My name is Marina and together with my husband David we run Mama's Inn Boutique Guest House, 10-rooms' boutique accommodation in Nottingham. For most of my life my career was related to languages. I worked as interpreter, translator, interpreters' trainer, teacher and writer. But my other skills and passions were asking to be used too. I love interior design, creative cooking and baking, sewing and knitting, painting and decorating, entertaining, making something from nothing and all the other things that would have turned me into a blissful domestic goddess had I had enough time for all aforementioned pursuits. It transpired that all of my underused skills can be effectively utilized in one cozy bundle - my own boutique hotel.
I never was a daydreamer and when I got infected with a crazy idea to become a 'hotelier' that idea, to the horror of my husband, immediately became a plan and a plan became a reality when we sold our beautiful newly renovated house in a leafy area of Nottingham and bought two derelict Victorian villas on the northern fringes of Nottingham city center. An understated charm of the properties that were built around 1845 by Royal Charter to King Edward VI to form part of the 15th century Bridge Estate was a winning point and Mama's Inn Boutique was born.
To say that I knew very little about running a B&B would be an understatement. I knew nothing, but I cautiously suspected that the whole business might be a bit more than just a sophisticated game of playing house. Nine long months of waiting for the property to be renovated I spent by plotting an interior design of my future hotel. I wanted it to be different, to provide not just an accommodation for a night or two but to create my future guests' memories and I was prepared to work hard but smart.
Interior design always fascinated me. Modern, industrial, shabby chic, colonial, baroque... I couldn't choose just one style for my hotel and decided to use them all by creating themed rooms, representing the most beautiful cities in the world. The building's attractive original features, high ceilings and big windows gave me plenty to play with and my labor of love began. Totally different 10 guest rooms were created based on our perception of Paris, Casablanca, Venice, Vienna, Tokyo, New York, London, St Petersburg and Cairo. The Loft room was chosen to indicate its significant industrial style.
We opened doors to our guests in June 2014 and since then reputation and popularity of Mama's Inn Boutique Guest House are continuing to grow together with our experience in the field. Looking back I can honestly say that the last ten years were the most inspiring years in my life.
