Good Medicine Whitefish B&B Makes Special Effort To Please Patrons
Perfectionism in a spouse, a boss or oneself is not necessarily a good thing. Yet the same trait in a bedand-breakfast host can be … well, perfect.
This occurred to me last month during a visit to Good Medicine Lodge, in the heart of northwest Montana ski country.
Everything about the nine-room inn was carefully orchestrated to put guests at ease - from an overall sense of order to seemingly inconspicuous details.
It was more than just the elegant plate of fresh strawberries, cheese and cold cuts sitting on a bedside table the afternoon my wife and I checked into our room. Or the fact that all four magazines carefully arranged on a nearby shelf were the latest editions.
Our sky-lit bathroom had a full complement of Neutrogena toiletries, along with oversized towels and waffle-weave cotton robes.
Downstairs, a service bar was stocked with fresh homemade oatmeal-chocolate-chip cookies, plus everything needed for coffee, tea and hot chocolate. Guests also had access to a small refrigerator.
By the front door was a drying room for damp clothes. During the night, hoses placed inside boots and gloves circulated warm air.
The list goes on: the crackling fires, the Western artwork, the rustic log furniture, the guest laundry, the unbleached cotton sheets and down comforters … clothes hooks mounted high enough on the bedroom wall so the legs of ski suits don’t bunch up on the floor.
“The real difference is in the details,” acknowledges Susan Moffitt, who co-owns and manages the lodge with her equally meticulous husband, Chris Ridder. “We try to stay on top of everything.”
“And we’ve benefitted from lots of travel,” Ridder adds.
The couple opened Good Medicine in 1993 after spending three months researching European ski lodges.
“The B&B business is a strange little industry,” Moffitt observes. “Properties can range from very classy to places where you sleep in a child’s bedroom with sports pennants hanging on the wall.
“What we hammer home most with our staff is cleanliness,” she says. “That instantly puts guests at ease.”
“No. 2 is consistency,” says Ridder, not missing a beat. “We send a message through our brochures and Web site, and then make sure customers get everything they expect and more.”
“And we’re yes people,” says Moffitt. “We try to accommodate every request our guests make.”
Judging by the enthusiastic visitors we met during our brief stay, the approach works.
Eight couples from north Spokane’s Whitworth Community Presbyterian Church had “taken over” the lodge for much of the week. It marked the group’s sixth annual pilgrimage.
“They’re extremely accommodating,” effused Mardi Paulson, praising her hosts.
Indeed, when several couples left early, Ridder and Moffitt asked the Whitworth group for permission before booking other guests.
This sidebar appeared with the story: IF YOU GO Good Medicine Lodge
How to get there: Good Medicine Lodge is 251 miles east of Spokane, on the outskirts of Whitefish, eight miles from Big Mountain ski resort and 25 miles from Glacier National Park.
Address: 537 Wisconsin Ave., Whitefish, MT 59937; telephone (800) 860-5488; e-mail goodrx@digisys.net; www.wtp.net/go/goodrx. The lodge is handicap-accessible. Children are welcome. Inexpensive ski and snowshoe rentals are available next door, and restaurants are within walking distance.
Rates: Current winter rates range from $85 to $115 per couple, including a nourishing Continental breakfast; or $155 with Big Mountain lift tickets. Summer rates are $95-$125. The inn’s “romantic suite” includes two-person jetted tub, therapeutic shower, gas stove and sitting room, and goes for $135-$145.
Repeat groups get the same rates they paid during their first visit.