CAPE MAY – Victorian Cape May faces a crisis with its historical bed-and-breakfast inns. That was the message delivered to City Council Oct. 2 by representatives of the Historic Accommodation B&B Association.
The message started with some numbers that grabbed the attention of listeners.
“The B&Bs in Cape May have decreased steadily over the past 20 years going from almost 70 in 1997 to 25 in 2018,” said Bonnie Pontin speaking for the association.
Those inns feature quaint accommodations along with breakfasts for guests, hence the term. Some also include afternoon tea.
Pontin pointed to multiple inspections by city, county and state bodies, along with onerous fees and taxes that add almost 14 percent to the cost of each room. New competition has also emerged via internet-driven business models like Airbnb.
Speaking of the internet-driven models that match individuals wishing to make accommodations available with travelers, Pontin said: “These endeavors are adding to the increasing deterioration of the licensed, taxpaying, state and city revenue producing B&Bs.”
As a tourist destination, Cape May has long been associated with its bed-and-breakfasts. Part of the struggles with state fire inspectors had been an attempt to find a balance between fire safety regulations and the preservation of historic structures that provide a sense of history on overnight stays in the city.
Pontin urged the council to see the decline of the B&Bs as “an area of great concern to the city.” The association is urging that the city intervenes by establishing some form of a work group to look at the causes of the decline and potential remedies.
The presentation was not about a set of proposed solutions. The association admits that it does not know the answers.
The call for help was more a plea for the city to get involved to find answers that will preserve an aspect of the resort that is part of most tourists’ mental map of Cape May.
The group asks that a “leveling of the playing field” would become a “priority for the city.”
Perhaps the most powerful part of the presentation to council was when Pontin took the time to read the names of 43 B&Bs she said had closed their doors in the city.
One web post by someone trying to book a visit was a query of others about why the phones at the Duke of Windsor had been disconnected.
A listing for Poor Richard’s Inn shows the beautiful Victorian building on Jackson Street with the words permanently closed in red.
One web listing for Windward House marks it permanently closed and suggested Sea Holly Inn. A click on the suggestion once more brought the message permanently closed.
Mayor Clarence Lear asked for copies of the presentation and the list of B&Bs, saying “This is a lot to consider.”
The city will be considering the request that it establish some group to look at the plight of the B&Bs.
To contact Vince Conti, email vconti@cmcherald.com.
Cape May B&Bs that have closed:
White Dove Cottage
Poor Richards Inn
Inn at 22 Jackson
Manor House
Open Hearth
Windward House
Canterbury Cottage
Frog Hollow Inn
Shore Haven
Sea Holly Inn
Fairthorne Inn
Fairthorne Cottage
Columns by the Sea
Humphrey Hughes House
John F. Craig House
The Abbey
Jeremiah Hand House
Woodleigh B&B
Trellis Inn
Duke of Windsor
Poet’s Inn
Bayberry Inn
Sea Villa
The Manse B&B
Primrose Inn
Perry Street Inn
Heather Inn
Wooden Rabbit
Abbey Annex
Inn on Ocean
Prince Edward Inn
The Puffin
Abigail Adams
Barnard-Good House
White House
Linda Lee B&B
Kelly’s Celtic Inn
Majestic Star
Delsea
Coll’s House
Victorian Rose
Victorian Lace
