The Inn and the Innkeepers

Letter from the Innkeepers

December 2005

Dear Friends of Anne Hathaway's,

Lo, now the theatre season has ended for 2005. Richard III has stumbled for the last time, the moose head in Room Service has been sent back to the attic, Belle's Stratagem is on hold, maybe for another 150 years. And at Anne Hathaway's the scone count stands at 3,094 for the year. And, we are treating ourselves to a short break.

But we want you to take a bow for making this our best season yet. Just by coming here you honor us and your kind comments while here provide tonic for our souls that gets us through all those scones and sheets. Your great suggestions for improvements form the basis of a long winter's To Do list.

Soon the schedule for the 2006 season will be out and we want to encourage you to book early. If you call or email before the end of the year, we are offering you an opportunity to book now at 2005 rates. We do plan to make a number of changes in an effort to increase options for our guests and to make your stay at Anne Hathaway's more enjoyable..

On or before April 1 we hope to:

• Convert our suite in the back of the B&B into two rooms for rental with separate baths and separate entrances. (And if you have ideas as to how they should be named, let us hear.)We plan to put twin beds in one of these rooms that can also be "kingified." These will be among the largest rooms in the B&B, providing greater space and privacy for guests. A connecting door will allow for the two rooms to be used by family groups.
• Move the office and shop to what has been the Currie Room at the front of the house, taking it out of circulation.
• Replace queen beds in the Camomile, Daisy and Viola rooms with twin beds, convertible to kings. This will make these rooms more usable by groups of friends and families traveling to Ashland, and give everyone a little more wiggle room.
• Expand the lounge/office building on the Garden Suites property to provide a larger lounge with meeting space for groups (your book group, Red Hat Group, Investment Club, office retreat) and a second floor flat for us. We plan to set up a breakfast area in the lounge for the convenience of guests who want a continental breakfast option. Each day we'll put out something freshly baked, fruit and organic cereal, all of which can be taken back to your deck or porch to eat, or eaten right there.

The construction aspects of our plans await approval by the city of Ashland and our friends at the Peoples' Bank, but preliminary indications are positive. Cross your fingers that we will be able to break ground this month.

Due entirely to recent increases in electric, water and sewer charges by the city, we will be slightly raising our rates next years. The larger rooms in the B&B will rent for $159 a night, while the charge for Will's study will be $120.

The Garden Suite rates will be $150 a night, including a continental breakfast, or $165 a night for those having the full three-course hot breakfast at the B&B.

This comes with our heartfelt wishes for holidays filled with lots of love and joy,

Deedie and David Runkel
Innkeepers