Both Duncan Newman, owner and operator of the Hilltop Inn and the Wildflowers Tea Room in Broomfield, and Gordon Ramsay, of Hell's Kitchen fame, are from the United Kingdom.

Both men also cook and operate restaurants. But that may be where the similarities end.

"We have a lot of guests ask if it is just like Gordon Ramsay back in the kitchen," Newman said. "It's not. We're just too nice."

Newman and his wife Allie operate the hotel and restaurant, located at 9009 Metro Airport Blvd., in Broomfield. They have been living in Colorado for 6 years and took over the Hilltop Inn and Wildflowers Tea Room at the beginning of 2007.

The hotel has 16 executive suites with flat screen televisions, a view of the metro area or the mountains and a fireplace.

The tea room, however, is where the work of the Newmans really shines through.

The restaurant features a breakfast, lunch and dinner menu. Allie is especially fond of the brunch.

"It's a wonderful four-course meal that is just decadent," she said. "When we say we like to pamper you, we mean it."

Newman himself believes that his day-to-day life running the restaurant is rather mundane.

"We go collect groceries, do bills, answer the telephone, things like that," he said.

"The big joke around here is that we go shopping every day," he said. "We can't command the types of contracts that big hotels do, so for us, it's cost-effective to shop around."

Newman takes care of the books, does marketing and searches directories to make sure that their information about the hotel and restaurant is correct.

Newman also cooks for each service, along with other members of his staff. All of the recipes are his own.

Even though he does a lot of everything for the hotel and restaurant, he said that his main focus is the restaurant.

"It really doesn't seem like a lot," he said. "I get an amazing sense of satisfaction from it."

Newman has followed a long road to the Hilltop Inn and Wildflowers Tea Room. He came to the United States in 1990, working in LA for various hotel companies after receiving degrees in hotel and catering from various schools in the United Kingdom.

"As soon as I got here, I knew this would be the life for me," he said.

After working for companies like Marriott, Westin and Hilton, Newman moved to Portland, San Francisco and eventually Colorado.

"We never looked back," he said. "It was the best decision we ever made."

Like people in love, the couple gives each other credit for all their accomplishments.

"Allie does an amazing sales job," Newman said.

"We pretty much do everything," Allie said. "Did I say 'we'? I meant 'he.'"

But for the couple, it keeps coming back to the customers.

"'We will be back' is the phrase I look for at the end," Newman said.

For more information about the Hilltop Inn and the Wildflowers Tea Room, call 303-469-6361 or visit www.guest-house.com.