European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - September 7, 1986, Darmstadt, Hesse By Iris Krasnow United press International a Merica is catching on to a secret Europe has known for a Century bed an breakfasts oilers a Romance and intimacy most hotels can i with the generally modes digs travellers in Europe know As bed and breakfast accommodations the american version to decidedly up Market and in cry usually nol something for vacationers who have to watch their budgets. On the other hand to a growing number of travellers in the United slates not even the Swan Kiest old world Lodge can a tvs and breakfast in a live bedroom new England or in a proud victorian smack in the Center ols in Tranci co from a l tracks of Are b tag into the b i b movement which started in Northern California during the mid-70s Toria the number of u s bed and breakfast accommodations is estimated at around 20.000 the definition of bed and breakfast includes both Small licensed inns and Homes which in accordance with local zoning Laws Are permitted to Lake in temporary boarders the Media has Hung its Hal on the canopy Beds and restored farmhouses of America and gotten the word across that b & is Are a lavish arrangement,1 says Bernice Chester author of cd breakfast coast to coast Penguin books. $12.95. You can stay in very Small towns with hosts who Are Farmers antique collectors quilters lob Lermen even mayors. Thai s the Charm there is nothing standardized about the bed and Chester says the reason for the Boom is the mushrooming bed and breakfast reservation services personalized agencies coast to coast that matchmaker screened guests with Host houses and owner occupied inns. In her Book Chester cites some 200 services nationwide that represent More than 15,000 b & is. She says the total number exceeds 20.000. Up1 photo Jack Chambers in one of the rooms of san Francisco a Spencer House where rooms Are $75 to $125 a night staying in a b & b is a Way to return to our roots going Back to the old things our mamas daddies and grandparents experienced. We be crashed on impersonal things says Ruth Wilson owner of bed & breakfast Texas style a Dallas based reservation service handing 75 Host residences and five b & b inns. She says the Oil Slack in Texas is an added plus for her business because of the Economy Down Here. Texans Are choosing b & is Over the expensive hotels. But we also have a lot of Young couples with no children who drive the Mercedes and could stay at the finest hotels but they prefer the Charm of a bed and a Call to Wilson s service could place a traveler anywhere from the historic Hale House in Jefferson the pricey pleasures of bed an breakfast in America Texas with its wraparound porch and five course breakfasts to a $150-a-night yacht on Lake Texhoma bordering Texas and Oklahoma. At Manor House a restored victorian on 5 a acres of grounds in the Rural Village of Norfolk conn., innkeeper Diane Tremblay also sees a full Range of guests. The common trait she says is a desire to escape. Three quarters of our guests Are from Manhattan says Tremblay. Who oversees the eight bedroom Manor House with her husband. They want a Retreat although they love hearing about who has Homes in the area meryl sleep Dustin Hoffman. Arthur Miller. I once had a Man in his mid-90s drive up in an old Bentley and stay Here. Of course we also get the honeymooners and an awful lot of couples in their late 40s and Early 50s who finally have an Opportunity to travel without the in addition to operating Manor House priced per night at $55 a couple to $120 for a luxury suite the Tremblay own covered Bridge a reservation service for 40 b & b residences and three inns in the Northeast. I still get people who Call and ask does every room have a to and is there a game room " says Tremblay. Right away i direct them to a the Tremblay arrangement with Host establishments similar among All reservation services is to do the advertising and bookings and keep 20 percent of lodging fees. But no one is going to get Rich in this business assures Tremblay a former insurance executive. What it does offer is a different lifestyle. I was t interested in the corporate environment b & a Aren t limited to Remote country settings. Those desiring an Urban getaway can pick from the 500 b & b residences in the greater Boston area or the 500 in Manhattan. America s first reservation service for private Homes bed & breakfast International was started by Jean Brown in san Francisco in 1978. But the b & b tradition is More than a Century old dating Back to the victorian Era in England. When i sent out a press release saying bed and breakfast now available in san Francisco those magic words were of great interest to americans who had done a lot of travelling in Europe and had already become acquainted with the idea of Rooming in private Page 16 the stars and stripes sunday september 7,1986
