Inn keeping Gibson Mansion B&B

Mary and I ran the Gibson Mansion Bed and Breakfast, in Missoula, for five days. Tom and Nancie are the owners of Gibson Mansion and they have been innkeepers for 9 ½ years. Their B&B is absolutely gorgeous! They have up to ten weddings a year and their grounds are remarkable. Nancie and Tom do all their own gardening and it’s so pleasant to sit and enjoy their beautiful backyard. They were going to their daughters’ graduation in Oregon, and this was their first time handing their B&B over to inn sitters. Mary had stayed at the Gibson Mansion in the past, and Tom and Nancie knew we are building a bed and breakfast so she offered Mary and I to run their B&B for hands on training and experience. We accepted the offer, and Mary and I came two days early to do our training. We spent one 10-hour day of training with Tom and Nancie. It was one very long day, but at the same time it was very helpful and beneficial. They left the morning of the 12th and Mary and I were then on our own for the next five days.
Gibson Mansion offers a coffee and freshly baked scone tray sent to your room at the time you request, as well as a full breakfast in the dining room. Every morning we would wake up very early, prepare the homemade scones, set up the coffee and tea trays, and deliver the trays right before their room at the time they requested. Mary and I did try the scones and they were amazing! After the trays were done we would begin preparing breakfast. Throughout the days we made banana macadamia nut French toast, berries and cream French toast, Hawaiian style Belgian waffles and tomato asparagus crustless quiche. The breakfasts’ were made from scratch and they looked and smelled delicious. Several of the guests loved the presentation to the point that they wanted to take a picture before eating it or didn’t want to eat it at all because it looked so nice, which was very rewarding for Mary and I to hear because we knew we were doing our job well.
We had wonderful guests and enjoyed talking with all of them. After breakfast was finished we would start our daily routine of cleaning the kitchen, fixing up the house, watering all their gorgeous pots, and cleaning all the rooms. Almost everyday was a full house, so people were checking out and checking in daily. Therefore, Mary and I had to do a deep clean on the rooms that were checking out to prepare them for the people checking in that same day. We had a great routine going and we worked as a team. The first day we had to deep clean two rooms that had a horrible mucky and BO smell that literally brought Mary to tears because of the awful smell. Thankfully not every room was like that, which made it a hundred times better. In between cleaning rooms we were doing the laundry, and we would end up doing it until 8 or 9pm everyday. The last thing to do each day was checking people in and giving them a tour of the Mansion. I gave the tours and ended up enjoying it a lot. It was great experience and interaction with the guests. After we were finished with the daily checklist we finally had a break. Mary and I would take the dog on walks, go hiking, ride bikes, and enjoy the city and B&B. We went to great restaurants that were so delicious! And of course we enjoyed our happy hour in the garden.
Overall, running the Gibson Mansion B&B was excellent. It was a lot of hard work, but also fun. The experience was priceless and well worth it. It benefited Mary and I for our B&B, and we are now even more ready and equipped to run ours. Running a B&B is not rocket science but it is about figuring out what works best for us. I enjoyed it very much and look forward to running Cabin Creek Bed and Breakfast with my hubby. I know we will work great as a team and have tons of fun while doing it.