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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.
_________________________
Emily Cooper
Emily Cooper has lived in Sonora almost all of her life.
Emily has been the Assistant Innkeeper at Bradford Place since January
of 2001.You'll most likely find her cleaning rooms or outside
gardening. Her eye for detail, her dedication and flexibility make her a
valuable asset to Bradford Place.
Emily has two children - a son and a
daughter, Edward and Amy, and a cute black Dachshund named Fritz von
Cooper.
_________________________
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.
_________________________
Dottie's Best 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!
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Have you
been dreaming of leaving the city, mov-ing to a little town and owning a bed and breakfast? You have just hit pay dirt my friend!
Because, as luck would have it, Bradford Place in historic downtown
Sonora, California is for sale. And the little jewel keeps
clicking
away
on
it's
almost
9
year
reputation
of
superior
service,
outstanding
hospitality
and rooms
to
die
for.
Best
of
all,
it
has
location,
location,
location!
Due to favorable zoning, uses in addition to or other than a B&B
may be possible. Check with city
hall.
It is impossible to list here all of the inn's features such as
ON-DEMAND multi-zone climate, a double city lot and mid-week business
Feb-Nov. If you wish more info about the inn and how it ticks,
please call 1-800-209-2315 for the realtor's number.
An inn does not need to mean that you have a 24/7/365 job or that
you
need to stay up all night to check in guests. The secret is in managing time and in stream-lining
tasks, in having enough linen and storage space,
and
the
right
inn
equipment. Married,
singled or partnered, you
should consider hiring people to share the
daily and weekly duties so you can have time off and take vacations --
that's what I do. You
do need to interact well with all kinds of people, be 100% reliable,
and
be
an organized, focused leader. And one more thing, "the public" is not staying in
your home. They are renting a room at your inn -- that is why you are
charging
them.
What
I
love
about
this
B&B
is
the
prominent location in town, the zoning, the double lot, the floor plan/layout, and the
very ample and
adequate
heating and air-conditioning. Each guest room as
well as the innkeeper room has an upscale highly effective, low energy
usage private heat/cool/humidity control system. The common area
and kitchen is served by central heat/AC. I also like the privacy and
location of the inn-keeper's room with patio, and being close to the
kitchen, the computer and laundry.
. Dottie Musser, Resident Owner
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 personal 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
The
innkeeper room
with a good sized closet and climate control holds a
dresser, chairs and a queen bed. A Calif
king (72X84) would most likely fit instead of the queen. The bath has a
small tub/shower. French doors open to a private patio.
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
-
Photo 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 and has been
written in the Cincinnati Enquirer , Golf Today magazine, Utah's Deseret News
and Valley Views magazine.
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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 responsibility 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. To show our kindness and sympathy, we
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: Unfortunately no. 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!
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