- The iconic Rosebud Motel from the hit comedy series "
Schitt's Creek " is selling for $1.6 million. - Known in real life as the Hockley Motel, it's located an hour outside of Toronto,
Canada . - The motel consists of 10 apartment-style rooms plus a standalone cottage.
The Rosebud Motel from "Schitt's Creek" could soon be yours - if you have $1.6 million and some elbow grease to spare.
Appearing in every episode of the hit comedy series, the rundown Rosebud Motel is where the Roses, a once-affluent family of four, take up residence after they lose their fortune due to a corrupt business manager.
While the interiors of the fictional motel were filmed on set, the building used to film its exterior is a real place in Ontario, Canada, known as the Hockley Motel. It's set on 6.7 acres in the town of Mono about 50 miles from Toronto and selling for $2 million Canadian dollars, or roughly $1.6 million.
Current owner Jesse Tipping, who serves as the president of a high school basketball prep program in the area, purchased the former motel in 2011 and used it as housing for recruits, he told the
The cast and crew of "Schitt's Creek" rented the property for about a month each year starting in 2014, Tipping said.
A big selling point for the motel is its affiliation with "Schitt's Creek"
Listing agency Colliers International appears to be banking on the Hockley Motel's connection to "Schitt's Creek" by prominently touting that it was a show filming location.
As is, the Hockley Motel is "not operational," according to the listing. The main building consists of 10 apartment-style rooms, including a newly renovated two-story manager's suite. There is also a separate, one-bedroom cottage, and the Nottawasaga River runs through the property.
In an interview with Location Managers Guild, Schitt's Creek location manager Geoffrey Smither said that his team looked at "a dozen or so" locations for the Rosebud Motel.
They ultimately chose the Hockley Hotel because it "was isolated" and "there were no proximate buildings that we would have had to avoid. It had a nice woody background too, and it looked right for us in terms of style and age," he said.
The motel is being marketed as renovation-ready
Beyond its ties to television, a perk of buying the Hockley Motel is that it is being offered "unencumbered by brand and management," according to an investment document.
In essence, this means that a new owner will have a blank slate to work with.
Colliers International notes in the listing that their "vision" for the property is for the new owner to "renovate and reposition the existing structures as a lodging operation, boutique property, or long-term rental for families."
It sounds like the property could benefit from its very own Johnny Rose.
When the entrepreneurial character first arrives at the Rosebud Motel in episode 1 of "Schitt's Creek," he asks the receptionist, Stevie Budd, if the motel has a business center.
"Yes, we do have a business center," Stevie responds sarcastically. "You can find it right outside the doors to your left, right beside the hammam spa. Would you like me to book you a treatment while you're at it?"
Johnny and Stevie eventually form a business partnership to spruce up and expand the Rosebud Motel, but don't get around to adding a spa.
While the Hockley Motel listing suggests that a new owner could add an outdoor fire pit and picnic tables, a hammam may not be entirely out of the question given the motel's renovation-ready status.
The future owner should expect some "Schitt's Creek" fans to show up at the front door
Since the show's debut, the building has become a pilgrimage spot for die-hard fans. On Instagram, fans have posted photos using the location tag "Rosebud Motel" along with show catchphrases like Alexis Rose's "Ew, David!"
"They're always so happy to see the place," Tipping told the Orangeville Banner. "Everybody says you need to turn it into the Rosebud Motel."
While the future of the motel will be up to its next owner, rave reviews for the fictional Rosebud Motel on Google suggest that it would fare well as a themed hotel or vacation rental.
-Schitt's Creek (@SchittsCreek) November 25, 2019