Why I Wanted to Own a Bed and Breakfast: A Promise to Myself
- Sonia Gionet
- Dec 3, 2025
- 3 min read
There are moments in life when something shifts quietly inside you—no fanfare, no fireworks, just a simple certainty that changes everything. For me, that moment happened in May 2003, during my first stay at a bed and breakfast right here in Niagara-on-the-Lake.
I remember the warmth, the intentionality, the feeling of being cared for by complete strangers who opened their home as if it were the most natural thing in the world. I remember the aroma of breakfast drifting through the hallways, the conversations that lingered long after checkout, and the way that place made me feel deeply seen as a guest.
That weekend planted a seed, and I promised myself—one day, I too will own a bed and breakfast!
From Kitchen Anxiety to Culinary Joy
It’s funny to think about it now, but cooking for people once terrified me.
When I was younger, I’d worry endlessly about getting things wrong—too much seasoning, not enough flavour, pastries that just wouldn’t cooperate. But my mom, with her patient encouragement, kept nudging me forward.
“Keep trying,” she’d say. “You may actually grow to love this.”
Mother always knows best and she was right.
Cooking eventually became a passion—one rooted in creativity, comfort, and connection.
Building a Strong Foundation at George Brown College
Wanting to take that early promise seriously, I enrolled in the Hospitality Operations Management program at George Brown College in Toronto.
Those years shaped my understanding of true hospitality. They gave me the operational knowledge, business fundamentals, and guiding principles I needed to start from the bottom and work upward with purpose.
And yet, even while building my career, a part of me struggled working for others. I had an entrepreneurial spirit—always thinking like an owner, dreaming of creating something meaningful and my own. Mentors often encouraged me toward business ownership, but I knew I couldn’t do it alone.
A bed and breakfast is a team sport, and for a long time, the right partner simply hadn’t arrived.
And Then Came Guy — A Little Bit of Kismet
Eventually, life did what it always seems to do: it aligned the pieces at exactly the right moment.
Through what can only be described as kismet, I met Guy—the partner I didn’t just want for a business, but for all of life’s adventures. He shared the same values, the same heart for hospitality, and the same dream of building something extraordinary together.
With him, everything became possible.
Our First Chapter Together: The Wildberry Inn
Fueled by shared vision and a sense of adventure, we picked up our lives, moved to Mont Tremblant, Quebec, and opened The Wildberry Inn—a dreamy, perfectly positioned 5-room inn surrounded by mountains, nature, and the magic of the Laurentians.
The Wildberry Inn was everything we had imagined hospitality could be:
Quality culinary experiences made from scratch
Warm, personalized service
Cozy, country-retreat accommodations
A peaceful setting where guests could recharge and reconnect
It was our first true expression of what we could create together—a place where comfort, charm, and exceptional food lived under one roof.
That chapter taught us, challenged us, and ultimately prepared us for everything that came next.
Full Circle: Returning to Niagara-on-the-Lake
Life eventually brought us back to the place where the dream began. Niagara-on-the-Lake—with its vineyards, heritage buildings, theatres, and lakeside charm—has always been a town with its own quiet kind of magic.
Opening Serenity on the Lake here feels like destiny fulfilled: a dream from 2003 now lived out with the right partner, the right experience, and the right vision.
A Promise Kept
Owning a bed and breakfast isn’t just my job—it’s the story of my life unfolding exactly as it was meant to.
A childhood fear turned into passion,
A hospitality foundation built with intention,
A dream nurtured through mentorship and perseverance,
A partnership born through kismet, and
A journey that led us from Mont Tremblant back to Niagara-on-the-Lake, right where it all began.
Every guest we welcome, every breakfast we serve, every quiet moment shared in our home reminds me that I kept my promise—and that I’m exactly where I’m supposed to be.
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