When Mackenzie Warner’s wedding guests had trouble finding a place to stay in Baker City in 2020, it got her thinking about hotels, motels, and other places to stay.

“I think there’s a need,” she said of local lodging options.

Then, months later, Warner got a text — several texts, in fact — from her mom, Cammy Warner of Baker City, saying that the Blue Door Inn was for sale.

Mackenzie and her husband, Saam Arzang, bought the historic house in July 2021.

“We spent August fixing it up,” she said. “Everything was in great shape — we just did an update.”

“To make it feel more modern,” said Adam Crowell, Mackenzie’s brother-in-law, who lives in Baker City and manages the property.

The house, at 2324 First St., was already set up as a bed and breakfast.

“It’s a perfect inn,” Mackenzie said.

The Blue Door Inn officially reopened to guests on Sept. 20, 2021.

“We’re trying to make it an awesome place for people to stay in Baker,” Mackenzie said. “And we just love this house.”

It was built in 1920, and expanded in 1930. She has the original blueprints, and plans to have those framed and on display.

Although Mackenzie and Saam live in San Francisco, they come north often — she estimates they’ve spent six months of the past year in Baker City.

A different sort of inn

The Blue Door Inn is not a traditional bed and breakfast. Adam, the manager, lives off site and guests are provided with a unique code for the front door and their room.

But, he emphasizes, he’s only a call away if guests have a question.

Also, instead of gathering with others in the dining room for a morning meal, coffee is provided in each suite and breakfast baskets are delivered to their door in the morning.

“Now things come to you,” Adam said. “It’s not that traditional bed and breakfast, but it has that vibe.”

All three guest rooms are on the second floor, and each has a unique name: Grand Suite (the largest), Elkhorn Suite (with two beds — a king and a queen), and the Rose Suite.

The Blue Door Inn is a lodging partner with Anthony Lakes Mountain Resort and Go Wild.

For more information, visit the website bluedoorinnbakercity.com. The Inn is also listed on Airbnb.

Mackenzie, who grew up in Baker City and graduated from Baker High School in 2010, sees the Blue Door Inn as a way to share her hometown with others.

“We just want more people to come to Baker and love it,” she said.