Western Front Hotel

In a far corner of the Great Southwest in Virginia a small, sleepy little town of a thousand people is setting coal country ablaze with hospitality, revitalization and is becoming a case study for creating an economic driver in an area that needs it most. Downtown St. Paul Virginia, once a coal mining town earning the nick name the Western Front for being a rough and tumble town in the 1900’s, has just opened a very cool and chic boutique hotel and is now home to Chef Travis Milton’s first named restaurant – the Western Front Hotel and Milton’s restaurant.

The Western Front Hotel is a 30-room property featuring a restaurant, gift shop, two outdoor terraces, the Roost – an entertainment space for guests, and the BackYard for communing around the firepits and listening to great music. All of these venues are housed within a 1922 historic building most recently known as the Willis Building. Formerly a retail and apartment building, the property has been brought back to life thanks to the local St. Paul community and developers Creative Boutique Hotels (CBH). Known for developing boutique hotels from historic buildings, CBH has remained true to the authenticity both the building and the community in which it resides utilizing as much of the original tin ceilings, wood pulled from the building and wood floors. “From a design standpoint, we tried to put back what came out in some new way,” said Kimberly Christner, President and CEO of Cornerstone Hospitality and partner in Creative Boutique Hotels. “The headboards are made from the historic apartment doors, the night stands, dining tables and bar in the restaurant are made from the wood from the building.” The property also features local artists work throughout the building, pay homage to local lure of the Western Front with original jail cell doors from the St. Paul Jail, historic photography, named spaces based on local history and much more. “Since guests from all over will be staying at the Western Front, we knew we had to strike a delicate balance,” said Patti Tritschler, president of IIG, the design firm for the project. “Our goal was to preserve the authenticity and history of the building while also creating something new that would add value to the community.”

“Tourism has absolutely transformed the landscape of this beautiful part of the state, setting the stage for St. Paul and its neighboring communities to become a premier tourism destination” said Rita McClenny, president & CEO of Virginia Tourism Corporation. “The Western Front Hotel will be a fantastic complement to the existing assets that are attracting thousands of visitors each year, from the Spearhead Trails and outdoor recreation, to buzzworthy new restaurants and breweries, to music festivals and the arts. We are excited to welcome the Western Front Hotel to St. Paul, as we know it will provide an incomparable, signature Virginia experience for travelers from around the world.”

“One of the things that attracted us to this rural area was the people and their passion for their community,” said Hal Craddock, partner in CBH. “They are on fire for Southwest Virginia and we caught their vision. We’re proud and honored to be a part of their future.”

“What we do, why we do it and who we do it for is important to us,” said Christner. “While we may be the developers, the creative partners, we firmly see this as a community project. We want the community to be proud, to support it, for it to be a catalyst for transformation and growth – we are good community stewards and partners. We’re just rolling out the welcome mat for visitors, guests and more entrepreneurs to come.”

St. Paul is home to the Clinch River, known to be the world’s most bio-diverse river in the world, second only to the Amazon and Spearhead Trails, offering more than 100 miles of ATV trails.