Set up like an old railroad station, the Depot Inn and Suites signals its customers with its friendly atmosphere just as the trains that pass through signal their presence with a blow of a whistle.

The Depot Inn and Suites, located off Highway 63 in La Plata, Mo., first opened its doors in May 2006. Kelly and Thomas O. Marshall, owners of the Depot Inn and Suites, said they discussed the possibility of starting their own hotel for quite some time before actually acting on it.

“Kelly and I, for a number of years, have always talked about how owning a hotel would be kind of fun,” Tom said. “Then when the new highway development started and we knew there was a new restaurant going in and all this new development, we decided that this spot was really good. We’re just a nine-minute drive from Kirksville.”