Jeffrey Watts knows his breakfasts, and he knows the
hospitality industry. As owner of AK Fireweed House Bed
and Breakfast, he's using his knowledge to set his business
apart from other B-and-Bs in town - and his work is paying
off.
In a town with more than 40 bed-and-breakfasts,
distinguishing one from the others can be a challenge for
guests and proprietors. Juneau innkeepers such as Watts have
shown innovation in attracting independent travelers.
AK Fireweed House Bed and Breakfast, Pearson's Pond
Luxury Inn and Adventure Spa, and the Silverbow Inn are among
several Juneau bed-and-breakfasts that have received national
recognition in recent years.
Arrington Publishing, which produces the trade magazine
Arrington's Bed and Breakfast Journal, and Inn Traveler, a
magazine for B-and-B enthusiasts, issued the company's first
Book of Lists in December. The book contains 50 categories for
inns and bed-and-breakfasts, and lists the top 15
establishments in each category, based on the response to
ballots proprietors give to their customers.
Though many in the industry use the words "inn"
and "bed-and-breakfast" interchangeably, city
planners said there is a difference.
"The key difference between a hotel/motel and a
bed-and-breakfast is that a bed-and-breakfast has an owner or
operator who lives on site, and they provide for more than
three guests," said Greg Chaney, a planner with the
Department of Community Development. An inn is considered a
hotel.
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Fine B&B dining: A huevo enchilada with grilled
onions and potatoes, above, is one of the Watts'
breakfast specials.
MICHAEL PENN/THE JUNEAU EMPIRE
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AK Fireweed House, a bed-and-breakfast, won second place
for best breakfast, a category that included more than 600
establishments in the United States and Canada.
"We decided about three years ago that people really
enjoy having dinner items incorporated into breakfasts, and
it's worked real well," said Watts, who owns AK
Fireweed House with his wife, Danith.
He cooks wild rice and smoked salmon quiche, huevos
rancheros, gingered asparagus and poached pears, among other
dishes for his guests. He rotates meals on a 14-day schedule,
to avoid any guest having to eat the same meal twice.
AK Fireweed House also received a "Best of the
High Country" award from Mountain Living magazine as one
of the top five bed-and-breakfasts in the West. The award was
based on a survey sent to the magazine's 32,000 subscribers.
"That was a nice one, too," said Watts.
The Silverbow Inn, with its supply of baked goods readily
available from its attached bakery, was ranked among the top
15 inns/B-and-Bs with the best midday cuisine in the Arrington
survey.
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A poached pear with fireweed-honey cream cheese and
raspberry sauce is among the fruit plates that await
guests at the Watts' AK Fireweed House Bed and
Breakfast.
MICHAEL PENN/THE JUNEAU EMPIRE
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"Most people choose our place because they see that we're
a bakery," said Jill Ramiel, owner of the Silverbow.
Gould's Alaska View Bed and Breakfast, in Douglas, was
ranked in the top 15 for "most scenic view." Only
two of Juneau's bed-and-breakfasts placed in the "best
bed and breakfasts in Alaska" category: Bears Run Bed and
Breakfast and Alaska's Capital Inn.
While rankings such as Arrington's often have their
limitations - they apply only to proprietors who choose to
participate, for example - other rankings provide a more
objective review.
One of the best ways to find quality bed-and-breakfasts in
the United States, and one of the best ways for innkeepers to
publicize themselves, is through the American Automobile
Association, which covertly visits inns and B-and-Bs and ranks
them on a variety of criteria.
Five B-and-Bs in Juneau have earned a ranking from AAA:
AK Fireweed House and Pearson's Pond Luxury Inn and
Adventure Spa have three-diamond ratings on a five-diamond
scale; Alaska Wolf House and Blueberry Lodge Bed and Breakfast
have two diamonds; and the Silverbow has one diamond.
A five-diamond rating is "the ultimate in luxury,
sophistication," said Laura Savage, an AAA travel agent
in Anchorage. A three-diamond rating meets the traveler's
needs with a "distinguished style," and a
one-diamond rating means the inn meets the association's basic
requirements for cleanliness, comfort and hospitality.
"AAA is the most stringent to pass their
inspection," said Ramiel of the Silverbow. "It is
very helpful for us to be AAA-rated, because people assume a
certain level of comfort and amenity."
Acquiring an AAA rating involves requesting an inspection
from the association's national office, said Savage. The
process can be lengthy, and AAA has the final word in what
establishments are reviewed. Businesses with a AAA rating are
revisited yearly, and are at risk of losing their rating,
Savage said.
As for the 35-plus bed-and-breakfasts in Juneau without an
AAA ranking, they rely on reputation and word of mouth to
convince potential customers of their quality.
The Alaska Bed and Breakfast Association, a nonprofit
statewide group, provides marketing and organizational
resources for bed-and-breakfasts, but it has no formal ranking
system for its members.
"We do peer inspections," said Ramiel, vice
president of the ABBA. "Some of the bed-and-breakfasts
would like to mandate a more stringent inspection system of
each other, just to make sure that the association in general
stays a quality association, but it's created quite an
uproar."
Membership in the ABBA costs $25 a year, plus additional
fees for more elaborate Web links on the ABBA Web site or
listing under more than one city in the ABBA directory.
While independent rating systems for bed-and-breakfasts are
few, other outlets for marketing them abound.
Diane Pearson, owner of Pearson's Pond, has made herself an
expert in bed-and-breakfast promotions. In June 2000 her inn
was rated by eharlequin.com, the Web site for the large
romance novel publisher, as one of the top 10 most romantic
getaways in the world. A stay at Pearson's Pond also was
featured as a prize in 1999 and last month on the television
game show "The Price is Right."
"She's the most incredible marketing person,"
said Ramiel of Pearson.
Pearson said she has no idea how the game show or Harlequin
discovered her establishment.
"They just called me out of the blue," she said
of "The Price is Right." "I don't know how
people find us."
Many factors influence a person's choice to stay in a
particular bed-and-breakfast, and much more goes into the
decision than ratings and awards, proprietors said.
"People decide by the description and location,"
said Ramiel.
Valerie Horner, owner of Bears Run, chose not to pursue a
rating by AAA or membership in any bed-and-breakfast
association.
"I used to be listed with bed-and-breakfast
associations, but I basically dropped them because I didn't
really get anything out of them," she said.
Most of her bookings come from the Web site www.bedandbreakfast.com,
on which she advertises.
"We've lived here more than 30 years," she said.
"I am able to tell people the favorite
off-the-beaten-path places that I went with my own kids."
People who choose bed-and-breakfasts often do so because of
personal connections of that sort, said Lorene Palmer,
president and CEO of the Juneau Convention and Visitors
Bureau.
The JCVB lists more than 40 bed-and-breakfasts in its
annual travel planner for the city.
"There are so many avenues for (visitors) to find the
information," she said. "They could in their process
of planning probably have guide books, access to the Internet,
bed-and-breakfast Web sites or the JCVB Web site."
Christine Schmid can be reached at cschmid@juneauempire.com.
