Clarion Hotel at Amana exit to remain open after sale at auction

The  Clarion Hotel and Wasserbahn water park  east of Williamsburg on 80 is expected to remain open and operating  following the sale of the property at auction on Wednesday.

The 144-room hotel, with its indoor water park and restaurant at I-80 exit 225 were sold at auction to an unnamed buyer.  The buyer's identity remains confidential under a non-disclosure agreement in the purchase, according to Brian Harris, Clarion Hotel front office manager. The amount of the purchase price was also not disclosed.

Harris said the hotel's staff of about 80 has been informed of the sale, and told that no immediate changes are expected "except the name on the deed."

The hotel purchaser is an Iowa buyer, according to Douglas Johnson of CBRE Auction Services, which conducted the auction.

"The buyer is very excited about continuing to operate the hotel and he will have more information when he comes into title," Johnson said.

The purchase includes retail property in the same Little Amana interchange area, identified by CBRE as a Casey's General Store, Maid-Rite restaurant and other retail storefronts.

Auction details published by CBRE Auction Services indicated the minimum bid for the property was $1.9 million. A renovation project last winter modernized the restaurant, rooms, hallways and lobby of the property.

The property's last last owner was Amana Nordstrom Inc., a venture owned jointly by The Amana Society and members of the Nordstrom family of Cedar Rapids, who have owned and operated convenience store and fast food chains in the area.

Amana Society Director of Finance Jim Mohni declined to elaborate on the reasons for selling the properties, beyond saying that it was a decision of both shareholder groups. He said Amana Nordstrom continues to own two Holiday Inn Express hotels in Cedar Rapids.

Although many still know the interchange as Little Amana, Mohni said the sign identifying it as Little Amana has been removed.

Mohni said he expects the property transfer to be made relatively soon because of the upcoming University of Iowa home football games, which typically fill The Clarion Hotel.