When a new location for national extended-stay hotel chain Staybridge Suites was constructed this year in Minot, N.D., hotel management wanted a low-maintenance privacy fence with high visual appeal that comfortably insulated guests from the surroundings.
“We were looking for something that would be aesthetically pleasing and separate our atmosphere, courtyard and patio from the semi-industrial surroundings and provide our guests more peace and privacy within,” says Dave Bussard, general manager of Staybridge Suites-Minot. “We’re located right off one of the busiest roads in the city, and border businesses and residential areas. There’s traffic going all hours of the day around there, so we believed a good privacy fence would help our guests to feel more comfortable and relaxed.”
The hotel hired fence contractor Dakota Fence Company, Inc., for the job and began looking at different privacy fence options. The desire for a low-maintenance material led hotel management to focus on vinyl fencing products.
“Low maintenance is important, especially in North Dakota, with our heavy snows and colder winter temperatures,” Bussard says. “You want a fence to last for years and years and keep looking nice along the way. You might pay a little more in the beginning, but with vinyl, you don’t have to spend all of the hours and expense re-staining the fence over the years.”
Staybridge Suites-Minot was most impressed with CertainTeed’s Bufftech® Chesterfield with CertaGrain® vinyl privacy fence line, which offered the classic look of a stained wood fence with an authentic wood grain texture and the unique option of customizing colors. The chain decided to go with a custom, two-color configuration of the Bufftech Chesterfield with CertaGrain fence—the posts and rails were in Brazilian Blend and the pickets were in Frontier Blend—offering an eye-catching accent to the hotel’s exterior.
“The color scheme is perfect,” Bussard says. “It’s a pairing of two earthtone colors that complement our building very nicely.”
Bufftech’s CertaGrain texture is manufactured using a proprietary process that recreates the look and feel of real wood, and the line’s finish options combine this authentic woodgrain texture with a natural, blended color reminiscent of stained wood. This eliminates the need for staining or painting, and with vinyl being a low-maintenance material, very little upkeep is required.
The new 102-room Staybridge Suites Hotel was completed this spring, and Dakota Fence Company began work, with a two-person crew, in June. Fence posts were set 4 feet deep with a concrete footing. The crew then installed 350 feet of the 6-foot tall vinyl privacy fence around the hotel. Due to the custom color configuration, the project was a stick-built installation instead of one involving factory-built panels, which required more on-site assembly. The project ran very smoothly, however, and was finished in four days.
Though wood-style vinyl privacy fences are more commonly used in residential applications, this project provided an excellent example of why hotels and other commercial buildings should consider installing them instead over other fence styles.
“These fences give more personal aesthetic value to commercial properties—especially those in the hospitality industry—than a chain link fence, which looks more industrial,” says Mylan Sand, vice president of Dakota Fence Company. “For hotels, they help achieve the primary goal of trying to create a home away from home. And, with vinyl being a low-maintenance material, hotels are able to reduce their ongoing maintenance costs. So, overall, it’s a wise investment.”
Staybridge Suites-Minot was very pleased with Dakota Fence Company’s work, as well as the look of the fence.
“Dakota Fence Company was really quick and efficient—they had the posts set in just two days,” Bussard says. “And, we love our fence. The two-tone color scheme makes it blend nicely with our hotel’s exterior and all the stone we have around it. The end result is very pleasing to the eye. In addition, it provides a great break between our hotel and its surroundings—helping us to be a better host and neighbor.”
Founded in 1972, Dakota Fence Company is the largest full-line specialty contractor in the Upper Midwest, serving the Dakotas, Minnesota, Montana and Wyoming. From its three locations in Fargo, Bismarck and Minot, N.D., the contractor provides
fencing and guardrail solutions for all types of sites - residential, commercial, industrial, recreational, educational, governmental, storage facilities and highways.
