Hospitality Newfoundland and Labrador

Members in the News

Members in the News Details

B&B seeing stars - April 2, 2004

Nelson and Carla Adams have a lot to brag about. Adams House Bed and Breakfast in Little Rapids is the first in the province to receive a five-star rating from Canada Select, a national agency which rates tourist accommodations across the country.
The Adams built the bed and breakfast eight years ago on Robert’s Drive. “My wife had always had the idea of owning a bed and breakfast in the back of her mind, then we got married eight years ago, put the plan into effect,” said Nelson. “We both love it and are both passionate about providing the best for the guests.”

When Adams House opened, it was the first in the province to receive a four-star rating. A couple of years later, it received the four 1/2-star rating.

Now with a little elbow grease, Adams House has received the coveted five-star designation, which meant the establishment had to be examined by external auditors from outside provinces.

“We were the first four-star and, subsequent to that, there has been a lot of four and four 1/2 stars given to accommodations in the province — this is the first five in the province. We are in the bed-and-breakfast category, but there are no five stars in any other category, be it hotels or anything.

“We see this five-star rating as a marketing tool. We can market this and, hopefully, people will appreciate that when they visit. ”

Nelson sees the rating as a way to bring people into the region. “We have some good properties in the Humber Valley,” he said. “Hopefully, more will follow, and this will be a tremendous marketing tool to bring people to the valley.”

In two years, auditors will revisit Adams House to determine if the level of quality has been maintained.

The Adams House has four guest rooms separate from each other on the upper level. On the main level, there is a private sitting area and dining room for guests. The Adams share the kitchen with guests while the family lives on the lower level of the house. There is also a hot tub on the back deck for guests.

“We meet people from all over the world,” said Nelson. “They can be as rich and famous as anything, or they can be as normal as the rest of us, but they all love to talk about Newfoundland. They love the area.”

Every accommodation in Newfoundland has to have the Canada Select rating to become licensed. According to their website, to receive the highest rating, five stars, an accommodation has to be secure, clean, well maintained, have windows with screens, have comfortable beds, sitting area, individual heat control, air-conditioned rooms, a telephone in each room and offer a full breakfast. As extras, rooms must have a television with a DVD player or VCR in each room. The quality of everything has to be much higher than is required for the four-star rating.