Meet The innkeeper
Many people ask me how I came to be an innkeeper.
Well, the truth is, I got the idea from my favorite TV show. The show Gilmore Girls aired when I was in middle school and ran through my first year in college. It featured a mother and daughter - best friends - with incredible wit, fashion sense, and work ethic, tumbling their way through life. The mom, Lorelai Gilmore, and my idol to this day - was an innkeeper.
I attended business school at Temple University in Philadelphia and began a career with Marriott right after graduation. Over the next seven years, I gave the company, and the three hotels I worked in, my absolute all. And in return, I earned arguably the best education in hospitality one can get from an industry leader. After leaving Marriott to be a GM for American Cruise Lines, I quickly realized I wanted my feet firmly planted on the ground.
The following two years I spent working for a startup company and building my serious innkeeper plans, looking for the perfect place. And then I found the Wayside. Though in need of some TLC, it spoke to me immediately. It felt like home, and at the age of 29, I went for it. Five months later, the previous owner handed me the keys.
The Innkeeper/Owner, Sarah and the previous owner, Victor Hoffman.
Since I bought the inn in August of 2017, we have experienced amazing highs and incredible lows. In year one, we endured a storm that knocked out the power for 4 days and brought the Ammonoosuc River up 12ft so it was right at our doorstep. Followed by a week of subzero temps that winter that brought on a myriad of frozen pipes. Then in 2020, we all went through a global pandemic that hit the hospitality industry pretty hard. But in the aftermath, we flourished. The extra time for projects and putting love into our guestrooms and dining room was worth every minute of stress. The thrills of entrepreneurship never cease to keep me on my toes, and I love that no two days are exactly the same.
In October of 2020, I married the love of my life, Praveen, on Peirce Bridge right next to the inn. While he has his own career as a software engineer, he does help out around the inn in a pinch. A year later, we welcomed our beautiful daughter, Penelope, in November of 2021. She thrives in the social environment, already loves helping me throughout the day, and I think she will make a great innkeeper. The three of us, with our adorable dog, Lady, live happily here at the inn.
The Innkeeper, Sarah and her family.
Each year seems to be just a bit better than the last, and I love meeting all of my guests at the Wayside. It is my pleasure to welcome you to my home for a night, or a week or just for a meal.
