Starved Rock Pool House

10/24/2026

✨ Exciting News for American Express Card Members! 💳🏡 Airbnb and American Express Travel have officially partnered and Starved Rock Pool House is now part of this new booking experience! 🎉

Starting October 22, eligible U.S. American Express Card Members can browse and book select Airbnb properties directly through AmexTravel.com or the Amex Travel App, including our very own Starved Rock Pool House in Ottawa, Illinois!

Even better? Depending on your American Express Card, you may be eligible to earn additional Membership Rewards® points when booking through Amex Travel!

🏊‍♀️ Your own private heated indoor pool
💦 Hot tub & sauna
🏡 Room for up to 16 guests
❤️ Perfect for family getaways, celebrations, and group retreats

Whether you book through Airbnb as usual or discover us through American Express Travel, you’ll enjoy the same incredible private getaway!

🔗 Explore Amex Travel: https://www.amextravel.com

🔗 Book directly through Airbnb: https://airbnb.com/h/starvedrockpoolhouse

Another way to find us. Another reason to plan your next getaway! ❤️

American Express Travel availability and rewards are subject to card eligibility and applicable terms.

Illinois Indoor Pool House | Sleeps 16 | Hot Tub

10/20/2026

🏊‍♀️ **A LITTLE POOL HOUSE TLC COMING IN NOVEMBER! 🔧🎨** If you've been checking our Airbnb calendar and wondering why almost the entire month of November is blocked off, there's a good reason!

**The Starved Rock Pool House will be temporarily closed October 31 – November 24** while we tackle two major maintenance projects:

🎨 **Repainting our 20' x 40' indoor swimming pool**

🔧 **Redoing the pool's plumbing in the basement**

Owning a home that's more than 100 years old AND has a massive indoor swimming pool certainly comes with its share of maintenance! 😂

But one thing I've always believed is that if you're going to welcome guests into your home, you need to take care of it.

I'm constantly working behind the scenes to maintain, repair, improve, and update the property so every guest can enjoy the same wonderful experience that so many families have come to love.

Some projects are small. Others, like these, require shutting everything down for a few weeks. It's all part of keeping the Starved Rock Pool House in tip-top shape! ❤️

🎄 **AND SPEAKING OF UPCOMING STAYS... CHRISTMAS BREAK ISN'T COMPLETELY BOOKED YET!**

We still have some December availability, including dates over Christmas break!

If you've been dreaming about spending part of the holidays swimming in a private, heated indoor pool while it's freezing outside, now might be your chance!

Imagine the kids swimming for hours while the adults relax in the hot tub, enjoy the sauna, or gather around the fireplace.

No crowds. No sharing the pool with strangers. Just your family or friends enjoying an entire home all to yourselves!

📅 **A QUICK REMINDER:** Our weekends tend to book months in advance, but weekdays are often a different story. If you have some flexibility in your schedule, it's always worth checking our calendar!

As always, I appreciate everyone who has stayed with us, recommended us to friends and family, shared our posts, or simply followed along on this Airbnb adventure.

Keeping this old house beautiful and welcoming is a labor of love, and I can't wait to show you our freshly painted pool when everything is finished! ❤️

🏡 **Check availability here:**
https://airbnb.com/h/starvedrockpoolhouse

10/17/2026

10/17/2026

🏡 Even Airbnb hosts need an Airbnb getaway sometimes! ❤️ After a whirlwind month of work, unexpected challenges, preparing for a speaking engagement to 100's of people, and attending the Microsoft Community Summit in Nashville, I was officially running on empty.

And as much as I love my own home and hosting guests at the Starved Rock Pool House, I just wasn’t quite ready to return to the chaos of everyday life. I needed a little R&R. Actually, a LOT of R&R! 😂

So on my way home from Nashville, I decided to take a little detour and treat myself to a two-day staycation away from home in Havana, Illinois.

And I stumbled upon the most charming, unique little Airbnb!

It’s called the Lustron House on Airbnb, an all-metal prefabricated home built in the late 1940s. Only about 2,000 of these homes were ever manufactured, and roughly 1,000 are believed to still exist today.

And when I say ALL metal, I mean ALL METAL! 😲

The exterior siding, roof, interior walls, ceilings, closets, pocket doors, even the built-in desk… METAL! It’s like stepping into a little piece of American architectural history.

But what surprised me most was just how cozy, quaint, and welcoming this little house felt.

No 20’ x 40’ heated indoor swimming pool. No hot tub or sauna. No 4,500 square feet of living space. Just a charming little house overlooking a beautiful lake, surrounded by peace and quiet.

And it was EXACTLY what I needed. ❤️

Two days to sleep, relax, recharge, enjoy the view, and do absolutely nothing I didn’t feel like doing.

As an Airbnb host, I spend so much time thinking about how to make other people’s getaways special. What will make them comfortable? What little details will make their stay memorable? What will make them feel at home?

It was kind of wonderful to be on the other side of that experience for a change.

And it reminded me of something important…

The perfect getaway doesn’t have to be extravagant. It just has to be exactly what YOU need at that moment.

For some people, that’s a big beautiful home with a private indoor pool, surrounded by family and friends.

For me, this week, it was a tiny, nearly 80-year-old metal house overlooking a lake in Havana, Illinois.

And I wouldn’t have traded those two days for anything. 🥰

Sometimes the best thing you can do for yourself is simply get away, slow down, and recharge.

Even when you’re the one who usually provides the getaway. ❤️

Sharing a few pictures because this little piece of history was just too unique not to share!

10/17/2026

🏊‍♀️ **People book Starved Rock Pool House for the pool. But some of my favorite reviews are about everything else.** ❤️ I was reading through a few of our recent Airbnb reviews, and something really stood out to me.

Of course, guests love the indoor pool and hot tub. That's usually what catches their attention in the first place! 😂

But what makes me happiest is reading about all the *other* things they notice.

The little extras throughout the house. The fully stocked bathrooms. The pool toys, towels, games, and all those things I've tried to think of so guests don't have to.

And then there was this comment from one of our guests:

**"I hope she continues to preserve the beautiful character of this home."**

That one really made me smile. ❤️

Here's something many of you probably don't know about Starved Rock Pool House.

**The house was built in 1925, and before it became an Airbnb, it was my personal home.**

When I decided to turn it into a vacation rental, I didn't empty it out and start over with new furniture. Quite the opposite, actually!

I pretty much left everything right where it was, moved my personal belongings and collectibles and a few special things to my other house, and bought new furniture for myself.

So when you stay at Starved Rock Pool House, you're staying in what was, for all practical purposes, my actual home. The furniture, the decor, the personality — it's pretty much exactly how it was when I lived there.

And I love that guests appreciate that.

One guest called it a "vintage gem" and a "nostalgic getaway." Another talked about all the thoughtful touches throughout the house, right down to the extra toothbrushes and toothpaste. And another shared how much their family enjoyed not only the house but exploring downtown Ottawa and our local restaurants.

**Three different families. Three different experiences. Three more five-star reviews.** ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

What I love most is that they're noticing the things that make this place more than just a house with a swimming pool.

It's a 101-year-old home with history, character, and a whole lot of personality. And while I've worked hard to make sure guests have everything they need for a wonderful stay, I've never wanted it to lose what made it special to me in the first place.

I'm sharing all three reviews because they genuinely made my day, and because I think they capture what I hope every guest experiences when they visit.

Thank you to everyone who has chosen Starved Rock Pool House for their family vacations, getaways, and time together. ❤️

🏡 **Starved Rock Pool House | Ottawa, Illinois**

10/17/2026

🏊‍♀️🏡 **LET'S TALK AVAILABILITY AT THE STARVED ROCK POOL HOUSE!** 💦 WOW! You guys are really planning ahead, and I LOVE IT!

I was looking at our Airbnb statistics today, and one number really caught my attention...

**Guests with upcoming reservations are booking an average of 7½ MONTHS in advance!** 😲 That's nearly THREE MONTHS further ahead than this time last year!

We've also received THREE new bookings in just the past week!

So, what does that mean if you're hoping to plan a getaway to the Starved Rock Pool House?

**It absolutely DOESN'T mean you can't get a weekend!** It just means planning ahead gives you the best selection of dates. And there are still some great opportunities on our calendar!

📅 **HERE'S OUR CURRENT WEEKEND AVAILABILITY:**

💦 **January 2027:** Jan 22

💦 **March 2027:** March 5, 12 & 20

💦 **April 2027:** April 2, 3, 9, 10 & 23

💦 **May 2027:** May 7 & 8

💦 **June 2027:** June 4, 5, 11 & 12

💦 **July 2027:** July 9, 10, 23 & 24

💦 **August 2027 and beyond:** Our calendar starts opening up MUCH more, with plenty of weekends to choose from!

We're also closing for most of November to repaint our indoor pool and take care of some maintenance so everything is ready for more swimming, relaxing, and memory-making!

📣 **BUT HERE'S SOMETHING IMPORTANT TO REMEMBER...**

**WEEKDAYS ARE A WHOLE DIFFERENT STORY!**

While weekends tend to book further in advance, we have MUCH more flexibility during the week. We can often accommodate spontaneous getaways on much shorter notice!

💻 Want to work remotely while the kids swim?

👯‍♀️ Need a midweek escape with friends?

🏊‍♀️ Just want a couple of days enjoying your own private heated indoor pool, hot tub, and sauna?

You don't have to wait for a weekend to enjoy a little vacation!

**AND YES... CANCELLATIONS DO HAPPEN!**

Sometimes plans change and a previously booked weekend becomes available again. Whenever that happens, I announce those openings right here on Facebook, so keep following along!

❤️ **MY BEST ADVICE? PLAN AHEAD WHEN YOU CAN, BUT DON'T BE AFRAID TO CHECK FOR LAST-MINUTE OPENINGS!**

Whether you're planning a family getaway, birthday celebration, girls' weekend, or just a few days away from everyday life, we'd love to welcome you!

And remember, with our 40-foot heated indoor pool, hot tub, and sauna, it's pool season ALL YEAR LONG! ☀️❄️

🔗 **Check availability and book your getaway:**
https://airbnb.com/h/starvedrockpoolhouse

Illinois Indoor Pool House | Sleeps 16 | Hot Tub

10/05/2026

📱 **Our Starved Rock Pool House Digital Guidebook Just Got a Major Upgrade!**

One of the things I spend a LOT of time thinking about is how to make staying at the Pool House as easy and stress-free as possible — including making sure you can quickly find the answer to just about any question you might have before or during your stay.

We’ve always had a pretty extensive digital guest guidebook, and I recently went through it again to update the content. At almost the exact same time, our digital guidebook got a whole new look and a major usability upgrade.

And I LOVE how much easier it is to use!

One of my favorite improvements is the new **Stay Timeline**, which organizes information around where you are in your trip — from preparing for your stay and checking in, to enjoying the house and eventually checking out. Instead of digging around for information, the things you’re most likely to need are much easier to find when you need them.

📲 You can even add our guidebook directly to your phone’s home screen, so it essentially travels with you like an app throughout your stay.

Need the Wi-Fi password?
Wondering how something in the house works?
Looking for restaurant recommendations?
Trying to remember a pool or house rule?
Looking for things to do around Ottawa or Starved Rock?

**It’s all right there.**

And with a 4,500-square-foot house that sleeps up to 16 and includes a 20' x 40' heated indoor pool, hot tub, sauna, two kitchens, coffee nook, dedicated office, Peloton, outdoor patio, grill, fire pit and plenty more…there’s a LOT of information we want our guests to have at their fingertips!

The best part? **You don’t have to be staying with us to check it out.** 👀

Whether you already have a stay booked, are thinking about visiting someday, or are just curious about the Pool House, take a look around our newly updated guidebook for yourself:

👉 https://starvedrockpoolhouse.touchstay.com/

**And while I have your attention, my periodic friendly reminder for anyone thinking about a future Pool House weekend…**

Friday and Saturday nights are ALWAYS the first dates to go.

Our weekends typically book about **4–5 months in advance**, and many of our guests plan their stays **6–12 months ahead**. Last-minute weekends do occasionally happen because of a cancellation, but cancellations here are pretty rare.

So if you’ve been talking about getting the family together, planning a girls’ weekend, celebrating a milestone, or just escaping for a couple of days of swimming while it’s freezing outside… **don’t wait until you’re ready to go to start looking at weekend dates.** 😉

We absolutely love our spontaneous travelers — we just don’t have very many spontaneous **weekends** to give them!

**Weekdays are a different story.** If you have some flexibility in your schedule, we can often accommodate weekday stays on much shorter notice. Maybe the urge suddenly hits to escape for a couple of days — or maybe you can **work from “home” from our dedicated office overlooking the pool while the rest of the family swims.** 🏊‍♀️💻

One of the perks of an indoor pool is that a getaway doesn’t have to wait for the weekend — or even for good weather. So if your schedule allows a little weekday flexibility, it’s always worth checking!

**Less time searching for answers. More time enjoying the Pool House.** ❤️