Located in downtown Ann Arbor the historical home of the Burnt Toast Inn was built in 1915. Various flower gardens fill the grounds surrounding the house. The three-story building has five guest accommodations with private bathrooms and varying maximum occupancies. The Master Suite and Attice Suite are the largest of the rooms offered for reservation at the Burnt Toast Inn. Guests have access to robes, slippers, yoga mats, and ironing supplies in each room. A complimentary breakfast is served every morning with fresh organic, locally sourced ingredients. The inn is within many walking distances of Ann Arbor's Old West Side and many local restaurants and entertainment venues.
The Burnt Toast Inn is located in downtown Ann Arbor. The establishment is a family-owned bed and breakfast, placed on a single home lot in a small neighborhood at the heart of downtown. The home is three stories tall with a green exterior. The front patio and window trim are red, as well as the large front door. Windows line all sides of the home, and cement steps, with a railing, lead up to the home's front porch. The landscaping around the historic home consists of many different flower gardens, shrubbery variations, trees, and potted plants. Flower planters hang under each ground floor window and are filled with flowers or plants in season throughout the year.
Inside of the Burnt Toast Inn, there are five guest accommodations. Each of the rooms vary in size and allowed capacity. On the main floor of the home, there is a large kitchen, living room, and dining area. Every room is painted with a different color and features antique furniture. Wood flooring spreads throughout the entire home, and the owner, Sarah, and her dog, Gus, reside on the main floor to greet guests. The five rooms at the Burnt Toast Inn can be rented individually, or the entire home can be reserved for larger groups visiting the area.
The Master Suite is the most popular of the five rooms at the Burnt Toast Inn. This room is created for romantic getaways where guests can enjoy the space and comfort of the room. The room features a king-size sleigh bed, a writing desk, a sitting area, a fully tiled double-headed shower, double sinks, and a deep soaking tub. This room also comes with two robes, two pairs of slippers, and yoga mats for those who stay in the Master Suite to use at their own leisure. The Master Suite is located on the main floor of the Burnt Toast Inn.
Located on the second floor of the Burnt Toast Inn are the Green, Gold, and Purple Rooms. The Green Room has a small library and a four-poster queen-sized bed with french doors leading to the side porch. The side porch looks over the backyard gardens. Although the bathroom is not accessible inside the room, it is right next door and is newly renovated. The space has a white marble shower and a large vanity space. All four of the walls in the room are painted green hence the name, and hold interesting art and antique decorations.
The Gold and Purple Rooms are recommended for those with families or groups that need more space as they convene. The Purple Room features a full bed, a writing desk, purple walls, and two large windows. The Black Bathroom connects the Purple Room with the Gold Room. Abstract wall art and modern furniture outfit the Gold Room, unlike the rest of the rooms in the home. This room also has a full bed as well as a closet.
When guests ask for the room with the most privacy, they are pointed to the Attic Suite. Located on the third floor of the Burnt Toast Inn in the attic, the Attic Suite is set apart from the rest of the house. This room has a queen-sized bed and a twin-sized bed. A double shower fills the bathroom, and a private yoga and meditation area is located inside the suite. Every room has a few basic amenities, including a Keurig coffee maker, an ironing board and iron, robes, slippers, yoga mats, and access to the free wireless internet throughout the home. In addition, guests are welcome to use the free parking outside the home.
A complimentary breakfast is served every morning around 8:30 to the guests at the Burnt Toast Inn. The name of the inn is not intended to be a reflection of the quality of the food served at the establishment. According to Sarah, all of the dishes served for the morning meal are primarily organic with locally sourced ingredients. The bread and pastries served are from the Crust Baker, freshly milled oatmeal is brought to the table by The Grainery in Kalamazoo, Michigan, and glass bottle milk is delivered weekly from Calder's Dairy. Breakfasts may include handmade granola and yogurt, homemade french toast, bagels, or crepes, depending on the day. Sarah and Allison, those who cook breakfast every morning, can make accommodations to guests with dietary restrictions such as allergies to certain ingredients and dietary preferences including gluten-free, vegan, and vegetarian.
The Burnt Toast Inn is located at the center of downtown within walking distance of Ann Arbor's Old West Side, featuring century-old homes and local restaurants, bars, and entertainment venues. The Art Fair is held every year on the third week of July and is a common attraction for guests at the inn. Other well-known attractions in the area include visiting the University of Michigan's main campus or football stadium for games and activities and spending time at the Ann Arbor Hands-On Museum.
There are fifty dining options in Ann Arbor for guests to choose from. Some of Sarah and her staff's favorites to recommend include Frita Batidos, a burger and shake stop, The Black Pearl Ann Arbor, an upscale restaurant serving house-made cocktails and seafood, and the Chop House, Palio, Grazi.
As a historic home, much of the atmosphere and culture surrounding the Burnt Toast Inn is based on the property's history. Built in 1915, the home has undergone many changes throughout its years, but the original "bones" of the house still remain. The original wood flooring and floor plan of the home set it apart from the other inns in the area. Antique decorations have been incorporated in each of the rooms and common spaces throughout the home to further expose the historical value of the space to the guests who stay there. In addition, the property owner, Sarah, and her staff are always available to talk about the history of the area and the home.
Regarding the general hospitality of the inn, Sarah has spent every year of her ownership since 2004 working towards one thing: to give guests the highest level of comfort possible. As a grandma herself, Sarah wants all of her guests to feel like they are "visiting grandma's house with friendly hospitality and a great breakfast to fill their bellies." A guest at the inn left this review regarding the hospitality of the inn, "The hospitality was so prevalent at this b&b…from the initial greeting to the setup of each unique room, Sarah knocked it out of the park. Don't even get me started on breakfast; it was delicious. This place is made to feel like a home away from home with some unique artifacts and paintings, but with the bonus of a kind hostess."
Sarah personally helps cook breakfast every morning and makes an effort to talk to each of her guests at least once during their stay. When Sarah isn't on the property, her staff are more than happy to address any concerns, questions, or needs a guest may have.
All of the rooms and common areas inside the Burnt Toast Inn are kept clean and smelling fresh. This is important to Sarah as she knows the home is old and never wants it to appear dusty or old, so she takes extra measures to keep everything as up-to-date as possible. Certain policies have been put in place to ensure that Sarah and her guests can meet these specific goals. Some of these policies include the prohibition of smoking and children.
The home is not child nor animal-proof which can be hazardous. However, those who do have service animals or specific pet requests can contact Sarah and her staff to make arrangements. When renting the entire home, guests are also allowed to bring children with an added caution to the antiques in the house and respect for the grounds.
Although the home and grounds aren't particularly large, many parties and celebrations have been held on the premises. In the past, guests have held elopement marriages in the flower gardens or hosted college graduation parties. A guest who held an event on the property said, "My wife and I booked the Burnt Toast Inn's Washington House as our reception venue as well as a backup wedding venue. The owners were so nice and helpful and provided us with wonderful breakfast foods, coffee, tea, etc. In our conversations, they really came across as lovely people, and they did their best to be understanding and accommodating to us. We truly loved our stay, and the Washington House was such a beautiful venue for our reception and for getting ready for our wedding."
Sarah Okuyama purchased the Burnt Toast Inn's home and lived there for years, raising her children before deciding to transform the space into a bed and breakfast. When she first purchased the house, it was virtually uninhabitable. Constructed in 1915 and left abandoned for 20 years, Sarah tells how the home was extremely dirty, run-down, and outdated. Upon purchasing it, she updated the home by redoing the bathrooms, repainting the walls, refinishing the flooring, and hiring a professional cleaner to remove windows, scrub baseboards, and deep clean carpeting. After all of her children moved out, Sarah didn't want the home to be empty, so in 2004, she decided to turn it into a bed and breakfast. She thoroughly enjoys the hospitality industry and making breakfast for her guests.
Ann Arbor is a large city located just west of Detroit, Michigan. The area is known for being home to the University of Michigan Museum of Art that holds artworks from all around the world. Many of the attractions within the city are science-focused and kid-friendly. The Potawatomi founded the two villages that were established as Ann Arbor in 1825 by land speculators John Allen and Elisha Walker Rumsey. The land is very agricultural, and downtown Ann Arbor is known for its nightlife and historical attractions.
415 West William
Ann Arbor, Michigan 48103
United States
Bed and Breakfast
Sarah Okuyama
