Freehold bed-and-breakfast hopes to lure new clientele

Freehold bed-and-breakfast hopes to lure new clientele

It wants to become a destination like coastal cousins
Posted by the Asbury Park Press on 05/29/07
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When most people think of bed-and-breakfasts, they look to the Shore. Places such as Spring Lake, Belmar, Avon and Manasquan.

They don't think of Freehold. Maybe they should.

Since it began operating in 1996, the Hepburn House Bed & Breakfast Inn located at 15 Monument St. has carved out a niche in this tiny borough.

Previous owners always marketed the lone bed-and-breakfast in town not necessarily to tourists but to business travelers, lawyers and court witnesses visiting Freehold, as well as to out-of-towners attending weddings or funerals.

New innkeeper Paul Noone wants to continue to draw on that market but also to boost business for the Victorian inn.

"I'm going to try to bring it to another level," said Noone, a former Delaware restaurant owner who began working as the innkeeper about a month ago for owners Peter and Suzanne Berryman. One idea being pondered is hosting small wedding receptions, he said.

Noone has known the Berrymans for some time, and when he heard they were searching for an innkeeper, he applied for the job. While it is the first time he has run a bed-and-breakfast, he said he's quickly become acclimated to the job.

The Berrymans purchased the residence about a year and a half ago from Ronald and Doris Lim because Peter Berryman, owner of Kastle Mortgage Corp. in Freehold, said he fell in love with the house and enjoys owning businesses. The Lims had bought it from Jack and Doris Horenkamp, who fully restored the three-story Victorian and opened it as a bed-and-breakfast.

The house was built in the 1880s by Dr. William Hepburn, an influential man in Freehold. Hepburn was involved in local government from the late 1800s to the 1900s and helped secure a land grant for the Carnegie Library in Freehold. He also served as physician for Gov. Joel Parker after the Civil War.

Located on a three-quarter-acre lot across from the Battle of Monmouth monument, the Hepburn House may be the oldest home on the block, borough historians have said.

The three-story structure in the Queen Anne style features the original multicolored inlaid hardwood floors and leaded and stained glass windows.

Once parked in the lot at the back of the house, visitors are greeted by a shady polygonal porch with tables and wicker chairs. Inside, guests can relax in a living room, TV room or in the dining room, where breakfast is served. Noone serves guests foods such as pancakes and omelettes and grants special requests.

The five guest rooms are each decorated in their own style, boasting names such as The Hunt Room and The Monument Suite for example.

The home is a perfect balance of old charm and modern amenities, said Noone, who resides there. Each room has its own bathroom, television with cable and high-speed internet connection. It's also centrally air-conditioned.

Summer is the busiest season, but the Christmas holidays also lure visitors, Noone said.

Berryman said only minor changes were made to the home when he and his wife purchased it. He declined to discuss how much they paid for it or how much money they invested in it.

Noone enjoys running the bed-and-breakfast, especially meeting and talking to the guests, he said.

He said he's found that many people prefer bed-and-breakfasts over motels and hotels because they can roam throughout the house: they can read a book on the couch in the living room, watch television or relax on the porch.

"You feel like you're at home," he said.

Janet Read, office administrator for the Preferred Inns of New Jersey, estimates there are a couple hundred bed-and-breakfast inns throughout the state. Eighty-three are registered with the association, she said.

"People like the ambience. They like meeting the innkeepers and having breakfast with a group of people," she said of bed-and-breakfast guests, adding that they enjoy being pampered.