ready in mid to late March.

Reservations and information

Reservations will be taken soon through their website, freshcoastmotel.com, where people also can register for updates on the renovation progress. Updates also can be found on the Fresh Coast Motel Facebook and Instagram pages, where the partners post fun and lighthearted videos on their progress.

Contact Christopher Clough at 920-562-8900 or cclough@doorcountyadvocate.com.

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This article originally appeared on Green Bay Press-Gazette: New owners remodel classic Door County motel into luxury boutique one