This year’s return to travel is expected to bring visitors across the world back to the 49th state, and local Ketchikan, AK hotels and businesses are preparing for the exciting summer ahead. The Ketch, formerly known as the Edgewater Inn Restaurant & Marina, will open this June as a revitalized 25-room boutique hotel bringing a fresh, spirited and genuine style of hospitality to southern Alaska. The intimate fishing inn will unveil a new identity, look and feel for its guestrooms under the creative direction of French-British artist and designer Henry Chebaane.
“I am a longtime fan of the region and conceptualized The Ketch with a design scheme that I like to call ‘Tongass Explorer,'” Chebaane said. “I was inspired to create a casual yet chic lodge-style experience with nods to classic Pacific Northwest.”
Chebaane designed the rooms as a casual-chic residential lodge with the use of deconstructed and up-cycled materials associated with fishing, hiking and the great outdoors. The furnishings include curtains made from thermal fleece fabric, cushions stitched from flannel shirts and floor mats woven from marine ropes. The interior scheme is a vivid mix of fresh teal blue, cool driftwood gray and warm amber tones juxtaposed with cedarwood, vintage brass, nautical lighting fixtures and boat cleats for hooks and handles.
“I wanted the design to embody the adventurous spirit of Ketchikan. Guests are looking for a home base that offers direct access to world-class fishing and the vast natural splendor that the region is known for. I want guests to like that they are returning home to The Ketch after a long day of exploring,” Chebaane said.
When sourcing art for the hotel, Chebaane collaborated with local Juneau artist Crystal Worl to create a special timber wall composition of two salmons greeting each other for each room. Paying homage to indigenous culture, the piece is titled, éek + daak, two Tinglit words which roughly translate to “to the sea, to the forest.”
“The fish duet also symbolizes the location of The Ketch, one pointing towards the water edge, the other towards the rainforest,” Chebaane said.
The property is open seasonally from June-Sept. and is located along the Tongass Narrows just minutes from downtown, Ketchikan airport and cruise ship docks. The 2022 season at The Ketch will offer fully guided and self-guided fishing as well as add-on excursions.
