It’s the New Year at the Andon-Reid and we are undoubtedly looking forward to the future. January is our chance here at the Inn to take down holiday decorations, do some deep cleaning, revitalize the Inn with maintenance and painting, and give ourselves and our staff some much-needed R&R. During this time of the year, we always find ourselves thinking hard about the year ahead, coming up with new ways to enhance the guest experience and dreaming up new projects to improve this wonderful property. However, as much as we are ready to put 2024 in the rear-view mirror, we would be remiss if we didn’t look back at all we’ve accomplished as innkeepers and small-business owners and express our gratitude and respect for the experiences that will guide us into the future. We also recently filled out our physical guest book (768 entries!), which made us reflect on all the memories made at the Inn through the years.
GRATITUDE
Starting with our gratitude list, we are thankful to live in a strong, vibrant, and resilient community that picks each other up through hard times. During and after Hurricane Helene, we were inspired by all the local organizations, governments, and individuals who stepped up to support all the people, businesses, and communities impacted by the terrible storm. There’s a long way to go to rebuild everything, but we are thankful for those who commit their time, money, and resources to put Western North Carolina on the right path forward.
Speaking of support, we are also incredibly grateful for our amazing staff. We added a new housekeeper to the staff this year, bringing our team to five dedicated employees. Our team is committed, loyal, hard-working, and creative, and we always keep the guest experience at the forefront of our minds.
Additionally, as we work through our January maintenance period, we can’t help but be reminded of how thankful we are for our vendors and contractors. It’s not easy to find the right contractors to work on this historic home, but we are lucky to be in a community with an abundance of talented, hard-working folks in all our areas of need.
And of course, we are thankful for our guests, fans, subscribers, and followers this past year who continue to call the Andon-Reid their home away from home and follow our story through our newsletter, social media, and website. Looking through our guest book makes us realize how special this place is to so many people and it’s humbling to read all the kind notes that we now get to keep for posterity.
ACCOMPLISHMENTS
Reflecting on our accomplishments for 2024 is always a fulfilling experience. Compiling a list of our achievements generates enthusiasm for the year ahead, as it reminds us that we’ve accomplished more than we initially thought possible. This exercise is valuable for small-business owners to undertake regularly; it fosters a sense of progress and the feeling of building something meaningful. That being said, here are some of the things we are most proud of accomplishing in 2024:
Community and Partnerships:
- Worked with the Haywood County Arts Council to install pieces by local artists for sale to our guests (all proceeds to the artist and the Council).
- Purchased and installed new artwork created by our guests.
- Donated a seat at the HART Theatre.
- Participated in the fund-raising for the Gateway Arch along Main Street.
- Launched our Give-Back Program, which earmarks 1% of our revenue each quarter to a different local or regional charity. Our first donation has been made to the Haywood Advancement Foundation, and we are donating to the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation for our Q1 and Q2 2025 donations.
- Established our Inn as a lodging partner for the 2024 and 2025 Haywood County Ice Fest.
- Established a wellness partnership with Sundarah Wellness.
- Joined the Asheville B&B Association.
Inn Improvements and Maintenance:
- Planted Hydrangeas and Camellias along the driveway to add a pop of color to the entrance to the property.
- Repainted and refreshed the Magnolia Suite, Chestnut Room, and Garden Suite bathrooms
- Installed a new railing on the Garden Suite porch.
- Improved accessibility by adding a new ramp to the entrance to the guest lounge, plus installing grab bars in many of our showers and tubs.
- Installed new stone steps leading up to the porch
- New fans, overhead lights, and remotes on the porch and in the dining room
- And perhaps our favorite improvement….
- Installing a mini split air conditioning and heating unit in the guest lounge to keep things cool in the summer and warm in the winter.
New Breakfast Dishes and Afternoon Snacks:
We continue to try to enhance the menu and amenities for our guests. In 2024, we rolled out many new recipes which we are particularly proud. We love coming up with new culinary delights for our guests and here is a sampling of some of new things we created last year:
- Cheesy Corn Arepas
- Queso Frito with Pineapple Sauce
- Hot Chocolate Cookies with Marshmallow topping
- Dutch Baby Pancake with Fresh Berries and Buttermilk syrup
- Peppermint Chocolate Cookies
- Pecan Monkey Bread with Creme Anglaise
- Molasses Cookies
- Crispy Rice with Egg Salad and Thai Chili Sauce
- Cranberry White Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Omelet Roulade
- Monte Cristo Layered Crepes
- Pecan Pie Brownies
- Orange Posset
Looking at that list, it makes us hungry to dig back into our recipe books and find the next yummy thing that we can roll out to guests in 2025!
As always, we thank you for following along with us and we hope to get the chance to host you in the upcoming year. We are already planning out our list of new things to try and are in the throes of getting the Inn ready for everyone. As we speak, the Carriage House is getting re-painted inside, the Grand Library Suite is getting a new, dedicated A/C unit and our team is hard at work keeping the Inn in tip-top shape.
Hope to see you at the Inn soon!
–Your Innkeepers, Brenda and Peter
