BLACKSBURG -- When measured in numbers, The Inn at Virginia Tech and Skelton Conference Center had a big first year since its opening on July 10, 2005.

The front desk welcomed 57,750 guests.

The food service staff prepared and served 136,941 meals at Preston's Restaurant, Continental Divide lounge, to conference participants and through room service.

There have been 25 wedding receptions with a total 3,500 guests, and another 76,056 people have attended meetings and conferences at the hotel.

But when it comes to a spirit of success, perhaps "big" is an understatement in describing the first year, staff say.

"We've had an extremely successful first year," said Gary Crizer, assistant general manager for the Inn at Virginia Tech. "We're probably uncommon coming out of the box so strongly. We set that bar this first year very high. Now there's no turning back."

After opening last summer, it wasn't long before the hotel was at full capacity. The inn was booked for the last three weeks of July, during Virginia Tech's freshman orientation activities.

"It really put us to the test, just jumping right into it with food and beverage service, housekeeping," Crizer said.

In those first weeks, staff made sure electronic keys and telephones were working properly, there were enough sheets and towels for housekeeping to run smoothly, there was enough food on hand and it was served in a timely fashion and the night audits went smoothly.

There were a lot of moving parts, but they all came together with relative ease, said Teresa Hughes, assistant director of sales.

"There were some stumbles, but nothing major," she said.

Once freshman orientation passed, the hotel faced a busy football season. And the crowds didn't disappear after the season ended.

"Our strongest periods are certainly all the home football games," Hughes said. "The balance of the year is very busy, as well. The majority of our business is conference-related."

The recent Labor Day weekend is an example of the variety and volume of events hosted by the inn. The weekend marked the first Virginia Tech home game of the 2006 season, which kept the hotel busy Friday and Saturday. As the Hokie fans left, a wedding party arrived Sunday to celebrate. A wedding brunch was served Monday. Later in the week, the inn hosted the American Society of Biomechanics annual conference.

The Inn at Virginia Tech is a member of the International Association of Conference Centers, a designation that puts it "on the map" within the conference circuit, Crizer said. Virginia Tech is the No. 1 customer when it comes to booking conferences at the inn, he said, but other groups are showing interest in hosting their conferences there, as well.

The wedding business has also been a boon for the hotel. Many of the brides and grooms are Virginia Tech alumni who want to come back to the place they met to celebrate their vows, he said.

"The wedding business has been a business that has really awakened for us," Crizer said. "This has all the flavor of the campus. It brings back a lot of memories for the couples."

For newlyweds and football fans alike, the aesthetics of the inn are painted with maroon and orange strokes without being overwhelmed by Hokie paraphernalia. From the mums that line the driveway and the Hokie stone included in the building's design, to the colors of the carpets, drapery and bed linens, there is no doubt that guests have arrived in Hokie country.

The inn has had its share of celebrity guests in its first year, as well. Talk show host Montel Williams, the Rev. Jesse Jackson, former Virginia Tech quarterback Michael Vick and NASCAR driver Richard Petty have all checked into the inn.

But the highlight of the first year was hosting the crew from ABC's "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition," when the show came to rebuild the Blacksburg home of Carol Crawford-Smith and her two sons.

"It was a windfall for sure, but it was also great exposure," Hughes said. "I was surprised by how many Ty Pennington fans there are."

The hotel was hosting a youth conference at the same time the "Extreme Makeover" crew was in town, and Pennington, the show's host, was bombarded by teenagers as he relaxed in the Continental Divide lounge one night. The hotel manager offered to protect Pennington from the throngs of excited teens, but Pennington visited with them and signed autographs.

So what comes next for a hotel that had such a successful start, including a star-studded television event?

The Inn at Virginia Tech continues to fight a common misperception that it is only open to guests affiliated with the university. The university owns the hotel, but it is managed by Hilton Hotels, and it is open to the public -- from the guest rooms to the restaurants to the spaces for wedding receptions and conferences.

As more people discover the Inn at Virginia Tech, its leaders hope to offer more services and amenities, as well.

"We do continue to be a work-in-progress and we continue to grow," Crizer said. "We want to tap into the leisure market. We have a lot more work to do as we look to the future, but we certainly have made a dent."