Two sisters with no hospitality experience bought a century-old inn. Here's how it worked out

CNN

26-03-2025

An idyllic turn-of-the-20th-century inn. A Canadian town neighboring Niagara Falls. Two sisters who took a spontaneous chance on a dream.
If you're thinking this sounds like the premise of a Hallmark movie or an early 2000s TV show, you'd be on the right track — in fact, sisters-turned-innkeepers Kristen and Kathryn Groom get that comparison a lot.
The most frequent reference point? 'Gilmore Girls,' the Amy Sherman Palladino-created television show that was a hit 25 years ago and remains a pop culture stalwart. In the show, main character Lorelei Gilmore runs an inn with her best friend, chef Sookie St. James, in a picturesque New England town.
'We both watched the show, loved the show, but I wouldn't say it was our main inspiration for doing this,' younger sister Kathryn Groom tells CNN Travel. 'But as we were sharing online, all of our videos started to get comments comparing us to Lorelai and Sookie.'
The siblings get other pop culture comparisons too — like 'Sweet Magnolias' and 'Charmed.' And, of course, all those Hallmark and Netflix romcoms, which are often set in small towns, featuring protagonists with wholesome, wish-fulfillment jobs.
'We have had some pretty funny comments like, 'Okay, but who are the two guys that are going to open the competing B&B next door?'' adds Kathryn, laughing.
Fortunately in terms of business prospects — less fortunately in terms of romcom plot points — there's so far no neighboring inn competing with the Groom sisters' business: The Rose Manor, located in Welland, Ontario, Canada.
In fact, the Rose Manor, opened by the sisters in 2022, is thriving — both as an accommodation spot and online, where TikTok videos posted on @rosemanorwelland have garnered millions of views.
'One of my favorite comments is when someone books with us and we ask them why they're coming to Welland, and they're like, 'Oh, we saw you on TikTok. We're just here to see you and see the bed and breakfast,'' says Kathryn. 'Those have been sort of 'pinch me' moments…It's been really nice to grow in that way, and have people following along and really invested in our story.'
Kathryn and Kristen's story began in Welland's neighboring town Fonthill, where they were raised by entrepreneur parents. There's a nine-year age gap between them— Kathryn is 24, Kristen is 35 — but they grew up dreaming of one day starting a business together.
The siblings, who have always been close, lived together for a couple of years prior to purchasing the Rose Manor. Back then, Kristen was in the corporate world working in HR, while Kathryn was finishing her Master's degree.
In between Kristen's long working hours and Kathryn's study time, the B&B idea was born.
'We joke that we tried (living together) first, made sure that was okay, and then we decided to throw the business in,' says Kathryn.
When the building that was to become the Rose Manor inn came on the market, it seemed like fate. The day the sisters toured the building — which functioned as a family home for a century, before becoming an inn in more recent years — snow was falling and it was a freezing cold Ontario day. But when Kathryn and Kristen saw the property, they looked at each other, and they both knew: this was it.
It helped that the property was on the canal, in a town surrounded by hiking trails, vineyards and populated with great cafes and restaurants.
And so the sisters sold their previous home and clubbed together their savings to purchase the early 1900s building for 1.4 million Canadian dollars (around US$978,600), aware it was a big financial, and business, gamble.
'We were new to this,' admits Kathryn. 'We didn't have hospitality experience.'
Still, both siblings were confident in their ability to get the dream off the ground. And they were supported by a community of friends, family members and Welland locals, who helped with DIY projects and passed on furniture and knickknacks to help decorate the building.
And a couple of months — and 60,000 Canadian dollars (around US$42,000) in renovations and thrift store finds later — the Rose Manor, named after the family who originally owned the house in the early 20th century, opened its doors to its first paying guests.
'It was very natural for us,' Kristen says, of taking on the innkeeper mantle.
The hospitality world was largely new to the siblings — though Kristen had spent a couple of college summers working at a hotel front desk — but the sisters weren't new to the world of travel.
'Because we travel and we've been able to experience a lot of the world, and how others live and how others welcome people in, we were able to pull a little bit of everything that we've experienced over the years to bring together here and offer to our guests,' Kristen says.
For the first couple of years, Kristen and Kathryn juggled full time remote-working jobs with B&B duties. Now, they both work at the inn full time.
And as well as welcoming guests from across the globe in six suites, the Groom sisters offer up the Rose Manor's space for events including bridal showers and weddings.
Each morning, the innkeepers' day begins with Kathryn cooking breakfast for the guests. As travelers enjoy pancakes soaked into Canadian maple syrup and locally-made apple bread, Kristen is on hand to chat about Welland's best coffee shops and the town's local landmarks.
Kristen handles 'all the serving and the guest relations, that kind of thing' while Kathryn is working behind the scenes, cooking up incredible meals for guests who range from local Ontarians to travelers from places including France, Australia, the UK, Germany and North America.
Throughout their day, both Kristen and Kathryn film video content for the inn's social media accounts.
Kristen and Kathryn aren't the only innkeepers sharing insights into their job online. Also found on TikTok is baker Caroline Cardomone, who works at an inn and promises her TikTok followers 'cozy vibes.' Cardomone also litters her videos with references to 'Gilmore Girls.
Meanwhile @innkeeperkate chronicles her rustic-chic, artsy interior choices in her Ohio-based inn, while @am.suthe shares dreamy videos of views from her seaside-based inn in Nova Scotia, Canada. There are male innkeeper influencers too — like John Lavin, who quit his corporate job to open a bed and breakfast in Georgia in 2021, and has been chronicling the experience online ever since.
'My evil boss is sending me there on a business trip just in time for the holidays where we'll discover the true meaning of Christmas. Get excited!' reads one of the comments on Lanvin's posts.
The appeal of innkeeper TikTok seems to lie in a mix of cozy, Hallmark escapism-meets-business inspiration. The often-female owners might be leaning into traditionally female domestic roles — baking, cleaning, tidying, hosting — but they're also running a business, working for themselves.
'I want this. This is my future. I WILL MAKE IT MY FUTURE. First step, I already have a sister,' reads one of the comments on Kathryn and Kristen's videos.
While many of Kathryn and Kristen's social media followers are living vicariously through them, occasionally, commentators question the idea of living in your workplace 27/7, with your sister as your roommate.
The Groom sisters understand why this set-up wouldn't work for everyone.
'You have to be okay with other people in your space and sort of always being on,' says Kathryn.
But the siblings say this lifestyle suits them.
'One of the main reasons we did this is because we like meeting new people, and we like hearing their stories,' says Kathryn.
'And we just love working together and living together,' adds Kristen. 'If we ever do need a break (from the inn) we just simply block our calendar and disappear for a little while. And if we need a break from each other? It's a large home, so I go one direction, she goes in another. And then when we're ready to meet up again…'
'…We meet in the middle, with some wine,' says Kathryn, finishing her sister's sentence.
On summer evenings, Kristen and Kathryn will sit out on the B&B porch, their family and friends in tow, chatting with guests. And while hosting family and friends in your home/workplace might sound strange, it's all part of the friendly vibe of the Rose Manor — and Welland more generally, which the sisters say is 'super community-minded.'
The Grooms say local Welland businesses all support one another. In past media interviews, the sisters talked about how one of these businesses is a cafe round the corner, owned by a guy called Luke. This only feeds into that 'Gilmore Girls' comparison — in the show, the protagonists are always grabbing coffee from nearby Luke's Diner.
'He's one of those very community-minded people that we were talking about,' says Kathryn, of their real-life Luke, who runs nearby Black Sheep Coffee Roasters.
'Him and his wife, Katie, are just lovely people,' she says. 'They've got a beautiful family, and they've been just so welcoming to us since we started here. It is super nice to have that location just around the corner.'
While Kathryn and Kristen relish the pop culture comparisons (in part because they're kind of on point, and in part because they understand this engagement helps drive their business) they also point out that their job isn't always as picture-perfect as TV and movies (or their social media posts) might suggest.
'We still have to clean toilets,' admits Kathryn.
'…And make beds and clean kitchens — it's a huge home to take care of,' adds Kristen.
Even when running an inn is stressful or less-than-glamorous, 'the pros outweigh the cons,' as Kathryn puts it.
'It truly is a lot of fun,' she says.
Kristen, who spent 10 years working in the corporate world, says she's so thankful to be working for herself, 'so satisfied being in this moment and being able to run our business, call it our own, do what we want to do.'
'I have never seen her so happy,' says Kathryn of her older sister.
'I am very happy here,' agrees Kristen.
As for Kathryn, she says owning and running the Rose Manor makes her feel 'content, peaceful and fulfilled.'
And while both sisters are proud of how far they've come, they're always looking forward, and hope to continue to grow the business.
'We joke that we have to divorce each other eventually — we can't live together forever,' says Kristen, laughing. 'But we want to expand.'
'Maybe get another property?' says Kathryn. 'We've talked about a boutique hotel one day, or maybe a glamping site…'
'We dream a lot, over morning coffee, sit down, and there's another idea that comes up, and we're like, 'Oh maybe this could be a thing,'' says Kristen. 'We love to dream. We love to see what we could be doing next.'