How it started
The Anniversary Inn began in 1991. Today it is a themed bed and breakfast with four locations: two in Salt Lake City, one in Logan, Utah, and one in Boise, Idaho.
The inspiration was Tom and Dorothy Heers. While staying at the Madonna Inn in San Luis Obispo, California, in 1978, the Heers caught the vision of what a themed hotel could be.
When they wanted to build one, the banks would not lend against the idea — it was considered too risky. They started instead at the Sherwood Hills Resort in the mountains, and the concept proved itself.
Growing
The Heers bought the Kahn Mansion in Salt Lake City, and with business booming they expanded in 1993 with the 5th South location, adding another 36 suites.
Shortly after the Boise inn opened, Senator Bob Bennett’s corporation became a joint owner in The Anniversary Inn, specifically at Boise.
In 2003, Rich Bennion bought the Logan and Boise inns and carried the themed suite idea forward. Joan Bennion, Rich’s wife, brought her creative eye to the suites themselves.
In 2005 the Bennions bought a house on the west side of the Logan property — Building 6, the “Gingerbread House” — and added suites including Juliet’s Balcony and Hawaiian Paradise.
The buildings
The Inn on Center Street was the original bed and breakfast in Logan, built around five buildings on the property, including the Thatcher Mansion.
The South Temple inn sits in the historic Avenues district of Salt Lake City, at South Temple and 7th East.