Indianapolis-Based Group to Assume Management of Walden Inn in July

April 7, 2010

April 7, 2010, Greencastle, Ind. — Indianapolis-based Dora Hotel Company will assume management of the Walden Inn -- a 55- room hotel, restaurant and conference center on the campus of DePauw University -- effective July 1, 2010. Dora currently operates more than 20 hotels, including five in downtown Indianapolis and two adjacent to Indianapolis International Airport.

"Dora will bring active, local management and a wealth of energy to Walden Inn, which has become a DePauw institution since it opened in 1986," says Brad Kelsheimer, vice president for finance and administration at DePauw.  "We're very excited about this new partnership and are confident that it will bring the Inn to new levels of customer service and overall excellence."

"The property's setting in the middle of one of the nation's finest and most beautiul liberal arts college campuses makes the Inn a prime facility, and its function spaces are clearly first-class," states Timothy J. Dora, owner of Dora Hotel Company.  "We are determined to bring a more energized and exciting atmosphere to Walden Inn, making it a center for campus and community life.  We'll be rolling out specifics as we get closer to the July 1 date, but can't state emphatically enough how excited we are to be joining the DePauw and Greencastle communities."

Located on the northern end of the DePauw campus and a short distance from Greencastle's courthouse square, Walden Inn was acquired by the University in February 2005. Since that time, the Inn has been operated by Sodexo, which is based in Maryland and operates throughout the U.S., Canada and Mexico. Sodexo will continue to operate Walden Inn until July 1 and after that date will remain the campus food service provider (except for Walden Inn).

Dora's hotel properties are in Indiana and Illinois. The company operates student housing for Indiana University - Purdue University at Indianapolis (IUPUI) and works closely with Indiana State University in Terre Haute, where it operates two hotels.

"We are a local company -- and I underline that word -- and were founded by my father," notes Tim Dora.  "I am personally committed to making the Walden Inn a place that will invigorate the community and hope that this is only the beginning of an effort to work with DePauw and Greencastle to make this community, which is a real treasure with lots of history, even more of a unique destination than it already is."

Trish L. Williams will serve as general manager of Walden Inn.  She is currently regional general manager of Dora's West Central region.  A 16-year veteran of the hotel industry, Williams has received numerous awards for her properties and founded the Indiana State Choice Hotels Marketing Co-op program.

The Inn is an important contributor to the local economy, employing 40 people and contributing approximately $70,000 to the community in the form of property taxes.

"This is an important place for our campus and community to gather and celebrate, and not many colleges have a quality inn and conference center only footsteps away from their academic quad," Kelsheimer asserts. "Twenty-five years after opening its doors, this marks a new beginning for the Walden Inn.  I'm excited about the future and am confident that, once the change in management is completed this summer, that feeling will be shared by many in our community."

A 19,000 square foot expansion of the Inn, completed in January 2003, created a new and much larger Fluttering Duck (for casual dinners, it also hosts live musical performances and is equipped with several televisions for enjoying sporting events); a lunch destination, 2 West Bistro; a banquet room with space for 250 people (expandable to accommodate 100 more); and a coffee shop.

The Dora Family has been operating fine hotels in Indiana for over 40 years. Learn more by clicking here.

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