Lynfred Winery Bed and Breakfast is located in Roselle, Illinois, near Chicago and Lake Michigan. Before the bed and breakfast was established in 2002, the building was used primarily as a winery, which is where most of its culture is derived. People are able to reserve rooms year-round, though the business is closed on Christmas Day and New Year's Day. There are four rooms available to the public for reservations, each one based on a different wine country. Visitors are able to add packages such as an in-suite massage, a guided tour, flowers, chocolates, and more to make their stay more unique. Often, people who stay at the inn are celebrating an anniversary. The business has a rule that no one under the age of 21 is allowed to stay in their rooms or visit the winery. The company's motto is, "Luxury, leisure, and the love of Lynfred wine."
Lynfred Winery Bed and Breakfast doubles as both a winery and an inn. There are four rooms available for people to reserve that are uniquely named and decorated: Italian, German, American, and French. The names and decorations are derived from and inspired by wine countries around the world, each with its own style. Though each room differs in size and coloration, they all have a private bathroom with jacuzzi tubs, queen-sized beds, and balconies that overlook certain parts of the city. The American and French suites share the larger balcony while the two other rooms have their own, giving people a more private area to lounge and an opportunity to drink wine outside. A stocked refrigerator is placed in each room, the contents of which can be consumed at no extra cost. The charcuterie board and sweets found within are made by the chef, who is also responsible for making breakfast.
Breakfast is taken to the guests in their suites, though there is a room called the Harvest Room where people can have breakfast with other patrons. Staff at Lynfred Winery note that the latter option is less common, with most guests opting to simply eat in their rooms. The chef is capable of creating dishes for people based on dietary needs and restrictions, like gluten-free, vegetarian, vegan, and others, as long as he is given enough time in advance to make the accommodations.
Besides the suites, people can also spend time in the inn's common areas during their stay. One unique feature of the property is that one of the hallways is made of glass, allowing people to observe the wine-making facility below the bed and breakfast. At the end of the glass hallway, there is a table that patrons often use for wine tasting. Outside, there are a number of other sitting areas among the gardens where guests can sit and drink their wine.
The bed and breakfast is located near the downtown area of Roselle, which the manager reports is also one of the more historical places in the city. According to Christina, who is associated with the bed and breakfast, there is a mansion that was built in 1912 that resides on the same street as the winery. Within the vicinity, people can travel downtown, where there are a variety of shops and breweries. Woodfield Mall is also known for being an ideal location for people to spend time shopping. Golf courses like Medina Golf Course are common in Roselle as well. Medina Golf Course is known for hosting PGA golfing tournaments that companies such as BMW sponsor. There are also an array of restaurants that can be found close to Lynfred Winery Bed and Breakfast that the staff like to recommend to her patrons. Juice and Berry is a smoothie shop that makes flatbread pizzas, breakfast toasts, and many fruit drinks. Another restaurant that they often recommend is the 1913 Restaurant and Wine Bar, which serves a variety of wines and dinner items in the evening. Finally, one last recommendation is 8,000 Miles, an Asian-fusion restaurant specializing in sushi.
Christina, who is associated with the Lynfred Winery Bed and Breakfast, explains that a goal the staff has for the property is to make their guests feel pampered and like they are family. "I want it to be like an extension of their own living room. We want them to feel comfortable here." To help her visitors feel this way, the business offers packages online that patrons can add to their reservations. There are a variety of packages online, including ones that offer an in-suite massage, picnic, a bouquet of roses, chocolate-covered strawberries, and more. Many of these packages cater to couples staying at the winery for an anniversary, which is one of the more common reasons that people stay at Lynfred Winery Bed and Breakfast. For visitors who are new to the area and want to learn more about the city, they can choose to take a guided tour of downtown Roselle with one of the employees, who will take them to various places, restaurants, and wineries. On the way, they make frequent stops, working their way down the main road and eating and wine tasting at several locations as they go. The guided tour and other packages need to be purchased when guests make a reservation.
The business is open year-round but is closed on Christmas Day and New Year's Day. Christina explains that the establishment is usually busy all year but typically sees a slower period of time after Valentine's Day through late April. She mentions that they tend to be busier from September through December. "Because we are primarily indoors, we are also very busy in the winter." The typical demographic of visitors to the winery are couples of various ages due to the fact that they only allow two guests per room. In many cases, people come to the property because someone bought a reservation for them to have an anniversary or vacation. Christina reports that they do not advertise very often, so many people who learn about the bed and breakfast get information from others by word-of-mouth.
Many people that come to Lynfred Winery Bed and Breakfast are returning patrons that have been before. One aspect of the business that is mentioned in reviews of previous guests is the atmosphere that is attained. A person who recently spent time at the winery writes, "We sipped our wine while we were wandering around the grounds and enjoying the weather. They had benches and picnic tables, and some people even brought their own chairs to sit in the yard. Great atmosphere, and the staff gave us tips on the wines we tried." Lynfred Winery Bed and Breakfast has a variety of events that people can take part in while they are staying at the inn. A few activities that occur throughout the year include barrel-scraping in the wine cellar, flower arranging classes, wine education classes, wine dinners, and others. Sometimes the property will host a food truck night where various food trucks show up on the grounds and give guests the opportunity to get some food. One thing the manager notes about the property is that, due to the winery and serving of alcoholic beverages, they are unable to make accommodations for anyone under the age of 21.
The building that makes up Lynfred Winery Bed and Breakfast was erected in 1912 and was built by the man who owned the first lumber yard in Roselle. He built the home as a wedding gift to his daughter and her husband, Mr. Fendz, who worked in real estate. When she passed away, a local family purchased and owned it for about 20 years, using the building to raise their family. Then it was sold to Lynn and Fred Koehler.
Lynn and Fred Koehler acquired the property in 1975 and spent two years turning it into a winery, which finished construction in 1977 and was opened to the public in 1979. Both Lynn and Fred worked in the hospitality industry, but they also owned several country clubs that made wine and decided to combine the two. The Koehler's enjoyed the aspects of meeting people and having wine parties.
An associate of the Lynfred Winery Bed and Breakfast, whose name is Christina, explains that she was led into the industry when she started working at a hotel in Texas during her time in college. She enjoyed it so much that when she graduated from college, she moved to Chicago, came to the winery, and applied for a job. She has been working at Lynfred Winery Bed and Breakfast for 23 years and plans to continue working there for a while longer. When Christina first applied for the job, it was just a winery owned by Lynn and Fred, but over time 24,000 square feet were added to the property with the help of the governor of Illinois, Governor Thompson. This new square footage was meant to provide enough space to expand the winery and add the bed and breakfast to the existing business.
The most enjoyable aspect of working and interacting with guests at the Lynfred Winery Bed and Breakfast for Christina is the atmosphere of the job. She explains that not only is it a part of the hotel industry that she grew to like in college, but it is also the wine-making and tasting. "I'm able to host people for wine tasting and give them a place to stay while they do it, which makes them happy, and that makes me happy."
15 S Roselle Road
Roselle, Illinois 60172
United States
Bed and Breakfast
Lynn and Fred Koehler
