On the corner of Fourth and Market streets in downtown Parkersburg stands The Blennerhassett, West Virginia’s oldest boutique hotel.
“In the 1870s, Parkersburg was going through a huge oil and gas boom, and people were becoming millionaires overnight. There was a lot of talk that the area needed a modern, state-of-the-art hotel to accommodate all of this new money coming in,” said hotel historian and concierge Adam Dotson. “Colonel William Nelson Chancellor, who is credited for erecting more businesses and private residences in Parkersburg than any other citizen of his time, decided that he was going to be the one to build this new, magnificent hotel, which he wanted to be second to none. He would spare no expense, and his new hotel would have the most modern amenities for the day.” 
Construction started in 1883, and six years later, The Blennerhassett Hotel opened its doors on May 6, 1889. Over the course of its 135-year history, the landmark Victorian property has undergone three major renovations – in 1944-1945, 1985-1986 and 2002-2006 – and its revival continues to this day under the ownership of local businessmen Lee Eric Rector and Wayne Waldeck.
Rector, an internationally known makeup artist and licensed medical aesthetician, previously owned Lee’s Studio, a day and medical spa in Parkersburg, for decades. Waldeck is the co-owner of Wal-Bon Corp., which operates Napoli’s Pizza and McHappy’s Bake Shoppe locations.
“Wayne is the bean counter – that’s what I always say,” Rector laughed. “He dreams in numbers. I’m more of the hospitality part of it; I want to be around people.”
Rector and Waldeck assumed ownership of The Blennerhassett Hotel, now The Blennerhassett Hotel & Spa, in October 2019 after more than two decades of ownership by the Ross family.
“We knew the Rosses who had the hotel prior,” Rector explained. “Sam Ross’ health was declining a bit, and he wanted to be prepared with what would happen to the hotel if something happened to him.”
Still, when Rector met with one of Ross’ colleagues, he thought that he was being asked to put a spa in the hotel – not purchase it entirely.
“I said, ‘We are not buying the hotel. That’s the last thing we need to do,’” Rector recalled. “And, well, you see how that worked out.”
One of the first and most significant updates that Rector and Waldeck made to the hotel was creating a medical spa, providing Rector with a new place to serve his clientele after offering his previous building to WVU Parkersburg for its School of Cosmetology and Esthetics. At the Blennerhassett Medi Spa, guests can enjoy a number of cosmetic services and beauty treatments such as facials, massages, body scrubs, Botox and fillers, manicures and pedicures, waxing and makeup application.
“We wanted this hotel to be like a mini-Greenbrier,” Rector said. “That was our first mission, and it worked out beautifully.”
Another change, suggested by a staff member, was the inclusion of a speakeasy. The 1889 Club opened in May 2024 in the lower level of the building. It features period-appropriate dark green paint, dim lighting, a 1910 upright player piano, framed alcohol prescriptions dating back to Prohibition and photographs of notable guests lining the walls.
“At this time, the speakeasy is open on Fridays and Saturdays, usually from about 5 p.m. until 1 in the morning,” Dotson said. “In order to access it, you pick up the telephone, and the bartender will answer it and give you a passcode to enter.” 
Several of the hotel’s guest rooms have also been redesigned, with more to come, into signature suites – like the JFK Room, which features special touches such as blue paint, plush carpeting, custom drapes, a gold chandelier and a cushioned rocking chair.
“When then-Senator John F. Kennedy was campaigning for the presidency of the United States in 1960, it was very important for him to win over West Virginia, so he traveled throughout the state,” Dotson said. “He visited Parkersburg twice in May of 1960 and chose both times to stay here at The Blennerhassett.”
Spurred by the opening of Discovery World on Market, a nearby children’s museum, family suites have been added as well. The Kaltenecker Family Suite, Room 409, is a two-floor accommodation located in the former Kaltenecker building, which was incorporated into The Blennerhassett during the 1980s. For larger groups, it can be extended into Room 207, a king suite, to accommodate up to 10 guests. The suite has gained a reputation as one of the most haunted hotel rooms in the state, with many claiming to see and hear the mysterious “man in the bowler hat” in the upstairs bedroom. 
Other developments that have taken place under Rector and Waldeck’s ownership include the opening of Hills & Hollows Gift Shop, renovations to the library, the redecorating of the lounge and main dining area and the hiring of a new executive chef. Yet, even with significant changes, the main focus at The Blennerhassett remains the same: an emphasis on customer service and hospitality.
“I feel like the hotel has something that draws people here – this warm, fuzzy feeling that makes them want to come back. It becomes a tradition,” Rector said. “And the fact that we are an owner-operated hotel, so we don’t have to go through any corporate approval to make things happen – and we really strive to make what our guests want happen – is what sets us apart.”
This reflects another unique aspect of The Blennerhassett: its employees, many of whom have worked for the hotel for years.
“We have a loyal, dedicated staff, and one of the things I am most proud of is our team,” Rector noted. “It’s one of the biggest blessings, to have people with the passion to care for the hotel the way that they do. They take this place very seriously. This is just a 135-year-old building. If it weren’t for our staff, our people, it would be just another building.”
As The Blennerhassett Hotel & Spa, like other businesses, moves beyond “post-pandemic survival mode,” Rector and Waldeck said they are appreciative of the support they’ve received and know the reward has outweighed the risk.
“Our community has been amazing with their support of the hotel,” Rector said. “I think people in Parkersburg and the Mid-Ohio Valley know that The Blennerhassett Hotel & Spa is a pillar of the community. If we didn’t have this downtown, I don’t know what would have happened to Parkersburg. That’s the biggest reason we took this on, because we love our community, and we felt like we had to give back.”