As innkeepers who have been around quite a while (over 40 years now), we congratulate BedandBreakfast.com on their 20th year as leaders in our industry.
To commemorate this occasion, B&B.com provided USAToday.com with a private tour of 20 Inns and B&Bs across the country, which in turn inspired a feature photo article: 20 great B&B’s for a holiday — or any — weekend.
Old Rittenhouse Inn is pleased to be included among our peers in the article, which features a lovely shot of the Le Chateau property at dusk taken by photographer Christian Giannelli. The accompanying text makes note of the Phillips family’s 40 years in the inn keeping business.
A second photo, also by Giannelli, depicts Room IV, one of the Old Rittenhouse Inn’s original bedrooms, and shows off the room’s antique furniture, stained glass, and period wall coverings.
“Room IV was always my favorite as a child, so I was happy they chose that shot,” says 2nd generation Innkeeper, Mark Phillips. “I especially love the incredible carved wood bed in that room, which was made by a waiter of ours (at the time) who was also a master carpenter.”
In fact, that’s frequently how it goes at the Inn according to Phillips, who says that often the talent and creativity it takes to run the Inn come from within.
“There have been so many innovations, improvements and other great ideas over the years that came from our employees and of course that continues today. We realized long ago that our staff is one of our best assets.”
As Old Rittenhouse Inn celebrates its 40th Anniversary, Phillips reflected on what it takes to run a family business for so long. “The most obvious answer is family. We all put in a lot of hours and wear many different hats. We truly care about this place and what we do here for people. As a rule, we are “on call” at all hours. In our daily lives, we must be prepared for the unexpected to arise at any time.”
And then there’s Julie! ‘We are so fortunate to have had my Aunt, Julie Phillips, with us all these years. She can cover just about any job at the Inn. Julie is knowledgeable and personable, and guests just love her. She really is an extension of ourselves as innkeepers. We trust her with our lives,” says Mark.
The Phillips family kept their hospitality business going for over 40 years by assembling a recipe for success that includes five ingredients: unique historic properties, a destination location, a hard working staff, dedicated owner/innkeepers, and the best, most loyal customers in the world.
The owners and innkeepers, Jerry, Mary, Mark, Wendy, and Julie, thank everyone who had a hand in making Old Rittenhouse Inn one of USA Today’s Top 20 B&Bs. We will work hard to continue to be worthy of such an honor.