Watch the video above for a tour with Ashley Olson, executive director of The National Willa Cather Center, and Jarrod McCartney, Heritage Tourism Development Director.

RED CLOUD, Neb. — Visitors to south-central Nebraska hoping to see the legendary author Willa Cather’s hometown now have a new place to stay.

Local leaders cut the ribbon on Hotel Garber on Friday in Red Cloud.

The 27-room boutique hotel sits in a nearly 125-year-old building in the middle of downtown. It represents a $9 million investment and an opportunity to keep the more than 10,000 annual tourists who flock to Red Cloud to visit Willa Cather sites in the city for longer.

“It’s a beautifully restored building, which I have soft spot in my heart for," National Willa Cather Center Executive Director Ashley Olson said. "I think that all of the extra touches in the interior finishes make it just a stunning place to spend time.”

The hotel is owned by and LLC with the Willa Cather Foundation as a super majority investor. The foundation financed much of the project through individual donations and grants.

The hotel changes the landscape of loading in Webster County. Before, the county had just 22 total motel rooms available.

“Here in these final weeks, to see it all come together, it’s just an amazingly beautiful place," Heritage Tourism Development Director Jarrod McCartney said. "The exterior — every time you drive into Red Cloud, it’s one of the first things you see. To have been a part of that, it just fills me with a lot of pride.”

Hotel Garber is named after Silas Garber, a founder of Red Cloud and the third elected Governor of Nebraska.