Kansas Profile – Now That’s Rural: Jolene & Pat Girard, Clyde Hotel
At a glance: Patrick and Jolene Girard purchased a historic hotel in downtown Clyde and modernized it while retaining its historic flavor. Now, it has hosted guests from as far away as England and Australia.
More information: Ron Wilson, rwilson@ksu.edu, 785-532-7690
Photos: Ron Wilson | Patrick and Jolene Girard
Website: Huck Boyd National Institute for Rural Development
April 9, 2025
By Ron Wilson, director of the Huck Boyd National Institute for Rural Development at Kansas State University
“A Slice of the Good Life,” says a mural in downtown Clyde, Kansas.
That slogan might relate to the town’s annual watermelon festival, but it is also a way of describing the good quality of life as found at the town’s historic downtown hotel – a hidden gem in rural Kansas.
Jolene and Patrick Girard are owners of the Clyde Hotel in downtown Clyde. Jolene went to high school in nearby Concordia and Patrick grew up at St. Joseph, Kansas. They went to K-State and were married.
At right: Patrick and Jolene Girard | Download photo
Patrick entered the crop insurance business in Abilene and eventually started an agency of his own. They moved back to St. Joseph to be closer to their farm and to a home near Clyde after that. Then the historic Clyde Hotel came up for sale.
The original brick part of the hotel building was constructed in 1870. A kitchen and dining room were added in 1912. Part of the building served as a boarding house. The establishment was first known as the Commercial Hotel. It had 14 rooms and one shared bathroom.
By the 1960s, the building was showing its age. Jerry Stenberg was a local man who had admired the hotel while growing up. Stenberg studied landscape architecture at K-State, moved to Denver, and ultimately moved back to Clyde. Stenberg and his wife, Laura Lee, bought the Clyde Hotel in 1968.
The Stenbergs removed the boarding house and remodeled the hotel. They lived there for 50 years before retiring. Another local woman bought and operated it until 2022.
When the Girards heard that the hotel was for sale, they also heard skeptics say that it would be impossible to operate it successfully. “Someone said it couldn’t be done. We took that as a challenge,” Girard said.
The Girards bought the hotel and remodeled and modernized the infrastructure while retaining its historic flavor.
The downstairs area includes the family’s living quarters and Patrick Girard’s crop insurance office. He appreciates history. “We’ve always had an attraction for these buildings that our ancestors built,” he said.
Today, the Clyde Hotel has three standard rooms, two queen rooms, two king rooms, and two double queen rooms – each with a private bath. All rooms have microwaves and mini-fridges. Each room is unique and features original woodwork and artifacts from the original hotel.
The hotel is quaint, cozy, and elegant. It has a second story balcony, a beautiful courtyard, and a nearby gazebo. It’s a remarkable treasure to be found in a rural community such as Clyde, population 694 people. Now, that’s rural.
The Clyde Hotel has hosted guests from across the country and as a far away as England and Australia. It’s located 15 minutes from Concordia and Highway 81 – a four-lane highway - yet is nestled in the quiet community of Clyde.
“I love meeting the people,” Jolene Girard said. “People who stay with us say they are looking for something off the beaten path.”
Every year on Labor Day weekend, Clyde celebrates a watermelon festival. This celebration began more than 125 years ago when it was found that watermelon grew well on the sandy, river bottom land nearby. The festival includes a parade, barbecues, contests, dances, demolition derby, games and more.
When a bad accident happened on nearby Highway 81 and people were stranded, neighbors stepped in to help. It demonstrated community spirit.
“We’re seeing some revitalization in Clyde,” Pat Girard said. “Some young couples have moved back and taken over businesses.”
“Houses don’t even get onto the (public) market before someone will buy them,” Jolene said.
“We’re located on the main street of Clyde,” Pat added. “You can walk over and get the mail and walk down to get lunch. It’s a slice of Americana.”
For more information or to reserve a room, go to www.clydekshotel.com.
A slice of the good life. That’s one way to describe Clyde, Kansas, and its remarkable hotel downtown. We salute Jolene and Patrick Girard for making a difference by preserving and updating this historic hotel.
They are offering a slice of the good life – and good lodging.
Audio and text files of Kansas Profiles are available at www.huckboydinstitute.org/kansas-profiles. For more information about the Huck Boyd Institute, interested persons can visit www.huckboydinstitute.org.
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