Jun. 17—LANESBORO, Minn. — A new couple has purchased the historic Hotel Lanesboro.

Chelsey and Levi Skelly, who bought the property in December, are passionate about renovating homes. Chelsey loves old buildings and wants to preserve as many as she can. She went to school for interior design and later found it was fun to restore houses with her husband.

“I want to save all the little houses and all the old buildings,” Chelsey said. “Saving old houses is my big thing. We remodeled a couple of old houses in Wisconsin and I have no clue how I found this because … we’re not hotel owners.”

After taking a tour, the couple fell in love with the building and figured they could manage a small, nine-room hotel because they had experience with Airbnbs.

They closed on the building in December and then spent the winter finishing renovations.

With nine rooms, Chelsey wanted to have a different theme in each room. However, they only got one done during the winter — a Merlot Room designed to feel a bit like a wine cellar. The room has a stone wall and “over-the-top” wallpaper to help it feel like an old bed and breakfast.

“I have this idea in my head that I wanted to do a crazy, over-the-top theme for every room. It’s something you wouldn’t want to live in every day but it would be really fun for a hotel room,” she said. The remodel also included adding a self-check-in location, which helps when a receptionist isn’t immediately available.

The Skellys live in Anoka, but commute down to Lanesboro when needed. They are thankful for the community’s support and warm welcome.

“We all help each other out,” Chelsey said, adding she hopes to continue being involved in the Lanesboro community as much as she can. “Everybody’s been super, super helpful. I met people from the EDA in town. I met the mayor. I was part of city council meetings right away, meeting all the other hotels and owners and they have been extremely welcoming, which is amazing.”