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Meet Your Innkeepers

Rob & Jill Schuettpelz

Rob and Jill’s dream of owning a B&B has been many years in the making.

In their lives outside of Sunniva, Rob is a self-employed CPA, specializing in work with nonprofits and small business to meet their mission and goals. Jill is an IT professional at a local healthcare organization. after working 11 years at Epic.

Both grew up in small towns and enjoy the outdoors—including  gardening and prairie restoration—so they love life in Mount Horeb.

Since they love to meet new people when they travel, Rob and Jill frequently stay at B&Bs. Interacting with hosts and other guests has given them a deeper understanding of their work as innkeepers and rich experiences that they hope to share, in turn, with Sunniva Inn guests.

The Sunniva Story

The home at 120 N. Grove Street was built in 1903 by J.P. Moe and Son for the Martin family. The Martins, who raised their family here, owned the local livestock market. The Peterson,  Brager and Vosberg families subsequently owned the home, before it was purchased by Karla Ott, a local attorney and avid gardener. Each family has lovingly cared for the home and become part of its its story. In May 2019, Rob and Jill purchased the house with the intent of opening Sunniva Inn.

Rob and Jill wanted to incorporate Mount Horeb’s Norwegian heritage in naming the Inn, simultaneously invoking the sense of relaxation and calmness the they get from the house.

Sunniva (sun-eve-a) is the patron saint of the Norwegian Diocese of Bjørgvin, and all of Western Norway. The name Sunniva roughly translates to ‘sun gift' or 'gift of sun.’  More about the legend of Sunniva can be discovered by clicking the button below.

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