Home turned hideaway
With a name like Koepsell Haus Bed & Breakfast, visitors might expect Rhine River views. Instead, guests find a vista of Spokane Valley, cozy rooms and an innkeeper fluent in German.
Owners Gunter and Anne Koepsell opened the upstairs of their Highland Estates home with a “Northwest ambiance and European flair” two years ago and get a regular stream of visitors as the Valley’s one listed B&B.
Guests have come from Oregon, New York, Arizona and Canada, sometimes staying on the first and last leg of a trip to Glacier or Yellowstone. Others stay for golfing, weddings, honeymoons or restful weekends.
“We don’t fit the stereotype of a bed and breakfast – an old Victorian house with antiques,” said Anne. “We raised our children in this house and we converted it after our children were raised.”
“Our focus is comfort and ambiance.”
The large brown house with many windows sits on a quiet cul-de-sac in the foothills overlooking the Valley. Guests like to sit on the large porch for meals or watch the city lights from one of two suites. Anne notes that their B&B is within a 15-minute drive to downtown Spokane or Coeur d’Alene.
The couple keeps their living quarters mainly downstairs. Upstairs, wall decorations include pictures of their three children, along with Hummel and Norman Rockwell decorative plates and needlepoint pictures done by Gunter’s mother and aunt.
Gunter Koepsell often visits with guests as they wait in the dining room while Anne cooks the morning meals.
“I enjoy the people from different areas, from all over the United States and Canada,” said Gunter. “There is always something to talk about.”
A retired Las Vegas school district administrator, Gunter Koepsell came to the United States from Germany in the 1950s. Although the couple advertises “German spoken fluently,” Gunter mainly sticks with English.
“Some of them, yes, have enough knowledge of the language we can converse,” added Gunter, when asked whether any guests have sought German conversation.
Besides being an innkeeper, Anne Koepsell also works as a health care administrator in a home-based consulting business. She and Gunter moved with their family to Highland Estates in 1993.
For a corporate job several years ago, Anne had to travel 48 weeks out of the year for business and always sought out B&Bs.
“I have always loved bed and breakfasts,” said Anne. “I’ve stayed at them for 20 years. I was a road warrior. As a single woman traveling, I felt safer at a bed and breakfast. You get pampered, and I felt more comfortable.
“When we did this bed and breakfast, I intentionally set it up for both the leisure and business traveler. Both rooms have desks and ergonomic chairs and wireless Internet. We looked at this huge house and thought about downsizing, but we loved it too much here. We decided to turn it into and bed and breakfast, and it’s worked beautifully.”
The Koepsells’ typical visitors want to see the region, versus just the city, Anne added. Seattle area residents sometimes check in for a getaway that’s close.
“We’ve had a lot of honeymooners who stay one night on their way flying out. A number of people are looking at the area to retire and they stay here four or five days checking out the community.”
Decorated with oak accents, the Koepsells’ master suite offers a queen bed, television, fireplace, work desk and a spa tub. Other touches include a small fridge and two luxurious robes hanging in the closet.
The second guest room, the Garden Suite, has a separate den with a full desk and a sofa that folds out to a twin bed, all next door to a full bedroom. This suite area faces the backyard flower garden.
On the deck, Anne has set up a six-person table for warm weather meals. “Our guests have the full use of the deck,” she said. And people enjoy the views. “At night, it just sparkles.”
Anne cooks a variety of breakfasts, but has three or four standbys. “Sometimes it’s a European style breakfast with meats, cheese, rolls and jam. Some travelers like omelets, German potatoes, French toast. We can ask guests what they like.”
The couple offers hot drinks at night and cookies, often homemade. They continue to see guests even into the winter months, although it slows to maybe one weekend a month.
From May through September, they usually host guests every weekend. They are part of the Washington Bed & Breakfast Guild, with members independently inspected. Ninety-five percent of their marketing is over the Internet.
It is rare for the Koepsells to have two separate parties stay at the same time.
“Often, it’s people who are traveling together. The average stay length for us is three days.”
The pair also tries to promote the area if visitors have the time. “I have all sorts of brochures and list of area restaurants.”
“A lot of people don’t understand the gem we have in Spokane and Coeur d’Alene. They’ll come here to do something else and I try to encourage them to go to downtown Spokane or Manito Park. A lot of people want to see Coeur d’Alene and the lake.
“We love it here, and we share that with people.”