If you come to Cape May for Valentine’s Day, chances are you’ll be staying at a Bed & Breakfast or a Guest House because it’s just about THE most romantic thing you can do. Imagine a cold blustery night by the fireside, or in your suite surrounded by antiques and old world charm. But what do the innkeepers do on Valentine’s Day? Well, we decided to poll a few of them and see what their responses were to a few probing CapeMay.com questions. One thing for sure – in addition to keeping their own Valentine’s happy, they’ll also be working.
Laura and Jim Zeitler- owners of The Columbia House on Ocean Street
CapeMay.com: How long have you been married?
Laura: Since May, 1989
CapeMay.com: Where did you meet?
Laura: Ocean City, Md. Jimmy was a scoper. You know, one of those guys who takes pics of chicks in bikinis. I decided to go down there for the summer because it was my last summer in college. We met on the beach. We called it our summer of love.
CapeMay.com: Why did you become guest house keepers?
Laura: Because we love the beach and we always hoped to get back.
CapeMay.com: What is the one thing you love most about your mate?
Laura: He is truly a one of a kind individual, in my opinion there are only a handful of men on this planet that are like him. He’s a wonderful father and a wonderful husband. They broke the mold with him.
Jimmy: You know when we were younger and we’d go to weddings we’d laugh at people who put “Today I married my best friend” into their vows. But as we get older, we realize we really are each other’s best friend. Laura’s beautiful, funny and smart. The longer we’re together the more special she becomes. There’s still a fire that burns.”
CapeMay.com: What are you doing for Valentine’s Day?
Laura: Nothing special. Work. We’re open that weekend. Probably have a quiet dinner. We have our little rituals that we do daily that show our love for each other.
Chip and Barbara Masemore – owners of the John F. Craig House
CapeMay.com: How long have you been married?
Barbara: Six years
CapeMay.com: Where did you meet?
Barbara: We both lived in Gettysburg, Pa. We met in 1987 but we didn’t marry until ’98. We decided to get married at a drive thru in Las Vegas called the Little White Chapel Tunnel of Vows. We never got out of the car. Chip loves old cars and we were married in a 1972 Cadillac Convertible. He gave me replica of it (complete with Elvis in the car) for our first wedding anniversary.
CapeMay.com: Why did you become innkeepers?
Barbara: We were trying to figure out how to live in Cape May. Chip is a contractor and can work anywhere but I’m an interior designer and there’s really no work like that for me here. We knew this was the place we wanted to be. There is a quiet peacefulness here.
CapeMay.com: What is the one thing you love most about your mate?
Barbara: He centers me. Chip & I have lived together and worked together for 14 years and when we work together, especially in the morning, it’s like a dance. I sometimes get a little hyper and he centers me even when we disagree. Of course, we can’t bicker when we’re preparing breakfast because we have guests. So, when we disagree, we end each sentence with Darling or Sweetheart. And the more we disagree, the ooeyier and gooeyier we sound.”
Chip: She’s so dedicated to doing the right thing and doing her best by her family and our business. No matter how she feels, she could be on her deathbed and if the doorbell rang, she’d answer it.
CapeMay.com: What are you doing for Valentine’s Day?
Barbara: Probably work. We hope the inn is full. Later we’ll go to dinner somewhere.
John and Lisa Matusiak – owners of the Bacchus Inn and The Brass Bed Inn
CapeMay.com: How long have you been married?
Lisa: Two years.
CapeMay.com: Where did you meet?
Lisa: In Cape May – at a wedding. The reception was at Carney’s. We met at the bar. I was a friend of the bride’s and John was a friend of the groom’s. We were married in Cape May at the Sunset Pavilion and had our reception at the Hotel Alcott.
CapeMay.com: Why did you become innkeepers?
Lisa: Well, we bought the inn in 2001 before we got married. We were looking for an investment property in Cape May and The Bacchus Inn was a good deal. Last summer we bought our second property, The Brass Bed.
CapeMay.com: What is the one thing you love most about your mate?
Lisa: His energy. His passion about things. He gets very excited about something and puts all his energy into it.
John: We complement each other. My wife’s the more structured, meticulous one. I’m more flighty, yet more motivated. We balance each other out.
CapeMay.com: What are you doing for Valentine’s Day?
Lisa: Working at the inn.
Doug and Anna Maria McMain – new owners of The Queen Victoria Bed & Breakfast and The Queen’s Hotel
CapeMay.com: How long have you been married?
Anna Maria: Seventeen years.
CapeMay.com: Where did you meet?
Anna Maria: We were both working in Michigan. Doug’s from Reno, Nevada. I’m from the Cherry Hill area. We moved back to New Jersey 16 years ago. We moved to Cape May 7 months ago to become innkeepers.
CapeMay.com: Why did you become innkeepers?
Anna Maria: We always wanted to be innkeepers. We’ve been thinking seriously about it for the last 8 years. When the opportunity to buy the Queen Victoria came up, we decided not to wait for retirement.
CapeMay.com: What is the one thing you love most about your mate?
Anna Maria: I like the fact that we can work together as professionals and still be husband and wife.
Doug: She’s a lot of fun.
CapeMay.com: What are you doing for Valentine’s Day?
Anna Maria: We got engaged Valentine’s Day so that has always been a special day for us. The inn will be open and I’m sure booked but we’ll sneak away for a romantic dinner in town to celebrate.
Bob and Linda Steenrod, owners of the Billmae Cottage Guest Suites and The Billmae Cottage,Too
CapeMay.com: How long have you been married?
Bob: Nineteen years.
CapeMay.com: Where did you meet?
Bob: At a libation location.
CapeMay.com: Why did you become guest house keepers?
Bob: We loved the idea of giving people and dogs a place to go, and we love Cape May. Linda’s been coming here since she was three years-old and I love the ocean. We bought our first guest suite in 2001.
CapeMay.com: What is the one thing you love most about your mate?
Bob: I love her drive and her love of people and animals.
Linda: I love his energy and enthusiasm and support.
CapeMay.com: What are you doing for Valentine’s Day?
Bob: We’ll just be returning from a romantic vacation in St. Martin’s and when we get to Cape May I’ll buy her a card and take her out to a romantic dinner.
Monique Greenwood and Glenn Pogue, owners of Akwaaba by the Sea, West Cape May
CapeMay.com: How long have you been married?
Monique: 15 years.
CapeMay.com: Where did you meet?
Monique: At a nightclub in New York City.
CapeMay.com: Why did you become innkeepers?
Monique: Our first B&B experience was in West Cape May at the Buttonwood Manor B&B. We fell in love with the idea and made it an annual Christmas tradition to come to Cape May. We lived in Brooklyn two blocks away from our dream house. (When the house went on the market) We figured if we could turn it into a B&B, we could afford to live in the house. That was 10 years ago. Before we became innkeepers I came down and took the INN Deep Workshop (offered by the Mid-Atlantic Center for the Arts). The people there took me under their wing and we able to launch our first B&B.
CapeMay.com: A How did Akwaaba by the Sea come about?
Monique: I came back to Cape May to celebrate by 40th birthday. I checked myself into a B&B there and I was the only person invited. Actually, I did cancel a big party we were planning. I just felt that I needed to change my life and recreate it. I was the editor in chief of a major magazine (Essence). I had an 8-year-old daughter. I was writing a book (Having What Matters). I was an innkeeper. I owned a restaurant (Akwaaba Café in Brooklyn). Before leaving Cape May I went to a realtor and told him I wanted to buy a summer cottage but when I filled out their form and they asked what my occupation was I put innkeeper, not editor. When Tim McBride (the realtor) saw innkeeper, he said why not buy an inn and run it until you’re ready to retire – then you’ll have your cottage by the sea. So, four years ago we bought the former Annabelle Leigh B&B on Broadway.
CapeMay.com: But you now have four B&Bs, that doesn’t exactly sound as though you’ve slowed down.
Monique: We bought Akwaaba DC a year ago October and Akwaaba by the Bayou Thanksgiving. When we retire, we want to spend a different season in a different location, so we bought a B&B in four different states. We plan to retire when our daughter Glynn graduates from high school, five years from now.
CapeMay.com: What is the one thing you love most about your mate?
Monique: Glenn’s sense of whimsy. I’m really planned oriented, focused, sometimes, I just get anal. He’s more of a whimsical guy and it’s a nice balance.
Glenn: Monique is a dreamer and a doer. Her ability to make a plan and meticulously execute it is extremely sexy. I love watching her make her magic.
CapeMay.com: What are you doing for Valentine’s Day?
Monique: Working.
