Newly renovated Inn and More keeps family needs a priority in the Mount Washington Valley

On Route 302 in Glen, N.H., The Inn & More offers 26 rooms, suites and standalone cottages. (The Inn & More)

It was the middle of August, the Saco River was running dry, and Kevin and Leigha Cleary were attempting to drag their grounded kayaks out of the mud. This was how the young couple happened to find themselves stranded a few years ago along a stretch of river that passed the property of the former Will’s Inn, a Bartlett, N.H., motel with roots that date back to 1945. 

As luck would have it, the owner, Mark Dryjas, was there to help the struggling couple lift their kayaks back to land, after which he introduced them to his property. 

Kevin remembers recognizing the potential of the surroundings and thinking to himself, “This is perfect.” 

Six years ago, he and Leigha went into the business of renovating short-term rentals, which was working out well, except that Kevin said he had wished they could have more under one roof. “If you’re running around trying to find people to clean and all that for four rooms, why not just have 20 or 25?” Kevin asked. 

So, when Will’s Inn — boasting 26 guest rooms on three acres of land only a stone’s throw from hot area attractions like Attitash and Story Land — caught his eye, he pledged to keep an eye on the property. 

Only a few years later, he and Leigha owned it. 

Today, the property formerly known as Meadowbrook Motel and Will’s Inn has modernized into The Inn and More, a completely renovated lodging destination that offers a variety of rooms, suites and standalone cottages with modern conveniences like self check-in, keyless action and a mobile concierge. The inn is, as its website describes, “where classic roadside Americana meets modern convenience and comfort against the beautiful backdrop of the White Mountains and Saco River.”

It is also a place that, Kevin said, has “a plethora of options” for any particular needs its guests may have.   

“If you’re coming with the family, we have four-bedroom apartments,” he said. “If you’re just traveling alone, looking for a place to ski and sleep, and you don’t want to spend a ton of money, we have our economy rooms, which can sell for as low as $99 a night.” 

A lot of what the Clearys put into the place came from their own experiences in the Mount Washington Valley. Leigha’s parents have owned a home in Bartlett for many years and now reside there full time. Kevin and Leigha are parents to a 5-year-old son and a 2-year-old daughter, which helps them keep in mind what young families need when taking the kids to ski.

“It’s pretty easy for couples or adults without children to pop up and go skiing,” Leigha said. “My friends come up all the time with their children, so that’s kind of how we find what we need to get for families to be able to enjoy skiing, and also have the ability to like, adult ski.” 

Those little wrinkles range from tiny red sleds that make it easier to tote the toddlers around at the base of the mountain to cribs and sound machines. 

“We have everything you would need to to bring kids up there,” Leigha said. “We’re trying to prep to make sure that we have all that ready for the winter so that families can come in and know about those items.” 

Basic rooms at the inn include private bathrooms, fresh linens, microwave and mini-fridge and are available for 1-6 guests. The large cottages sleep up to 10 guests (four queen beds and one full sleeper); smaller cottages sleep up to six (two queens and a sleeper). Suites range from the aforementioned four-bedroom apartment, which sleeps up to 10 guests, to the economy apartment, which sleeps up to four. 

With three acres to crow about, right along the Saco River, The Inn and More is a big property, something that might not be noticeable from street view. “Even though you might not use all those features during the summer, during the wintertime, when there’s snow on the ground, I think it makes a difference,” Kevin said. “It’s a place that offers a level of privacy that hotels don’t necessarily have.” 

But guests won’t lose access to their surroundings with such privacy. As Kevin said, the Red Parka Pub is only a mile away, so he’s suggested to guests before that the popular après hangout is technically within walking distance from the hotel. Just a bit farther down the road, skiers and riders will find Attitash, Wildcat Mountain (both under the Vail Epic umbrella), Cranmore, Black Mountain, King Pine and Bretton Woods.

Leigha said that she and Kevin wanted to create a destination that was “just somewhere that people can come and relax between skiing and kayaking, someplace where people can bring their kids and make sure that there’s space to put portable cribs and that we have someplace comfortable for families or individual travelers or adventures or grandmothers who want to come shop at the outlets. Just something versatile and clean for everybody.”

And wouldn’t you know who’s been giving them advice the whole way as the Clearys try to create an ideal family escape but Dryjas, the former owner of the property who helped them rescue their kayaks all those years back. These days, Dryjas lives just down the street and is a source of wisdom for any advice the Clearys find they might need. 

“He was in the same situation that we’re in now when he originally purchased it,” Leigha said. “He had young kids and was trying to find some freedom for himself and his career so that he could spend more time up there with his family. He’s kind of been guiding us on how to do that.”

The Inn and More

440 Route 302

Glen, N.H. 03838

603-355-2717

www.theinnandmore.com