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LODGING
April
2004
Writer's Block
Monique Greenwood's literary-themed inns beckon
spirited souls.
In Ghana, "Akwaaba" means "welcome". For
guests of Akwaaba D.C., the term conveys a special
welcome: Monique Greenwood chose a literary
theme for her Washington D.C., bed and breakfast
and devoted the entire motif to celebrating African
American authors.
The theme is tastefully evident upon entering
the large brownstone, just blocks from Washington's
Embassy Row. The five floors are furnished
in eclectic Victoriana, with giant portraits of
African American literary legends adorning the
walls. Each portrait features a quotation
from a work of the author. None captures
the spirit and mission of Greenwood's third venture
in lodging better than the quote from Terry McMillan,
author of How Stella Got Her Groove Back: "I
want the publishing industry to realize and I finally
think they are starting to get a clue, that black
people do read, white people do read our books;
and we don't all have the same voice, we don't
all come from all the same place."
Hospitality came later in life for Greenwood. The
D.C. native yearned to be a journalist since her
youth, and somewhat against her mother's wishes. Greenwood
met the calling by working her way up the ranks
of publishing to become editor-in-chief of Essence magazine. The
benefits of the job were many, including the close
contact with leading writers and the flexibility
to pursue parallel passions: business and
writing.
Along with her husband, Glenn Pogue, she converted
an aging mansion into a bed and breakfast in Brooklyn,
N.Y. A restaurant and coffee shop soon followed. She
also began writing a book, part inspirational,
part how-to and certainly part autobiographical-Having
What Matters: The Black Woman's Guide to
Creating the Life You Really Want. As
she was finishing the book at the B&B in Cape
May, N.J., in 1997, she contacted a real estate
agent to investigate buying a summer home there. The
agent quickly steered her, successfully, to a B&B,
which she named Akwaaba by the Sea and its guestrooms
after prominent African Americans from the area.
In 2000, while visiting family, she again contacted
a real estate agent, looking for a retirement spot. But
the moment they stepped into the D.C. property,
Greenwood knew it was for her. "I thought, 'Oh
my god, my spirit belongs here.' I put it
out of my head, but it was still in my heart," Greenwood
says. After some debate, they sold one of
their rental properties in New York to make the
down payment on the $950,000 building.
Lit with Care
While Greenwood employs elements of themes at
her other properties, the concept works especially
well at Akwaaba D.C. "Theming gives lodging
another avenue of marketing," she says. Theming
allows for another whole customer base coming to
you, because of who you are, not just as a place
to sleep. You are tapping into a passion. I've
always believed you have to do what you love, and
I love literature."
The guestrooms in Akwaaba D.C. are named after
literary genres and specific African American authors,
such as the Romance Suite, the Poetry Suite, Science
Fiction Suite ("which is the toughest to book")
and Greenwood's favorite, the Inspirational Room. The
four author rooms include two legendary and two
contemporary. "In naming the women (authors),
it was Zora Hurston, hands down. With the
males, I easily thought of Langston Hughes, James
Baldwin, and Richard Wright. But I had to
go with Langston Hughes-because I like his elegance." In
determining the contemporary authors, Greenwood
chose Walter Mosely and Toni Morrison.
She also created a writer's retreat in the English-style
basement. It's a fully furnished apartment
Greenwood makes available to up-and-coming writers. "We
award authors with two weeks at no expense to them,"
she says. "It really is the oasis I wish
I had. If they can escape and push back the
rest of the world long enough to focus on their
craft, it's a great thing." Greenwood says
she's looking for a corporate sponsor to help underwrite
the retreats.
Opening Akwaaba presented Greenwood with typical
problems, mostly construction related. Staffing,
however, tends to be her toughest problem. "They
have to be very hands-on, from soup to nuts," Greenwood
says. "It's very hard to find a person who
doesn't think pieces of the job are beneath them. They
are at the mercy of the guests-there are no regular
hours."
Her advice to those who would theme their hotels
is to institute subtlety. "You can't hit
the guest over the head," she says. "You
have to have balance, so you don't alienate the
non-readers. Mainly
you just can't overwhelm them with the theme."
Overwhelming, though, may describe Akwaaba D.C.'s
reception in the Washington area. More than
1500 of D.C.'s glitterati and literati crowded
Akwaaba D.C's opening party last fall. Television
seems to be the most frequent form of media exposure
she's had so far. Business has been brisk,
and she's had little time to look back. And
that's fitting for the self-help author whose key
theme is always looking forward.
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