Secrets of the Bed and Breakfast: An Owner's Memoir of Tips, Tricks, and Tell-Alls

Jay and Mary Ann had dreamed of owning and running a bed and breakfast since the earliest days of their marriage. When early retirement came calling decades later, they uprooted their lives in New York’s Hudson Valley, purchased a Victorian property on the New Jersey shore, and converted it into a full-fledged B&B, with Jay as its gourmet chef. For the next 16 years, they shared their unique brand of relaxed hospitality, their love of food, wine and jazz, and the cozy charm of their B&B with countless contented guests.

In this memoir and tribute to her late husband, Mary Ann reveals many of the secrets she and Jay acquired while running a successful B&B, from important business and lifestyle tips to loads of often amusing and even surprising anecdotes about their guests and themselves. Written with a gentle humor and a delightful frankness, Secrets of the Bed and Breakfast is the story of one couple’s journey as innkeepers that will appeal to both aspiring B&B owners and general readers alike.