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Time Magazine
November 03, 2003
Inn Vogue
For Many adventurous vacationers, the
urban bed-and-breakfast is the perfect stay
By Laura Koss-Feder
[A partial excerpt]
Every May since 1996, Ieola Bakr her two sisters and
their mother have enjoyed a weekend getaway at the
Akwaaba Mansion. The four-room inn, in a quaint
Italian villa-style home, offers a peaceful retreat
where the women talk and relax - they walk in the gardens,
soak in the Jacuzzi and savor a Southern breakfast
with homemade grits and biscuits. But the Akwaaba
isn't burrowed deep in the heart of Dixie or even in
some bucolic New England town. The inn, dating
to the 1860s, is smack in the middle of Brooklyn, N.Y.,
just 10 blocks from Bakr's apartment. "Our mom
loves the place, so we always go back," Bakr says. "You
feel like you're in the country, but you have all the
conveniences of the city."
About half of the Akwaaba's clientele are baby boomers
like Bakr who hail from the environs. City dwellers
in search of a change of venue, a bit of pampering
and possibly a living space larger than their cramped
apartments regularly book rooms with Monique Greenwood,
the inn's co-owner, who lives on the top floor with
her husband and daughter. The couple own similar
bed-and-breakfasts in Cape May, N.J., and Washington.
For many travelers, a trip to a B&B is an opportunity
to delve into the nooks and crannies of small-town,
rural life-to get acquainted with quirky characters,
little shops and lively cafés. That's
half the fun. For a different set of people,
a small town represents something else with little
to offer beyond the historic walls of the inn where
they happen to be trapped. For those folks, who
want to enjoy a country-home feel and personalized
service but don't want to miss out on museum exhibits
and theater tickets, the urban bed-and-breakfast is
fast becoming the perfect solution.
Of the 20,000 to 25,000 bed-and-breakfasts in the
U.S., 20% are in urban areas, says Pat Hardy, co-founder
of Professional Association of Innkeepers International. They
tend to be converted 19th and early 20th century
houses, mansions, brownstones and town houses. Popular
metropolitan areas for B&Bs include Chicago, New
Orleans, San Francisco, Washington and New York. And
they appear to be gaining recognition. There
has been a 10% to 20% growth annually in the number
of urban B&Bs posted on Placestostay.com, a travel
website, according to Eric Christensen, its president
and founder.
In addition to their warmth and charm, urban B&Bs
often offer a more welcoming price, 10% to 20% less
than standard hotels with similar services, Hardy says. That
price may include such extras as a fireplace in your
room with a whirlpool tub. And it's not uncommon
to get Internet access, which is especially convenient
for business travelers.
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