Restwell Motel

Wonderful retro hotel in a town that time forgot! Everyone was so friendly! Great public swimming pool for free! Great golf course where you play all day for one green fee! The hotel was extremely clean and well kept and quiet! The owners were shy but friendly and helpful. Our room was spotless (even the grout in the bathroom!!) A true slice of small town America. Not modern and fancy but quiet and comfortable. If you want to get away from the speed of life - head to Johnson, KS! Rinky Dink Cafe open for lunch only has a great burger!

11/20/09: We arrived at the Restwell after day of hunting. Previously I made reservations for 2 rooms having stayed there several times over 19 years. The current owner, Gordon turned us away (me, my son and 12 year old grandson) proclaiming “We do not need your kind.” (We have excellent credentials.)

1.In an unwelcoming manner, he pushed 2 reservation slips toward us; immediately tapping a yellow paper titled “no dogs allowed”. If one were seen even outside the room door by the owners, they would charge our credit card $250.

2.I wondered aloud to him and his wife who had walked up, if he could sustain such a charge. (We had two neutered hunting dogs with us planned to be quartered in our pickup. Restwell‘s employee had told me when I made reservations that no dogs were allowed in rooms because of the owners’ concern about carpet damage.)

3.My mere question ignited Gordon. He claimed my dog had urinated on a pillow the previous year (I haven’t found confirmation I stayed there since 2005, 4 years earlier!).

4.I had been ambushed and was bewildered by accusations he angrily spewed. According to him a guest claimed the sheets had not been changed then threatened to sue them.

Crucial question 1: Doesn’t Restwell always check and change linens for the next guest?

5.Trying to digest his incoherent claims and assertions about laws and their rights, I told him I accepted what he was claiming in regard to a possible incident but one unknown to me (On the fly, I was unable to establish a timeline for this alleged incident. I acknowledged to myself maybe something had happened in the past I did not know about). Unwilling to accept my trying to develop some facts, he grabbed the reservation slips.

Crucial question 2: No matter when this alleged incident occurred (if it occurred), I asked him why didn’t he call me and give me a chance to take responsibility and make him whole for a common pillow? He had no answer then belligerently rejected my attempt to relate part of my background which many in this country regard as honorable. Upon him being asked this question about not calling and my trying to explain my honorable background, he became more enraged.

6.Apparently his wife started to understand “our kind” was OK. She tried to reason with him to accept our reservation. She probably began to understand no one would knowingly ignore such an accident and blithely return. Resisting all attempts by me and her to reason with him, he repeatedly blew her off; saying to me his mantra of “We do not need your kind.”



We were stranded. My son and grandson from Atlanta, GA on their first hunt anywhere were flabbergasted which certainly tainted their inaugural trip forever. Seldom do customers see such bad public behavior especially in front of children.



I apologized to his wife (in regard to her trying to deal with her husband’s bad behavior) and “our kind” left to travel to another town where (far nicer) motels have big signs out front proclaiming “Welcome Hunters!” and your dogs. Five other towns in that region are welcoming with an occasional motel asking a small fee to cleanup if an animal has an accident. Most charge nothing.



This isn’t just about hunting dogs; there is a risk here to pet owners who may unwittingly run afoul of this person. There is an exposure to unauthorized charges that despite the owner’s claims are not allowable. I checked with my credit card company who said they had never heard of such a situation and their Disputes Department would promptly correct such a charge. I have always liked Johnson and have met some very friendly people there. However, fellow travelers with pets, why take a chance with this motel? You might have to sleep with one eye open.



If you are not a pet owner, you may not feel entirely comfortable if the motel operators are constantly searching for a pet.