The Country Inn is back, Sostarics buy & rename hotel
From The Morgan Messenger - 11/1/2006

Stjepan and Nancy Sostaric purchased The Inn and Spa of Berkeley Springs on Monday and immediately announced the hotel would again be called The Country Inn, as it was for three decades.

“The Country Inn served as the lynchpin of the thriving tourism industry and the focal point of many community activities for all the years it operated under the ownership of the late Jack and Adele Barker,” said Nancy Sostaric, who will be general manager of the rejuvenated inn.

“Our plan is to make it the social, commercial and tourism center for Berkeley Springs, Morgan County and the surrounding communities,” Sostaric said.

The new owners began a renovation of the inn yesterday. Each of its 62 guest rooms and five suites will be refurbished and made internet friendly. The restaurant and tavern will be revitalized to provide a full menu for fine and casual dining, inspired by a professional chef. The Five Senses Spa will have its range of services expanded.

The gardens, which once drew admiring glances from U.S. 522 travelers, will receive special attention, making them alluring to folks who enjoy outdoor strolling, dining and drinking, according to Sostaric.

“Our goal is to recreate The Country Inn as the perfect location for the celebration of special events, as well as regular breakfasts, lunches and dinners for organizations and businesses in the Berkeley Springs area,” Sostaric said.

The 65 members of the current staff have been invited to remain on the team, she said.

Acquiring the inn has been the Sostarics’ goal for several years. Under the corporate name “5042 Holdings Ltd.,” they finalized the purchase from Historic Holdings LLC on Monday afternoon, October 30. The purchase price was reported to be $4.6 million.

The Sostarics came to Berkeley Springs in 1997, buying and renovating their home on Fairfax Street. In 2003 they purchased another house at the corner of Fairfax and Garden streets. Fully restored, it opened as The Inn on Fairfax two years ago.

Stjepan Sostaric, a native of Croatia, holds a graduate degree in economics and international trade from the University of Zagreb. He was instrumental in developing two hotels along the coast of the Adriatic Sea, which, because of its beauty, draws hordes of tourists.

Sostaric came to the United States 21 years ago and founded Vista Contracting, a construction company headquartered in Washington, D.C.

Nancy McCoy Sostaric traces her West Virginia lineage back to the 1670s, and her family was involved in the folklore of the Hatfields and McCoys along the West Virginia-Kentucky border. Her mother was a Hatfield, her father a McCoy.

She is a graduate of Marshall University in Huntington and also completed graduate courses at the University of West Virginia. She has owned and operated bed-and-breakfast inns for more than 20 years.

Mrs. Sostaric is a member of the Berkeley Springs Morgan County Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors and was co-chair of the Apple Butter Festival parade this year. The Sostarics are both active in the Morgan Arts Council. Sostaric has volunteered his services in the renovation of the Ice House.

The Country Inn

The historic inn was constructed as the Park View Inn in 1932. Its popularity was such that even at the depth of the Great Depression, it required an expansion almost immediately. Two wings and a service area were added.

The “West Hall,” a three-story facility containing 36 rooms, was built in 1984. The Five Senses Spa, a 2-bedroom guest cottage and a 2-bedroom executive conference retreat were added in the 1990s.

“Our vision is to create in The Country Inn one of the finest hospitality facilities in the nation,” said Nancy Sostaric.