PONTIAC - Because Sharon Hansen loves being around people, it is natural for her to own a bed-and-breakfast hotel.

Same with the name, Three Roses Bed & Breakfast.

"That represents my three grown daughters," said Hansen, whose establishment at 209 E. Howard is the city's lone bed and breakfast.

Hansen expects business to pick up with the summer tourism season. She estimates she's served about 20 overnight guests since opening late last year. Most have been couples celebrating wedding anniversaries.

Hansen, a registered nurse, ran a bed and breakfast in Minonk. It closed in 2000.

Breakfast is included with the price of rooms at the Three Roses, where guests might wake up to biscuits and gravy, Belgian waffles with fruit or homemade bagels. "I make everything from scratch," said Hansen. Getting up early to prepare breakfast is the hardest thing for Hansen, whose husband, David, works at Caterpillar in Pontiac.

"I'm not a morning person, but I love to please people," she said.

Dinner is available by request. Hansen might whip up paprika chicken or creamy honey mustard chicken Parmesan. "I have a menu, but I can cook off of the menu too," she said.

She wants her guests to eat well but also to relax. "So many of us don't do that," she said.

Lori Fairfield, executive director of Pontiac Redeveloping Our United Downtown (PROUD), said the bed and breakfast "adds another dimension to the town" and the establishment's proximity to downtown museums is a plus.

"Not everybody likes to stay at motels," Fairfield said.

Hansen plans to add second bathroom in the guest area next month, allowing her to take in more guests in her four rental rooms. Hansen lives in the basement of the two-story home with her husband, David, who works at Caterpillar in Pontiac.