Mike and Robin Cilliers have taken over the B&B at 89 Cedar Street, At Journey's End and are excited to create a memorable experience for out of town guests and a place for the local business community to gather.
What brought you to St. Augustine?
Our dream was to own a Bed & Breakfast and we were looking at Inns all over the country. The Inn itself is, of course, important but we also wanted the right community and area that would fit our vision. St. Augustine made sense for this type of business. We came for a visit and looked at two other inns, but they weren’t exactly what we were looking for. Two weeks later we came back and met with Tim, the Innkeeper of At Journeys End. We were immediately drawn to the contemporary style and feeling of the inn and most importantly, it had the “heart and soul” that we were looking for. Aiding in our final decision was the fact that the inn had received the Certificate of Excellence awarded by Trip Advisor – Hall of Fame for the past five years. The Patel Family, who have since acquired Cedar House and most recently the Peace and Plenty Inn, had also wanted to purchase At Journeys End. We were fortunate in that Tim felt we were the perfect fit for the business he and John had built.
When did you take over the inn?
We took over August 17th and we’ve been busy since. It was the slower time of the year however, our reservations were up from the prior year, so it has helped us prepare for the busy season coming up.
What are your plans for the Night of Lights?
Tim the previous owner has helped to guide us. He still lives locally and is only ten minutes away. In the past, the innkeepers have all gotten together to coordinate their theme. They’ve mentioned that since the inns are already lit up, they typically just add to the existing lights around the first of December to create a more festive feel for the Holiday B&B tour that starts just a few days later. Apparently, this street used to be a favorite trolley tour destination during the Nights of Lights, as it is one of the prettiest streets in town at this time. All of the passengers would stop and sing Christmas carols along their way down the street. Unfortunately, we were saddened to hear that this had been discontinued due to complaints by neighbors.
What are your plans for the Holiday B&B tour?
Our plans are to create a festive experience for our visitors. We will have music and through our returning partner, Catch 27, food will be provided. It is anticipated that 1500 people will be attending the event held on Saturday and Sunday. Our inn will be on the Saturday tour.
How do you feel your inn will be different?
When we first spoke to people we were informed that a successful Inn is about volume and pricing, but for us, it’s about the ambience and the engagement with our guests.
What would your guests say about the inn and their experience?
We’ve been blessed with wonderful guests to date. In the morning, they sit at the breakfast table(s), engage with each other in conversation and most of the time will still be there an hour after breakfast has finished.
Our guests have left saying they feel like they’ve known us forever and that they had been visiting with their own friends and family.
How many rooms do you have here?
There are five rooms at the moment. It allows us to engage with each and every one of them from the moment they arrive. We love hearing all of their stories and we encourage feedback on their experience here and any places they’ve visited in town. Most importantly, being new innkeepers, we ask them for any suggestions on what we might do to make their next stay even better.
Who does the cooking?
Robin does all of the cooking. This is one of her passions. She’ll get a basic recipe and add her own spin on it. She has a lot of ideas.
What did you do before this Robin?
I was a Landscaper by profession and had my own landscaping company and thirty-acre nursery in the Homestead/Miami area. I’ve been in the business for thirty years, but when the economy took a downturn, my partners and I sold. I stayed in the industry as a consultant then moved to Stuart when my boys grew up. Most recently I worked for a high-end landscape/maintenance company in West Palm Beach which turned into twelve to fourteen-hour days. There was no balance and had very little time to spend with Mike. Opening up a B&B was always something I wanted to do, and now that I had met my soulmate, we made the decision to do it now.
Are you planning to hold events here?
We believe very much in supporting the local community so we would like to invite people to come to have cocktails with us or a brunch and create a bi-monthly local business network where we can all get to know each other better, share ideas, and keep each other informed. In England, a lot of small businesses are going out of business because everything has moved to chains or online. So, the idea is to buy local and to support local businesses.
What is your goal for the inn?
We want people to have a wonderful experience with us. We want the business to speak for itself, so when our guests leave, the experience stays with them. There’s a saying I’ve always loved and try to live by.
“Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, its measured by the moments that take our breath away.”Our goal is to create these moments!!
Located at 89 Cedar Street, St. Augustine, FL 32084
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