Anna May Cory and her partner Bob Uveges remodeled in 2001, the 12-r00m Cottonwood Pines Motel, 920 South Camino Real, the acre property is, as she sees it, a boutique getaway. This is not the 1950s-style place your parents or grandparents happened to pull into after tiring of driving; Pines Inn & Suites will be one of the highlights of your Arizona adventure.

“We’re really a unique family owned and operated property managed by Martha Bruening and Cory Bruening with personal, friendly service we pride ourselves on.  Martha takes pride in overseeing the cleanliness of our rooms and training the staff to maintain our friendly guest services.  Many of the staff have been with us for over 7 years and now are part of the Pines family.

Cory was featured two years in a row at the Sedona Film Festival for his Sedona Time-Lapse movie.  He loves photography and has taken all the room photos on our website and his work is featured in all the rooms with local area framed pictures.  Prints are available for purchase in the lobby.

It just makes sense we would improve our name, logo, and image to match the quality our product,” Anna May explains. “We are affordable, friendly and modern.”  

This May 2021, our family is celebrating 20 years of ownership. “During that time, we’ve invested time, energy, upgrades and made countless improvements to make our inn the special place it is,” she explains.

We have paved the parking lot, built a saltwater pool, and installed the area’s first Tesla charging stations at a lodging venue. In 2008, we remodeled the property, added 15 units and a lobby area, and installed a filtered water station where guests can fill their refillable bottles with free chilled and filtered water.This has reduced thousands of plastic bottle waste going into the landfills or  littering streets and roadways. Because of this and other environmental efforts, the inn is Certified Green by the Arizona Lodging & Tourism Association and Certified Silver by the Sustainability Alliance of Arizona.

While improving the property during the last two decades, Anna May remembers her father’s advice: “He went through the Great Depression and taught me to not spend money I did not have,” Anna May’s comment: “This philosophy has kept us out of debt.”

In addition to minding paternal guidance, Anna May had acquired years of business experience before purchasing the Inn. Formerly a resident of Lakewood, Ohio, Anna May owned and operated six health food stores from 1968 to 1985. From her next home in Aspen, Colorado, she also operated a gourmet cheese store from 1978 to 1985.

In 1986, she moved to Sedona and owned the Prickly Pear Restaurant from 1989 to 1994 and then managed the Railroad Inn, also in town. In 1998, she moved to Cottonwood to become the general manager of the Verde Canyon Railroad in nearby Clarkdale. After becoming a real estate agent, she learned that the Cottonwood motel was for sale and she saw her destiny.

Credits:  some excerpts from May 2021 Green Living Magazine.