Three Generations of Hospitality Near Lake Okoboji
The Oakwood Inn is an award-winning romantic hotel in Okoboji, Iowa, set on two acres in the Iowa Great Lakes region. Since 2016, innkeepers Bill and Bridget Johnson have welcomed couples to one of the most romantic getaways in Iowa, blending three generations of hospitality experience with a boutique, adults-only stay near Lake Okoboji.
History of The Oakwood Inn
Since 2016, we have been welcoming guests to our award-winning Boutique Hotel in Lake Okoboji, Iowa.
Our romantic hotel is located on 2 acres in Northwestern Iowa, in what’s known as the Iowa Great Lakes Region. It was originally part of an 80-acre homestead in rural Dickinson County, with West Lake Okoboji and East Lake Okoboji access just one mile away on each side. In 1999, the current building was built with a Victorian flair and was operated as The Wild Rose Inn. It was sold in 2014 and, after some renovation, opened briefly as The Hotel Okoboji.
Bill and Bridget Johnson purchased the property in April 2016 and opened it as The Oakwood Inn, naming it after the oak tree savannah bordering the property to the south. They live on-site with their Bernedoodle, Maggie, and they’ve transformed the hotel into one of the most romantic getaways in Iowa.
A Lifelong Dream Built on Family, and Realized Together
Bill and Bridget fulfilled a shared life-long dream in 2016, when they purchased The Oakwood Inn in Spirit Lake, IA.
Built on Three Generations of Hospitality
Bill is a third-generation innkeeper, checking in his first guest when he was 12 years old. Bill grew up in Worthington, MN, working and living at his family’s roadside Best Western. He was at the knee of his father and grandfather as he learned the business at his grandfather’s motels in LaMars, Sibley, Denison, and Sheldon, IA.
Bill and his sister, Deb, purchased the Best Western from their father in 1996, then sold it in 2000. Since then, Bill has worked a variety of construction jobs in Minnesota, South Dakota, and Colorado until purchasing The Oakwood Inn with his wife, Bridget, in the spring of 2016.
Bridget grew up in Wells, MN. Her first career was as a journalist for Minnesota newspapers in Canby and Fergus Falls. After 10 years, Bridget changed course and began her 20-year hospitality career, starting in Minnesota at the Best Western Fergus Falls, the Rochester Holiday Inn City Center, the Rochester Marriott, and the Kahler Grand Hotel. She moved to Colorado with Starwood Hotels, where she worked at the Sheraton Steamboat Resort and met Bill. They returned to the Midwest to get married at their favorite getaway destination – Okoboji, IA.
From Hospitality to Home
Helping thousands of couples and families settle at the lakes
After several more years in Steamboat Springs, Bill and Bridget moved with Starwood Hotels to Glenwood Springs, CO, where Bridget was part of the executive committee opening The Westin Snowmass Resort and Wildwood Snowmass outside Aspen, CO. Her last assignment for Starwood Hotels was in Houston, TX, working for The Westin Galleria & Westin Oaks hotels before opening The Oakwood Inn.
Another of Bridget’s passions is real estate. Are you looking for a lake home in the Lake Okoboji area? Bridget would be happy to assist! As a Realtor licensed in Iowa and Minnesota, Bridget’s personal experience in buying and selling real estate in four states will help you to feel confident when navigating the Iowa Great Lakes real estate market. Download her app to search for your NextHome at the Lakes!