READSTOWN - The Apple House Hotel, and future Cortland Grill, in Readstown are the latest business ventures in the growing portfolio of dynamic local businessman Noel Miller and his partner Harrison Heilman. The two purchased the hotel and event center property in Spring of 2022, and have spent the time since putting their signature touch on the remodeling effort.

“With this new property, we’ve expanded our offering of all the amenities that our clientele has come to expect from us,” Miller said. “Those amenities include eclectic décor and luxury comforts, remote keyless entry, and full or partial kitchens.”

As the name ‘Apple House Hotel’ implies, the decorative themes in the 17 rooms each are dedicated to a different apple. The apple rooms in order are Granny Smith, Duke of Devonshire, Kickapoo Spice, Pippins, Honey Crisp, McIntosh, Creston, Orange Winter, Pink Lady, Duchess of Oldenburg, Sleeping Beauty, Ashmead’s Kernel, Wolf River, Rubaiyat, Northwest Greening, and Ambrosia.

“We cater to a lot of the same clientele as at our Tobacco Warehouse Inn in Soldiers Grove,” Miller explained. “We have a lot of customers that are in the health care field, and stay long term for weeks or months at a time. Hunters and fishers also make up a good portion of our guests, and there is more demand at this point than availability.”

Rooms can be reserved using their online website at www.applehousehotel.com.

“The hotel is generally full, especially with travelling nurses responding to the shortage of healthcare workers,” Miller said. “If they’re going to travel, and live away from home, then they’re putting a requirement for clean and comfortable accommodations with amenities in their contracts.”

Miller said that other planned enhancements of the hotel in Readstown will include a business center and a fitness center for guests.

Miller said that part of the reason he decided to acquire the hotel was how well the structure was built, with poured concrete walls and the floors made out of spanned concrete. Another reason was the view out of the back.

“We own the property all the way out to Read’s Creek, and it is absolutely beautiful out there – we plan to develop the back and eventually create doors so guests on that side of the building can enjoy the view,” Miller said. “We have already started with planting trees and shrubs around the property to enhance the natural setting, and we’re just getting started.”

Miller said that the Cortland Grill, with a projected opening in Spring of 2023, will offer good, clean local and organic foods in season, in a convenient drive-through format. There will be a small number of tables available for dine-in business. While he isn’t quite ready to announce what the menu will be, he said it will be satisfying and quick, and sure to please.

“And it’s great to have other restaurant/bar and entertainment businesses in close proximity to us in Readstown like Kickapoo Creekside and others,” Miller said. “We hope that all the restaurant/bars in the area do better because we are here.”

Miller also said that acquisition of the new properties in Readstown has slowed down their plans for the ‘Harrison’s Parkside’ restaurant in the Tobacco Warehouse Inn in Soldiers Grove.

“We haven’t forgotten,” Miller said. “We’ve just been hustling to get through the tree-selling season and get our new Readstown hotel up and running this summer.”

Miller said that demand for rooms at the Tobacco Warehouse Inn has been so great, he and Harrison are planning to add more guest rooms in addition to opening the restaurant and bar business in the building.

In addition to their hotel and restaurant businesses, the two also run the ‘Roots to Fruits’ tree and fruiting shrubs business in Soldiers Grove. In the Spring, their products are offered for sale at the Kickapoo Orchard on Orchard Ridge in rural Gays Mills. @font-face {font-family:Arial; panose-1:2 11 6 4 2 2 2 2 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:-536859905 -1073711037 9 0 511 0;}@font-face {font-family:Times; panose-1:2 0 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:3 0 0 0 1 0;}@font-face {font-family:"Cambria Math"; panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:-536870145 1107305727 0 0 415 0;}@font-face {font-family:"MS Mincho"; mso-font-alt:"ＭＳ 明朝"; mso-font-charset:128; mso-generic-font-family:modern; mso-font-pitch:fixed; mso-font-signature:-536870145 1791491579 134217746 0 131231 0;}p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-unhide:no; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; margin:0in; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family:"MS Mincho";}a:link, span.MsoHyperlink {mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-parent:""; color:blue; text-decoration:underline; text-underline:single;}a:visited, span.MsoHyperlinkFollowed {mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; color:purple; mso-themecolor:followedhyperlink; text-decoration:underline; text-underline:single;}.MsoChpDefault {mso-style-type:export-only; mso-default-props:yes; font-size:10.0pt; mso-ansi-font-size:10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family:"MS Mincho";}div.WordSection1 {page:WordSection1;}