More Big Changes in McCall, Idaho: What Happened to the Holiday Inn Express?

Depending on when your last trip to McCall was, you may be very confused as you pull into town this summer. Over the last few months, there’s been a flurry of openings, closings and ownership changes at well-established businesses in the small Idaho town. 

When you’re looking for upscale lodging in McCall, Shore Lodge is typically the first hotel that comes to mind. Thanks to its floor-to-ceiling windows surrounding its impressive indoor pool, the Holiday Inn Express is probably a close second. The hotel opened in the early 2000s is one of the most familiar sights as you roll down Third Street and into the heart of Downtown McCall. 

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It's also a big tourist attraction during the city’s famous Winter Carnival thanks to the impressive, and more often than not, interactive snow sculptures they’ve built over the years. Their Enchanted Castle and Troll sculpture won second place in the 2023 Professional Division and People’s Choice Award. 

Flash forward four months later and the hotel is gone. Well, not the building itself but the name “Holiday Inn Express.” According to their Facebook page, the hotel is now an independent establishment and has rebranded itself “The Evergreen Hotel.” The new name also brings a new look. The Evergreen shared that they’re undergoing a full hotel remodel. The first two floors are complete and they’re eager to show off the hotel to guests visiting for the Fourth of July. 

Another McCall Hotel Switches it Up

The Holiday Inn isn’t the ONLY McCall hotel to recently undergo a brand change. We stumbled across the first one while trying to book lodging for Winter Carnival earlier this year. The Rustic Inn on Third Street had been our go-to for YEARS and we were stunned when Google told us it was “permanently closed.” That wasn’t entirely true. 

Like the Holiday Inn Express, the Rustic Inn went under a rebrand and remodel. It’s now called the Nordic Inn. The rooms are nearly unrecognizable from the previous hotel. They have a fresh, modern look with sliding barn doors and smart TVs. We loved it so much that we are almost afraid to let the secret out. 

Dining Changes in McCall

As we previously reported, Katie Welborn, the owner of Cafe 6 Three 4, put her business up for sale in April and hoped to find an owner that she could “pass the baton” to after the family relocates to be with her husband. His job relocated him outside the small mountain town. 

Well, it looks like she’s found that owner! Welborn shared on Facebook that her last day as the owner was Thursday, June 8. At the end of May, she shared that the cafe found a new owner that would carry on the 634 vibe and what makes it an important gathering place in McCall. We don’t know much about the new owner other than the fact that his name is Sean.