summer 2007 innkeeping quarterly (iq)

in this issue

June 2007 • Volume 1, Issue 1

IQsmart reading for smart innkeeping

innkeeping quarterly

5“Yes, I Can”

Solo Deaf Innkeeping: It Can Be Done… and Done Well

9For Better, For Worse… For Bed, For Breakfast

Husband & Wife Share Innkeeping Bliss

21Your Inn and Google: Happy Together?

How Google Works (and Doesn’t Work) for You

Professional Association of Innkeepers International




cover story

5 “Yes, I Can” Solo Deaf Innkeeping:

It Can be Done…and Done Well

feature9 For Better, For

Worse…For Bed, For Breakfast

Husband and Wife Share Innkeeping Bliss

welcome to iq3 Welcome to the

Premiere Issue of Innkeeping Quarterly

departments11 Association Spotlight

12 Culinary Tourism

16 Food Glorious Food

19 Industry Interview

24 Inn Sales

4 Key Notes

21 Marketing Matters

24 Advertisers’ Index

24 Classifieds

Innkeeping Quarterly (IQ), is PAII’s quarterly periodical. PAII has been dedicated to fostering the knowledge and expertise of keepers of the inn for nearly 20 years. In line with this mission, each issue of IQ features members of the innkeeping community and covers topics that are important to those in the innkeeping industry: real estate, food, finances, customer relations, operations, marketing, and more.

IQ: smart reading for smart innkeeping

Professional Association of Innkeepers International www.paii.org • 800.468.PAII

June 2007 • Volume 1, Issue 1

Cover Photo: Jumping Rocks Consulting and Photography


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About IQ:IQ is published quarterly. Subscrip-tion is included in the price of PAII membership. Editorial comments and suggestions are welcomed. To contribute, please contact Laura Middleton, 856-310-1102, [email protected].

Editorial Office:PAII, 207 White Horse Pike Haddon Heights, NJ 08035

IQ Staff:Contributing Editors: John Felton Laura Middleton Jeanine Zeman

Contributing Writers: Stacey Bleistein Karen Hudgeons Keith Kehlbeck Melody Johnson Debrah Mosimann Scott Seaman Liza Simpson

Designer: Michael Piperno

Advertising Sales: Marlene Sapir

PAII Staff:Karen Hudgeons Director of Membership & Member Services

Jeanine Zeman Director of Meetings & Events

Marty DeLuca Bookkeeper

Laura Middleton Communications Coordinator

Marlene Sapir Vendor Services & Sales

Kristin Strong Membership Sales Coordinator

Dear IQ Reader,

Welcome to the premiere issue of Innkeeping Quarterly (IQ), PAII’s quarterly magazine especially for the innkeeping community. The Professional Association of Innkeepers International (PAII) serves the industry nationally by providing programs and services that enhance the professional skills of innkeepers. Over the next year, articles in this publication will report important industry trends and broader travel trends, provide insight from PAII’s 2006 Industry Study, highlight the very human side of being an innkeeper, focus on current technology, and provide ideas to improve your marketing strategies. Each issue will include a spotlight on a state B&B association, Liza Simpson’s Food Glorious Food, Key Notes from PAII leadership, and, of course, Letters to the Editor.

This premiere issue of Innkeeping Quarterly is mailing to both PAII members and non members because we want the entire innkeeping community to be aware of the evolution of their industry. As individual innkeepers become more professional, that is reflected in the professionalism of the industry as a whole. If you are not a current PAII member, you can get future issues only by joining PAII. It costs just one or two room nights a year. Join the ranks of innkeepers who understand that the more members PAII has, the more PAII can contribute to your collective and individual success, with added benefits and programs at the national level. For more information about joining PAII, see page 15.

In the future, letters from readers will be printed on this page. If you have a tale to tell, a concern to air, an innkeeping inspiration to share, feedback about IQ, or a query to pose to other readers, please drop a line to [email protected]. We look forward to hearing from you and hope you enjoy reading IQ: smart reading for smart innkeeping.

Sincerely yours,

The PAII Staff


Welcome to IQ


Key NotesChange has a habit of catching us by surprise.

Spring arrived in the east with a bang after a

late last gasp of winter. Daffodils that were still

hiding raced to the fore, and tulips grew inches daily.

Logging on to e-mail finds a dramatic increase in res-

ervations as the wonderful weather encourages people

to travel, and we all breathe a sigh of relief that the

slow season is over and we are moving ahead. I realize

that the start of the spring season varies around the

country, but I am sure that the excitement that I feel as

an innkeeper when it hits is shared by all of us.

I am done with the off-season tasks. The woodwork is

painted, my desk is clear (well, maybe not), and I have

new recipes to roll out to full houses of happy guests.

Now, with spring on my doorstep, there are flowers to

plant, herbs to refresh, and all the garden benches and

patio tables to dust off. The start of this year has had

those kind of changes here at PAII, as well.

After an incredibly successful conference in Myrtle

Beach in late March that was chock full of great ideas

and information, not to mention a mean conga line,

we returned to the office with renewed enthusiasm

and energy. PAII’s board of directors continued on its

search for a new CEO, while PAII’s staff attacked, with

vigor, our spring projects, which included this inaugu-

ral edition of IQ. It has been our dream for years, kind

of like that room you want to redo, and we are thrilled

that it is finally here. There is something here for ev-

eryone, from the experienced innkeeper to the one

just wading in. Also, so far this spring, we finished

the Industry Study, (our largest participation ever);

we hired a new staff person, Kristin Strong to help

us meet the needs of our members, and we returned

once again to the task of serving our membership.

All of these changes are intended to strengthen PAII

as the premier resource for the innkeeping industry

nationwide, and they are very exciting for those of

us at PAII.

I have never been more proud to be an innkeeper

in the U.S. than I am today. Our industry has grown

and come into its own after just a few decades. We

are an exciting industry in excit-

ing times with so much more to

do, so many more people to reach, and with a very

bright future filled with growth. Join us at PAII as we

aim forward with enthusiasm, energy, and a whole

bunch of vision.

We hope this finds you enjoying the surge of spring,

the promise of full houses, and a quiet spot with a cup

of tea to read and enjoy. Change: Not always a bad

thing at all, is it?

Debrah Mosimann Chair, PAII Board of Directors

Debrah Mosimann


Innkeeper Ellen Chenaux Birchwood Inn, Lenox, MA


5

P erhaps the only deaf innkeeper in the United States and Can-ada, Ellen Chenaux is the solo

innkeeper at the Birchwood Inn (Lenox, MA) known for her flair with food. With a Bachelor of Arts from Douglass Col-lege—Rutgers’ women’s college—and a master’s degree from Northwestern, the closest Ellen ever came to cooking early in her life was rooming with a home econom-ics major. But after marrying, she moved with her new foodie family from country to country and traveled extensively. Along the way, she dined well, collected recipes, and became a foodie herself.

After a long and reward-ing career as a magazine writer and editor, Ellen began to lose her hearing (…talk about a mid-life crisis). She switched careers to corporate communications, which also proved too difficult with an ever-worsening hear-ing loss. In 1997, after living in Canada for 23 long winters, Ellen found herself sitting on the front porch of The Nor-mandy Inn (Spring Lake, NJ) pondering where the next leg of her journey would take her: She needed a change of direc-tion and wanted to move home to the United States. When Michael Ingino, the long-time owner and innkeeper of The Normandy, casually noted that she should consider innkeeping, Ellen recalls, “It was an epiphany. Why hadn’t that occurred to me before?” As a foodie, traveler, and for-mer travel editor, she had stayed at inns around the world and knew what she liked and disliked. “Innkeeping would incorporate my communications, mar-keting, and business background with my love of cooking, people, and provid-ing a warm and welcoming experience for guests,” Ellen shares with IQ. “While there have been many moments over my past 8 years of innkeeping when I claimed that this move was a result of temporary insanity, it really has been the perfect marriage of skills and inter-ests for me.” In 1999, armed with recipes and skills in communications, business, and marketing, Ellen became innkeeper of the Birchwood Inn: a 240-year-old property in the historic town of Lenox,

located in the Berkshire hills of western Massachusetts.

Birchwood operates with a staff of five: Assistant Innkeeper Rebecca Bliss, Head Housekeeper Lee Kurpka, Housekeep-er Keith Elms, Ellen’s son and Assistant Chef/Assistant Innkeeper Peter Chenaux, and Ellen, who tells IQ, “I wear a plethora of hats—innkeeper and bookkeeper, shop-per and chopper, baker and chef.”

So how does she do it? How does Ellen manage life as a deaf innkeeper? “One can do just about anything…it’s all a matter of attitude,” Ellen confides, “I am a firm believer in ‘Yes, I can.’” From the beginning of her innkeeping career, Ellen has had live-in full-time assistants. In ad-dition to the usual duties, her assistants are solely responsible for telephone res-ervations and have a small apartment in the inn in case of night-time emergencies. Ellen tells IQ, “I have had a cochlear im-plant for 6 years—which is nothing short of miraculous—but the telephone is still a challenge…and my external device goes into a dehumidifier at night, rendering me totally deaf.” Ellen can hear sounds, including speech, but only if she is near the source. In other cases, that’s when Quinn, her trusty service dog, earns her cookies. When Quinn hears the stove timer, door bell, smoke detector, etc., she finds Ellen, taps her with her paw, and

“Yes, I Can”Solo Deaf Innkeeping: It Can be Done…and Done Well

Innkeeper Ellen Chenaux Birchwood Inn, Lenox, MA


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takes Ellen to the sound. In the morning, Quinn hears the alarm clock, puts her paws on Ellen’s bed, and licks her face. “What a wonderful way to start the day.”

The Birchwood was already a bed and breakfast when Ellen purchased it, and this year she celebrates its 240th birth-day: “It’s the oldest home in this historic village,” she proudly proclaims. When she was about to take the giant leap into innkeeping in Lenox, MA, Ellen realized that there were 29 other inns in the im-mediate area and that she had to create her own special niche to differentiate Birchwood from the others. Ellen has a theory that women usually decide where a couple is going to travel based on their per-ception of romance, history, and comfort, and that the women get the men to come along by promising them a great break-fast. “So it wasn’t exactly rocket science for me to decide that breakfast would be our niche,” Ellen laughs. Most Birchwood guests share Ellen’s penchant for all things culinary, so to keep things interesting for her guests, as well as herself, Ellen makes certain that Birchwood breakfasts are al-ways a work in progress: “While I have my tried and true recipes that are guest favor-ites, I love trying something new all of the time. It helps prevent boredom and get-ting stuck in a rut.”

The Birchwood’s target audiences are upscale professionals, ages 30–90, but their guests visit from all over the world. The majority are from the New York and Boston metropolitan areas. “Since 1999,” Ellen says, “we have welcomed guests from 47 states, seven Canadian provinces plus the Northwest Territories, six of the seven

continents, and 28 countries, including Turkey, Dubai, and Iceland.” The repeat guest who comes the farthest travels to Lenox from Siberia! In the spring, winter, and fall, Ellen’s guests are usually seeking a romantic getaway; in the summer, they come to enjoy the Berkshire’s plethora of cultural experiences—the most famous of which is Tanglewood, the summer home of the Boston Symphony Orchestra. For marketing, Ellen reveals, “I reach guests

by word-of-mouth, our website (which is currently being redesigned), directory listings, and a variety of ‘seductive’ pack-ages—from Spa Indulgence to Ultimate Picnics and Chocolate Experiences.”

The guests are what really keep Ellen enjoying the role of innkeeper: each day is a new chapter…a new adventure. “To wel-come home encore guests time and time again, knowing that you’ve made their past stays so enjoyable that they want to come back, is heart-warming,” she shares. “You get to know when their anniversaries and birthdays are, what their children are doing, where they’ve traveled. And when you have a problem—like when my coch-lear implant failed and I had to go three months without any hearing at all—they are there for you.”

To relieve the stress of life as an innkeeper, Ellen tries to schedule regu-lar massages. Nearly every day, she and Quinn go out for lunch and read a book from the Birchwood’s large 19th century living room-library (with wall-to-wall bookcases, filled with hundreds of vol-umes of Ellen’s eclectic collection of fic-tion and non-fiction): “It’s the one hour each day when someone doesn’t want a piece of me.”

As an innkeeper, Ellen confesses that the one aspect she likes the least about innkeeping is staffing. “Staffing is a major challenge: like in love, you’ve got to kiss a lot of toads when staffing an inn.” But when asked what she would change if she could do something differently, Ellen smiles, “I would try to find a husband who is an electrician-plumber-contractor-chef who would keep me laughing…and I wouldn’t have wall-papered bathrooms.” Overall, “I couldn’t see myself doing any-thing else.” n

Written by Stacey Bleistein

Photos by Jumping Rocks Consulting and Photography

“Staffing is a major

challenge: Like in love,

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lot of toads when

staffing an inn.”

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9

R omantics at heart, Ray and Kris-tie Rosset opened their purpose- built inn (Lookout Point Lake-

side Inn, Hot Springs, AK) on Valen-tine’s Day of 2003. Besides comfortable beds and delicious breakfasts, romance is a staple at Ray and Kristie’s inn: Look-out Point hosts approximately 75 wed-dings and renewal-of-vows services each year (an average of 1–2 per week) with Kristie—an ordained United Methodist clergywoman—as officiator. “It’s such a joy.” Kristie shares with IQ. “We special-ize in small, personal weddings. A big wedding for us is 35 people.” Most of the weddings are held in Lookout Point’s beautiful lakeside gardens. In addition to officiating at the weddings, Kristie also spends time with couples prior to wed-dings in an informal, pre-marital, coun-seling session. She says, “We have such a privilege to participate in the high holy

moments of peoples lives: weddings, en-gagements, family reunions, baby mak-ing, plus offering an ear for those in grief. I really understand that innkeeping is truly a ministry of hospitality, with deep, ancient religious roots.”

Throughout their own marriage, Ray and Kristie have welcomed many into their home—lost teenagers, friends, and family. When their daughters were in high school, Ray and Kristie began to dream about the next phase of their lives. They asked themselves: “What do we really want to do? What are we called to do?” Being self-proclaimed “big fans” of bed and breakfasts, Ray and Kristie became good friends with innkeepers who later became their mentors: Carol and Mike Fall of Fall Farm (Mineola, TX). “Over time, it became clear to us that our gifts and graces were in the field of hospital-ity,” Ray and Kristie reveal. Their dream began turning into reality in 2002, when Ray and Kristie bought lakeside prop-erty in Hot Springs, Arkansas, and built their 10-guestroom inn.

When building the inn, they real-ized that it was very important to have their own quarters—a home where their grown daughters could come to visit. Al-though Kristie and Ray’s home is physi-cally attached to the inn, they purposely designed it so that they must walk out-side to get to the inn. Their separate quarters have a living room, dining room, kitchen, two bedrooms, 2.5 bathrooms, and an office. Kristie laughs, “One bath-room is so small that a person could sit,

wash their hands, and do laundry all at the same time.”

Situated in the inn proper, Lookout Point’s laundry room is also “quite small.” Located upstairs with seven of the guest rooms, the laundry room shrank in the planning phase due to larger-than- anticipated hot-water heaters. It has a Staber washer, two (stacked) Whirlpool dryers, a Miele presser, and a small soak-ing sink. All laundry is done in-house by staff, and when short-staffed, Kristie does laundry. Recalling a laundering tale, Kristie laughs, “Our main office is direct-ly below the laundry room, and one day, overflow from the soaking sink caused water to pour out of the office light fix-tures and onto Ray’s head. Yikes!”

In the beginning, Lookout Point open-ed to a full house, serving breakfast to 20 people. Ray and Kristie overestimated the workload capabilities of their four hands, and worked with no staff assistance. Af-ter serving the first four guests, Ray sliced his finger on one of the new knives (“We were not used to having sharp knives.”). It wouldn’t stop bleeding, and with a very deep cut Ray had to wrap his hand and drive himself to the hospital. “This is how we learned the important value of staff.”

Ray and Kristie believe that their staff members are their “internal guests,” and so they strive to treat them with as much care and attention as they do their guests. Look-out Point operates with a staff of seven, plus Ray and Kristie: Assistant Innkeeper Annette Stubbs, Assistant Innkeeper (and daughter) Kelley Rosset, Housekeeping

For Better, For Worse… For Bed, For BreakfastHusband & Wife Share Innkeeping Bliss

Innkeepers Kristie and Ray Rosset Lookout Point Lakeside Inn, Hot Springs, AK


10

Innkeeper Kristie Rosset and Tillie play in the office

Manager Michael Lowery, Housekeeper Lupe Avalos, Housekeeper Maria Rodri-guez, Housekeeper Tammy Middleton, and Gardener Saralynn Bagley. “Togeth-er,” Ray and Kristie tell IQ, “both of us manage hospitality extraordinaire, reser-vations, breakfast prep and serving, and maintain a presence during our daily innkeeper’s reception.” Ray’s individual innkeeping responsibilities include ac-counting, financial reporting, payroll, in-formation systems, maintenance oversight, and the gardens. Kristie handles market-ing, staff supervision and oversight, inn decor and updates, and menu planning.

Most of Lookout Point’s guests are from the mega-cities within 300 miles of Dallas and Ft. Worth, TX; Memphis, TN; and Shreveport, LA. Also, many come to Hot Springs from across Arkan-sas, as well as adjoining states Oklahoma and Missouri. Lookout Point welcomes many special-occasion travelers, such as honeymooners, wedding and anniversary celebrants, couples vacationing from daily stress, business travelers, and small-group meetings. Their perfect guests are the ones that really “get” Ray and Kristie’s mission to provide peace and tranquility, com-prehensive pampering, and luxury. These perfect guests appreciate Ray and Kristie’s slice of paradise, want them to succeed, and become ambassadors for Lookout Point. Regarding their marketing strate-gies, Ray and Kristie say, “We market to guests via internet, word-of-mouth from repeat guests, Select Registry, the local convention and visitors bureau, and the local chamber of commerce.”

Driven by their passionate commit-ment to “doing our part” to help foster the innkeeping industry as a profession, Kris-tie and Ray made a point of networking within—and helping out—the innkeep-ing community before their inn was even built. While Lookout Point was under construction, Kristie and Ray became

actively involved with the Bed & Breakfast Association of Ar-kansas (BBAA). Ray was elect-ed Treasurer of the BBAA, and then President. This past year he co-chaired the Heartland of America Innkeepers Confer-ence. Kristie currently serves on the BBAA Board of Directors and is also a recent appointee to the PAII Advisory Council. “We are long-time B&B goers, and have stayed at wonderful properties and some not so wonderful properties,” Kristie and Ray share. They’re active in the innkeeping community because they want to help inns ensure that their guests become “life-long inn goers.”

They believe that by working togeth-er with other innkeepers, Ray and Kristie benefit and learn from their colleagues. And what a generous group of people: in their town, about six inns refer to each other (all members of the BBAA). These Hot Springs B&Bs develop opportuni-ties for “sampling” each inn. “Last Christ-mas we held a charity event that was a Christmas tour of inns, with all proceeds going to a local charity.”

Ray and Kristie find inspiration in the courage, independence, and vision of professional innkeepers—the way each innkeeper creatively finds ways to design a unique and successful business based on their passions in life. Ray and Kristie’s passions are people, their family (includ-ing the dogs), their faith, and hospitality. “We’ve managed to make a wonderful life for ourselves—enjoying red wine, read-ing, and spending time with friends and family all under the roof of our inn.”

As innkeepers, Ray and Kristie occa-sionally experience the kind of exhaustion that can only come from a 24/7 occupa-tion. That, coupled with the trials and tribulations of staffing issues (although, their detailed interview and testing pro-cess is proving helpful in staffing mat-ters), can take a toll. For brief moments of daily relaxation, Ray plays Sudoku and Kristie knits.

Ultimately, Ray and Kristie find inn-keeping to be very rewarding. They be-lieve it’s a privilege to have teamwork while providing great hospitality, meeting terrific people, and having fun while do-ing it. No other career lends itself to such a seamless unity of passions and profes-sionalism than innkeeping. “We’re able to savor all our passions in life while meeting new friends on a daily basis. We love this sanctuary that we have cre-ated, and are having a ton of fun. What a wonderful life.” n

Written by Stacey Bleistein

12

Define your perfect guests and go after them.

Take time for yourself (at least eight hours per week exclusively for YOU).

From Innkeeper Kristie Rosset

2Hot tipsfor successful innkeeping


association sp tlightNorth Carolina Bed & Breakfasts and Inns (NCBBI)

At the PAII convention in Myrtle Beach, South Caro-lina, I was fortunate to spend some time with Bebe Woody, President of North Carolina Bed & Breakfasts and Inns (NCBBI). As a veteran of the state association side of the industry, Bebe gave me some insight and core information that everyone can benefit from—and should take the time to investigate themselves. Really helpful stuff.

A primary consideration for all association leaders is the foundation upon which an association is based. Are bylaws, policies, and procedures in place? Are lia-bilities associated with the Board of Directors and em-ployees covered? The basics absolutely must be covered. Do not leave this to chance as you may be personally liable. The Achil-les heel? Accounting: the one area most people dread and hate to deal with the most. Bebe stressed and I agreed, if you can’t afford the services of an accoun-tant, then at least have a CPA as an advi-sor—hopefully a member that will volun-teer. As difficult as good accountants are to find, think how much more difficult things could get (…gasp…shudder).

There are things you can do and resources you can tap into to assist you. For instance, Bebe found the N.C. Center for Non-Profits which offers all kinds of services that can help in setting up and maintaining an association. Most states have a similar association for non-profits. There are webinars, training seminars, key community business leaders that are available for free advice and consultations, attorney and accounting ser-vices that may consider pro-bono or even trade-outs for services rendered (you don’t know unless you ask). The fee for becoming a member of the Center was very affordable and well worth the investment.

At the PAII State Association Leaders Meeting in Myrtle Beach, Bebe gleaned some pretty potent ad-vice as well:

Network with other association leaders to learn how they handle some of the same challenges you face. This alone could save a lot of time and money and it’s easy to do.Learn the legalese regarding anti-trust, and lia-bilities that could affect your organization nega-tively. Make sure your non-profit status is secure and totally compliant.

➤

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Identify potential leaders and cultivate them for a future position with the organization. This is key to insuring the longevity of the association.

Now that Bebe is armed with the knowledge found at the PAII and N.C. Center for Non-Profits sessions she is taking things a step further. Her association, NCBBI, is reviewing all legal documents to ensure to-tal compliance with the IRS, local, and national laws. That’s a big undertaking but one that will save head-ache and worry down the road.

Other tips from the PAII Association Leaders meet-ing: The treasurer of the board of directors needs to

have bonding insurance in addition to liability in-surance (who knew?). And, if everyone is asking the same questions, pay attention. For exam-ple, at NCBBI, they were inundated by online requests for membership and inspection infor-

mation. They took the initiative to create a position that encompassed both: Inspec-

tor and Membership Recruiter. That per-son now specifically addresses both is-sues and follows up appropriately. That alone has increased their 2006 member-

ship numbers by 36% year over year. There’s a lot to be said for a productive

conversation. Make it a point to interact with fellow members and leaders from other state associa-tions whenever possible. We can all learn something from someone else—even if it’s a reminder to go back to the basics and make sure the foundation is solid.

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NCBBI was established in 1985 and was the first state associa-tion in the country to require rigorous inspections as a condition of membership. To maintain this standard, NCBBI re-inspects member inns every two years, responds to written guest cri-tiques and terminates members that elicit a number of guest complaints. NCBBI also publishes a full-color directory, hosts an annual conference and provides networking, educational and marketing opportunities to member inns. They partnered with the Virginia and South Carolina state B&B associations to offer the “Passport” to the unique “Porches of the South” frequent traveler program. Visit their website at www.ncbbi.org for more information or contact Bebe Woody, President, at [email protected]. Bebe and Bob Woody have been innkeepers for 12 years and own The White Doe Inn Bed & Breakfast in Manteo, NC. Visit her comprehensive website at www.whitedoeinn.com.

by Karen Hudgeons Director of Membership & Member Services, PAII

Bebe Woody


12Culinary Tourism by Melody Johnson

That certainly was a question buzzing around PAII’s Tenth International Convention and Trade Show at Myrtle Beach, South Carolina this year. The answer,

in short, is: Everything. For most B&Bs, food plays an integral part of your business. Remember, the last part of your name is “Breakfast.”

During the “Boost Your Business” session in Myrtle Beach, I had the opportunity to speak on an almost “one-on-one” basis to 10–12 innkeepers at a time. The query was posed to each of them to name one dish that they serve to their guests. By the time the question had been answered by the group, my mouth was salivating: they had captured my taste buds. I was a culi-nary tourist. There was not one of them that I did not want to patronize, not because of their location, or their décor, or even

the innkeepers themselves, but because of the cuisine that they offer in the morning.

Your cuisine will be re-membered by your guests long after the memory of the room décor fades away. Let me ex-plain. For almost 20 years, my husband and I ran a small full-service country inn in Oregon. As a courtesy to our guests, we brought a “wake-up tray” to their room each and every morning. On that tray would be their choice of beverage and a basket of freshly baked Magic Muffins. The aroma of those muffins stayed with our guests, and even returning after long absences, the first question asked was, “Do you still serve those incredible muffins in the morning?”

My husband and I talked about the competition along the highways. Almost every hotel and motel offer some kind of

My B&B and Culinary Tourism: What’s the Connection?


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P R O F I L E

breakfast, from the “cold buffet” to the “expanded buffet with waffles that you can toast yourself ” to the voucher system in their—or a neighboring—restaurant. Ever ask yourself why ho-tels and motels offer these? It is because of you and the competi-tiveness B&Bs pose in the lodging industry.

But what sets you apart from the other segments of the lodging components? It is the hand-crafted fresh ingredients and family secret recipes handed down from generation to gen-eration that produce the mouthwatering delectable meals that your B&B is known for.

So with that being said, what can/should you be doing? First, feature your cuisine everywhere that you promote your business: in your brochures, on your website, even on your busi-ness card. And feature it prominently…right at the beginning. Second, pictures are worth a thousand words. Nothing says it better than a photo of that incredible soufflé, or stack of waffles with real maple syrup dripping down the sides. Third, promote your cuisine to those that promote you. If you have your bro-

chures on display with your Chamber of Commerce, or Destina-tion Marketing Organization, or even your State Tourism Office, invite them in for a breakfast meeting and the next time someone calls for lodging information—or if a travel writer is visiting your

Profile of American Leisure Culinary Travelers• 17% (27 million) have engaged in some type of culinary or wine-

related activity while traveling within the past three years

• 8% (12.6 million) report that food or wine-related activities were a key reason they took a trip or helped them choose between destinations

• 4.7% (7.6 million) took at least one trip where they sought out culinary activities, but these were not a factor in choosing destinations

• Travelers with post-graduate educations are 3 times as likely to fall into the Serious Culinary Travel group as those who have a high school education or less (18% vs 8%). Similarly, 21% of those from households with annual incomes over $100,000 have participated in some form of culinary travel, compared with 10% of those earning less than $50,000

• Likely to participate in a variety of outdoor activities, visit state/national parks, visit historic sites and enjoy spa services

• Significantly more likely than leisure travelers in general to read print materials including specialty newspaper sections, culinary publications, and travel magazines. They are also significantly more likely to utilize online resources for trip research and planning.

• 70% like to bring back regional foods, recipes, wines, etc., from the places visited

• 60% visit wineries or participate in wine tours

Source: Information taken from the Profile of Culinary Travelers, 2006 Edition, recently released by the Travel Industry Association (TIA). PAII was one of the research sponsors for this report. This is the first study in the U.S. to profile this important segment of the U.S. tourism market. More information about this study will be in future issues of IQ.

(continued on page 14)


14

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region—guess what business name will pop into their minds first?

In future IQ articles we will be ex-ploring the results of the Travel Indus-try of America’s recent study on the culinary tourist. PAII, along with other hospitality industry partners, played a significant part in the financing of this study. We will also further define the culinary tourist (see box, page 13); how you can recognize that segment of the visitor industry and reach that target market for future business.

In closing, remember, food is the attraction. With that, I wish each and everyone of you a great upcoming sum-mer season.

Until next time, I remain,Culinarily yours,

Melody JohnsonVP/COOInternational Culinary Tourism Association

Melody Johnson has been immersed in the hospitality industry for almost 20 years. She was co-owner of Falcon’s Crest Inn on Mt. Hood in Oregon. The inn garnered the distinction of “Best Evening Cuisine” for two years running and was named one of the top 15 inns in the country. She owned and operated a guide service for visiting tour groups and during the recent Lewis and Clark Commemoration, managed the overnight packages for the Columbia River Excursions. In both of these positions, the culinary experiences of the passengers were of utmost importance. While manager of Raz Transportation Tour Department and Gray Line Portland, she and her team redesigned the tours to include memorable culinary experiences and continued to receive the high-est of marks on the passenger survey forms. Marketing Culinary Tourism is a passion for Melody, not only for her business interests, but for other lodging properties, as well. She has conducted seminars on tourism product marketing at local, regional, state, and international conferences, including the conventions for PAII. Melody currently serves on the boards of the Oregon Snowsport Industries Association, the Oregon Tour and Travel Alliance, and the Mt. Hood/Columbia River Gorge Alliance, and is the former chair of Oregon’s Mt. Hood Territory. Oregon travel industry peers have recognized Melody with the prestigious “Members Choice Award” and the “Oregon Governor’s Tourism Award.”


Melody Johnson


1�Food Glorious Food by Liza Simpson

Kristie and Ray, like many innkeeping couples, divide and conquer for the daily breakfast duties. One of them begins the morning prep at 6:30 a.m.—with two

other staff members coming on at 7:00 a.m.—and the sleep-in half of this innkeeping couple joins in for the actual “showtime” at 8:00 a.m. Breakfast is served at individual tables, usually Ray serving because, as Kristie says, “He is wonderful at it.” Self ser-vice coffee is available to the guests at two different locations in the inn, beginning at 7:00 a.m. Because they cater to roman-tic getaways, the tables by the windows set for two always fill first, but serving from 8:00 to 9:30 a.m. is leisurely enough that guests rarely wait for a private table.

They usually serve 20 guests daily and the menu consists of served beverages and freshly squeezed juice, followed by a fruit course and then the entrée, which alternates daily between sweet (e.g., Orange Blossom Croissant French Toast with Smoked Pork Chops) and savory (e.g., Poached Eggs with Quèso over Toast with Steamed Asparagus and Polish Sausage). Kristie plans the menus a week out and enjoys reading cookbooks and experi-menting with recipes so that she doesn’t get bored with the menu. Some entrees require same day prepping, while others can be largely prepped the night before. Kristie is a fan of Carol Gordon’s

Sleep on It (ISBN 1401308163) for recipes that can be prepped ahead of time.

Their kitchen is well-equipped with commercial equip-ment, including a Vulcan 6-burner range and oven, a convection oven, warming drawer, True refrigerator and freezer, a large island for prepping and plating, and quartz countertops that can withstand the heat of items from the oven. Their favorite tools are their zesters and knives (now that Ray has learned not to cut himself ). However, they regard the kitchen, itself, as their best tool for serving their guests and making them feel at home. When asked what she would add to the kitchen if she could add anything, Kristie replied, “more freezer and refrigerator space.” Storage at Lookout Point is the same as every inn…at a pre-mium. There is never enough. They have a good sized pantry for dry goods, plates and dishes, and a second pantry across the hall under a set of stairs.

Food and kitchen supplies are largely ordered weekly from their local food service purveyor, Ben E. Keith. Kristie orders on Wednesday for a Thursday delivery, which usually arrives be-tween 10:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. The minimum order is $400.00 weekly during season and every other week during off-season. She orders most of their supplies from the purveyor, with sup-plemental trips every other week to Sam’s Club. Occasional trips to the grocery store for extra fruit and vegetables, as well as items like wheat germ, are necessary.

Their staff helps with the prep and the cleanup, and every Tuesday the staff does it all. Ray and Kristie sleep in and take the entire day off. As Kristie says, “Thank God for a day off.”

Every dietary request is readily accommodated, although sometimes it gets a bit challenging. They recently had a vege-tarian guest who stayed for 8 nights and requested no wheat or nuts. Guests at Lookout Point also enjoy a complimentary snack bar and a daily innkeepers’ reception with cheese, crack-ers, wine, iced tea, and dessert. Luncheons are available by res-ervation for groups of six to 20.

Birchwood Inn Lenox, MA

As a solo innkeeper, Ellen wears all the hats in her kitch-en, which she finally and recently refurbished to make it a pleasant place to work in—bright yellow 100+ year-

old cabinets and walls, a large red center island and matching floor, with red and yellow check curtains. She serves breakfast in two seatings, 9:00 a.m. and 10:00 a.m., with coffee available from 7:30 a.m. onward. Guests can help themselves to freshly

Lookout Point Lakeside Inn Hot Springs, AK

Ingredients:1 Quart of strawberries, hulled and halved4 Cups of low-fat buttermilk, divided use3/4 Cup of sugar2/3 Cup of sour cream3 Tablespoons of peach schnapps or apple juiceFresh mint sprigs

Instructions:Process strawberries, 1 cup buttermilk, and sugar in a food processor. Set aside. Combine remaining 3 cups buttermilk, sour cream, and peach schnapps in a large bowl. Pour the strawberry mixture into the sour cream mixture. Stir to combine. Cover and chill. Served chilled and garnish with mint sprigs.

••••••

Ray’s Strawberry SoupServes eight


17

baked bread for toasting, yogurts, and cereal from a buffet. Then they are served a plated fruit course such as the Fruitini (a mé-lange of fresh fruit served in a martini glass) and a plated entrée. Ellen’s signature dish is a breakfast soufflé: the Fondue Florentine Soufflé.

She generally serves between 22 and 28 guests in high season, and has an assistant who starts the prep in the morning with her, and then fo-cuses on serving the guests while Ellen runs the kitchen. She preps as much as she can the night before. For example, the toasting bread is start-ed the afternoon before, rises in the refrigerator overnight, and is baked in the morning. She often measures out ingredients the night before, as she relates: “If I measure in the morning, I am known to leave out ingredients, such as the morning I served mango bread and discovered the mashed mangoes were still in the re-frigerator after breakfast.”

An admitted foodie, Ellen does all of the menu development and spends a considerable amount of time on presentation.

When guests make their reservations, she always asks about di-etary restrictions or preferences. Most often the requests are for

lactose-free, vegetarian, dietetic, or gluten-free, but with her love of using real butter, eggs, and cream, her biggest challenge is creating an appetizing menu for the low-fat and low-cholesterol guests.

Ellen has commercial kitchen equipment. The highlight of the kitchen that delights guests is a 41-year-old Vulcan gas stove with six burn-ers, two ovens, and a grill. She has two dishwash-ers with sanitizing cycles, two refrigerators (one she thinks is the first Sub-Zero ever made), plus an upright freezer (and another freezer in the basement). Her favorite tool is Erik the Red, a new Viking Professional mixer, in red, of course.

She says he is “handsome, dependable, strong, and doesn’t leave the toilet seat up.” She has her knives sharpened professionally every 2 weeks.

As part of the kitchen remodel, Ellen moved her office into the former pantry and the new pantry consists of shelves where


18

the office used to be. In addition, there is an adjoining butler’s pan-try for dishes, glassware, and silverware (and midnight snacks).

Costco is about an hour from the inn and Ellen prefers to shop locally and in person. So she goes to the supermarket for most items and has a local green grocer for fruits and vegetables.

Ellen also serves afternoon tea each day-fireside in the li-brary in cool weather and on the porch on warmer days. She serves hot, mulled, local cider or tea in winter and iced tea and lemonade in summer, plus a treat like Black Espresso Cake or Strawberry Rhubarb Pie. She leaves a platter with cake or cookies in the Butler’s Pantry for midnight snacks and wakes up to a plate with nary a crumb. She also has a wonderful small local company that puts incredible picnics together for the guests upon request. n

Ingredients:3-4 Pounds of Swiss chard1 Large shallot, chopped2 Tablespoons of unsalted butter1 Teaspoon of kosher salt1 full-size French baguette, cubed 3/4 Pound of Gruyère, grated coarsely1/2 Pound of Emmenthaler, grated coarsely1/4 Pound of Appenzeller, grated coarsely4 Cups of whole milk1 Teaspoon of Maggi Seasoning1/4 Cup of Kirsch15 Large eggs3 Tablespoons of Dijon mustardFreshly ground black pepper to tasteAlso, 10 Ramekins (8 oz.)

Instructions:The day before you are planning to serve the soufflé, preheat the oven to 350º F. Toast the bread cubes in the oven for 15–20 minutes, until crunchy but not brown. Wash Swiss chard, tear off leaves, removing stems and large veins. Cook chard briefly (a minute or two) in lightly salted boiling water. Drain. Squeeze out as much juice as possible. Chop the Swiss chard. Melt butter in skillet over medium heat and sauté the shallots until somewhat translucent. Add Swiss chard, salt and pepper to taste. Stir over heat to mix. Remove from heat. Set aside. Mix the cheeses together. Mix together the eggs, milk, Kirsch, Dijon mustard, Maggi, and pepper to taste. Blend well. Grease the ramekins with cooking spray or olive oil. Add a layer of cubed bread (do not pack tightly). Add a layer of the Swiss chard-shallot mixture (about 1 tablespoon). Add a layer of the cheese mixture (small handful). Add a second layer of the bread, Swiss chard, and cheese. Pour the egg mixture into each ramekin. Cover each ramekin with plastic wrap and refrigerate over night. (The souffle can be frozen at this point if necessary.) In the morning, 30 minutes prior to cooking, remove the ramekins from the refrigerator and preheat the oven to 350º F. Carefully place ramekins on the middle shelf of the oven and bake for 45 to 50 minutes, until the soufflés have risen and are golden (but not dark brown) on the top. Place on a doily on a plate. Quickly decorate the plate with freshly chopped herbs or sprigs of herbs and serve immediately.

•••••••••••••••

Liza Simpson, formerly of The Old Miner’s Lodge in Park City, Utah, has cooked professionally for over 25 years. She is currently managing a specialty coffee house while she and her husband Chris (and their Corgis) search for their next innkeeping adventure. Liza is also Food Editor of PAII’s innkeeping newsletter.

Ellen’s Fondue Florentine SouffléServes ten



In the late 1960s, one man had an interesting idea. A travel writer named Norman Simpson drove throughout North America in a paneled station

wagon, identifying unique places that offered what he called, “good honest lodging, good honest food, and good honest feeling.” Hailed as “the Father of Country Inn Travel,” Simpson—through his pioneering book, Country Inns and Back Roads—introduced an entirely new type of lodging experience to the traveling pub-lic. Today, the Association of independent innkeepers started by Norman Simpson is alive and well as Select Registry, Distinguished Inns of North America.

In the intervening years, the evolution of country inns—and their cousins the bed and breakfast and boutique small hotel—has been nothing short of phenomenal. In towns and cities, in the country, on the coasts, north

and south of the border, such properties have multi-plied exponentially and continue to thrive, even as “the business” changes with technology, increased guest expectations, the Internet, and other trends that ulti-mately impact innkeepers’ bottom lines.

While the sheer number of successful “inns” has in-creased, the ownership component of this type of property has evolved, as well. Whether you are a three-bedroom B&B or a twenty-five room inn, a different mix of owner/operators is emerging. For example, a recent article in Business Week Online noted that the B&B industry, “formerly an occupation of retirees…is seeing an influx of younger proprietors armed with business plans and marketing strategies.”

In today’s travel marketplace, more than 20,000 “inns” and “bed and breakfasts” increasingly fight for market share with chain hotels, condo rentals, vacation and second homes. Some choose to participate in market-ing organizations such as Select Registry. Others utilize

“Inn-touch with Reality” by Keith Kehlbeck


industry interview


online directories, marketing professionals or PR firms. No matter how you market, however, I believe that the sheer glut and clutter of information now available to travelers means that we increasingly have to empha-size and communicate what makes our type of lodging special and unique. What is it about staying at an inn or B&B that makes travelers continue to seek out and choose this type of property when traveling (for busi-ness or pleasure)?

Select Registry members, for example, have always placed a premium on the twin imperatives of hospitality and quality as bellwethers of what attracts our guests. For years, our mantra was “the shining light in hospi-tality,” and our Quality Assurance program still weighs heavily that aspect of an inn/B&B experience.

Guests—particularly those who “compare shop” with other travel alternatives—also increasingly expect a certain, higher level of various amenities, such as qual-ity linens, comfortable mattresses, WiFi access, break-fasts and libations. Providing such value-added aspects for your guests will increasingly test the mettle (and pocketbooks) of even the most experienced innkeepers in today’s marketplace.

Other indicators of guest satisfaction appear to focus on the “experience” a guest receives while staying at a smaller, non-chain lodging property, and this type of experiential alternative is something most chains still fail to replicate. In this respect, providing guests with in-formation on area attractions, driving itineraries, dining referrals and other almost concierge-like services may help differentiate your property. Many of you have pro-vided such assistance to guests for years, and I’m sure that it has had a positive impact on your occupancy.

Certainly, the effort each of you puts into your respec-tive property is among the hallmarks of a professional B&B or inn. As the Boston Globe pointed out in an ar-ticle a couple of summers ago, innkeeping is hard work. It’s often not at all like the Bob Newhart sitcom, which enamored many watchers and created a huge influx of new innkeepers. (In Vermont, there’s even a name for this phenomenon: the “Newhart Syndrome.”)

In reality, innkeeping requires the dedication, inno-vation, and commitment that often only comes from the personal touch and attention to detail exhibited by hands-on innkeepers and their staff. As a result, it

is more important than ever that we have sources of “collective wisdom,” when it comes to all-too-common challenges that span the continuum of our type of prop-erties. Seminars, publications, chat-lines, networking, business models…all help refine, develop, and keep your efforts “ahead of the curve” in our industry.

For this and many other reasons, Select Registry is proud to be partnered strategically with PAII—the edu-cational arm of the industry—and we salute its ongoing efforts to educate and serve the broad spectrum of inn-keepers in our slice of the travel industry. From aspiring innkeepers to the most experienced property owners and managers, we all benefit from a strong trade as-sociation that helps us stay focused on the proverbial “big picture.”

We look forward to working with PAII in the coming months and years, and wish its members—which in-clude many of ours—continued success in today’s evolving marketplace. n

Keith Kehlbeck is Executive Director of Select Regis-try, Distinguished Inns of North America. A writer, with extensive experience in the commercial printing in-dustry, Keith moved to the Midwest a decade ago with his wife, Ali, who is a Program Director at the Kellogg Foundation. Prior to taking a job as Select Registry’s Marketing and Media Outreach Director in 2001, he did consulting and marketing work for clients such as the Kellogg Foundation and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. He has co-authored a book on the history and cuisine of Schuler’s Restaurant, a fourth-generation Midwest-ern institution, and has published numerous articles related to his twin passions, the American Civil War and wine. Keith took over as Select Registry’s Executive Director in 2003, and is currently edit-ing and producing his fifth Select Registry guidebook. He, Ali and their 11-year old daughter, Emma live in Marshall, Michigan, the “City of Hospitality.”


industry interview


21Marketing Matters by Scott Seaman

If you haven’t Googled “bed and breakfast, [your city], [your state]” recently, you probably should. The new results will be surprising—better for some, worse for others. During the

past month, Google has finally finished merging their “Google Local” search results into the regular (organic) results pages. For most of us, it completely levels the playing field by putting in-dividual B&Bs in the most visible real estate on the displayed web page. Over the past year or so, individual inns have lost ground to the directories (e.g., bedandbreakfast.com, bbonline, etc.). Because these sites are so huge—with so many linking pages—they simply got ranked as more “important” in Google’s ranking system. Many B&Bs that used to enjoy the top statuses in the rankings have seen their placement drop compared to the directories that were taking over the top three spots, no matter what location was searched for.

Google Local is their version of the Yellow Pages on a map. What started out as Google Maps got changed into http:// local.google.com to compete with Yahoo Local Search. You could search for a type of business (bed and breakfast) and a location and Google would bring up the results and show them both graphically on a map and in a list.

During the past year, Google Local searches for “bed and breakfast” and related terms have grown to over 35% of all the types of Google searches. The Billionaire Boys Club (…seri-ously, I’m not nearly as jealous of those two teenagers as that sounds. No, really.), who started this search revolution certainly noticed—and they’ve made searching easier for the rest of us by

pulling the Google Local search results into the regular search automatically.

A little tweaking of their search engines and some aggres-sive programming now takes any search that sounds like it might be business-related (com-bined with a city and state) and automatically pulls in a map and links to the top three related businesses. Along with the map are links to any reviews (e.g., on TripAdvisor or Yahoo Travel) that the Google spiders found as they crawled along the web. Three of the B&Bs in your marketplace just got a huge boost in vis-ibility. Were you one of them? Congratulations. If not, how can you improve your ranking?

How You Can Work GoogleThe first step is to make sure that your information in Google Local Search is correct (one out of 15 is wrong). You’ll need to go to Google Business Center (https://www.google.com/local/add/login?hl=en-US&gl=US) and log in or register for an account. Once you have access, you need to add your busi-ness, add photos, and verify your info. You have an option to move the little red pin to reflect your actual location compared to where Google located you originally. You’ll also be assigned a PIN number to verify your information through the mail or instantly on the phone.

Please remember that corrections you make to your business location will take 4–6 weeks to update into Google Maps. Ad-ditionally, here’s what you need to remember about adding pho-tos: a) you can upload up to 10 images; b) all files must be under 1 MB; c) for minimal distortion, the ideal size is 1024 x 1024 pix-els; and d) accepted file types are jpg, gif, png, tiff, and bmp.

Your Inn & Google: Happy Together?How Google Works (or Doesn’t Work) For You

To change your location:

Click on the “edit” link under the listing you’d like to correct.

Go to the “basic information” section.

Click on the link that says “fix incorrect marker location.”

This will bring up a box from which you can drag and drop the marker to anywhere on the map. Feel free to pan and zoom to find the appropriate location.

To revert to the previous position of your marker, select “undo marker corrections.”

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.


22

You will need to fill out the information on “custom attri-butes.” You can input rate ranges, check-in and check-out times, in-room and property amenities, along with payment types ac-cepted. Make sure you add a description—your tag line if you have one. If you have stand-alone cottages, don’t forget to check off “travel, vacation rentals” along with “travel, bed & breakfasts” under “listing category.”

Once you have verified that the business belongs to you through the PIN number, you’ll also see statistics (updated every 24 hours), which reflect how many times your B&B listing showed up on a Google Local search during the last 30 days.

Now What?Now, it’s time to look at your ranking. Only the top three results show on the initial search—that’s a huge competitive advantage to forfeit to the inn down the street if you do nothing but hope that everyone searching clicks through that tiny “more local business results” link at the bottom right corner of the mapping section.

Do a few Google searches for every possible way that your physical address might be listed (i.e., 123 S. Main St, 123 South Main Street). I was listed as “Drive” and “Place” in addition to “Street” on a few websites I’d never heard of before. If every di-rectory, blog posting, and website on the internet has you listed the exact same way, it adds to your credibility, but some direc-tories will need to be contacted so that your address is listed in a uniform manner. It should match the address that is listed on the bottom of your website. You should add your address to each of your website pages, as well, and make sure that it’s writ-ten in text—not an image file—since the search-engine spiders don’t collect data from images.

According to Google’s patent application for Google Local searches, authorities with a local tie (e.g., Chamber of Com-merce or CVB) receive higher rankings than national directo-ries (e.g., bbonline.com or Select Registry). But they all count if GoogleBot (their search-engine spider) can read your address, so take a few minutes to get them all in the same format.


2�

Now do a search for your main business phone number in-cluding the area code. Once again, see if your physical address is listed in the uniform format that you want. If you have multiple phone numbers, do a search for each of them—if any show up,

you should get in touch with that website administrator to get the number changed to show your main business line.

Finally, have your webmaster put your address and phone number in your website’s keywords, description, and page title

on each of your web pages. A month ago, I wouldn’t have suggested using the limited space available to repeat this information, but Google has once again changed the rules and it’s time to play catch-up.

Due to spam and some slimy tricks from “search engine optimization companies” (as opposed to the legitimate companies who really do perform a valu-able service), Google’s ranking system also looks at your online age as a measure of credibility—the longer your pages have been around, the more legit-imate they appear to the search engines. So if you want to improve your Google Local search ranking, log in and make your changes today…before your competitors do. This is the one time you’ll really want to be older than everyone else around you.

One last thing to check: if you were listed on the organic (white background) Google search re-sults somewhere near the bottom of the first page, you may find that Google’s using all the real estate at the top of the page has pushed you off Page One. If this is the case, more search engine opti-mization is needed to move you up on the search results. But that’s for another article. n

Scott Seaman and his partner moved to Blowing Rock, NC, to build a B&B and winery from scratch. While working on that project, they found the Blowing Rock Victorian Inn and started running it under a lease agreement with the previous owners. Without the pressures of a big mortgage—combined with a love for computers and a need to figure out how things worked—Scott was able to test various online marketing strategies to see what worked and what didn’t. Over the course of the past four years, he’s doubled the occupancy and room rates of the inn while cutting the advertising costs by over 40%. They’ve recently taken over the Roaring River Cha-lets and are once again going through the process of building the marketing campaign.


24Inn SalesLive Your Dream!This successful Hudson Valley brick colonial bed and breakfast with separate carriage house on five majestic acres is offered at $875,000.

11/2 hours from New York, 15 minutes from New Paltz and Kingston.

Sparrow Hawk B&B www.sparrowhawkbandb.com 845-687-4492

Visit www.innsales.com for more listings.Do you have an inn for sale? You can reach smart innkeeping professionals by advertising your inn for sale here in the next issue of Innkeeping Quarterly (IQ).

For this an other advertising placements in IQ, please contact Marlene Sapir at 800-468-PAII or [email protected].

Historic Inn & Restaurant In the heart of the Berkshires, MAAward-winning, completely renovated full service historic Inn, 14,000 square feet; individually designed guest rooms with private bathrooms; fireplaces, wireless internet access; beautiful restaurant with professional kitchen & full liquor license; organic orchard, herb and vegetable gardens on picture perfect grounds for large exquisite weddings, special events & catering. Beautiful owner’s quarters with fireplace. Exquisite manicured property with exceptional landscaping in the heart of the Berkshires with many amenities & expansion possibilities on separate building lot (incl. in sales price), only few minutes to all major Berkshire attractions, ski areas & Tanglewood—The summer home of the Boston Symphony. Owners will provide detailed training during transition period as well as assistance for all reserved weddings in 2007. (Reservations already for 2008.) Ideal opportunity for Innkeepers, Chefs or Investors with endless possibilities and growth potential in one of the most beautiful resort areas in New England, “The Berkshires.” Very well established clientele and repeat business. The Berkshires are a four-season premier cultural and recreational resort area of New England in Western Massachusetts; only 21/2 hours from New York City & Boston. Price: $2,200,000 (incl. turn-key & completely furnished business).

Contact: [email protected]

Serving Afternoon Tea?Give customers The Tea House Times.Bulk rates. Free listing inside & at website. [email protected] The place people go to find places for tea!

Victorian House Scones, LLCSimplify your morning rush! Superb homemade scones with minimum effort. Wholesale pricing: www.victorianhousescones.com/ innkeepersoffer.htmlwww.victorianhousescones.com877.749.1943

classifieds

1st Travelers Choice ....................................22

B&B Team, The ...............................................4

Bob Hope & Associates ................................2

Comerica Bank ...............................................7

CPM ................................................................18

George W. Gardner Associates .................12

Granny’s Tea Cozies .....................................21

James Wolf Insurance ................................14

FLBed-BreakfastsForSale.com ..................20

Lanier, Pamela (Guides) ............................ IFC

Markel Insurance.........................................19

Merriam Insurance ......................................17

Mid-Atlantic Conference ............................13

NPC...................................................................8

PAII .......................................................15, OBC

RezOvation ....................................................23

TMG, Inc. .................................................... IBC

Advertisers’ Index

Sneak Preview from the new 2006 Industry Study of Operations & Finance

94% of guest rooms in B&Bs have private baths73% of B&Bs are in buildings that are 76 years or olderAverage rate for B&Bs was $159 in 2006, increasing at a compound average annual rate of 3% since 2003Average occupancy for 2006 was 42%72% of B&Bs have been in business 7 years or longer66% have been operated by the current owner for 4 years or more

•••

•••

PAII’s Industry Study is the premiere research tool for all innkeepers, aspiring innkeepers, and everyone else (bankers, for example) who need to know the nuts and bolts of the industry. PAII members get it first, so if you’re not a PAII member, send an e-mail to [email protected] or call 800.468.7244 to make sure you get a copy as soon as it’s available.

Source: The Highland Group

summer 2007 innkeeping quarterly (iq)

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