New B&B opens in Tulsa
BY SARA PLUMMER World Staff Writer
Wednesday, December 27, 2006
10/22/08 at 2:04 AM
There’s room at this inn. Three
rooms in fact.
The Inn at Woodward Park, a
bed and breakfast, opened Dec. 1 at
1521 E. 21st St.
Janet and Mark Mobbs bought
the 1920s home almost three years
ago.
“We were looking for properties
to invest in,” Janet Mobbs said.
The house was listed as tear
down or major renovation.
“The moment we walked in, although
it was in disrepair, I thought
it was perfect for a bed and breakfast,”
she said.
Janet Mobbs works in health
care, and her husband is an accountant.
“I had been contemplating a career
change,” she said. “Mark is an
accountant. He knows about budgets
and financing.”
Janet Mobbs said it took more
than that to open their home to the
public.
The couple spent more than two
years renovating and preparing the
house.
Mark Mobbs said after the framework
was done and the Sheetrock
went up, the couple and their sons
did the rest.
“I think with any renovation, it
costs twice as much as you think it
will,” Mark Mobbs said.
“And twice as long,” Janet Mobbs
said.
The couple moved from a home
in the White City neighborhood to
the historic row of homes across
from Woodward Park.
“I knew I wanted to live in an older
home,” she said. “We wanted to
see older homes saved and kept.”
The Mobbs live downstairs in
the back of the house. The three
guest bedrooms are upstairs, each
with its own bathroom, and there
is a common room upstairs with
a couch, refrigerator, microwave,
board games, movies, magazines
and a view of Woodward Park.
“A lot of bed and breakfasts are
Victorian and frilly,” Janet Mobbs
said. “Men aren’t always comfortable.”
The couple decided to turn the
house into a 1920s bed and breakfast.
Each bedroom has its own ’20s
theme: jazz, Hollywood or Moroccan.
“The Moroccan room is a favorite
with honeymooning couples,” Janet
Mobbs said.
They also hope to attract business
travelers, visitors and people
looking to relocate.
“I think Tulsa has a lot to offer
visitors,” she said. “We want to promote
midtown Tulsa.”
Mark Mobbs said they also hope
to accommodate people visiting relatives
hospitalized at St. John Medical
Center.
The Mobbs are familiar with bed
and breakfasts. They try to stay in
one whenever they travel.
“It’s more personable, homey. I
sleep better in a bed and breakfast,”
she said. “When you stay in a bed
and breakfast, you can ask, ‘Where
should we eat?’ and they might tell
you a local place to go. You get more
of the local taste and history.”
Mark Mobbs said guests receive
personalized service at bed and
breakfasts.
“That’s the point of a bed and
breakfast; you get more personalized
care than at a hotel,” Janet
Mobbs said.
“Mark and I both like to be around
people. Both of our kids are grown,
and it’s nice to hear footsteps again.
This house needs people in it.”
Bed & Breakfast
The Inn at Woodward
Park
Where:
1521 E. 21st St.
Rates:
Room rates are $95 to
$125 a night.
For more:
Call 712-9770 or
go to www.innatwoodwardpark.com.
Associated Images:
Janet Mobbs (left) and her husband, Mark, recently opened the Inn at
Woodward Park. The couple renovated a 1920s home and turned it into
a three-bedroom bed and breakfast.
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