About Us

The Hells Canyon Grand Hotel is a family owned and operated hotel since opening in 1988.

 

The owner and founder Tony Copeland’s roots started in car sales. After working in car sales for a period of time, he became the General Manager of Fogle Motors in the Spokane Colville, WA area. In 1975, he had the opportunity to manage and co-own the Hoff Ford dealership in Lewiston, Idaho. In the dealership industry, there was a lot of travel involved. In his travels, Tony noticed that there was a need for a hotel with conference space in Lewiston. The only existing conference space in Lewiston at the time was the Elks Lodge or the use of the Fair building. He thought the central location for both business and outdoor recreation combined with the community need was the perfect opportunity for him to buy property in Lewiston and build a hotel, together with a business partner, Phil Adamek. Tony continued to own the local Lewiston, Idaho Ford dealership known as Tony Copeland Auto Village until selling it in 2006.

 

After discussion with the State of Idaho on the use of the property, Tony built a 100-room hotel with conference space, which opened as a Ramada Inn May 1988. Meriwether’s Restaurant and lounge was included in the original build. An addition to the lounge now known as MJBarleyhoppers Brewhouse was constructed in 1989. As soon as the hotel opened, it sold out of room rights and event space frequently, revealing an even larger need for more guestrooms and event space. In 1992, 34 guestrooms and a 6,000 sq foot ballroom were added across the parking lot at the Seaport annex building, converted from a previous grocery store. With demand still strong, the Clearwater tower was built and completed in 1996 with 47 additional guestrooms attached to the main hotel.

 

The hotel has had a few name changes, beginning with the Ramada Inn chain in 1988 until moving to an independent property as the Grand Plaza Hotel for a few short years. From 1999 - 2020, the hotel contracted with Red Lion Hotels. Then in 2021, another flag change was made to the Ascend Collection by Choice Hotels and the hotel became the current Hells Canyon Grand Hotel.

 

Heidi Copeland, the hotel’s current General Manager and Tony Copeland’s daughter, worked her way thru nearly every department in the hotel before becoming the GM in 2016. Heidi started working at the hotel in accounting, then moved into sales. Additional roles Heidi worked included the Front Desk Manager, Director of Operations and Restaurant/Bar Manager. To date, a 3rd generation is involved in the property, Sarah Brown. Sarah has worked her way through the property in bussing, serving, marketing and currently the Catering Sales Manager.  

 

Above anything, our incredible guests and staff have been the cornerstones of our continued success in the Lewis-Clark valley. Thank you for being here and a part of our story!