Posts Tagged ‘Trip Advisor’

Summer Lovin’

June 24th, 2010 by Angie Allen

It is shaping up to be another whirlwind of a summer at the A.G. Thomson House!  In 2009 the A.G. Thomson House had it’s best year ever despite the recession, and so far 2010 is shaping up to surpass what was an amazing year!  We continue to work diligently to improve and impress.  To name just a few…

The most obvious is the recent launch of our new website!  This process began some time ago with design ideas and has come to fruition to be what we believe one of the nicest sites around.  We have improved the size of the pictures so guests can really see what our rooms look like with no “make-up.” We have added additional pages and kept the navigation easy, but beautiful.  One additionwe are particularly proud of is our “Plan Your Stay” page.  We spent a great deal of time working on putting this page together.  It offers guests an in-depth list of things to see and do around Duluth, no matter what the season.  We have established sample itineraries for Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter because there is always something to do in Duluth – no matter what the season or the weather!!  We know we will continue to improve and tweak the site, but we couldn’t be more proud to offer our guests this great new venue!

Other things keeping us busy this year, besides our wonderful guests that have passed through our doors, are the new Hickory wood floors in the North Shore Retreat and Brule River Retreat.  It’s a truly amazing transformation of these two cozy rooms, among their other wonderful amenities.

All of our rooms have received new Flat Screen TV updates, with the most dramatic in our unbelievable Lake Superior Suite!  The Lake Superior Suite now has a new 40″ High Definition Flat Screen TV – perfect for watching any of our over 500 DVD’s in our movie library, or that baseball, basketball, football game – or whatever your favorite sport may be! 

Another addition to our breakfast is the option to receive a full breakfast delivered to your room – just like room service!  This new addition proudly won us the Best In-Room Dining in the Duluth~Superior Magazine poll this Spring!  It has proven to be a great amenity for our guests!

The Ryerson Suite received another new update with the addition of an outrageously comfortable King Size Bed, making this our third room to offer a King Size bed as an option – very rare in the Bed and Breakfast world!

And last, but not least in our ongoing efforts to make the A.G. Thomson House your home away from home, we have added a new raised bed garden so we can grow and use fresh herbs in our already tasty breakfast dishes.  I’ve already been cutting!  And as we do each year, we have added more beautiful flowers and plants to our perennial gardens all around the Inn, two new fountains, and added more potted annuals around the Veranda than ever before.

One thing is for sure, we will never stop improving the A.G. Thomson House!  We invite you to visit our site, peruse our photo gallery, and even join us on Facebook where we continually add updates, pictures, and information.  And if you are thinking of staying here, book soon!  Our advance bookings are way up this year.  So pick out that perfect room and join us this summer, fall, winter or spring at the AG Thomson House!

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I Love my Kids, BUT…

December 28th, 2009 by Angie Allen

As relatively new “empty nesters”, and having experienced a few urgent phone calls home from our college freshman, a thought came to mind one day. How many parents out there; whether new, seasoned, or empty nesters, are constantly giving and giving to their kids – selflessly and without a second thought about themselves. We love and adore our children, and want to give them the very best as parents, and the best opportunities that we possibly can in today’s world. But we also need to take a step back on occasion, and put ourselves and our relationships first. We will be better people, better partners, and better parents for it. So as I hung up from the phone call from my fantastic child (we are very lucky parents), I said to myself…”I love my daughter, but…” and hence the new package addition!

Whether it’s this package, or any one of many others that we offer, we urge you to take time for yourselves and your relationships. A stay at the A G Thomson House in spectacular Duluth MN is a great way to start!

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Celebrating 2009; Looking forward to 2010!!

December 27th, 2009 by Angie Allen

As we enter into the 10th year of this century, and our 3rd full year as Innkeepers of this lovely home, and…well you get the picture. This is the time of year when everyone often reflects upon the past and looks forward to the future. It often tends to be cliche, but always with heartfelt sincerity. We can, without a doubt and with heartfelt sincerity, say that this has been an absolutely incredible 2009 for us in so many ways. And we are looking forward to an equally incredible 2010. We cannot reflect on the past year, and years prior since becoming Innkeepers, without giving a HUGE shout out to all of our guests. To all of our new guests (& friends) in 2009, to all of our repeats guests (& friends) from 2009 and before, we are deeply grateful and appreciative. Cliche’…yes…with heartfelt sincerity…yes!

We still feel like new Innkeepers of this gorgeous home, and surely will for awhile. But we also feel we have accomplished a great deal and learned a great deal in a short amount of time. We have tried each day to put ourselves in your shoes. With each additional amenity that we have added, with each new recipe we discover, and with each new detail that we create; it is with your comfort, convenience and relaxation in mind. We are proud to have not only brought back the life to this great Inn in the physical sense, but are also proud to have brought back the reputation of our Inn and the bed and breakfast industry in general. For each new guest that has walked through our doors, we have made sure to provide a wonderful bed and breakfast experience that will keep them coming back to not only our Inn, but Inns across the country! Duluth is truly a fantastic place no matter the season! And we believe that the best place to relax and unwind, is a bed and breakfast – and we will strive to make the A G Thomson House your preferred choice.

So once again, as I write this while enjoying a great football game (and hoping my beloved team will be celebrating in 2010), we thank our guests for choosing to spend their valuable time and hard earned money with us over the past year and years prior. We are humbled, greatly appreciative, and look forward to many, many more years of sharing our home and warm hospitality with new friends across the country and globe. We will not rest on any laurels, but will continue put all of our energy and efforts into making our Inn the absolute best it can be…for you!

Happy New Year everyone! And our wishes for a safe and prosperous 2010 and THANK YOU!!!

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What a summer so far!!!

August 4th, 2009 by Angie Allen

Whew, we don’t know where to begin! What a wild and crazy busy this summer has been for us so far – and we are loving it!!! A shout out to all of our guests who have joined us and made this such a fun summer so far. Thank you!!
Because it’s been so busy, it seems like a very long time since we’ve updated you on the “goings on” around the A G Thomson House. Earlier in July we had the great honor of hosting two (2) elopement ceremonies. The Lake Superior Suite was the room of choice; and what a great space to begin your life together. And what a great way to get married; no fuss, stress, or big expense. Congratulations to both couples and we know we will see you on future anniversaries to come!
We’ve had the great surprise of receiving a couple of honors/awards this year as well. When taking over the AG Thomson House two (2) years ago, we knew we had one of Duluth’s finest and unique pieces of property. Two (2) acres of towering pines and seclusion in the heart of the city with great convenience to everything. We also knew there was alot of work to be done noth only to the Inn (physically), but in reputation too. Since taking over, and working very hard, we have become Trip Advisor’s #1 Bed and Breakfast in Duluth AND Minnesota! We are very, very proud of this and will continue to make you – our guests – feel welcome and at home when you choose to spend your time here.
This month, in the August issue of Minnesota Monthly and much to our surprise, the A G Thomson House was named a Best Bed and Breakfast for 2009. We had no idea until receiving the issue, and are particularly proud of what they had to say. As mentioned in this month’s issue: “A longtime favorite, this 1909 mansion continues to charm guests in Duluth’s historic hill district with its tasteful combination of classic-not frilly-decor, practiced hospitality, and multi-course breakfast.” Thank you, Minnesota Monthly!!
And just recently, we were awarded the winner for the best Commercial Garden by the Duluth Garden Flower Society for the Gardens on Display Contest. This is a tremendous honor considering the state of the gardens, yard, and grounds when we took over less than two years ago. One of my favorite things to do is spend time in my garden, which is difficult to do during these busy times. But there is a great sense of pride and joy when we look at what we have accomplished and how are grounds are flourishing in comparison. It is without a doubt a work in progress with much, much more to come. After all, there’s a lot more “ground” to cover!!! We look forward to sharing our lovely grounds, perennial and annual gardens, and my absolute favorite – hydrangeas, with you. We have several different varieties thriving and will be continuing to add to the collection.
As we continue through this wonderful summer, we look forward to meeting and making more friends at the A G Thomson House!

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