Follow your dreams . . . is exactly what Susan Banner did back in 1999 when she had this dream of opening a bed and breakfast in Tucson. As the Sam Hughes Inn celebrates its upcoming 10th Anniversary, I decided
to sit down with Susan to get a peek into how she did it!
The multi-talented Human Relations Executive for a Chicago corporation, Susan began her bed and breakfast journey by planning a vacation around a seminar “So, You Think You Want To Be An Innkeeper”, conducted by Susan Brown and Nancy Donaldson in Santa Barbara, CA. After completing the seminar, Susan knew said had the desire now she had to figure out the course.
With her son, Michael, living in Tucson gave her a perfect reason to explore there. She soon realized there weren’t very many b&b’s near the university and thought this just might work. Trusting her instincts, she embarked to find the perfect house to fit her plans. As fate would have it, in just two short days into her search, Susan found a beautiful 1930’s inspired Spanish Colonial home located in the historic Sam Hughes District. Located just east of the University of Arizona and less than a mile from medical and urgent care centers, she knew this was it!
Sam Hughes Inn
Next Susan hired architects and contractors to convert this historical home into a bed and breakfast inn. Yes, there were setbacks, i.e., zoning variances, code issues, construction delays, a medical emergency but the ever persistent Susan kept her eye on her goal. To hone her skills as an innkeeper, Susan worked for the Lodge on the Desert to get invaluable hands on experience. As Susan was gaining invaluable innkeeper experience her new house was being converted into a bed and breakfast.
Through perseverance and incredible enthusiastic support from her neighbors, the Sam Hughes Inn opening day arrived just in time to host her first paying guest a few days before Christmas in 1999. Yes, Susan had much more work to do such as setting up her marketing campaigns which included a website designed by her daughter, brochures and networking. Renovations continued by adding more bedrooms, landscaping changes and much more.
Susan’s business has blossomed through repeat guests, internet exposure and referrals. Her great location is perfect for parents visiting their sons or daughters attending the University of Arizona, job seeking professionals, and winter visitors who plan to attend the Annual Gem Show, Spring Training or just to get out a break from their winter
climates. So how do you find the Sam Hughes Inn? This quaint bed and breakfast is located at 2020 E. 7th Ave in Tucson or you can click this link to Sam’s Hughes Inn. If you are planning to visit Tucson during the winter months, you may want to make your reservation a few months in advance. Don’t take just my word on how great the Sam Hughes Inn is, here are a couple of testimonials.
A recent guest from Alabama, wrote “Susan, the owner, is a joy to get to know. She prepares wonderful breakfasts, provides lots of local information and goes the extra mile to provide for her guest’s needs. The rooms are very comfortable and decorated in very good taste. We will most certainly visit Sam Hughes again”.
An Illinois guest visiting this summer wrote “I could not have asked for a better place to stay in Tucson. The owner is gracious, flexible and a great cook. The breakfast is inspired and is so hearty that it lasts all day. All the rooms and the enclosed garden are inviting places to sit and relax.”
Congratulations Susan on your 10th anniversary and here’s wishing you much success for many years to come!
