LUDLOW, Vt. – What does a mystery dinner, a human cake topper at a wedding, and a jolly owner of an inn that can bail water out of a basement in a flood have in common? These are just a few of the musings and talents of the team at the Echo Lake Inn.
This past July, when the sentiment was bleak after the floods in Ludlow, owner of the Echo Lake Inn Tom Gianola and his faithful innkeepers Rachel LeClair and Jaclyn Olmsteadt went to work to immediately restore the inn, so that countless brides could enjoy their weddings that had been booked prior to the flood. So, it would make sense that during stick season, the talented team would go to work while Tom went on a much-needed vacation, after stepping up to the plate as the president of the Ludlow Chamber of Commerce flood efforts, quietly championing other businesses even at a time when his own suffered over $250,000 in property damage.
The inn has been restored and updated with a state-of-the-art kitchen, so that Chef Jim Allen can continue his 4.6-star dining experiences, a new dining room with soft cream wainscoting and peach hexagonal wallpaper that doesn’t disappoint, and countless revamps of flooring and bathrooms in each of the 23 unique rooms.
It is easy to see why Calvin Coolidge, Henry Ford, and Thomas Edison often enjoyed the camaraderie and hospitality that the inn has to offer. The Echo Lake Inn is steeped in tradition, with modern amenities – including a hot tub, and rooms with fireplaces and jetted tubs await the tired skier after a long day on the slopes, or the aspiring artist that wishes to sketch the quiet splendor of Lake Rescue.
CORRECTION: A previous version of this article incorrectly named Echo Lake Inn’s owner as “Tom Giancola.” His name is Tom Gianola.