Bed-and-breakfasts offer comforts away from home

By Erikah Haavie
Poughkeepsie Journal

About 20 years ago, there were only five bed-and-breakfasts in the county, said Karen Woods, executive director of the Dutchess County Tourism Promotion Agency.

Now there are close to 60 bed-and-breakfasts with 225 rooms, she said.

Due to the small number of rooms at bed-and-breakfasts, usually between three and six, hotels and motels still outnumber them in terms of the number of stays by guests.

However, bed-and-breakfasts have been gaining ground in the past five to 10 years. They are a ''huge component of growth'' in the tourism industry, Woods said.

''Our bed-and-breakfasts are very popular,'' she said.

Homey inns increasing

Most are in northern Dutchess County, in Rhinebeck and Red Hook, but more are opening in the Fishkill and Hopewell Junction areas.

Christine Mosley and her husband, Doug, have owned the Sleeping Beauty Bed and Breakfast on Chestnut Street in Rhinebeck for five years.

They have four rooms available in an 1889 Victorian-style home. Most of their guests are out-of-towners who read about them on the Internet, Mosley said.

Of those staying in Dutchess lodgings, 44 percent come from various places in New York, while 56 percent are visiting from out-of-state, tourism officials say.

The Mosleys find their guests prefer the ambience of a unique lodging, while women traveling alone appreciate the safety of the home.

Guests to the home also enjoy a full, four-course sit-down breakfast and afternoon tea. The personal attention provided is something ''you certainly don't get at the Holiday Inn,'' Mosley said.

And their prices are competitive with surrounding hotel and motel chains, she said.

Bed-and-breakfasts play an important role in contributing to sales and occupancy tax revenue.

More bed-and-breakfasts also mean more lodging options. ''We have more choices to offer the county,'' Woods said.