Dottie Musser       John Eisemann

 

Dottie Musser is the owner of Bradford Place.  It is her real job and it is a passion which she takes seriously.

Dottie is a California native. She moved to Sonora in 1998 from Los Angeles County and opened Bradford Place in March of 2000.  Previously she had spent 20 years in the corporate world, over ten in human resources. It was there she met the love of her life John Eisemann who is the inn's web master, technical person and photographer.

Dottie says she found her niche when she became an innkeeper.  "It is truly the easiest thing I have ever done.  I have so much fun mixing the fussiness of the inn with honest, down home Gold Country hospitality.  I also thrive on the business side of things."

Her lodging experience includes being resident manager of a 12 room Santa Barbara bed and breakfast inn where she worked for Susan Brown, co-author of the book “So You Want To Be An Innkeeper”. 

Dottie graduated from CSU Chico with a Bachelor of Science degree in Home Economics and did graduate work in dietetics at CSU Long Beach.

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Kody is the official parking lot greeter.

Kody has lived at the inn since July, 2001.  He was just a kitten when he adopted us. At  first we thought he was a little girl.  We were mistaken!  His office is a hidey hole underneath a bush next to the garden arbor where he can see, but not be seen!

Josh is also a parking lot greeter.

Josh was about 6 months old when he showed up at the inn in July, 2000.  He hung around the yard for a couple of months before warming up.  He is still a little skittish so we call him our 'feral love bug.' He starts howling when he needs love.  Here he is getting some much needed sugars from Dottie.

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Dottie's Tips

On Interior Decorating:  My decorating theme is "less is more."  I love to use mirrors, lights, live plants (where I will be certain to water them) and old books for a warm, inviting appeal.

On Cooking:  I use only top quality ingredients. One of the most frequently asked questions about the food is what bacon do I use.  It is Farmer John thick sliced.  I cook it slowly until crispy.  You can purchase the bacon at any supermarket.  It comes in a two pound box.  I make breakfast from scratch each morning.  I use spices and extracts in place of sugar and salt wherever possible.  I serve hot foods on hot plates, cold milk in frosty mugs, etc...  You get the idea!

On Entertaining:  The rule I try to remember is to relax, laugh, and be myself and to give all my guests the celebrity treatment!










 

About The Inn and
The Innkeepers

Have you been dreaming of leaving the city, moving to a little town and owning a bed and breakfast?

Well, my friend!  You are in luck because we have decided to keep the little inn humming along in historic downtown Sonora AND we are offering AN INNKEEPING WORKSHOP once a year for those interested in this career.

 
Bradford Place in cute historic downtown Sonora  has  Location - Location - Location!

Behind The Scenes:  Below are images of the back wing of the inn, a single story attachment to the main building where there is the kitchen with office alcove (including three 4-drawer filing cabinets), the laundry room, and the innkeeper room with bath. This entire wing can be locked off from the main inn.

The inn's kitchen is licensed and permitted by the county health department for cooking and serving breakfast to lodging guests only. It may also be used for innkeeper food preparation.  The kitchen features are:

• GE Profile SS exhaust hood 600cfm

• GE 30-inch 5 burner gas range

• Kohler Executive Chef® two bin porcelain sink

• Kohler single lever 10-inch faucet

• KitchenAid SS dishwasher w/ booster water heater

About The Inn

The inn was built in 1889 as a private home for a Wells Fargo agent and remained so until 1988 when it first opened as a bed and breakfast inn. 

In March 2000 it was christened Bradford Place Inn and Gardens when it reopened under the ownership of Dottie Musser. 

Front steps of Bradford Place - Mar 2005

Within the first six weeks of opening, Bradford Place received a three diamond rating from the American Automobile Association, a rating it has consistently held each year.  The inn has received several awards and certificates of recognition.





 

1 Q:  How many rooms do you have? Does each one have its own bathroom?
1 A:  Four (4). Yes, each has a private bath.

2 Q:  If we book a room now, when we arrive can we move to a different room?
2 A:  Oooh, that's a tough one. The impact is the same as cancelling your room at the last minute and making a new reservation.

3 Q:  Do you require a two-night minimum?
3 A:  Only during special events or holidays.

4 Q:  What is the Reservation Procedure?
4 A:  A pre-payment equal to one night's lodging including 8% lodging tax or one-half of the entire stay, whichever is greater, is taken approximately 35 days prior to reserved date.  A credit card is required to make a reservation for security, however, a personal check may be sent within five (5) days of making the reservation so that it is received at least five (5) days before arrival. 

5 Q:  What is the Cancellation Policy?
5 A:  It varies from 3 days prior to arrival date (non-event, non-holiday periods) to 14 days (event and holiday periods).  Longer cancellation periods apply when two or more rooms are purchased together.

6 Q:  What happens if I cancel late, you know, inside the cancellation period?
6 A:  No refund can be issued unless we are able to re-sell all of the rooms for all of the dates you reserved.

7 Q:  Don't you make ANY exceptions? I mean, there could be a last minute emergency, a personal or family illness, bad weather, or car trouble.  It would be impossible to give the required notice!
7 A:  We hope you are able to stay here but, unfortunately we cannot take respon-sibility for the weather or any emergency you may suffer that causes you to cancel inside the required notification period. If the weather or other circumstances show uncertainty, we encourage our guests to cancel prior to the cancellation period, then check back with us later.  We will send flowers to either the hospital or to the funeral home should there be an illness or heaven forbid, a death.

8 Q:  But I don't want to lose my deposit. Can I use it for a future date, like a mid-week stay? I know other B&Bs do this.
8 A:  No. Unfortunately late cancellations affect us greatly. Using the pre-payment for a future date diminishes our inventory of future rooms. Other guests wanting to stay might not be able to choose the room they want or, worse yet, the inn could be full.

9 Q: I always thought mid-week days are slow. Aren't they easy to reserve?
9 A:  No. More often than not, week days are often the first to get booked. They are  also the hardest to sell at the last minute.

10 Q:  That is so surprising! You are a B&B, so who comes mid-week and why?
10 A:  Business people stay here mid-week for business purposes and leisure people come to relax. We'd like to think its our reputation for outstanding rooms and service!

11 Q:  Well then, when is your "off" season?
11 A:  There is none.

12 Q:  Do you offer discounts for renting the entire inn?
12 A:  Actually no, because there is more work involved!  However, an innkeeper will be happy to discuss venue rental of the inn and also the reservation, payment and cancellation policies.

13 Q:  What is your real job?
13 A:  Dottie Musser is the sole owner of the inn.  It is her only job.  It is her real job! 

14 Q:  I have always wanted to have an inn. Can you make a living at it?
14 A:  Alot depends upon the location and the size of the inn.  It also takes a person with a good business head and a good business plan, firm but gracious skills, and a warm, professional attitude at all times.  An innkeeper also needs to be a Jack or Jill of all trades.

15 Q:  I've heard that innkeeping is alot of hard work. Is it?
15 A:  Dottie doesn't think so. It's all in what you consider work!