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Editor's note: The following article is intended as a snapshot of the bed and breakfast industry in Idaho. For more information about the dozens of B&Bs to check out in the Gem State, visit the Web sites of any facility mentioned here and, for those not mentioned here for lack of space, visit the Idaho Commerce and Labor's travel and tourism site: www.visitidaho.org.
The names of the rooms tell the bed and breakfast story best: Covered Bridge, Judge's Chambers, Hummingbird, Fly Fishing Bedroom and River View Suite.
Sound a little more inviting than, say, Room 316B?
When one enters a bed and breakfast, one literally walks into a home - often an older, historic residence remodeled to offer travelers a warm, welcoming place to stay.
Betti and Craig Newburn, who own the Idaho Heritage Inn Bed and Breakfast at 109 W. Idaho in Boise, believe the B&B concept originated with the old-style boarding house and gained momentum in the '80s when Newhart was popular - the second Bob Newhart sitcom, where the actor plays an innkeeper at a Vermont bed and breakfast.
B&Bs as a concept differ greatly from a hotel or motel. Junia Stephens said staying at the JJ Shaw House Bed and Breakfast Inn, which she owns and operates at 1411 W. Franklin in Boise, is not like the 'briefcase at the Marriott' experience.
When guests walk in, it's like they're coming home. They feel the warmth of the...