Our Story
About Your Hosts
Welcome to our home. We're Craig Ashton and Guy Laporte, proud owners and operators of Craigleith Manor Bed & Breakfast.
We weren't always in the hospitality and tourism business. Our story, like many, is a story of reinvention. A pivot before pivot was a thing.
We first met in 2003 while living in Toronto and enjoying successful careers as a Performer with the Canadian Opera Company and Teacher (Craig), and Professional Fundraiser and Marketer (Guy). From the beginning, we'd always shared a belief that change is good and that it's never too late to make one. So, it's no surprise that after ten busy years together in the Big City, we were ready to shake things up.
Over the years, on road trips through the Maritimes, New England, and New York State, we'd had the opportunity to see some of the most enchanting inns and bed and breakfasts in the Northeast. Our travels eventually got us dreaming: what if we opened one of our own? Between us, we knew we had the business sense, the genuine interest in people and even the culinary training to offer a best-in-class experience. Our reinvention started taking shape.
In the Summer of 2012
Where it all began
In the summer of 2012, we happened to stop in Collingwood, Ontario on our way home from a cottage vacation. Amazed by the vibrant arts scene and the year-round active lifestyle community, we quickly knew this was where we'd start our new life against the breathtaking backdrop of the Blue Mountains and Georgian Bay's south shore.
In the summer of 2012, we happened to stop in Collingwood, Ontario on our way home from a cottage vacation. Amazed by the vibrant arts scene and the year-round active lifestyle community, we quickly knew this was where we'd start our new life against the breathtaking backdrop of the Blue Mountains and Georgian Bay's south shore.
We began looking for the perfect site for our B&B, all the while studying everything there was to learn about running one. We found our exquisite property at 9 Craigleith Court in the summer of 2014, quit our jobs, packed up our lives, and spent the next three months in a whirlwind of renovating, organizing, and planning.
On New Year's Eve 2014, we welcomed our very first guests to Craigleith Manor Bed & Breakfast. Three years later, we bought Collingwood Flowers, which we also operate. The reinvention was complete.
After ten years, making our guests happy and comfortable in our B&B is a privilege we continue to enjoy every day, and we're tremendously honoured that Craigleith Manor has become the most awarded place to stay in the region.
We hope you'll come and enjoy our hospitality soon.
Craig, Guy & Fergus (woof, woof)