Julia’s B&B awarded Four Diamond prize

By Don Shilling

The inn is the only Mahoning Valley business to be honored by AAA.

HUBBARD — Julia’s Bed Breakfast again has been ranked among the best places to stay.

For the third year in a row, AAA is awarding the Hubbard inn with its Four Diamond Award. Only six hotels and bed and breakfast inns in Northeast Ohio will receive the award for providing exceptional facilities and service. Three restaurants also were honored.

Only one business in the region — Inn Walden in Aurora — received the AAA’s top designation, the Five Diamond Award.

Julia’s scored high enough to earn five diamonds but isn’t eligible because it doesn’t have certain amenities, such as a swimming pool and elevator to the top floor, said Jason Alford, general manager of Valley View Enterprises.

The holding company, which is owned by J.V. Ferrara, oversees the inn and the adjacent Pine Lakes Golf Course.

The award recipients will be honored Tuesday at a ceremony at Inn Walden.

Alford said the key to being honored is consistency because the awards are based on unannounced visits by AAA agents.

“They pick the place apart, looking in everything and under everything,” he said.

He said having the Four Diamond Award allows Julia’s to market itself as a place of distinction. The inn has increased its marketing in Canada as the value of the dollar has fallen, he said.

“It’s like everything here is on sale for them,” he said.

He added that many Canadians are familiar with the region because they come to the Prime Outlets shopping center in Grove City, Pa. Julia’s offers package deals that combine a stay at the inn with golfing at Pine Lakes.

The award also helps overcome some negative attitudes about bed and breakfast inns that stem from the early days of the concept when guests stayed in people’s homes and shared bathrooms, he said. All six of Julia’s rooms are suites with whirlpool tubs and private baths.

“We’re really an upgrade from a hotel,” he said.

The bed and breakfast at 6219 W. Liberty St. is in a home that was part of an estate owned by the Powell family. The home was built in the mid-1800s.

shilling@vindy.com