1810 West 28th Street  Cleveland, OH 44113
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Crain‘s Cleveland Business, January 18, 1999
Travel & Tourism Section

Bed and breakfasts luring the hotel-weary business traveler
by Tricia Johnston

When many people look to retirement, they think 401(k) or IRA. Robert Lonzer thought B&B.

Mr. Lonzer, 38, last year opened the Bourbon House bed and breakfast, 6116 Franklin Blvd. in Cleveland. He and the 98-year-old house‘s co-owner, John Hissett, viewed the B&B in part as an investment for the future. But Mr. Lonzer also has developed a more emotional attachment to his home-based business, which features one sleeping room for guests and boasts original light fixtures and antiques.

A recent visitor from South Africa reinforced to Mr. Lonzer the chance bourbon House gives him to mix with interesting people and, for a short time, to be a part of their lives.

"How else would I have an opportunity to meet a wide diversity of people and learn about their country and customs," Mr. Lonzer said.

Cleveland‘s still fairly new to the tourist business, and as such it doesn‘t have many bed and breakfasts. But the B&B ranks are growing, buoyed by vacation travelers and business executives looking for a different way to spend their time in the city.

The Convention and Visitors Bureau of Greater Cleveland estimates there are at least 13 B&Bs in the area. Although the B&B concept typically conjures up images of tourist attractions in bucolic settings, most of these bed and breakfast operations are in the heart of the city.

Each B&B is as unique as its proprietor, said Judy Tann, the Bed and Breakfast Council representative to the Ohio Hotel and Lodging Association.

"B&Bs are flavored by the personality of the innkeeper," said Ms. Tann, who owns a B&B in Erie County.

She said many B&bs in Ohio - particularly those in or near large cities - are attracting more attention from business travelers tired of the cookie-cutter design and anonymity of hotel rooms.

Robin Yates, whose Brownstone Inn opened last June at 3649 Prospect Ave., said he has a room permanently reserved for two business travelers who work for the same company. Both find themselves in Cleveland about 10 days a month, Mr. Yates said.

"It‘s convenient for them to have a place to leave some of their personal belongings when they are coming to town so frequently," Mr. Yates said. The Brownstone Inn, with four sleeping rooms, a living room, a dining room and a library, also caters to the business community through its ability to host small events and parties, he said.

At Clifford House, 1810 W. 28th St. in Ohio City, owner Jim Miner estimated that about half his guests are business travelers seeking a home away from home.

"In my experience, business-people are happy to stay in a house rather than a hotel," he said. "Some of my guests even volunteer to walk my poodle."

Dog walking opportunities aside, Mr. Miner believes people who stay in a B&B are looking for accommodations that help them cut the monotony of business travel.

"Some people want to be left alone, and other want to talk and be social," Mr. Miner said. "I try to feel them out and give them the experience they want."

Mr. Miner‘s knowledge of Cleveland enables him to make recommendations about restaurants, bars, and other entertainment opportunities to his guests. Mr. Yates, who offers to conduct tours of the city for guests, said most of the visitors to the Brownstone Inn are "adventurous types" who want to do more than work in their hotel room and order room service.

There are compromises, though. Bed and breakfasts aren‘t as technologically modern as most hotels, meaning laptop users who want a phone line to connect to the Internet may be out of luck. And not every B&B takes credit cards, so travelers have to ask in advance if they can use plastic or if they‘ll have to pay with cash or a check.

Rates at the B&Bs range from $65 to $250 a night and include - naturally - a breakfast in the morning. Many bookings for business travel come from referrals and repeat business rather than through the work of corporate travel offices, Mr. Lonzer said.

Mr. Miner said his experience as an innkeeper has been rewarding, even if it‘s not quite as glamorous as some guests imagine.

"It‘s work, like anything," he said. "It‘s not free money. The riches are in the experience."