hings didn't get easier from there, but that didn't stop the Maryland-born, Indiana-bred single parent of three. Contractors with creatively dishonest contracts, workers who didn't respect the building's history and many other people posing peculiar challenges prolonged the renovation and preparation of what bas become The Havana Riverwalk Inn.

For Greer, and the public at large, it has been worth the wait. Listed on the National Register of Historic Inns, the Havana has 27 rooms individually decorated with treasures from around the world and outfitted with robes and linens from Frette of Italy and handmade soaps. The ambiance is that of a scene from a Bogart/Bacall movie: steamer trunks, leather club chairs distressed by years of actual use, dark wood and shutters, ceiling fans and canopy beds with gauzy drapery.

"It has all of the amenities of a boutique hotel with the attention to detail and personal service of a bed and breakfast," says Greer, who expects a listing for The Havana from Small Luxury Hotels of the World, a European-based reviewer of fine accommodations. "We're going to treat you like I would treat a guest in my home."

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