A Touch of History: The Kennedy Connection at The Inn of Chagrin

One of our staff members donated a John F. Kennedy book that she picked up while cleaning out her grandma's home. As we learned from our designer, Christian Siriano, books can be added to a tabletop and make great décor.

We placed the book in one of our rooms to complete the look. One day, a guest came down to the front desk with the book in hand. Curious as to why he had the book, our staff inquired. The guest opened the book to a certain page and said, “That’s my dad.” Stunned to see his dad in a book about JFK, the staff member asked for more details. This led to a sit-down with the guest for a special story time.

He proceeded to share that his dad, Bob Foster, was the Secret Service Agent for the Kennedy children during JFK's presidency. He lit up as he shared stories about meeting the kids and Jacqueline after the President passed away. He shared how welcoming Jacqueline was to his family. We all stood in amazement as he shared these very personal, once-in-a-lifetime stories with us. We felt so honored to hear his memories.

How incredible that a book that was special to our staff member because it was her grandmas that was meant for decor in a room brought back beautiful memories for one of our guests and amazing stories for our staff.

That is the difference between a "hotel" and The Inn of Chagrin.