After all that, guests can refuel with hearty breakfast fare such as Rob’s French toast with cheddar and pineapple concasse, or vegetable and meat omelets. His garden supplies fresh vegetables, herbs and berries in season, while French-press coffee is from popular local roaster Equator Coffee. And all of it can, if desired, be brought to your room – though it would be a shame to miss the sun-filled breakfast room, enjoying river views and a chat with Rob as he prepares your food in the open kitchen.
Hospitality is in Rob’s blood. After completing a degree in the field, he worked at such prestige properties as Ontario’s Elora Mill and the Radisson hotel chain. But he never forgot what drove him to hospitality in the first place: a holiday in small Costa Rica inns with his mom, chatting with fellow guests from around the world. Eventually he returned home to eastern Ontario and opened his own boutique property.
Rob says word-of-mouth advertising is his secret weapon: “If you meet someone’s expectations,
there’s a 48 per cent chance they’ll come back in a year. If you exceed them, there’s a 92 per cent chance.” Romantic couples, family reunions, and traveling business folks – all foster repeat business because Rob makes them feel truly welcome. The one exception: a businessman who spent three nights a week until Rob persuaded him to buy a home five doors away. “The worst business decision I ever made,” he laughs.
The Almonte Riverside Inn
Rob Prior, Owner and Innkeeper
81 Queen Street
Almonte, ON
613-461-2745
https://www.facebook.com/almontehotel/
“If you meet someone’s expectations, there’s a 48 per cent chance they’ll come back in a year. If you exceed them, there’s a 92 per cent chance.”