Bed and breakfasts in Cache Valley offer something for every traveler

By Sarah J. Young

March 24, 2005 | There are many reasons to visit a bed and breakfast, including breakfast in bed, a more personal feel, themed rooms, or just to feel more at home. These are the reasons why people all over the country are turning to bed and breakfasts instead of regular hotels when they travel.

One of the ways bed and breakfasts keep in touch with growing trends in the industry and network with other businesses and possible visitors are hotel and lodging associations. There are many organizations that bed and breakfasts can belong to. Among these are the Professional Assocation of Innkeepers International and the Bed and Breakfast Inns of Utah.

Karl Seethaler, owner of the Providence Inn Bed and Breakfast, said "Organizations are very good. It's a way to be in contact with other people in the organization and it's good to know other people in the business." Providence is a town just south of Logan. In this town is an old building that was originally built in 1869. This building is known as the Old Rock Church and is in the National Register of Historic Places. It is now the Providence Inn Bed and Breakfast. It offers a variety of 17 different rooms with themes such as English Cottage, Monet's Garden, Pioneer Home, Autumn and Mountain Spring.

Seethaler said the most popular room is the New Orleans Room. He said he started the bed and breakfast 11 years ago. Among the people who have stayed at the Providence Inn Bed and Breakfast, he said there has been high church officials from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, entertainers and others.

The Providence Inn Bed and Breakfast also has a wedding and reception area. Seethaler said that on average there are about 100 events held there each year.

Bed and Breakfasts can have many rooms like the Providence Inn or it can only have a couple. Some bed and breakfasts have as few as only three or four rooms.

John Michaelson, owner of the Seasons at the Riter Mansion, said, "The fewer rooms you have the harder it is because you have to charge more to make it worth it."

One way bed and breakfast owners try to make the stay worth it is to personalize and have an inviting atmosphere for their guests. That is what can be found at Seasons at the Riter Mansion. Their slogan is "For All the Seasons of Your life!" At this bed and breakfast in Logan, they offer such amenities as private bath in each room, whirlpools, balconies and fireplaces.

"We like to make a real, nice hot full course bed and breakfast for the guests each morning," John Michaelson, owner of the Seasons, said. "You get the people that when they leave are really appreciative and have enjoyed the unique setting."

In addition to feeling at home, this bed & breakfast also welcomes receptions, weddings showers and luncheons. Michaelson said they have hosted seven or eight wedding receptions in the last year. Though they do like to cater to receptions and weddings, Michaelson said their main staple is business travelers.

When asked if it is hard owning a bed and breakfast in Logan because it is not a destination spot, Michaelson said it depends on how you look at it. He said in this area there isn't a lot of competition where in places like Oregon there are 10 in every town. Though Logan is not a destination spot, he said, there are a lot of people traveling through which makes it good to run any kind of lodging here.

The Michaelsons bought the Seasons at the Riter Mansion in January of 2004 when it was known as The Logan House. Michaelson said that one reason the name was changed is because people would confuse it with the Logan House Assisted Living. He said mainly though, they had liked the name The Seasons and then the Riters originally owned the house that is now the bed and breakfast.

Another of the trends used to appeal to guests is to customize each individual room. Some are taking it even further than that, by creating themed rooms. The Anniversary Inn is known for its wide variety of themed suites. Some of these rooms are Hollywood Romance Theatre Suite, Pyramids of Egypt, King Arthur's Court, Caribbean Sea Cave and Oriental Gardens.

Even with all this variety Crystalyn Flitton, a senior in Public Relations who works at the Anniversary Inn, said that by far their most popular suite is the Jesse James Hideout. When asked if anyone well known or famous has stayed in the Anniversary Inn in Logan, Flitton said that last year the Governor stayed with his wife in the Presidential Suite. She said that no one got to meet him because his bodyguards checked in but he did leave a card with a thank you note when he left.

The Anniversary Inn in Logan has tours each day from 1 to 3 p.m. for anyone who would like to take a sneak peak at the themed rooms. On its website is a gift shop that offers Chocolate Baskets, Snack Baskets and dozens of roses.

Whether bed and breakfasts have themed rooms, serve breakfast in bed, in a parlor or just serve lunch there are many reasons to visit a bed and breakfast.

There are many search engines online you can use to find bed and breakfasts nationally and internationally. These can be found at:
http://www.bandandbsearch.com
http://www.bedandbreakfast.com
http://www.bbonline.com

You can find two websites with information about bed and breakfasts. One is a blog by Elizabeth Arnasen at http://bandb.about.com. The other is a website by a well known bed and breakfast critic, Pamela Lanier, at http://www.lanierbb.com.

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