We’re sprucing things up!
We spent the last half of 2024 making major updates at Shelton Inn. Our refreshed, remodeled rooms are available now!
Since 1965,
Shelton Inn has been the favorite lodging choice for guests exploring the wonders of Olympic National Forest and the quaint villages and towns around Puget Sound.
You’ll find us right in downtown Shelton, Washington, in the heart of the town’s historic district. We’re footsteps from the boutiques, restaurants and antique shops that line picturesque Railroad Avenue. The supermarket and movie theater are just around the corner, too. We’re 8 miles from Little Creek Casino, 7 miles from Ridge Motor Park and 12 miles from Lucky Dog Casino.
With easy access to Highway 101 and Highway 3, we’re a great home base for all your adventures. Bring your boat and take advantage of the Peninsula’s pristine year-round lakes. Kayak on majestic Hood Canal (which isn’t a canal at all; it’s another of our region’s many natural wonders). Or bring your hiking gear and conquer the winding trails in Olympic National Forest.
Friendly, Fun Innkeepers
Your innkeeping team has decades of hospitality experience, and you’ll feel the difference the moment you walk in our door. Our team puts customer service first, which is probably why we’re the top-rated hotel in Shelton.
Fresh, New Rooms
Our newly remodeled rooms are elegant, clean and comfortable with new carpet, new mattresses, new 55-inch TVs and record players. Each room also includes a five-star furniture package, microwave, minifridge and streaming-quality wifi.
Easy Access to Downtown
Shelton’s best restaurants and shops are just footsteps away. Safeway and Starbucks are just around the corner. Movies, food and the county’s transportation hub are right next door.
Join us on your next visit to the Peninsula!
See for yourself why we’re consistently rated the best hotel in Shelton.
A note from your innkeepers
Welcome to Shelton Inn!
You’ve joined us at an exciting time, as our property is undergoing a floor-to-ceiling revitalization. Our rooms now feature brand new flooring, new mattresses, updated bathrooms and a four-star furniture package. Bottom line, we’ve improved the appearance and comfort of every space at Shelton Inn. Our favorite neighbor, Blondie’s restaurant, is undergoing renovations, too, and should open in a matter of weeks.
In the meantime, we continue to offer the most important amenity of all: a welcoming smile and friendly, professional service. Stay with us soon and see why we’re a fixture in Downtown Shelton — and a favorite lodging choice of travelers from around the globe.
See you soon!
Damon, Rachel and Star
Shelton Inn
Book your stay today!
We can’t wait to host you here at Shelton Inn — and we save our very best rates for customers who book or call direct.
Special rates for all our special guests
We’re pet-, people- and budget-friendly, with economical options for all kinds of travelers.
Call or email to learn more about…
We offer special rates for those who serve others.
military, educator, first-responder and government discounts
Planning a family reunion or special event? We’ve got room for your entire entourage — and lower rates for groups of any size. Give us a call or shoot us an email to learn more!
group rates
Home to Jimmy Dean the rescue dog, Shelton Inn is a dog-friendly property. Every room type has a pet option for a small daily fee.
pet-friendly rooms
Our weekly rates are an economical option for those of you staying in our community for more than just a few days. Welcome to the neighborhood!
extended stays
Enjoy the festive charm of Shelton
A quiet logging town in the heart of Washington’s Puget Sound region, Shelton is one of the northwest’s best kept secrets. Our historic downtown boasts delicious food and coffee at a variety of restaurants and coffee shops. Shopping options are abundant — including antique shops, gift boutiques and specialty stores. Our historic Tollie Train at the Post Office is a perfect selfie spot.
While we’re a great tourism destination year round, the town really lights up – literally – during the holiday season. Shelton was historically dubbed “Christmastown USA” for the thousands of pine and spruce trees grown here every year. In 2019, we won the Guinness World Record for Most Lit Christmas Trees in One Display in 2019 — 797 trees arranged in a giant maze for visitors to roam through and enjoy free of charge. The town continues a seven-decade Christmas tradition with fun activities for the whole family all season long.
Shelton lies just south of Hood Canal, a natural fjord between the Puget Sound and Olympic Mountains. The area hosts plenty of outdoor activities including paddling, hiking, SCUBA, racing and even skydiving. Visit for the solitude, oysters and waterfalls. Adventurers return again and again for year-round hiking trails, fantastic views and amazing people.
Our history of hospitality.
1960s
Shelton Inn has been a fixture in the community since the 1960s. Our iconic marquee has featured many different names, but we’ve always welcomed weary travelers to this bustling little town known as “the gateway to the Olympics.”
In the late 50s, a construction maven began building motor hotels throughout the Pacific Northwest, naming each of them Timbers Motel & Restaurant. Their Shelton location opened in 1965, and it became one of the first affiliates of the fledgling Best Western chain.
1970s
The builder began selling his properties to independent hoteliers just a few years later. Our new owner converted the property to a Thunderbird Motel – a brand also in the Best Western family. Our sister property in Portland became the first Red Lion, a brand that is widely recognized and still in existence to this day.
1980s
In the mid 80’s our property was sold again, and the new owner decided to fly solo, operating a fully independent motel proudly named Shelton Inn. The property prospered for years, serving as the city’s premier lodging choice.
Today
In recent years, Shelton Inn lost some of its luster, although our onsite restaurant, Blondie’s, remained the town’s favorite diner and a fixture in the community. As of July 2024, the property is under new ownership with a team of native Washingtonians at the helm. We’re in the process of reviving, revamping and returning Shelton Inn to its former glory. By fall, guests will enjoy new flooring, heating, cooling, TVs, mattresses, furniture and a variety of retro touches — along with the city’s best service, courtesy of our enthusiastic, friendly innkeepers and housekeepers.
Our iconic marquee – saved by the Shelton Neon Project
The first thing we loved about Shelton Inn was its retro-fabulous rooftop neon sign, an original element from the motel’s mid-century beginnings. How lucky, we thought, that the marquee was in such great shape, even as the building itself was showing its age. Turns out it wasn’t luck at all. Our sign, like several others in Shelton, has a guardian angel.
Nearly 15 years ago, Forrest and Amy Cooper opened a photography studio here on Railroad Avenue. The couple was disheartened to see so many neighboring signs in disrepair. They dreamed of restoring these historical gems and setting downtown Shelton aglow once more.
Forrest, who had learned the lost art of glass-blowing in college, knew he was uniquely qualified for the task at hand. He formed the non-profit Shelton Neon Project and even opened his own neon processing plant. All that turned out to be the easy part of the project. The hard part: zoning restrictions. As it turned out, all the signs on Forrest’s list were “non-conforming,” which meant that, if they were ever detached from their buildings, they couldn’t be put back. Forrest came up with an ingenious plan to restore the signs in place. With financial support from the community, he stripped, painted and hand-lettered six of the most iconic signs on Railroad Avenue. Ours, thankfully, was one of them.
Forrest and his team achieved their goal in just over a year. They garnered a host of well-deserved community honors as well as a special achievement award from the state Department of Archaeology and Historic Preservation for having a “major impact on how the community looks and perceives itself.”
Since then, Forrest has continued to restore signs in the area. Tourists and locals alike enjoy and admire his team’s craftsmanship. Neon enthusiasts make trips to Shelton just to see our signs.
And, on occasion, a team of visiting hoteliers is inspired by Forrest’s work – and motivated to join the creative, caring community that thrives right here in Downtown Shelton.
Contact us
Whether you book online, by email or by phone, we look forward to helping you have a great stay in downtown Shelton. See you soon!
Most of the visuals on this site (the good ones, anyway) were generously provided by Amy and Forrest at Cooper Studios. We’re grateful for their support and talent, and we look forward to showcasing more of their work in the very near future. Learn more about them here.