Hugh Taylor, the Outermost Inn, Lighthouse Road, Aquinnah
How long has the inn been in operation here?
Twenty-six years.
Briefly, what changes has it seen over the years?
Very few … just steadily more business.
Describe your typical day (if you have one)
Up at 4:30, make coffee, prepare for inn guests’ breakfast; 7, put out coffee station, prepare and plate breakfast from 8:30 to 10:30, clean up, morph kitchen to dinner prep; answer phones all day; clean, clean, clean, manage garbage; receive goods, recycle; fix broken things: sinks, toilets, dishwasher, laundry machines, ice machines, printers, etc. Sleep by 10 pm.
What made you decide to run an inn?
Needed to generate more income from the house.
Looking back, did you have any idealistic dreams that have turned out to be wrong?
No.
What’s the most interesting/worst day you’ve experienced while at the inn?
Probably some septic-related meltdown — from sink drains, grease traps, and toilets to leach pits.
What’s your favorite task/chore/daily ritual? Your least favorite?
All of them. Least, grease trap.
How do you go about letting off-Islanders know about the inn? What’s your best way of getting new guests?
Word of mouth, and free press; we don’t advertise.
What’s the most interesting question you’ve ever had from a guest?
We can’t find a babysitter, and you don’t allow children under 12? Can we pitch a tent on your property for our 7-, 4-, and 2-year-old to sleep in while we come for dinner?
That was just last week!
Is there a guest story in the past few years that’s warmed your heart — a proposal, or something out of the ordinary that made you glad to be doing what you’re doing?
Every story and every human condition.
What do you like to do on a day off (if you ever get one) on M.V.?
Don’t have one.
What do you foresee are the challenges going forward in maintaining or growing your business?
Enough generated income to stay ahead of maintenance.
Susan Goldstein, the Mansion House, Main Street, Vineyard Haven
What’s the name of inn, and your title or role?
My husband, Sherm, along with our children, Josh Goldstein and Nili Morgan, own Mansion House Inn and Health Club. The inn has 48 rooms, and the health club is 11,250 square feet.
How long has the Inn been in operation here?
We bought the inn in 1985; however, there has been an inn on the corner of Main and State since 1794!
Briefly, what changes has it seen over the years?
The inn remains a short stroll from the harbor. So the idea of a comfortable bed remains the same. But since we rebuilt and reopened in 2003, bedrooms are technological wonders. Wi-Fi is the least of it. Our rooms are heated and cooled only when occupied. To heat our pool, we use a geothermal system. The exercise machines in the health club used to have a bank of TVs overhead, but now each machine has TV, games, Wi-Fi, etc.
Describe your typical day (if you have one).
No day is typical, because you are dealing with people. I interact with inn guests, health club members, staff associates, and Main Street tourists who have waited all year for this Vineyard visit, and want it to be perfect.
How long have you run/managed/owned the inn?
Sherm worked for Community Services as a psychologist, and I was a teacher in the West Tisbury School when we bought the inn in 1985.
What made you decide to run an inn?
We had a small gift shop on Main Street that I opened because I had summers off, but we didn’t like our landlord. So we went into the inn to see if there was a rentable space, and the owner said that the entire inn was for sale!
Looking back, did you have any idealistic dreams that have turned out to be wrong?
We had no idea what we were doing, so we had no expectations. We just knew we had gambled all that we had, mortgaged our lives, had two little kids, and we had to make it work.
What’s the most interesting/worst/ day you’ve experienced while at the inn?
Of course, that would be December 2001, when it burned down. That was the worst and best day. The fire itself was horrible and scary, but what was the best is that no one got hurt. All the down-Island fire departments battled the blaze, and they did it like it was a choreographed dance. It was as if they had rehearsed, and the performance was seamless. We were so lucky.
What’s your favorite task/chore/daily ritual? Your least favorite?
Favorite is saying good morning to staff, many who have worked with us since 2003. Least favorite is deciding which nonprofits to support, as we get a zillion requests. We try to support the Food Pantry in any way we can.
How do you go about letting off-Islanders know about the Inn? What’s your best way of getting new guests?
Social media rules, along with repeat guests and recommendations from Islanders.
What’s the most interesting question you’ve ever had from a guest?
You mean besides the standard “What’s it like in the winter?” and “Where was ‘Jaws’ filmed?” The best is actually a statement: “You are so lucky to live here.” I never get tired of hearing that.
Is there a guest story in the past few years that’s warmed your heart — a proposal, or something out of the ordinary that made you glad to be doing what you’re doing?
What is really the best is that my kids came back to work with us. They each spent time after college in careers in America, but then realized that there is no place like home.
What do you like to do on a day off (if you ever get one) on M.V.?
Grandkids! Sherm lobsters with our daughter-in-law and our grandson.
What do you foresee are the challenges going forward in maintaining or growing your business?
That is a serious question. We all have to work to keep Vineyard magic and find creative, democratic answers to constant challenges.
