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Historic B&B is Labor of Love for Cambridge Couple

Timeless and grand, the historic Cambridge Bed and Breakfast was built around the turn of the Century by Cambridge’s first mayor, founder of the bank as well as a retail emporium called the Regulator, a tireless real estate speculator, town booster and extraordinary pioneer in every sense of the word. The white-on-white, four-story William H. Faling home exemplifies opulent rural architecture, which is just one reason it’s on the National Register of Historic Places.  

A spacious wooden porch with graceful columns and details such as an elliptical arch, beveled Austrian glass, murals and countless others warrant admiration for the design and technical skills of the carpenters, artists and masons of the day. Guests can sit on the front porch swing, smell the perfume of the linden tree on the breeze and reminisce about simpler times when neighbors sipped lemonade and chatted until fireflies flickered in the lawn.  

Nebraska’s only AAA approved bed and breakfast, the Cambridge Bed and Breakfast was awarded a 3-diamond rating for its extraordinary sumptuousness. Bed linens and bath towels are line-dried and hand-pressed to a smooth comfort seldom experienced in today’s hurry-up society.  

“We are like a fine hotel,” says Gloria Hilton, who owns and operates the enterprise with her husband, Gerald. “We have Internet access, private bathrooms, plates of homemade cookies in the rooms, and we accommodate our guest’s time schedules and serve breakfast anytime from 5:30 to 9:00 a.m.”

A place for businesspeople as well as tourists

The Cambridge B&B serves as a hotel for many business travelers as well as a travel destination for tourists.

“Business travelers comprise 70% of our business,” Gloria says. “We foster relationships with Cambridge businesses, and they recommend the us to their consultants, colleagues and vendors.”

For tourists, the Cambridge Bed and Breakfast may be leisurely getaway, a dramatic location to celebrate special events or a history center for people searching for family connections or stories about the early pioneers of Furnas County, Hilton said. “The joy of living here is sharing the home and history with other people.”

"I can do that!"

The idea of owning a bed and breakfast was born in the 1970s when Gloria read a story in the Farm Journal about running a bed and breakfast, and remembers thinking, “I can do that!”

When the Hiltons bought the house in 1999, it was already a B&B, but they have worked continuously on restoring and improving it.

“I have known about this house since 5th grade and I’m still learning,” Gloria said. “Under every restoration, another piece of fascinating information appears. For example, the Danish artists who decorated the interior, painted murals on many of the walls, and we uncover them when we remove the wall paper.”

Marketing is another important aspect of making a successful operation, she said.
The Nebraska Department of tourism advertises the Cambridge Bed and Breakfast on the state tourism site.

“We advertise an art and history package and a golf package,” Gloria says. In addition, they maintain their own Web site and strong relationships with local businesses who recommend them to their business associates and vendors. The Hiltons agree that satisfied guests who tell their friends about the Cambridge Bed and Breakfast are the best advertising.

Owning a B&B is not for everybody

It takes a certain personality and approach to life to be successful in the bed and breakfast business, Gloria says. “You invite strangers in your home every day, and you need to acquire faith in human nature. You turn over not only your privacy to the public, but your time. Guests want to tell their stories and to describe their lives. The job requires time commitments both day and night.”

In addition, the business must bear the significant costs of maintaining an historic building to a high level of quality, and Gloria says that since the 9/11 attacks, insurance is a considerable expense.

On the other hand, she says, “Guests express gratitude for our hospitality, and often say, ‘Thank you for sharing this beautiful home.’” They enjoy a recipe they had never tasted before, the ironed sheets, and come back time and time again to savor another detail of the architecture.

Advice to potential innkeepers

If you’re considering a B&B of your own, Gloria’s advice is to be realistic and keep your eyes open. She and her husband spent a year managing the Cambridge B&B with the former owners before they decided to buy it.

It’s important to have or acquire extraordinary domestic skills. Nothing is more important in the bed and breakfast business than the three C’s: clean, cuisine and care.

You have to be sensitive to your guests. Some need space, quiet, breakfast and an efficient check out, while others want to talk and know more about the town. They appreciate the stories and the amenities like the snack and gift basket in their room.

“You have to understand this is a service business,” she says. “Your job is to serve the public. You learn to give guests what they want.”

Who To Contact...

Cambridge Bed and Breakfast
Gloria and Gerald Hilton, Owners
606 Parker Street
Cambridge, Nebraska 69022
308-697-3220
Hilton@swnebr.net
www.cambridge-bb.com

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