Planned Posthotel is a hotel and much more

While a new hotel in Leavenworth is nothing unusual, the planned Posthotel promises to be something different, very different. In the works for the number of years, the Posthotel is currently under construction on Eighth Street, next to the Blackbird Lodge.

Local entrepreneur Rob Johnson, owner the Enzian Inn in Leavenworth, purchased the property a couple years ago. He and daughter, Robin John, Posthotel project director, traveled to Europe looking for ideas for a new hotel.

For several weeks, they looked around different wellness resorts, mainly in the Alps.

"We realized over there in the mountains there were these resorts where people go up to the resorts and stay for a week and not even go outside," John said. "They'll go to all the different steam rooms, saunas, pools and hydrotherapy. It becomes kind of a ritual where they'll go every few months."

It was not long before Johnson and John decided to bring the wellness resort concept to the United States. They thought Leavenworth would be the perfect location since people are already coming here for the Bavarian experience.

The name Posthotel comes from some of the little towns in the Alps, where they have a posthotel, or original hotel in town, where the mail or post would come. It is typically the biggest hotel in town, built up over generations.

"We liked the concept of that and the history, so that is how the Posthotel name came about," she said. "If you notice the little building in the front, that will be the original posthotel. The main building behind it is the expansion. The old building will look a few hundred years older than the newer building."

Since the wellness hotel concept is somewhat unknown here, John said they ended up taking their architects to Austria to help them understand the concept. Finally, after about a hour of looking through a wellness hotel, they understood, she said.

The hotel is 88,000 square feet with 55 rooms. Each room is a spacious 500 square feet with a fireplace, living room and most with a view of the Wenatchee River. There is a full service spa, lounge and treatment rooms. Below that is a separate wellness area.

"There's nine different steam rooms and saunas with different scents and temperatures. We have experience showers, where you walk in and choose like rain forest, Swiss showers or waterfalls. These lights come on," John said.

There are two different plunge pools, and cold sauna to cool down. As well, there are stepping pools, which were developed hundreds of years ago in Germany. John said the stepping pools are used for healing.

"They have these different temperatures, a cold one, a hot one," she said. "You literally just walk back and forth through it. It increases your circulation. They still use these in the Alps."

Other amenities include a pool that spans inside and outside the hotel, separated by automatic glass doors. There are spas and hots tubs all over, in addition to fire pits and relaxation areas all around the hotel.

Most of the ideas for the Posthotel came from Europe, John said.

"We have a small number of rooms compared to the number of amenities we have and we did that on purpose," she said. "We wanted it to feel relaxing and not overcrowded. Peaceful. We want our guests to feel they can walk around the entire resort in their bathrobe."

The lobby area is designed more like a living room. There's a fireplace, and places to read or play games. You can find relaxation areas all over the hotel and nap rooms. Some of the unique design features include a spiral staircase down the middle of the hotel, and a spacious deck overlooking the nearby Wenatchee River.

At this point, there is no set completion date for the Posthotel, which broke ground last November. John said they are taking their time because they want to make sure the hotel is as authentic as possible. The owner, Rob Johnson, is also overseeing the construction and it truly is a labor of love for him.

"One of the reasons Rob is doing this is because he loves building so much. He really enjoys the process of building something like this," she said. "He's down there everyday actually building it. It is fun for him. It's been a great chance for us to work together too, so we're trying to have fun with the project."

The unpredictable weather has slowed the construction down somewhat, she said. They are not keeping a specific schedule. Johnson said they have the shell complete, now it is just about fine tuning the design.

"We're coming up with designs as we go. I go meet with Rob and decide what we are going to do. That's is the fun part for us," John said. "It is pretty nice. Rob is the owner-developer, so we don't have anyone keeping us on a strict schedule."

As for marketing, John said they are not planning to spend much because they feel the town is a draw in itself. They want people to come and be surprised and discover it themselves. She said it is such a unique experience, it is hard to convey through marketing.

"They almost have to come look through the hotel and experience it through a weekend to really get what it is all about," she said. "Over in Europe, you walk into the lobby and people will be sitting in their bathrobes drinking coffee. We don't have a grand lobby. We want it to feel more like a living room in your home."

Everything is included in the room price, including breakfast and lunch. The only thing not included in the room price are the treatments, massages and facials. Those will be booked separately.

The location is right downtown, allowing guests easy access to town and the downtown park. There is not restaurant in the hotel, John said, because they want guests to go into town for dinner. Then, come back to the hotel and relax.

"Our main objective was to bring something new and unique to the area. I think it will also establish Leavenworth more as an authentic European experience for people," she said.

Ian Dunn can be reached at 548-5286 or editor@leavenworthecho.com.