By CATHY KOPLEN

Register & Bee staff writer

DANVILLE, Va. - The quaint ambience of a guest house lures some visitors to a location solely to enjoy the accommodations. For others, a guest house offers a more personal place to stay.

Stephen and Nancy Keel decided to turn their daughter's vacant house into a guest house for executives and drivers coming to Virginia International Raceway. They are hoping others will rent rooms, guest and vacation houses in the Dan River Region and list the rentals with their company, staynearby.com.

"We will act as the middle man. Filtering guests through our services will allow both the homeowner and the guest to feel secure that they will be safe and happy with the rental," Stephen Keel said.

Presently there are four guest houses listed at the staynearby.com Web site. They are all area dwellings owned by local residents. Their proximity to the VIR track is predominantly mentioned with the style of house and number of bedrooms.

"We have room for six people at our guest house," said Linda Zuniga, who is expanding her spa to include a guest house. Zuniga currently offers a full menu of spa treatments at her clinic.

"We are a work in progress. At the moment we are finalizing everything. We are trying to bring everything up to code. But as far as we know there is no set code for guest houses. But when they do put in a code, we will pass with flying colors."

Zuniga is listed on staynearby.com. Her guest house, Breezy Oaks is listed as a "Three bedrooms and breakfast. Breezy Oaks Farm House is a country residence surrounded by farmland. Staying at Breezy Oaks provides the privacy of a private dwelling for persons seeking a place to relax."

Also listed on the Web site is information individuals can request as to how to list a residence, guest house or wing of a primary residence on the staynearby.com site.

The Keels became interested in short-term rental of their property when their daughter moved. They had built a house for their daughter in which she lived for a while. The Keels' property is the last house in Virginia on the way to VIR.

"Opening your house to visitors is as old as America," Stephen Keel said. "Even these days, in a city you can find accommodations in a private residence for a short period of time."

The Keels feel it is timely to offer upscale, personal accommodations because of the economic trend in the area and the proximity of the racetrack.

"Often when an executive comes to Danville to consider relocating, they bring their families," Stephen Keel said. "They want to experience the town before they commit to relocating. What these executives and their families want is a home-like atmosphere. They don't want to be in a hotel, going out to eat every night and not being able to do laundry. It is a wonderful luxury to have several rooms to use for various reasons when people are traveling."

Recently the Keels entertained several area business and educational executives. Representatives from Averett College, Danville Community College and several area businesses attended, and seemed to be interested in, keeping staynearby.com in mind for future accommodations.

Contact Cathy Koplen at ckoplen@registerbee.com or at (804) 793-2311, Ext. 3043.