About the Authors
About Doug & Joanne Carnes
Your Hosts at Wilbraham Mansion
Doug and Joanne Carnes are the innkeepers behind the Wilbraham Mansion, one of Cape May’s most celebrated Victorian bed and breakfasts. With more than two decades of hands-on innkeeping experience, they bring a rare combination of professional expertise, genuine hospitality, and deep local knowledge to everything they write and share on this blog.
Doug holds an MBA and spent years in corporate America before turning his business acumen toward hospitality. Joanne’s background in accounting gives the pair a grounded, detail-oriented approach to running a property that demands nothing less. When Doug’s mother — who had operated the Wilbraham Mansion since 1993 — was ready to pass the torch, Doug and Joanne stepped in, ensuring the inn’s legacy of warmth and excellence continued without missing a beat. The transition wasn’t just professional; it was personal. The family had already been woven into the fabric of the property for years.
The Carnes raised their two sons in Georgia, then Pennsylvania, relocating permanently to Cape May in 2012 — though the boys had been logging summers at the inn long before the official move. That lived-in familiarity with the property, the town, and its rhythms is something guests consistently feel from the moment they arrive.
Doug has been a fixture in the Cape May business community for years, serving in leadership roles — including President and Vice President — with the West Cape May Business Association from approximately 2005 through its close in 2022. He also served on the board of the Cape May Historic Accommodations nonprofit, further rooting the Wilbraham Mansion in the broader story of the town’s preservation efforts. These aren’t honorary titles — they reflect years of active, invested work on behalf of Cape May’s hospitality community.
The Wilbraham Mansion itself has earned recognition to match. It holds a BBs.com Gold Badge (2025) from one of the country’s leading B&B platforms, carries a 9.2 out of 10 guest rating on U.S. News Travel across hundreds of reviews, and has been featured editorially in Cape May Magazine and Luxe Beat Magazine. The property holds a singular distinction: it is the only bed and breakfast in Cape May with an indoor heated swimming pool — a fact that speaks as much to the Carnes’ commitment to guest experience as it does to the mansion’s historic character.
When Doug and Joanne write about Cape May, they’re not drawing on a press kit. They’re drawing on more than two decades of living, working, and raising a family here. Their travel abroad — including cruising and international trips — gives them perspective on what truly exceptional hospitality looks like, and they bring that standard home to every guest stay and every post on this blog.