Historic Black and white image of the original 47 men, who called themselves The Flying Fifty.

Our Story

Challie and Paul Knetter, owners and founders of The Flying Fifty hotel in Cullman, Alabama, posing with their dog, Rhett.

Hi, there!

We’re Paul and Challie Knetter! Our story began when we met at Wallace State and became active in the Rotaract Club – we instantly fell in love with the community! After graduating from Wallace State, Challie attended the University of Alabama, while Paul stayed in Cullman to build his construction business. Upon Challie’s graduation from Alabama, they got engaged and married in 2022. Shortly after, the plan for The Flying Fifty, a boutique hotel, was born! Just like the original Flying Fifty, we’re thankful for our dedicated community who has bonded together to make this project possible! With that being said, we wanted to create a special place to welcome others into our community.

Challie is an active realtor with ERA Waldrop Real Estate specializing in the Cullman area and Paul is continuing to grow his construction business, Traditions Roofing and Construction. We attend First Baptist Church in Cullman and love playing pickleball and spending time with our dog, Rhett. Welcome to The Flying Fifty Boutique Hotel, we’re happy you’re here!