Koch Hotel

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Koch Hotel
Opened:	July 7, 1925
Location:	Frankfort, Michigan
Rooms:	9 or 10

Located on Leelanau Avenue in Frankfort, Michigan, Koch's Hotel was purchased by Charles and Betty Koch on July 7, 1925 from Mr. and Mrs. Boyce of Pleasant Hill, Tennessee. They in turn had purchased it from Belle Pratt Edgecomb on May 21, 1923. The hotel had once been called the Pratt Hotel. Constructed of frame and painted white, it was known as a small, exclusive hotel which had splendid meals. Inside there were only 9 or 10 bedrooms but a large attractive dining room and earlier a bar had graced the quiet interior.

Originally Charles was the 'Chef', but later his wife Betty took over and still later, Natilie, their daughter-in-law did the breakfast cooking. Known for their Hungarian Goulash and Yankee Pot Roast, people used to stand in line to get in. During the summer, like the other hotels in town, they employed mostly college girls to work as waitresses. During the season it was not unusual for them to serve over 200 dinners a night and over 150 breakfasts.

In the mid-1950s, the resort trade began to dwindle. Faced with heavy taxes and a declining business, the Koch's closed the business.