A career in beer is where it starts . . . Waitressing, Bartending and finally General Managing a 300-seat full-service restaurant is how Meri launched her career in Hospitality.
Working for the Spirits Unlimited Restaurants and Liquor stores on the shoreline town of Toms River, NJ, she learned all aspects of the
restaurant business, and eventually took on the Beverage Marketing for the Companies restaurants. During a beer dinner, in which the founders of The Boston Beer Company were in attendance Meri was recruited her to work for the young company. It was 1995 and Meri would be the 53rd employee of Boston Beer.
The Boston Beer Company has provided to so many of its employees a solid foundation in Sales and Marketing. This grounded Meri’s skills in understanding the operations of the hospitality industry. She was soon working directly with the top National On-Premise Companies in the country as their Boston Beer Sales Consultant. Her list of clients included TGI Fridays, Marriott, American Airlines, DFW Airport and dozens more. She would continue these relationships with other companies in the future.
From Beer to Spirits, and Sales to Marketing, Meri joined Diageo and Allied Domecq and branched out into Field and Brand Marketing roles, bringing dimension to her expertise. Leadership and Team development to deliver organizational results had become her passion. So, after joining Heineken USA in Sales Leadership Positions, she developed a Training and Development department, and eventually led the Commercial Human Resources team reporting to the CSO.
At home, Meri’s passion was in entertaining and creating warm, welcoming spaces for friends and family. “I always wanted to own a B&B, and if you had visited my home, you would feel like you were staying at one” Finally deciding that her dream could not wait until retirement, She and her partner Marcus bought the Westbrook Inn Bed & Breakfast in 2019. “The industry has changed dramatically for B&B owners. Today’s successful Inn owners must be as savvy with Digital and Social Media as they are with laundry and baking scones”
Always interested in being immersed in her work, Meri has passionately pursued local partnerships,
involvement in community and industry organizations. She has held positions on the Board of Directors for Stamford Downtown Specials Services, Bed and Breakfasts of the Mystic Coast and Country and the Central Region Tourism District. She never loses focus on creating wonderful guest experiences worthy of five-star reviews; “We hope we can be catalysts of change for a segment of hospitality that has undergone dramatic change and left many Inns with bewildered owners.”
She and Marcus, along with his two teenage daughters, live on the Inn property and all pitch in to make the guests comfortable during their stay. In addition, they are blessed to have a wonderful “inn family” working alongside them. They love their new hometown of Westbrook and all the Connecticut Shoreline has to offer.
All Places Traveled, LLC is excited to "pair" the beautiful Inn with all your favorite interests such as food and beverage tourism, antiques, birding and uniquely customized events to name a few. The possibilities are endless! To learn more about planning a uniquely customized experience schedule your consultation here: Calendly - Carol Berger, All Places Traveled LLC
