In Business: New Owners Bring Changes to 3 Lake Bemidji South Shore Properties

Bemidji’s Hampton Inn & Suites along Lake Bemidji’s South Shore not only went through a name change recently, but also new ownership. Beltrami County Attorney David Hanson and his wife, Julie, are the new owners of the South Shore Hotel, along with the DoubleTree hotel and the Green Mill Restaurant & Bar.

“The complex together is amazing,” said Julie. “People love to stay here, and it was a wonderful opportunity within Bemidji.”

“I knew the former owner of the hotels and approached him last summer about purchasing and the opportunity was there, so I just jumped on it,” explained David, who is also CEO of Lakeside Management Inc.

The Hansons believe this stretch of properties is one of the highlights of the Bemidji area, and they say they won’t change too much about them because of that.

“The Green Mill is one of the best places to eat in town, in my opinion,” stated Julie.

“Both the South Shore Hotel and the DoubleTree are, in my opinion, the premier properties in northern Minnesota and we want to keep them that way,” David added.

There is one change that has already been made, and that’s to create easier access for boaters on Lake Bemidji.

“One of the improvements that’s been made already are the new docks at the South Shore and the Green Mill,” said Julie. “So you can now bring your boat right up to the Green Mill and park it, and enjoy some limited-time appetizers.”

However, the Hansons still want to make the properties their own in some way.

“In the next 12 months to 18 months, we’re going to be remodeling at least aesthetically,” said David. “The lobby in this hotel has already started that remodeling process. If you notice, the paint is fresh and we’ve been sprucing it up quite a bit.”

“We’re going to continue to enhance the properties, make people welcome when they stay at the South Shore, stay at the DoubleTree, and come and eat at Green Mill,” added Julie.

The Hansons share the same goal with all three properties—to make them the premiere destinations to stay when anyone visits the Northland.

“Just to make it the destination for not just Bemidji, but northern Minnesota, really,” said David.

“They’re one of the first things you see [when you enter Bemidji], and you just feel welcome,” said Julie. “You look at that property and feel like, ‘Yes, I want to stay there, I want to be on the lake, enjoy the beach, and enjoy the experience.’ And we want you to stay here when you do visit Lake Bemidji.”