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Inquiries About ABCs of B&Bs on the Rise

April 29, 2009 - KENNEBUNKPORT — In their dreams, Carol and Tom Spellman envision running a bed and breakfast along the coast. They would work side-by-side at the property, taking care of guests and living on the premises. And all their efforts would go to their own business.

Carol, 53, sees innkeeping as a good match for the skills she already uses in her job as supervisor of an assisted living facility. Innkeeping also speaks to what motivates her: people.

"People, loving to serve people, meeting people," she said.

Carol and Tom, a 55-year-old welding supervisor at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, are part of the current crop of aspiring Maine innkeepers. Like many of their counterparts, the Sanford couple is looking for a big change in lifestyle, an alternative to the conventional notion of retirement and to be their own bosses.

For many, innkeeping is an outlet for an inner hostess or host.

Those involved in innkeeping say there's always interest in their business. But lately, they say, the economy is helping to shape that interest as people increasingly wonder what kind of work will bring them satisfaction.

The people inquiring these days are more serious about getting into the business, said Don Johnson, who leads Maine Inn Brokerage, a new sales team of Legacy Properties Sotheby's International Realty.

"Even if people aren't in that position where they aren't going to be laid off, they're kind of thinking, 'We've always wanted to do that,'" said Johnson, who offers innkeeping seminars.

Rick Wolf, a bed and breakfast broker and consultant, said he's seeing more visits to his company's Web site and greater attendance at innkeeping seminars. He believes big events, such as the recession or the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, prompt people to reassess their lives.

"We saw a lot of this post-9/11," said Wolf, a partner in the Kennebunk office of The B&B Team. "That's what we're seeing now."

For Kathy and Glenn Worman of Brick, N.J., innkeeping may present an alternative to the Wall Street rat race. Glenn Worman lost his job as chief financial officer for Merrill Lynch and is considering various options. The Wormans, both 50, found a property on the Jersey shore that could mean more time together and end a commute to Manhattan that ate up three-and-a-half hours of his day.

"It's a lifestyle change," Kathy Worman said.

As with most prospective innkeepers, the Wormans' inn purchase would depend on the sale of their current home.

The real estate market slow-down means the increased interest in innkeeping isn't yet translating into transactions, according to Johnson and Wolf.

SEMINAR GETS DOWN TO BUSINESS

The Wormans and Spellmans were among the half-dozen participants at a recent weekend seminar based at the Captain Jefferds Inn in Kennebunkport. Led by Wolf and his business partner, Peter Scherman, the seminar tried to dispel any notions that innkeeping – a potentially round-the-clock job that demands a host of skills – equals a life of lounging in the parlor drinking sherry amid antiques.

The seminar topics ranged from tax deductions, financing and insurance to staffing and cleaning. (Don't forget that the lamp harps need dusting!)

In addition to viewing the carefully appointed rooms of inns, the participants also got to look behind the scenes. They visited the owners' quarters, the kitchens, the basements and other areas guests do not see.

Touring the two small kitchens of the Captain Jefferds Inn they heard about the time-saving qualities of convection ovens. In the basement, they saw carefully labeled linen cabinets and noted the rubber floor mats that made folding at the laundry table an easier task.

Down the street at the Captain Lord Mansion, they heard they could save a fortune on window treatments by learning to sew. They saw how fire-suppression sprinklers could be placed discreetly and were reminded – if they didn't know already – that no foot impressions should be left on the bath mat.

"Details, details, details, details," Scherman reminded them. "Constant maintenance."

Mary White, a bank assistant vice president from Weare, N.H., is eyeing the Hanover area, where Dartmouth College and the Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center could help make a year-round business viable.

White likes the idea of having her own business and loves to cook and entertain. While she wants to follow her passion, she's also practical.

"I'm kind of a bottom-line person. I wanted to know if the romance and the finances mix," she said.

NOT A BIG MONEY MAKER

And don't go into innkeeping for the money, said Rebecca Levitan, managing partner of Quantum Hospitality Group in Damariscotta. When she and her husband, Howard, had an inn, they drew only about $12,000 in salary annually, she said.

"You don't get into an inn to make a big salary," she said, adding that the inn provided for their living costs, including their vehicle, food and utilities.

For Claudio Latanza, the demanding nature of innkeeping came as a bit of a surprise. Latanza, 60, and his wife, Roberta, 53, bought the Maine Stay Inn in Camden in December.

The couple moved from Rome, to be closer to nature, meet new people and get out of the office environment of their previous business, which published an Italian hotel directory.

"Mostly you have to take care of many things we didn't have to think about before – like so much paper. You thought our bureaucracy is the worst in the world, but we found one that is similar," he said.

The Spellmans, the Sanford couple, said they are excited about innkeeping but not unrealistic about its demands.

"We're not in La-La Land," Carol said.

By ANN S. KIM, Staff Writer, Portland Press Herald, April 26, 2009


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