The 1927 Lake Lure Inn & Spa, which brings back memories of Johnny and Baby’s summer romance in the film “Dirty Dancing,” has been sold.
The $11.1 million selling price includes the iconic 72-room hotel, and other nearby properties including the Arcade Commerce Building, the historic Keeter home and acreage, the Irongate salon and spa and restaurants, and office spaces, according to Rutherford County tax records.
George and Hope Wittmer, owner of Lake Lure Properties, bought the Lake Lure Inn when it was closed in December 2004 and owned it until selling this week to Atlanta-based Ridgeline Investment Partners. Hotel operations will continue uninterrupted during the transition.
The Lake Lure Inn counts Franklin Roosevelt, Emily Post, F. Scott Fitzgerald and Calvin Coolidge as former guests. Actors Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Grey also stayed at the inn, along with other “Dirty Dancing” cast and crew members, while filming a handful of scenes in Lake Lure for the 1987 classic.
The Wittmers are long-time collectors of antiques, decorative arts, and historic memorabilia; the hotel is brimming with rare finds from around the world, including statutory, paintings, carvings, and historic objects.
“Restoring and stewarding the Lake Lure Inn has been a 20-year revitalization project,” says George Wittmer. “When my wife Hope and I relocated to this beautiful community almost two decades ago, we were glad – and continue to be fortunate enough – to welcome thousands of visitors, locals and guests to share in the magic of Lake Lure. We’ve seen welcomed growth and transformation of this mountain community, and we are excited to embark on our next set of local ventures.”
The 1927 Lake Lure Inn & Spa is approaching its centennial. Keaton Nickelsen, a partner at Ridgeline Acquisitions, described the inn as a “once-in-a-lifetime type of property” because of the natural beauty around it including the lake and Hickory Nut Gorge mountains.
“We are very excited to be a part of the next chapter of this beautiful and unique property and join the Lake Lure community,” says Nickelsen. “It fits very well with our collection of boutique hotels in thriving mountain towns across North Carolina and North Georgia. We are thrilled to be able to honor the rich history of the hotel dating back to 1927 and the legacy of George and Hope Wittmer who brought this amazing property back to life when they purchased it 20 years ago.”
Although none of “Dirty Dancing” was shot at the Inn, other nearby sites in Lake Lure were used in the film, including where Grey and Swayze performed their epic “Time of My Life” dance, according to NCVisit.
The area remains a tourist attraction, and visitors spent $282.4 million in Rutherford County in 2022, up 3.5% from the year before, according to NCVisit.
Ridgeline Investment Partners lists four other hotels on its website – the 45-room Monte Vista Hotel in Black Mountain, the 35-room Sylva Hotel, which is currently closed for renovations, The Wells Hotel a 21-key hospitality redevelopment in Cashiers, and the Bridge Creek Inn, a 45-room hotel in Clayton, Georgia.
Other projects include Whiteside Brewing, which is part of the The Wells Hotel, and The Pharmacy, which is a retail building adjacent to the Bridge Creek Inn and available for leasing.
The sellers were represented in the sale by real estate broker George Carter, whose North Carolina real estate career began in 2018 with a focus on Hickory Nut Gorge residential and commercial property.
Carter was born a year after the movie hit theaters, but says he was proud to be part of the deal. “It truly was one of my favorite movies as a teenager,” says Carter.
