Small Business Spotlight

Innkeepers Leslie and Bill Seiden took over Fort Myers' historic Hibiscus House two years ago. With more than 25 years of hospitality experience, the Long Island transplants have found running a bed-and-breakfast in Southwest Florida to be a relaxing change from New York.

House hunting: We first looked all over New York and the Hamptons; we even worked in the Caribbean for a while. But I fell in love with the Gulf Coast. It's more charming and has a quieter pace. The Hibiscus House was built in 1912 by the owner of a lumber company. His wife was widowed during the Depression and moved the house across the river-she literally cut the house in half and barged it. We gave it a fresh look but kept the historical sense.

An innkeeper's life: It's just me, Bill and a cleaning lady. I get up at 6 every morning to make a full gourmet breakfast for my guests. We work until 11 p.m. every day, with downtime in the afternoon when everyone is out. Of course, our busiest time is from Thanksgiving to Easter, but we have cultivated a less generic experience than a regular hotel, and people like that [experience].

Be our guest: We've had guests ask us to move furniture around for a night to comply with feng shui. I don't mind it; there's always an interesting and quirky population that makes the flow of the place interesting and balanced. We also get the occasional high-maintenance people from New York, who prefer a Jacuzzi and a pool. Ninety percent walk away completely happy, but there is always that small percentage you can't please.

UFOs and cups and saucers: Sometimes we get the Red Hats, sometimes the [Ladies] Tea Guild; sometimes we get bridal parties or family reunions. I once had a wonderful man stay with us who wrote a book on UFOs. He was so used to naysayers that he was glad to find someone to talk to about his life's work. Two weeks ago, I had eight people from Italy walk in at 10:30 at night, but I couldn't provide beds for all of them. I did my best with futons and got up earlier to make sure they had breakfast. They were immensely pleased.

Tour guides: As an innkeeper, you have to be a compendium of knowledge. Since we're also new to the area, it has been a learning process. We tell our guests where to go, what to see and how relax at the same time. They go home requiring rest.

-Rebecca Loveridge