Sept. 2, 2021

This paid piece is sponsored by The Ramkota Companies Inc.

One of Sioux Falls’ most popular hotels is going to get bigger.

The ClubHouse Hotel & Suites will start a 44-room expansion in the spring – and not a moment too soon.

Rendering by Perspective

“We’re having a fabulous year. I’m more than pleased,” general manager Val Carman said.

“We had a record July, it was wonderful, and August was very good. We had to to turn away some business for Labor Day weekend.”

Carman’s perspective on the hotel dates back to late 2004, when she came over from the Best Western Plus Ramkota to manage the new ClubHouse at 2320 S. Louise Ave.

Her career with the company goes back even farther to when she joined as a front desk clerk at the Ramkota at age 21. The idea was to take a part-time job that allowed her to interact with people.

“Part time lasted about two weeks,” she said. “And it worked well for me when they decided to build the ClubHouse, even though it really wasn’t my career idea to move up. It’s a wonderful company to work for.”

Often helping out at the front desk, Carman has built relationships that have led to repeat customers. It’s a big reason why the hotel needs more rooms.

“We want to provide that home-away-from-home experience,” she said. “We have a lot of corporate clientele, and on the weekends we’re blessed to be popular with families and sports teams.”

The ClubHouse team tries to go “above and beyond with a personal touch,” she continued. “We have many corporate guests who are repeat customers because of how they get treated. And even on the weekends, once they experience a stay, we tend to get people who come back.”

Carman is a leading reason why, added Josh Schmaltz, Ramkota’s president.

“You couldn’t have hand-picked someone better to run that property,” he said. “She’s come up through the ranks and is just a good person who genuinely cares about the guests. They know her by first name. She genuinely connects with them. I mean, there are beautiful hotels in Sioux Falls and new hotels in Sioux Falls, but this is the type of thing that brings people back. Guests have even invited her to their kids’ graduation parties because of how she’s gotten to know them.”

There will be more guests to get to know soon. The 100-room ClubHouse will be adding 44 guest rooms in a new three-story building with a concourse that will connect it to the original property.

“We want to have a mix of the traditional feel the ClubHouse is known for with a more modern feel,” Schmaltz said. “Part of the reason the ClubHouse is so popular is that it does feel like a home away from home, so we’re trying to get a balance between that and today’s modern design.”

Guests also are drawn to the hotel’s pool, which is geared toward kids’ water play, the extensive breakfast menu that includes sausage, eggs, waffles and a build-your-own smoothie bar, and the adjacent outdoor attractions, Carman said.

“Our backyard is beautiful – it’s like a park where it’s relaxing and quiet and mutes so much noise it’s unbelievable.”

Guests can borrow bikes to take out on the trail, purchase s’mores kits for the fire pits and sign out yard games.

There are three meeting rooms and a boardroom, allowing the hotel to host meetings for up to 80 people, weddings or rehearsal dinners. Catering options include the Best Western Plus Ramkota’s caterer or the adjacent Johnny Carino’s restaurant.

The new addition will include a fitness center and two boardrooms.

The plan is to start construction as soon as the weather allows next year and be done eight to 10 months later, Schmaltz said.

“And we’ll utilize the beautiful green space, so all those rooms will back up to the river, and the top rooms will have especially good views,” he said. “At the same time, we’ll spruce up and freshen the existing hotel.”

That will include an expanded breakfast area and kitchen, plus additional space in the pool area for seating.

“No hotel is timeless, but this one sure has come close,” Schmaltz said. “We were ahead of the game when we built it.”

The hotel also will need more staff – starting now, Carman added.

That includes the role that launched her career.

“We need front desk employees terribly bad,” she said. “I’m looking for people who can multitask because they definitely are the hotel’s point of communication for many needs that arise. Reliability is huge, with the goal being to take care of the customer’s needs. It’s not a job where you’ll get bored. You just can’t because you’re dealing with different people every day. That’s why I’ve been able to do it so many years.”

Employees at The Ramkota Companies also can benefit from its employee stock ownership program, or ESOP, which allows them to share in the company’s success.

“That’s huge, and it’s a program we’re excited to share with new staff,” Carman said. “We just need to get a full staff again. It’s an incredibly exciting time to be here; the new addition is only going to build on that. We’re really looking forward to it.”

To connect with the ClubHouse Hotel & Suites, click here.