Where Story Matters.

Meet The Hofers

Our story with the Jackalope Motor Lodge embodies our joy for cultivating spaces where people feel cared for, find peaceful rest, and discover moments of lighthearted fun right within reach.

We didn’t set out in life dreaming of owning a motel to do all of that. However, life often weaves together pieces of your story into a journey that takes you to a destination beyond your own imagination. And that is exactly what happened with us and the Jackalope.

how we landed here…

We had lived an amazing big city life by the sea for a full decade, and our lives had been preparing us for some kind of change through career shifts, a global pandemic, the addition of a third little boy to our family, and a deep, honest in your gut feeling. In the summer of 2020, our new friends had moved to Pinedale and invited us out to visit. After a short trip to see them, we quickly fell in love with the openness and kindness of the people, the beautiful scenery, and the slower pace of life that Wyoming provides. At one point in our visit, we were driving by this vacant motel property and noticed it was for sale. That was the first seed of curiosity planted for this dream: that we could just maybe pull off restoring an old, beaten-down motel and bring it back to life as a vibrant, mountain town destination. 

We returned to our big city life, kept talking with friends and family through all of the ideas and “what-ifs”, and simply stayed stubbornly committed to figuring out how to purchase and revive this little corner of Pinedale. Well, our stubbornness paid off because here we are in Pinedale with the Jackalope Motor Lodge fully operating and thriving.

Some tried and true values of ours are that people are what matter most, and connecting through our stories is where the best of life happens.

As we look back on this story, what has impacted us the most is the way in which the community of Pinedale embraces these values as well. People cared enough to take time to see us, to listen, and to cheer us on as we dove into the deep end of starting up a business and remodeling every corner of the Jackalope. We are proud to call Pinedale our home, and we strive to daily keep those values at the core of how we show up everyday.  We are a place where story matters. 

As far as this story goes, we’re full of wonder and gratitude for how far we’ve come. We purchased the Jackalope Motor Lodge on June 1st, 2021, and started renovations the very next day. The first round of renovations in that initial summer of 2021 looked like taking all of the rooms up to a baseline level - new beds, new paint, and a solid scrubbing. From 2022-2024, we slowly but surely moved deeper into the renovations by crafting each room into what has now become the JML standard. As we move ahead and beyond we are continuing to dream about what this place can and will become, and we are thrilled to unveil new amenities and upgrades regularly. We would love for you to come and see what we are up to here at the Jack, and experience the charm and magic of our little mountain town. Until then, stay legendary.

-The Hofers