These Are the World’s Most Badass Hotel Owners

They include an Olympian, a Tour de France rider, and a world-class climber.

hotel
(Getty Images)
Getty Images

A great part of traveling is meeting new people. Well, what if the person you met was an Olympian, who just happened to own the hotel you’re in? Or a former Tour de France rider, who can tell you exactly where to take your own bike to see the best sights? Outside Online put together a list of the most badass hoteliers so that you can get an experience and meet a new hero.

There’s George Hincapie, at Hotel Domestique in South Carolina. He retired in 2012 after 19 years as a professional cyclist, having been a key team member for Lance Armstrong, Alberto Contador, and Cadel Evans’s Tour de France wins. He opened Hotel Domestique in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains, complete with its own fleet of high-end road bikes for rent, an on-site bike mechanic, yoga classes, and a saltwater pool. The staff can create a custom ride for you, or you can hang with a group, sometimes including Hincapie himself.

Power couple Hans and Nancy Johnstone own Alpine House Lodge and Cottages in Jackson, Wyoming. Both are former Olympians: Nancy was a member of the U.S. Biathlon team, competed in the 1992 Games. Hans competed as a nordic skier in the 1988 Olympics. Nancy went on became a North American ski-mountaineering champion and Hans is a guide for Exum Mountain Guides. The two opened Alpine House Lodge in 1994, which offers guided ski tours and climbs.

If you’re looking for something in New York, check out Spruceton Inn, in West Kill. Brooklyn native Casey Scieszka spent years traveling the globe as a freelance writer and graphic designer. She and her husband, a skier, fly-fisherman and children’s book author, opened a guesthouse in 2013. The nine-room lodge serves cocktails and craft beer, is home to eight-acres, and is right near great hiking and skiing spots. The lodge also offers fly-fishing clinics and writing seminars.

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