Meet Cheryl Barron

Q: What do you do in Sedona?
A: I own and operate the Whispering Creek Bed & Breakfast in Uptown, on the corner streets of
Navajo, Hopi, and Jordan.

Q: How long have you lived in Sedona?
A: I’ve been here since 2015, we relocated from Washington, D.C.

Q: Who’s the most interesting person you’ve met while you’ve been here?
A: It’s really tough to choose just one person because there are so many amazing people in town.
Jennifer Wesselhoff comes to mind. She’s no longer in Sedona, but she was very impactful while
she was here, serving as the CEO of the Chamber. Jennifer was my neighbor, very friendly, and a
wonderful person. She really loved this community.

Q: What person dead or alive would you like to have lunch with?
A: My two picks are Kevin Costner, and Ronald Reagan.

Q: What’s one piece of advice that changed your life?
A: My grandpa used to tell us growing up that, “If you’re going to do something, do it the right
way the first time, and do the right thing for the right reason”. He had built a big garden he was
proud of, and he’d repeat this while teaching us kids gardening methods. For some reason, I
translated his motto to my everyday life. It became a phrase to live by.

Q: What film could you watch over and over again?
A: Pride and Prejudice.

Q: What one song never gets old?
A: An Etta James song… ‘At Last’

Q: How would your best friend describe you?
A: She would say that I’m loyal, positive, and determined.

Q: What is something interesting that people don’t know about you?
A: Many people don’t know that I’ve been in the hotel business for 45 years. I just retired from
corporate a year and a half ago, prior to opening Whispering Creek Bed & Breakfast. In
Washington, D.C., I was the general manager of an upscale hotel, and I’ve also worked as a
regional director for a dozen other hotels along the East Coast. I’ve seen so many places across
the United States. In addition to my work for independent hotels, I’ve also worked for major
franchises like Marriott, Sheraton, Hilton, and other brand names. Not many people know how I
started my career either, which was working at the coffee counter in a Howard Johnson’s. I was
in a small town, and this coffee counter was the kind where all the guests would come and sit and
just talk city or town gossip. I was the young girl behind the counter taking it all in, never
commenting on their conversations, but definitely absorbing them. I fell in love with the
travelers, their stories, and decided the hotel business was where I wanted to be.

Q: What’s the most interesting thing about operating a Bed & Breakfast?
A: The people. They’re so kind and generous and I love to live vicariously through them. It is so
much fun to sit around the dining room table and listen to their amazing stories. I have more fun
hearing about all the places they’ve been, rather than talking about myself, or the typical
introductory conversations most hotel owners have with their guests. So far, all of my guests
have given me exciting suggestions for the places they’ve been, and I’ve taken notes! I can’t wait
to try them out whenever I travel next.

Q: What three words describe home to you?
A: Comfort, my family (my kids), and the lake.

Q: Anything that you’d like someone to know about you?
A: That I have a spirit to serve. I want people to know that I am really connected to our
community and I want our town to succeed. I am willing to do whatever I need to do, to help
whoever needs the help, or to spend time volunteering. I want Sedona to be the best place that it
can be.