Recently I had the assignment of discussing and defining location for some 40 aspiring Innkeepers.  It turned out that my perceptions were not needed.  Without exception all 40 had fantastic locations.  The most interesting may have been the young man who planned to develop three room spa inn at the terminus of a several mile dirt road in a wilderness area.  When asked why this was a good location, he cited the spectacular views from his mountain top.

Others were more mundane, but cited several generic activities, such as hiking, skiing, cultural events, educational institutions (?), etc.  All these activities are widely established, and include important assets in building packages and events that will entice the Inn guest to choose your message over others available.

Location has another more profound impact on Inn and Bed and Breakfast businesses.  It is critical that the location of the Inn be in an area that is already a recognized leisure travel destination.  No matter how good your marketing is, you do not have the resources, financial or otherwise, to market both an area and an Inn.

Your core business should be to guests who have already chosen a destination and are seeking a facility within that defined area that meets their needs.  These are not the only guests you will have but they will be your core business around which you will build your success.

I often say you need others to do a large part of your marketing for you.  Without that support the mountain of success is too steep, even if the view at the top is spectacular.

Sometimes it is hard to yield to long held prejudices.  Looking at Bed and Breakfast models is one of those areas where I have resisted recognizing an emerging (or emergent) mode as a viable route for aspiring Innkeepers.

For many years we have preached that an Inn or Bed and Breakfast with fewer than eight rooms was not a viable entity.  And from a strictly business measurement, this was and is true.  However, today most B & B’s have six or fewer rooms.  The turning point for me was information from the PAII  (Professional Association of Innkeepers International) Industry Study.  Similar numbers from the 2006 and 2008 studies showed that over 80% of Inns with five rooms or less did not view their B & B as their primary source of income.  In recent cases, this meant that one of a couple held a job outside the B & B.  The owners of B & B’s this size did not usually make a clear distinction between home and B & B.

In other words, they saw most expenses as being related to their home.  Whether they operated as a B & B or not, they would have real estate taxes, insurance, utilities, maintenance, etc.  Since typically staff is minimal to non-existent, the expenses unique to B & B operation are minimal.  When you add some expenses to the business the tax benefits add to the equation.

Of course all is not champagne and roses (except of course for the guests),  the business ties you down; the working partner returns from work to … work!  There are all those guests to put up with. 

Finally when it comes time to sell, the real estate value usually trumps what business value can be eked out of numbers that are not meaningful to a buyer.  In other words, the hard work of building some business that worked for the owner does not work for a new situation.  The result is that there is no final reward for the business effort, but in some cases renovations to enhance the business can have a negative effect on the saleability and value of the property.

That being said, I have come to recognize the validity of the smaller B & B as a lifestyle as long as the owners recognize the business limitations.

“Look in the mirror and that is your guest?”

Really, me? Foliage is now almost behind us; how well did you survive this season? Each step that I take, as I walk through our woods, the leaves rustle under my boots, they are brown and wet! Yes, for the last 3 weeks I have had to wear my boots on my trail; it is wet everywhere! The guy that cuts our lawn gets stuck on the far side of the lawn, in mud! Vermonters support their towns, in a remarkable effort to rebuild and Innkeeper’s with every cheer and strength left in them, welcomed those who came to see the leaves! Many stayed in their favorite Inns, ate those local peaches, blueberries and apples, anyway! Inns I spoke with had a great foliage…are exhausted and tired now, ready for a jaunt to the Bahamas or some other relaxing place.

But, as always I try to challenge you about your Inn’s milieu, your personal focus, your attention of what you are passionate about?  We said this 31 years ago in our seminars: “look in the mirror and that is your guest”. What, a German Immigrant?  I am still saying it, but my audience is younger and hip and at the cutting edge “techies”! Are they your guests? I bet they are! If you bought your Inn 10 years ago and you have not up-graded each room, you got a problem. Don’t tell me that your guests don’t want flat-screen TVs, or connection to the internet? And that they love all the trinkets that you so painstakingly collected and poised like trophies on each flat surface. They need the night table free for their stuff: their I-pod, their glasses, their snacks or glass of wine.

Who wants to free the bed of its 10 pillows? They used to make a statement; today they are considered an inconvenience!

Well, that is enough! What has not changed? It is your commitment to service, your warm and welcoming touch!

So look in that mirror and remember time has passed, material things have changed, décor is more simple, cleanliness, and fine linens are still part of the elegant experience the guests expects and that they gladly pay for. There is nothing that replaces your gracious hospitality: as the new inn-goer, that young couple enters your doorway and your warm welcome greets them and smells of freshly baked cookies wafts into their nostrils. Think about it, how has your Inn changed?

Have a great few weeks to unwind! Heide

Good News!

You may worry about the national economy, but our little Inn and Bed & Breakfast piece of it appears to be in full rally. Our 10 room Palm Springs B&B had a good year in 2010. Still, the first six months of 2011 are showing a 15.7% increase in revenue and a 10.3% increase in occupancy. What was a good price at $1,350,000 has just become much better.

Our New Hampshire Inn and Spa reports a $70,000 increase in cash flow for the first seven months of the 2011 fiscal year.

Take advantage of a buyer’s market and historically low interest rates. Talk to us about opportunities that fit your tastes and pocket books.

June 27, 2011

I awoke this Morning to the sun shining through my windows, the leaves shiny green the trees’ bark intensely dark from the continued rain of the past 5 days! Chocolat, my favorite hound, stretching one long arm and paw up on my bed to remind me to get going! I know, I know already Ginger, our orange cat, had paraded on the beam over our heads and had meowed insistently, quietly but audible… that the time had come! Who needs an alarm clock? Even if the time is only 5 A.M.!  By 6 A.M. the cats and dog have been fed, Chocolat and I are off to feed the birds: woodpeckers, morning doves, blue jays, and those little song birds that trill away in the woods. Their profusion of color and flitting about with their tiny bodies, their different sizes amazing! My dishes done we are off for that quiet time through the woods. A time among the trees, the wild creatures, that I seldom see, but their scats, scratch marks are evident and their scent propels Chocolat, nose down, crisscrossing the woods, at high speed.

If it rains, snows or blows we walk through the woods. I am grateful that I have no choice, for my dog needs her walk. For me it is my time alone, no phone, no iPod, just prodding up a hill and down thinking about life, my family, my friends, my work, future plans and little nuggets pop up here and there!

A few days ago, as I saw these mushrooms popping up, I thought of my step-mother (my mother had died when I was about 2 and a half) making soup and asking me to go out and find some chanterelles for garnish. That memory was potent; her soup was great! That chicken stock had smelled the house out all day Saturday…the egg-drop and the mushrooms sautéed in butter, delicious…I had not thought about this Sunday- noon meal forever! And that next day I made such a delicious concoction for my friends for dinner!

But my thoughts seldom wander to foods, and it is that commitment to walk my dog each day that gives me the reason and forces me to give myself these private moments!  Those times to reflect on things that are important to me are precious!

Life is hectic, busy and especially as Inn-keepers, or as Inn-consultants, we are consumed by the details and wonderful guests/ clients that wander in and out of our lives. Without a plan, a reason to discipline ourselves, days slip into weeks and month…

Why am I telling you all this, because in those moments of being alone we can see things about ourselves, it feels good to change, to grasp that we alone hold the key to success and contentment. Have fun, have a grateful heart, stay well and have a great summer and smell the roses in your wonderful gardens!

Visit our website and browse pictures of some beautiful inns for sale with great relaxation spots!

Heide

I just finished reading a great article in the Asheville Citizen Times all about the Haywood County area in N.C. “where there are plenty of places to rest your heads.”

What a great introduction to a lot of the Inns in the Mountains around Asheville! There was even a picture of the Andon-Reid Inn owners, in Waynesville, and a description of the generous hospitality they offer.

Innkeepers have always known that they need to multi-task, but today’s tasks don’t just involve the rooms, the beds, or the décor.  Today’s hospitality is all about hi-tech connections like Wi-Fi, iPod hookups, lap-top online availability and online reservations and promotions for things to do when getting there!

Did anyone read the PAII May’s newsletter and Jay Karen’s frustration with the poor photography on so many websites of Inns?  I thought it refreshing! Your website is the first impression for your potential guests as they cruise for a place to stay. Should it be you’re very best? I think so; competition is the challenge and the reward of Innkeeping, are you ready to step up to the plate? Have some personal fun downtime and visit another Inn!

Heide

http://www.citizen-times.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2011305280015

We are currently observing radical change in the Middle East.  But in fact, most change is evolutionary.  It occurs quietly, often unnoticed even by active participants.  In fact, active participants are often less aware of the constant but minuscule changes taking place.

The Bed and Breakfast world does not escape the evolutionary changes in taste and guest expectations.  The bed and its treatment, is a prime example of the constant and often overlooked process.  When we first became involved in the Inn and Bed and Breakfast world, twin bedded rooms were common, if not dominant.  They were quickly replaced with double (now called standards) beds.  However, as taste changed and guests desired more upscale accommodations, popularity of queen sized beds began to dominate.  Slowly, despite my personal taste, the gold standard for size today is king.

Size may have no further to go, at least for now, but specialty beds, such as Tempurpedic and Sleep Number models are increasingly viewed as upscale amenities.

Change in the bedding has been as dramatic over time as bed size.  In the 1970’s sheets were commonly rented from a laundry, often with large “property of Custom Laundry” imprints visible on sheets and pillowcases.  These linens were often one grade above sandpaper.

Slowly, Bed and Breakfast’s purchased their linens, and gradually laundering moved to the Inn’s facility.  This allowed higher quality and began the age of color and or stripe and pattern sheets.  Today the gold standard is high thread count white cotton sheets.

Presently the bed and bedding has evolved to be a major marker of quality and awareness of contemporary tastes for Bed and Breakfasts.  The bed is white, with featherbed base and down comforter, with a throw for color and contrast.  The number of pillows is blessedly diminishing, while quality and choice increases.

When we stay at Bed and Breakfasts, we can usually get a quick read of the overall state of the Inn by the status of the bed.  Unfortunately, many Innkeepers, focused internally on their facilities, miss the near constant evolutionary changes in taste and expectation of their guests.  We have focused on the bed, but a similar evolution in décor, lighting, breakfast, amenities and services could be traced.  It is a small wonder that keeping abreast of change is a constant challenge.

Inn conferences, national, regional and statewide are important fora to help Innkeepers stay abreast of trends.  It is unfortunate that attendance at these conferences remains very low.  The result is an aging inventory of Bed and Breakfasts slipping behind the curve of change.  The pace of change will not slow.  It is critical that Innkeepers keep a watch external to their Bed and Breakfast.  If not, the Bed and Breakfast world will slip into irrelevance.

Bill

March 18, 2011

As you know, it’s that Morning snow-shoe trek through our woods that makes me reflect on things!  I do that walk every Morning with my favorite dog, Chocolat! Guess what? Today we had snow to accompany us! That is Vermont for you!

Last week we attended the Mid-Atlantic Inn-keeper Conference in Lancaster, PA. We had a great time meeting old friends and meeting lots of new folks attending the Aspiring Inn-keepers one day seminar.

What I loved the most was the relaxed, easy going style of the conference and the cutting edge stuff that was really exciting. Sunday evening we were welcomed by a gala dinner presented by Toby Diltz, Please look at their website: www.eaglesmereinn.com The amazing thing was that he made for all of us (about 80-100 attendees) dinner that night. We feasted from soup to dessert and with 3 different entrees to choose from, everything locally grown and locally raised! It was truly a feast! Delicious and very well presented!  The sauces over the desserts he had personally made from fresh berries he gathered in summer. It is amazing how much we can serve our guests that is locally produced… even in winter!

There was lots of information for everyone, but I am truly touched by ideas of what we individually can do to help our guest to have a memorable experience in our beautifully appointed Inns!

Another thought was the B&B Recycling Program, or B&B Partnership Program that allows you to send them all your left over soaps and they will reprocess them and send them to Third World countries, which are badly in need of soap, especially for the care of small children! Here is their address to ship your soap to: 400 Pittman St. Orlando, Fl.32801. Both, serving the local foods and the soap program are great marketing ideas. Well, I wish for the snow to melt and for all of you to have a great Spring!  Bill and I have lots of travel plans coming up! Those innpartners.com enjoy life and your gracious hospitality! Heide

January20, 2011

PAII really put on a terrific conference in Charleston, S.C. Did you miss it? I hope not! It was so much fun and so much new “stuff to grab hold”. So much is happening today, in our small segment of the hospitality business! If you have not joined PAII yet do it today, Your financial success depends on you staying on that cutting edge! Here is their website: www.paii.org. I have attended many PAII meetings but my spouse and partner, Bill Oates of: www.bill@innpatners.com has attended everyone one of these great gatherings since their inception!  And still each time we leave one of these conferences we are energized and re- vitalized. (Well that was probably all that dancing we did!)

If you contact PAII you can get some great tapes of all the presentations; there are many topics to choose from and all stimulating and challenging! And what a great turn out of vendors. Where else do you find the diversity, the quality of items that make our beds luxurious and our rooms statements of comfort and taste? But the great news at PAII was with its promotional campaign “A Better Way to Stay”,  we raised $ 100,000.00 and shaved Jay Karen’s beard! What excitement and fun was had by everyone!  Cheers, laughter and lots of applause!

But that’s not all the great news, PAII and my favorite Inn-keepers’ group “Select Registry” are committed to working together for the well-being of all of us in this great industry! Thank you, thank you, this is by far the best news that we can hope for:” united we are strong!” And less national meetings to attend to!

As the snowing is falling on the roofs in bucket loads here in Southern VT., I am thankful for all my winter gear, that I certainly did not bring to Charleston, S.C. and was that ever a mistake! The temperatures were 18 degrees and lower and the wind blew as if we where in Alaska! But I saw all my favorite new Inn-keepers, my most favorite old friends who are Inn-keepers, Inn-keeper’s emeriti’s and my friends among the vendors: Mark, hugs to you and Lewis!   I feel so lucky to have met so many of you in my 30 years working in this industry: first as a partner in Oates & Bredfeldt, but then as we are now known as today: Inn Partners: giving seminars, lectures at conferences doing evaluations consulting and trying to find the right buyer for your great Inn!  We have made many great matches. Watch out.  We are about to do some new ones! Happy New Year! Hugs, Heide