FAQ ( Frequently Asked Questions ) Yep, we get lots of them as innkeepers! I thought I would address all those questions in a series of blog entries and one of the most frequently asked questions is…
Who Comes to The Mill House??
This is a frequent question of locals. Our neighbors, friends, and village visitors strolling our town’s quaint shopping district will many times look at us with a puzzled face and ask, “Who comes to The Mill House?” This question is very frequent from folks who have never stayed or even considered staying at a B&B.
Many of our guests choose The Mill House because they are looking for a nice bed and breakfast within a certain mile radius. They may be celebrating an anniversary, birthday, “babymoon”, or just need to sneak away for a relaxing night or two with their spouse. Believe it or not, it isn’t always about the location of the B&B, although that helps. Everyone wants to find a location that offers close restaurants, wineries, and attractions. Guests are looking for a particular atmosphere or unique place. Some love Victorian, others more modern, and some like historical old repurposed buildings like our Mill House. Ron and I have ran across B&Bs in old jails, schools, mills, and more.
Here are a few pictures of the variety of guests we host. If you have ever stayed with us you may see yourself in one of these pictures!
Family
Yes! We do occasionally host our family. Above is a picture of my cousin and his wife. After 30 years we were reconnected on Facebook ( gotta love fb ) and since then they have come several times. Since both of our families live more than a few hours away, we really don’t get to host them too often, but we love it when we do!
Groups of Ladies
Ladies love to get away together for weekends. Each year we have multiple groups of ladies stay with us. Groups of old high school friends, cousins reuniting, sisters getting away together, and families celebrating a birthday of a grandmother are some of the typical reasons ladies get away. Many times they reserve the entire inn. Ron and I enjoy hearing the laughter coming from downstairs as they enjoy their time with us.
Bicyclists
Because we are on the Northern Tier of the Bicycle Adventure Association, we typically host several cross country bicyclists each summer. Ian, pictured above, was traveling from Ontario, Canada to New Orleans. We have hosted lone riders such as Ian, couples of all ages ( it always amazes me how many are senior citizens ) and groups traveling together. Many stories are shared around the breakfast table and it is usually a big treat for our other guests to be able to hear all about their travels. Most bicyclists also post a blog and we’ve been able to follow our guests to their final destination.
International Guests
Some of our favorite guests are our international visitors. These burly guys are from Denmark. They have stayed with us three years in a row on their journey across the US buying “Muscle Cars” to ship back to Denmark. I think their favorite part of staying with us is breakfast. They are always up and eager for the first meal of the day! We have had guests from Mexico, Portugal, Ukraine, Germany , England, Austrailia, and New Zealand to name a few. It seems that our international guests enjoying driving the back roads and seeing the real USA!
Missionaries
A huge blessing to us is hosting Missionaries. Along with our pastor guests, missionaries are near and dear to our hearts. The missionaries pictured above are from the Ukraine. Their interpreter (on the left ) was from Russia. With all that is going on in the Ukraine, I have thought of them frequently in the last few months. We have a great relationship with Bethany Baptist Church located just across the river from The Mill House. They send us missionaries from all over the world along with evangelists.
Weddings
Local weddings also bring us many guests. We host wedding guests, wedding parties, wedding families, and wedding night couples. With Nazareth Hall, a local and beautiful wedding venue, just 5 minutes away, they keep us hopping during wedding season. The picture above is a family from England who were in town for their son’s wedding.
Nature Lovers
Many of our guests come for the love of nature. Betsy, above, was hiking on the “Buckeye Trail”. Her dog was happy to stay in her truck overnight since we are a pet free inn. Hikers, bird watchers, fisherman, and bicyclists come to take advantage of the river, bike and hike trails, and just sitting on the river bank is a great way to enjoy The Mill House.
Pastors
As most know, Ron and I have a love and compassionate heart toward pastors. After all, if you know our story , that is why we are here in the first place. We love taking special care of all of our guests, but our pastor guests will always take first place in our hearts. Pictured above are Pastor Bob and Marilyn. They are retired but spend their time in a ministry of prayer for pastors. They along with all pastors need a place to come with their spouses and be renewed and refreshed, spending time together and taking care of their relationship as husband and wife. If you would like more information on our pastor rates, just give us a call. We also have gift certificates at the pastor’s special rate if you or your church would like to bless your pastor with some time away.
Motorcycle Riders
Yes, Motorcylists stay at B&B’s. Jo Ellen and Charlie stayed at The Mill House recently. They belong to a motorcycle club in Indiana and were planning a mystery ride to Grand Rapids for their club. Not only do they belong to a local club, they are members of the Christian Motorcylists Association. They spread the good news of Jesus with many motorcyclists building lasting relationships and showing the love of Jesus. You can learn more about the CMA at www.cmausa.org. Oh, and Jo Ellen is a fan of this blog. Before they stayed with us she read every post. She kept mentioning things about me and I couldn’t figure out how she knew so much. Then she shared with me that she had read them on the blog!
Well, that’s a sampling of the variety of guests we host. Of course their are many more guests with many different reasons for staying with us.
Stayed tuned to the next blog entry in the FAQ series….”What do you do after you serve breakfast?” I get tired just thinking about that!
