The family behind building the Serenata Guesthouse into a five-star rating on Trip Advisor has taken over as operators of the Naramata Heritage Inn.
Colleen Gunther and her daughter Brandi Howe have taken over operations, opening June 1.
“People started calling us at the Serenata asking about accommodations and that is when we found out the Naramata Inn was closed. We started looking into it and we were really inspired to do something with the Inn,” said Gunther. “Having been in the community for awhile we felt compelled to take this heritage building and give it a fresh start.”
Norm Davis, representing the owners of the 107-year-old heritage building, said in March it was closing and the relationship with the operators Julius Bloomfield and his wife Toni had been terminated.
“The community of Naramata has been really excited and supportive because everyone was devastated when this placed closed,” said Gunther. “We want to put our stamp on it and bring out the old charm of the place.”
Gunther and her family saw a great opportunity for them to rejuvenate the building, grounds and bring their reputation for exceptional customer service with them to the Heritage Inn. They took over the Serenata Guesthouse after it closed two years ago and have had a lot of success.
“For me it really all boils down to the customers. This year our main objective is to give really good customer service and build back the reputation the Heritage Inn once had,” said Gunther.
On Friday they are holding a soft opening of the restaurant, now called Rock Ovens Restaurant and Lounge, and the Heirloom Spa at the Inn is also open for business.
“We will be running things a little different than the past operators. We have a fantastic chef that makes everything from scratch, sources food locally and will be featuring wines from the Naramata Bench,” said Gunther.
Executive chef Ashley Gurakowski will be leading the restaurant.