Villa, B&Bs Offer Private Relaxation

There’s an overnight hideaway in Rogers that’s so exclusive the local hotel chieftains don’t even know it’s there.

The Pinnacle Villa, a 3,200-SF private residence on Clubhouse Drive at Pinnacle Country Club, is apparently the créme de la respite for big wheels who roll through Northwest Arkansas.

Lee Scott, CEO of Wal-Mart Stores Inc., once spent six months at the $300 per night ($500 per night on weekends) getaway while his own home was being remodeled. Jim and Robin Schnoes of Rogers own the property, which overlooks the ninth hole of the course. It’s frequently rented by the month for high-profile retail vendors who are moving to Northwest Arkansas, but Schnoes declined to disclose the monthly rate.

He is president of publicly traded Springdale truckload carrier Cannon Express Inc. and the former treasurer of J.B. Hunt Transport Services Inc. in Lowell.

The couple bought the zero-lot property in 1993 for $375,000 from James and Margaret Howarth.

Schnoes said the two-bedroom, two-bath home is designed for entertaining, and he bought it back when Northwest Arkansas’ hotel rooms were in undersupply to help house VIPs visiting the area.

The master bathroom has a large Jacuzzi, and the Southwestern décor includes 30-foot cathedral ceilings and a terrace balcony that’s a favorite entertaining spot.

“Quite a few lawyers, investment bankers, celebrities back during the old Phillips Challenge days and other prominent people have stayed there,” Schnoes said. “We basically only rent it to the Wal-Mart vendors and people in the finance community, or maybe to celebrities. It’s word of mouth only.

“Some pretty high-profile depositions have been done there. We’ve had weddings and wedding nights and even a baby shower.”

Schnoes won’t name most of the celebs and CEOs who’ve stayed at the Villa, but it’s known as an “oasis” for several of corporate heads at Wal-Mart’s largest vendors.

U.S. Rep. Dick Armey, R-Texas, has stayed at Pinnacle Villa, Jim Schnoes said, while he was in town for a fundraiser for former U.S. Sen. Tim Hutchinson, R-Arkansas. The U.S. Secret Service is very familiar with the place. Roy Clark of “Hee Haw” pickin’ and grinnin’ fame, North Carolina basketball Coach Roy Williams and tons of other sports types have also used the home.

Schnoes said guests can use the Pinnacle Country Club’s dining facilities and arrange to play golf through the pro shop.

“It’s a wonderfully relaxing, peaceful place,” Schnoes said.

Other out-of-the-way lodging spots in the area include about a dozen bed and breakfasts that thrive on University of Arkansas football weekends, during Benton County’s annual craft fair pilgrimages and romantic get-a-ways.

One of the quietest retreats is Maguire House Bed & Breakfast in Elkins. Owned by retired U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Michael J. Musholt and his wife, Maureen, their 3,600-SF home has four guest rooms set in the middle of 25 acres.

Home-cooked country breakfasts are a halmark of the $65 per night establishment. Michael Musholt said supper clubs, family reunions and Razorbacks fans are some of their best customers.

“We enjoy the day-to-day growing flowers, dealing with people and the business allows us to live in a beautiful old house this size,” Musholt said. “We’re only seven miles from Fayetteville, so we’re secluded but close to all the amenities of Fayetteville.”

Tudor House at the Oak is a National Historic Registry house in Bentonville. It features a luxury bathroom with a deep whirlpool bath, a three-course gourmet breakfast, gardens, water fountains and quiet woods. Lee and Linda Long, the owners, even offer gourmet cooking and golf lessons.

Rates at Tudor House range from $90 for rooms to $130 for a suite.

Best of the B&Bs

Here’s a sampling of some of the area’s top bed and breakfasts for which tax information was obtainable. Many of the local operations are small or out of city limits where tax records would make their estimated gross revenue public information.

Inn —?City —?2002 Revenue

The North Forty —?Fayetteville —?$64,700
Magnolia Gardens —?Springdale —?$50,925
Stay Inn Style —?Fayetteville —?$37,800
Whispering Woods —?Bentonville —?$5,341
Tudor House at the Oaks —?Bentonville —?$4,735
Yellow Rose —?Springdale —?$2,923

Source: municipal tax receipts