Better Bed & Breakfasts Start With Imaginative Illumination

A Case Study on the Transformation of Great Oak Manor On the Chesapeake Bay of Maryland's Eastern Shore

The Venue

Located minutes away from Chestertown, Great Oak Manor is a magnificent country estate built in the Georgian Style. It is a beautifully charming Bed and Breakfast with twelve guest rooms and a fabulous family style accommodation in addition to spacious common areas. Whether you want to be active and enjoy the surroundings or simply kick back and relax, your options are plentiful. Take a bicycle ride on safe country roads or explore the water from its private beach by kayak, paddle board, or canoe. Walk from the beach to the marina next door where you have access to a swimming pool, a fitness center, and a nine-hole golf course. To slow down, relax in a hammock shaded by stately old walnut trees, sit by the bay in an Adirondack chair or stroll the expansive lawn.

The Project Goal

The innkeeper wanted to create a warm and welcoming environment for their guests after dark. The Great Oak Manor sits on the Eastern Shore of Maryland in a very rural area where guests often arrive after travelling some distance. With little to no ambient light in its rural setting, the inn did not offer the precise first impression the innkeeper wished to provide for guests arriving after dark. There were additional opportunities to help guests enjoy the grounds after dark as well.

The Challenge

The innkeeper explored a number of ways to add lighting to the property. After a number of attempts that simply did not offer the desired “wow” factor, Buddy Reed and his team met Outdoor Lighting Perspectives at the Association of Independent Hospitality Professionals (AIHP) annual conference, The Summit. After attending a hospitality outdoor lighting presentation, they felt that hospitality outdoor lighting from Outdoor Lighting Perspectives was the potential solution they had been seeking.

The Solution

Phase 1: Outdoor Lighting Perspectives visited the Great Oak Manor, walked the property with the innkeeper and discussed their goals and objectives. We offered additional insights based on 20 years of architectural lighting experience and provided a nighttime demonstration where temporary lights were deployed to show the effect and impact of our proposed design. LED illumination fixtures were installed along the façade, the drive, the entrance sign, and along several pathways, as string lighting was used to warmly illuminate an outdoor seating area. To highlight a number of towering trees, lighting was also added to the path to the private beach.

Phase 2: Great Oak Manor is a sprawling facility that hosts guests for their renown bed and breakfast experience. The large facility also hosts weddings, corporate retreats and other events. As such, additional features of the property will be illuminated in the future.

See what your guests have been missing. Light it up with the very best there is.