Governors Tourism Award Article from Hillsdale Daily News

 

Munro House owner Mike Venturini
honored with Governor’s Tourism Award
The Munro House Bed and Breakfast
was presented with
the Governor’s Tourism Award on Monday.

 

DAILY NEWS/ KELLI AMELING
 

Hillsdale Daily News

 
Posted Mar 28, 2011 @ 10:00 AM

 

Hillsdale, Mich. — The Munro House Bed and Breakfast in Jonesville received the Governor’s Tourism Award presented by Gov. Rick Snyder in Kalamazoo on March 21.
 

There were nine Michigan inns which collaborated with the Michigan Lake to Lake Bed and Breakfast Association and two other organizations to win the 2011 Governor’s Award for Innovative Tourism Collaboration in the category of tourism marketing and promotion, stated a release about the event.

“It’s a big deal, a real big deal,” Mike Venturini, owner of the Munro House, said.

The Munro House won for its cutting-edge website, successful use of blogging and social media, e-marketing efforts through Pure Michigan and the publicity and goodwill generated by member inns’ participation in the National B&Bs for Vets Event.

 Venturini and his companion Lori have owned the Munro House for 12 years, but he said it has been a bed and breakfast since 1985.
 
They decided to get into the bed and breakfast industry after taking a trip to Italy.
 
Venturini said they wanted to stay at a bed and breakfast in Rome. They decided to search the Internet to see what was available when an advertisement popped up about bed and breakfasts for sale.
 
They decided to look to see what was available and stumbled across the Munro House later on.
 
“I made the mistake of telling my wife I wanted to spend more time at home,” Venturini joked and added he likes the 33 steps it takes to get to work.
 
He said the Munro House has had about 20,000 guests stay there from all 50 states and from 63 countries.
 
“I get to meet interesting people with interesting lives,” Venturini said.
 
The normal day for Venturini consist of waking up at 6 a.m. and having breakfast ready by 7 a.m. He said the house is usually empty by 7:30 a.m. so he does the dishes and starts the laundry, while the housekeeper, Sara, cleans the rooms.

 

Venturini said he tries to get away during lunch, whether meeting his wife or friends for lunch or just getting out of the house.

 

Anywhere from 3 to 9 p.m. guests will arrive at the house and Venturini said he likes to greet them with a smile.  “B and B’s are a better way to stay,” Venturini said. “We’re different.”
 

He said his favorite part about having a bed and breakfast is meeting the people who come to stay.

“They are just the nicest people,” he said. “Once we think we have met the nicest people, someone else comes along. I am never done being impressed.”

Venturini said he appreciated Sandy White, who did all the leg work to get the Munro House nominated for the Governor’s Tourism Award.

Copyright 2011 Hillsdale.net. Some rights reserved. Reprinted with permission.

Mike Venturini
Jonesville Michigan Bed and Breakfast Innkeeper
“Life is good in Jonesville”

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