500 word local business rewrite

            At the corner of St. Paul Street and Sewall Avenue sits a green and white Edwardian Tudor behind a well-manicured front garden. This is the site of the Bertram Inn, a Bed and Breakfast in a neighborhood, Brookline, and a city, Boston, where they are numerous. There are at least four such businesses within two blocks of Bertram, and according to BedandBreakfast.com, the city of Boston is 7^th in concentration of Bed and Breakfasts in the world.

            Stephen Bareford, the general manager of the Bertram Inn, did not see these other Bed and Breakfasts as his true competition. Just one block north, towers the Holiday Inn, which he considered the real competition. He noted that most Bed and Breakfasts fill up, and the refer excess guests to each other, saying that the Bertram was “fully booked for the next three weeks,” and he was referring new visitors to the Sewall Inn across the street. The two Inns are one business, with the same owner, but different managers.

            Bareford, who has worked at the hote for five years and became the general manager in the beginning of 2011, said the Bertram Inn has a comprehensive staff, many who are fluent in both Spanish and English, including one manager from Argentina, Astrid Poodts. He said the Inn receives thousands of diverse guests every year, and aims for a friendly atmosphere where fellow travelers can mingle. He noted recent guests from Argentina and Japan, and “People from South Africa talking to people from New Zealand” at the breakfast.

            The Inn maintains corporate accounts as well, not just aiming to please tourists, but those on business as well. Bareford said a recent guest was a National Geographic photographer who unrolled the skeleton of an Ardipithecus, an early hominid, on one of the tables in the Bertram’s lounge.

            The Bertram also has special packages for romantic events, and these can attract even some Bostonians and residents of Brookline to the Inn for a night, according to Bareford. These packages include things like chocolates, wines, cheeses, and even a masseuse.

            The Inn’s breakfasts are a source of pride for Bareford, who aims to be more than what he calls a “Bed and Bagel.” The Inn alternates sweet and savory morning meals, offering french toast, and pancakes one day, and eggs, salmon, and bacon the next, always served buffet style. These supplies are bought from a home delivery service, but Bareford likes to visit local markets to find seasonal fruits and vegetables as well. There are snacks such as cookies and dried fruits available all day. He said the Inn spends about $1500 a week on its food supplies, and recalled one breakfast where a large business group helped them go through 60 dozen eggs.

            The Inn has a history stretching back to 1907, built by Carl Kaffenburg for one of his daughters. The hotel hangs a black and white picture of the stern-looking Kaffenburg and his family in the lobby. It later became a boarding house in 1939, and the current owner, Bryan Austin, bought the building in a state of disrepair, with squatters living on the residence, according to Bareford.