Shoal Creek Bed & Breakfast — Hotel in Hamilton

Before booking a room at Shoal Creek B&B, you should be aware that it is not owner-occupied. On page 5 of the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services Environmental Regulation and Licensure Unit Governing Lodging Establishments, the definition of “bed and breakfast” states that “the owner must live in or adjacent to the building.” The owner, Terri Westover, does not live in or adjacent to the building. This is not disclosed on the B&B’s website or in the reservation confirmation emails. Westover sent me an email the day I was to arrive, asking me what time I expected to be there. She advised that she would not be onsite and gave me the front door code. She said she would meet me when she came to serve breakfast the next morning. A nice couple arrived the same time I did. They had not received her email because they had been on the road, and they were surprised that she was not there. Once we got inside and toured the place, it was apparent that no one lives there. The bedrooms are all guest rooms. The refrigerator has only breakfast items. This means that when you reserve a room there, you have no way of knowing if you will be staying there alone, or with people you would rather not be alone with. You don’t get to decide if that’s an acceptable risk. Westover decides for you. When I was there, the other guests were lovely people. Probably all the guests who stay there are lovely people. But it is purely a matter of luck. Westover doesn’t know squat about who is at her front door. All she’s interested in is your credit card. Westover left a Hamilton visitors’ guide in a nook, but there was no printed information with instructions in case of an emergency. I did not see lighted fire exit signs or fire extinguishers or smoke detectors. If you need to escape from your room, you’ll have to jump from the second floor. Whether she changes the door code in between visitors is anybody’s guess. There was no visible security apparatus. Someone would only have to break a ground-floor window to gain access to the house. Westover provides her phone number but she did not make available a list of emergency contacts. She avoids sharing anything that might call attention to the fact that she won't be there, when she knows people will assume that she will be, and should be. This is a really nice house. Anything that happens to it, or to you or anyone else there during the night, you will have to deal with until Westover can get there, which will not be nearly fast enough. Since she is almost certainly in violation of zoning and licensure regulations, it begs the question what her insurance would cover in case of theft, damage to property or injury to someone’s person. Whatever. There is something furtive about her lack of transparency. Poor hospitality is the best thing I can call it. She is not trustworthy, which...

Before booking a room at Shoal Creek B&B, you should be aware that it is not owner-occupied. ||On page 5 of the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services Environmental Regulation and Licensure Unit Governing Lodging Establishments, the definition of “bed and breakfast” states that “the owner must live in or adjacent to the building.”||The owner, Terri Westover, does not live in or adjacent to the building. This is not disclosed on the B&B’s website or in the reservation confirmation emails.||Westover sent me an email the day I was to arrive, asking me what time I expected to be there. She advised that she would not be onsite and gave me the front door code. She said she would meet me when she came to serve breakfast the next morning.||A nice couple arrived the same time I did. They had not received her email because they had been on the road, and they were surprised that she was not there. She had not informed them about the parking arrangements, so they scouted around for a place to park their RV. Once we got inside and toured the place, it was apparent that no one lives there. The bedrooms are all guest rooms. The refrigerator has only breakfast items.||This means that when you reserve a room there, you have no way of knowing if you will be staying there alone, or with people you would rather not be alone with. You don’t get to decide if that’s an acceptable risk. Westover decides for you. ||When I was there, the other guests were lovely people. Probably all the guests who stay there are lovely people. But it is purely a matter of luck. Westover doesn’t know squat about who is at her front door. All she’s interested in is your credit card.||She left a Hamilton visitors’ guide in a nook, but there was no printed information with instructions in case of an emergency. I did not see lighted fire exit signs or fire extinguishers or smoke detectors. If you need to escape from your room, you’ll have to jump from the second floor.||Whether she changes the door code in between visitors is anybody’s guess. There was no visible security apparatus. Someone would only have to break a ground-floor window to gain access to the house.||Westover provides her phone number but she did not leave a list of emergency contacts. The nearest ER is in Cameron, 16 miles away. Anything that happens to the house, or to you or anyone else there during the night, you will have to deal with until Westover can get there, which will not be as fast as if she was there already.||Since she is almost certainly in violation of zoning and licensure regulations, it begs the question what her insurance would cover in case of theft, damage to property or injury to someone’s person.||Whatever. There is something furtive about her lack of transparency. Poor hospitality is the best thing I can call it. She is not trustworthy, which...

This is a great B & B. The distance from the KC Metro area is just right. The home is decorated in the motif of the area which is a quilters heaven. Hamilton is famous for its quilts and the stores that cater to that pastime. I didnt know that Hamilton was the boyhood home of JC Penny and he has done so much for the town. The B & B is a beautiful old home that has been modernized to accommodate 3 spacious bedrooms and all are uniquely decorated. We stayed in the garden room which was wonderful. We woke Saturday morning to a continental breakfast of cinnamon rolls, boiled eggs, and coffee or juice. We explored Hamilton, which is a quilters dream world. Then we went to Jamesport which is not terribly far away and spent the day returning to the B & B that evening. We had the whole house to our selves and it was so quiet. You could hear the thunderstorms roll by but the best was hearing the rain on the roof. We woke up to the smell of bacon and came down to a wonderful breakfast of French Toast, Bacon, Hashbrowns, a fruit cup, and assorted beverages. The best part was Terri the owner sat and visited with us while we ate. She is such a sweet lady. I highly recommend this B & B for those that want to get away but not spend a lot of time getting there. The town is quaint and people are very friendly. I hope to be able to return to this B & B with another couple that is are friends to share in this wonderful time. I highly recommend this B & B to all who want to just get away and have a fun relaxed time. Thank You Terri for a...