Take a look at the Innkeeper Passion Statement from Bill Pflaum, innkeeper of Highland Place Bed and Breakfast, which is located in Jackson, TN:

As a businessman who traveled extensively, primarily on an airplane, Cyn wanted me home more, so she started talking about getting a B&B. We looked in 8 states at a number of operations before driving into the red parking lot in Jackson, Tennessee. The exterior was painted a beautiful plum color. Plum is the English way of saying Pflaum.

We stayed the weekend and enjoyed the house, which was decorated in what I called “Asian Queen Victorian” as a result of being a project undertaken by nearby Lambuth University and the Jackson design community. Perfect, since I figured that meant the house itself was solid and, certainly, our plans to redecorate completely would be accommodated.

On Monday, the owners took us to a banker who was managing an office in a nearby town. As I sat in the little reception area, a woman came out from her office. She was so dressed that I was sure she just walked out of her Wall Street office and somehow got to this little town.

“Good morning, Mr. Pflaum,” she said with a perfect German pronunciation of my last name. “Pardon me,” I said, “but I have never heard my name pronounced correctly in any of my 60 years!” She was second-generation German. Her name was Leonie, and Cyn and I are both Leos. That pretty well finished any resistance I may have been considering.

We have completely redecorated the inside – gone is Queen Victoria and now there is a “gallery” for our creative collection of hand-crafted items ranging from extensive pottery to a broad range of furniture to Southwest art. We have extensively landscaped to create a more open feeling upon arrival than the formal planting, perhaps more expected in 100-year-old mansions.

Bill Pflaum

Go to the Highland Place Bed & Breakfast page for contact information

Butler Suite

Read the Innkeeper Passion Statement from Linda Williams, innkeeper of Old Bridge Inn Bed and Breakfast, located in Jeffersonville, Indiana:

I am passionate about innkeeping because of the guests that frequent the inn. After 10 years in business, we are very fortunate to have many return guests, and are also honored by those who have never stayed at a B&B before, but who have chosen us to test the waters. The exchange of information between myself and the guests who visit our establishment to stay in our town is my reward.

The enthusiasm of the guests about breakfast, sightseeing, history, and my old house is number one in keeping me passionate about innkeeping. For me, helping the guests understand our local history, where to go and what to do, even providing directions, is what I love the most about innkeeping. Bed and Breakfast people are good people to whom I relate most easily.

Linda Williams

Go to the Old Bridge Inn Bed and Breakfast for their contact information

This Innkeeper Passion Statement comes from the heart of Linda Horn, who, along with her husband Bill, are the innkeepers of Whispering Pines Bed and Breakfast, located in Dellroy, Ohio:

In 1985, my husband, Bill, and I stayed at our first bed and breakfast and, like many other people, said “Wouldn’t this be fun to do someday?” Little did we know that in two short years we would discover the lovely area of Atwood Lake. An old Victorian house in need of TLC called out to us, but from the porch we fell in love with the spectacular lake view – instantly, our lives were changed.

Our passion began with renovating the existing home, and has continued with additions and improvements. We created a place for busy couples to retreat … where they could disconnect from everyday life and reconnect with each other. Our joy is reading their journal entries as they speak from the heart.

Fast forward 20 years, and we still take care of our guests in the same way we did when we opened. We love what we do and have enjoyed meeting people from all over the world, and from every walk of life. We have laughed with them, cried at times, had dinner together, become friends – and they have all inspired us in one way or another. We are grateful to everyone who has walked through our doors and look forward to meeting new friends.

I’ll see you at Whispering Pines,

Linda

Go to the Whispering Pines Bed and Breakfast for their contact information

Read the Innkeeper Passion Statement of Lori Rosso, innkeeper of the Sea Breeze Manor Bed and Breakfast Inn, located in Gulfport, Florida:

For me, the passion for Innkeeping is found in the larger picture – the piece my property plays in the whole of the community of Gulfport, Florida. I purchased the Sea Breeze Manor in 2002, after a grueling 20-year career in Washington, D.C. I was tired of being a walking anonymous resume.

I always tell people that Gulfport found me … I didn’t find it. I literally stumbled across the Inn and the town.

At that time, the Sea Breeze was the only accommodation in town and no one was positioning Gulfport to be a destination. Well, seven years later, we have over 25 shops, restaurants and services, including two Inns within a six-block radius … all on the waterfront.

When I open my doors to world-weary travelers and see their stress melt away, and hear comments that they have never been as comfortable as in my home, and they didn’t think such places like Gulfport still existed, that is my reward.

My job is to make people relax and be happy…what could be better than that!

Go to the Sea Breeze Manor Bed and Breakfast Inn for their contact information

Enjoy reading the Innkeeper Passion Statement of Thurston House Bed and Breakfast, located in Maitland, Florida, submitted by Carole Ballard:

We first stayed in bed & breakfast accommodations while honeymooning in Europe 30 years ago. We were both in the corporate rat race and it seemed a good dream to do someday. Fast forward to 18 years ago, after a move from Massachusetts to California, then to Florida …  Joe secured a computer industry job in this place called Maitland, somewhere in Central Florida – a place that we had never heard of.

When we arrived here, we found it was everything we were looking for and more. Joe started his job and I looked for a potential building to start up a bed & breakfast. Everything fell into place, and here we are, almost 17 years later, at Thurston House! We now call this place “New England With Palm Trees”. We are the caregivers to this wonderful 1885 farmhouse-style Queen Anne, leased from the City of Maitland. The business is all ours, though, and we have hosted guests from 21 countries, 50 states and 4 territories…so far! Our location, with its wonderful ambiance, make this a place that people come back to over and over again. We do enjoy a lot of repeat business with many guests becoming friends!

Being an innkeeper is truly a life-changing experience. Guests have come for all different reasons – visiting family, here for funerals, here for weddings, business travel, escaping medical issues, wedding nights, birthday celebrations, attending art festivals, Rollin’s College Parents Weekends, graduations, or just running away from home … the reasons are endless! We’ve laughed, we’ve cried, we’ve shared our stories . All the problems of the world have been solved on our porch, but of course the problems vary depending on the country that the guests are from!

Well, 16 years and still going strong … that makes me an old-timer in the inn biz!

Carole

PS – Joe just gets to live here, taste-test food items, schmooze, and has a “real job” outside the inn …

Go to the Thurston House Bed and Breakfast for their contact information

Here’s an insightful Innkeeper Passion Statement from Jim and Joy Fischer, innkeepers of The Firelight Inn on Oregon Creek Bed and Breakfast, located in Duluth, Minnesota:

When we stayed in our first bed and breakfast together, we were intrigued with the thought of being innkeepers. We went home from that bed and breakfast and bought every book on the subject, started reading and researching and writing a business plan, attending seminars and workshops and shopping for the perfect property. It was almost two years later to the day when we moved into the property which is now The Firelight Inn on Oregon Creek Bed and Breakfast in Duluth, Minnesota.

Our desire was to create a luxurious lodging property where people would stay and spend quality time together restoring the balance to their lives and renewing their relationships. We realized when we were working in the corporate jobs in the big city that life was easily slipping away and we barely took time for one another much less just resting. So we quit our jobs and moved from Bloomington, MN to Duluth, MN, found the perfect historic mansion and turned in to a luxury bed and breakfast inn.

We have found a good balance of working and taking time for ourselves as we learned early in our business that no guest wants to feel like a burden to a tired innkeeper. We strive to give over-the-top service to each guest and find the balance between hovering over our guests and being available to them for whatever they may need from us. We have made wonderful friends through inn keeping both in our guests and other innkeepers throughout the country. The journal in each suite where guests can write about their stay is our motivation to prepare the suite for another guest so that they also may be restored, renewed and refreshed.

We feel very fortunate to live in a beautiful historic mansion, greet folks from all over the world and share the history of George G. Barnum’s home. Mr. Barnum was in the grain business in Duluth, Minnesota at the turn of the century and the gift of hospitality was a Barnum tradition that we will continue.

“Let the warmth of the firelight surround you!”

Go to The Firelight Inn on Oregon Creek for their contact information

Read the Innkeeper Passion Statement of Sue Groffie-Gregg, from the Virginia Rose Inn, located in McKinney, Texas:

From the very first time I set foot in a bed & breakfast, I knew that was what I was meant to do. I also knew that I would have to wait many years to do it, since my children were very small at the time.

I waited 19 years, during which time I went back to college to get my degree in Hotel & Hospitality Management and worked my way up the ladder in several hotels….all to gain experience for innkeeping! It is my passion and now my new husband’s, as well; it has also become our ministry.

Our guests are the best anywhere and we have often wondered who is more blessed by the time they leave…us or them! Innkeeping is hard work, no doubt about it and it means a lot of sacrifice. I thank God for allowing me to serve in this manner and pray I’m able to keep doing this for many more years to come!

Go to the Virginia Rose Inn Bed and Breakfast for their contact information

Here is the Innkeeper Passion Statement from Ellen Grinsfelder, Innkeeper of the Inn & Spa at Cedar Falls, which is located in Logan, Ohio:

I have been an innkeeper since 1987. Honestly, I can still say it has been the best, most fun and rewarding career for me. Yes, it’s long hours and lots of hard work. But, spending time with our guests each day makes it all worthwhile.

What better gratification can one get than to see smiling faces at the breakfast table each morning. Seeing our guests renewed and refreshed makes us feel like we have sailed the world and back. And, to think the guests thank us for doing our jobs.

After taking care of our guests, the next best thing is planning for the future. Trying to figure out that next best enhancement to our inn … whether it be a new marketing perspective or maybe a new amenity to add. You need to stay ahead of the competition, and I love the challenge of doing just that.

How lucky am I to work with and for wonderful people. And, that includes my husband! Yes, I’m passionate about what I do. And, I intend to do it as long as I can.

Go to the Inn & Spa at Cedar Falls Bed and Breakfast for their contact information

Bonnie and Bill Alstrom, innkeepers of the Morning Glory Inn, located in York, Maine, submitted the following Innkeeper Passion Statement:

1. I love Innkeeping because it involves so many different responsibilities. It requires a large tool box. It also requires a personality that likes to learn new skills. Each day is filled with a diverse set of activities. If we’re not concierging a guest (a couple popped in from Denmark last night!), we’re gardening or house painting. We might be improving our web site or taking photos to add to our gardening blog. Of course, there is always the design aspect. Bonnie is constantly finding fresh ways to make the guest rooms and common areas more interesting and inviting (without cramming them full of stuff). She also leads the charge in keeping the breakfast presentation fun and interesting. I try to make the best coffee possible. So we love the diverse set of jobs – I could rattle on, but you get the picture.
2. But it always comes back to how you treat the guests. If you enjoyed the customer service angle in your previous life, you might enjoy this. If not, forget about it. If you enjoy serving the public and seeing the results of your “cultivation” in the form of many returning customers, this could be for you. Many of the requests we get we consider an opportunity to please and help. If you consider it a bother, I’d find another career.
3. I like the independence. Our staff meetings are simple. Conversations over a coffee or a glass of wine lead to fresh approaches to the business. We think of something, talk it over and simply do it. Both of us are “corporate refugees”. We lived the frustration of business bureaucracy for decades. It wasn’t fun. This is. We don’t make much money compared to those days, but we pay all our bills on time and take nice, long winter vacations.

Ten years Innkeeping and we’re still here and having fun. Sometimes it’s exhausting fun, but still fun.

Warmest regards,
Bonnie and Bill Alstrom

Go to the Morning Glory Inn Bed and Breakfast for their contact information

Here’s the Innkeeper Passion Statement from Pat Fischbeck, the innkeeper of the Speckled Hen Inn which is located in Madison, Wisconsin:

“Innkeeping is my passion because it validates all that I love. Because I am an innkeeper, I get to create beautiful meals, decorate and re-decorate my home, fill my gardens with beautiful plants, and maintain a lively knowledge of what is happening in my community.

These efforts are not just for my personal enjoyment or the enjoyment of my family and friends, but they are shared with every guest that comes through our doors. Hopefully, what I have created here brings joy, peace, and knowledge to their world. When a guest becomes a repeat guest, I know that I have succeeded in touching their life in some way.”

Go to the Speckled Hen Inn Bed and Breakfast for their contact information