Walking through our woods in early morning, the air fresh, Chocolat my Weimaraner, sprinting after a scent of maybe a bobcat, deer, porcupine, or chipmunk, pointing at birds, I revel in my good fortune of living in Vermont; on Newfane Hill and toiling in my favorite town, Brattleboro.

Those walks clear my head. But often my thoughts drift easily to Innkeepers I have met, become friends with, and have been privileged to see the changes that occurred to their relationship.

Many of them were at one point prospective Innkeepers, seeking a career that allowed for more autonomy, more freedom to be creative, and more in control of the product they could deliver, and with pride embrace their guests satisfaction and pleasure at having found them and their wonderful Inn.

It is satisfying to see a couple buy an inn and make it their own: there is their enthusiasm, plans to restructure rooms, remodel whole buildings sometimes, new furniture, new king-sized beds, new bathrooms, and maybe fresh flowers setting the final touches of elegance of meticulous décor.

I love this phase of creativity. If the money doesn’t run out, if they bought a viable business, this is the most exciting stage. Guests and owners smile with equal satisfaction and contentment.

So what are the issues, or maybe there are none! What I have observed is that life beyond the creative stage is repetitive; and like creating an Inn, and every so often recreating that Inn (at least every 7 years), our personal life seeks to evolve and we need to find time as individuals, and together as a couple, to reinvent ourselves.

And therein lies the difficulty. We are busy with the daily tasks; those must do lists, and the complications of the roles we assume and perform routinely, that we become unaware of  a sterility, a monotonous response, the lack of love and affection, stimulated by our own lack of interest in self awareness, personal growth.

A couple that I respect deeply are the Innkeepers at the Captain Lord Mansion, in Kennebunkport, Maine. After 30 years in Innkeeping they still have an impressive occupancy (even this summer). You will never visit their Inn without being aware of the changes and upgrades that have occurred since your last visit; but it is the Innkeepers that have evolved, have grown as individuals, have changed themselves. I have witnessed that over the years as they raised their family at the Inn, they reached a critical stage, where they personally had to take stock of their needs as individuals, as well as their need to respect each other as  different and individual, to come together again as a couple.

It is this unique milieu as Innkeepers, that breed of entrepreneurs that allows people again and again to reinvent and rejuvenate not only their Inn but even more importantly the owners. Bev and Rick are not the only stars in this industry but they are the ones that have the longest track record in the Innkeeping industry to my knowledge. Have a great summer!

Heide

After almost 30 years visiting Inns, giving seminars on Innkeeping, consulting in the transfer of hundreds of Inns and B&B’S, our commitment has not varied: we love the Inn business and are proud to be part of this hospitality niche. There is PAII and Select Registry to provide on-going training and updates on every imaginable segment of this business, but we here in Brattleboro, Vermont have tried our best not to let prospective Innkeepers buy Inns that are not right for them. Inns have to be viable businesses and you the prospective buyer need to love serving your guests. Sound easy? Well think again!

The greater hospitality marketplace has taken a hit in the economic slump; but not inns that have further dug into what they do best: giving the guests more than they asked for, eliciting the “wow” out of that satisfied guest.

That doesn’t mean that Inn owners are not worried. The game is that Innkeepers need to stay on top of the curve; being ambassadors to their area, marketing the highlights of their area such as art, music, mapping out hiking or biking trails, easy access to canoe rentals, telling the guests how they can enjoy themselves; and after their muscles ache, relax in the pub and luxuriate with a scheduled massage and dining over a fabulous meal of regional delicacies!

You think that double income person isn’t out there anymore, you are wrong! Chicago, Illinois’ greater area has towns like Galena to escape to, we visited the Bernadine’s Stillman Inn, as well as the Goldmoor, and saw that Mississippi river snaking through the pastoral green meadows and were impressed how much there is to do.

Seattle, Washington is another area. On the foot of Mount Rainier there is the Alexander Country Inn, not fancy but really comfortable, friendly and what a majestic area that Inn is situated in. And at an almost equal distance, there is the town of Seaview. If you love the Pacific Ocean , visit the Lewis and Clark exhibit on a rainy day, or go bicycling for 26 miles along the ocean, then stay at the Shelburne Inn. You might be lucky and the owner will serve you his fresh caught trout for breakfast.

What about Washington D.C. area, or New York and the out-lying towns around the Boston area; how about all the Inns I have visited in  North Carolina and  Georgia. Magic places, I could go on and on and on, there are many great Inns, caring Innkeepers to cater to your whims; who appreciate that you have chosen them and want to give you a piece of their rural world and their gracious hospitality.

Innkeepers are doing well, if they put their heart and soul into what they do! Isn’t that true for anything we do passionately? So go and stay at an Inn and have a great weekend! Heide

You know what really fascinates me are the way people are living their lives.  Reinventing themselves and re-reinventing themselves, again and again! It is the spirit in some of us that doesn’t want to stay in the same position at a job, or in a status position that doesn’t allow us to move any further up the ladder, or whatever the reason a person says: now what? This is my life and where can I make my mark?

Inn-keeping is all about You:  setting the stage, creating the scene, executing to the minutest detail all that happens to give the “Guest” a wow experience. You and your spouse, or significant other toiling together; morning and night, learning to share, divide tasks and still speak with each other as you go to bed at night.  All of this is not easy, but it is your dream, and you get your reward when your guests take your hand and beam:  “what a great time we have had here, we will be back, you are the world’s best Inn-keepers, ever!”

Peter Glaubitz and his wife Susan were just that kind of Innkeepers.  After life in the corporate hospitality field with no more room at the top, they bought the Inn. They worked hard, bought the Inn on a shoe-string, and made it a success, even for a spell had their daughter participate. They did all the things that needed to be done. Did them the best of their abilities, always aware not to compromise in the quality with which they did things. Peter said recently “whenever we tried to do things on a shoestring, it never lasted, and before we knew it we had to redo it.  Well, we learned!”

But even after Inn-keeping, Peter went on… facilitated the opening of a local museum in Eagles Mere, in great detail: family pictures and verbal family history of Eagles Mere “a town the world passed by.” What a state of the art is this museum. Peter was elected to be a town father, but even that is not enough; he uses his free time to give advice, at the Sweet Shop, a little luncheonette and ice-cream parlor. And he is always ready to look over the shoulders of the present Innkeepers at the Eagles Mere Inn, gladly advise where he is asked for advice!

The greatest attribute is his commitment to the hospitality industry, that was his first love and he continues to strive and bring value by being a board member of the Professional Association of Innkeepers International (PAII).

My hat is off to a man, who knew what he loves to do, but was brave enough to reinvent his area of influence in a very individual way, and risk taking that chance! Bravo! Heide

Here we are, after a 7 hour trek from Vermont, on a mountain top at 2100 feet. A pristine lake, deep and clear, in the middle of the town, with huge Victorian mansions built around the lake; some as early as 1850. The banks of mountain laurel and rhododendron garner the immediate path around the lake. It is beautiful, peaceful and the homes are testaments to old charm, taste and wealth; that even the new homes try to emulate in design and creativity to feel accepted and to partake in the ambiance.

We do seminars here and have for about 28 years, off and on at various seasons.

Around 13 Inns existed in the late 1800’s and into the 1900’s, today there are two: the Eagles Mere Inn and the Crestmont and we have frequented both, love their differences in food, service and style.

The strange and peculiarity of Eagles Mere is that its original population is the summer community of 1500, but the under-pinning, the workers that maintain this enclave of gracious living, are about 250 people. They seem to harmoniously strive to co-exist, each appreciating equally their shared existence!

But what breed of Innkeepers can succeed here? In one Inn I have witnessed four sets of Innkeepers come and go, the other Inn had three. What is it: The mountain air, the bears that come into town and climb a telephone pole, attracted by its hum, dreaming of a meal of honey, with snowflakes just about to descend? It is lonely up here in winter, the darkness comes early, the urban sophistication is left as windows of the grand mansions are sealed and shuttered.

There is no bridge game, no titillating conversations; to shop is hours away, movies as far and the culture of strive and busyness, theater, concerts are what the new Innkeeper thought they had gladly left behind. They embrace their guest gladly giving them that tranquility so needed after the corporate stress. But looking at the Innkeepers introspectively, how deeply had they embraced and understood their yearnings. This is a beautiful place, but winters are long up here. You are not part of that that old summer clan, but neither are your staff your best buddies! I have seen some sad partings, destructive acting outs, as well as seen some Innkeepers that loved this community with all their heart and reinvented themselves, and furthered this town’s vitality. I respect that no matter where we succeed at that. Heide

• Maine was relaxing, the ocean a vast vista. There are great Inns and Innkeepers up there! Heide #

• Maine was relaxing, the ocean a vast vista. There are great Inns and Innkeepers up there! Heide #

What a wonderful weekend and a gracious restful night at the Inn at Sunrise Point!  Not all of you need an excuse to travel; for us we had two reasons for our trip: to pick up our old, repainted and  restored  Brattleboro-made wooden chairs, vintage 1910 from the Windsor Chair Company in Lincolnville and  celebrating aging gracefully; 29 years of marriage!  (Come on you young and vigorous youngsters out there, try to hang in there as long as we have!)

It was a glorious car trip. It was breezy, sunny, and just beautiful to see those blue snippets of ocean around Portland, and up Route 1; blue-grey coves and jutting inland here and there and the trees blowing gracefully in the wind.  Always unexpected, curved inlets, sails floating far off on the horizon, and the towns, teeming with white buildings on both sides of the road, boats in the harbors and tourists beginning to cover the side-walks; we loved it all! Our eyes and noses taking it in, sights and smells: so different than Vermont.

Getting to the Inn late afternoon, we saw the ocean lapping against the rocks below the Inn’s lawn, a tranquil sight. Three sets of white wicker chairs poised to look into the ocean, and a wooded island framing this perfect setting. An older couple leaning toward each other, their hats firmly in place, seemed in harmony with all of the beauty and grace that surrounded them. Later we learned from our Innkeeper that this couple had been at the Inn for 10 days as a gift from the congregation where he is the Minister. Whoa, what a gift and it was deeply rewarding to see their appreciation.

But the greatest enjoyment came when we were greeted by our Innkeeper. She and her staff glowing in the roles they played to make everyone’s stay exceptional and the appreciation that existed among them. Her desk person said: “thank you for bringing Daina Hill to us; it is wonderful to work for her!”  How about that from a staff member? Daina attended our seminar and did an internship at the Arrowhead Inn, in Durham, N.C., but her professional life was as a successful lawyer!

Daina’s attention to details, in everything, her commitment to quality, her appreciation of individuals and their needs make her a terrific Innkeeper!

We spent one evening, and what a delightful, peaceful place it was for us! Bill, do you think that we can make it for another 29 years? Who knows? But I do know that if we have more evenings like that we can go on and on…. Heide

I have always thought, if you had a chance to change what you do to make a living, and Innkeeping comes to mind: well do it, but be passionate about it, or forget it!  Now why would I say that?  Because it takes a lot to make others (your guests, namely) feel the enthusiasm that you need to have, not only with: now you are your own boss; but that you love what you do, and the area, proud of where you are located, the values you share with the musicians, the artisan, the farmers, the caretakers of your environment.

Last weekend, we had our yearly parade of the “Strolling of the Heifers” What a big “to do” for our little town of Brattleboro, Vermont.  A community of about 12,800 residents!  Do I like a parade?  Not really!  But the streets were lined hours before, with 40,000 others in Town who came enthusiastically, and sat and waited!  As the first marching band hit the pavement; blaring their tunes and the bands strutting in formation down between brick buildings on either side; it was a festive celebratory event and inclusive of all the things that this community supports.

There were the individual farmers, their children, and staff leading the bulls, cows, calves, and even a bison! The local independent schools and the high school band (that performed for Obama, at the inauguration parade in Washington D.C. with my grandson playing the drums!) And more local bands, and social groups, some voicing their concerns creatively and in-between lots more local organic farmers carrying their signs, homemade: with pride. They are hiring young adults to produce local grown fruit and vegetables and sell them at their farm stands or at the Saturday Farmers Market. Our granddaughter, home from her first year in college, paraded as a ripe, large, delicious strawberry; she as well as the farmers she works for, caring deeply about our environment! But I loved the group of black clad cow-poop scooper-uppers prancing along the street and the bicyclists and gymnasts performing delightful stunts.

But in all of that hoopla-la, with the B&Bs filled, where were the Innkeepers in the parade? Did they market this incredible event? What an opportunity, to market our town, our local commitment to quality, talent, food vendors, and merchants.  Innkeeping is a quality involvement on a very local level; guests love to know about exciting, different things to do, they want memorable experiences and we craft them by our own enthusiasm in what is happening in our area!  Let’s join the Parade!  Have a good week!  Heide

I hope that I am not boring you with my travel logs and my deep affection for the people that I meet along the road, mostly at Inns.  How about flying to Seattle, Washington, renting a car and getting on the road: past Tacoma on to Aberdeen then Highway 101 all the way to the Pacific?

The dark pines, the winding two lane road allowed for a more leisurely trip. I hate to see the strip cutting, big swatches of bare deforested land, and then the dark stretches on both sides of the road: pines, majestic and dense.

The innkeepers we visited, Laurie Anderson and David Campiche, loved this part of the world.  Especially David, he writes a column for the local papers. He took us to isolated places along the river that leads to the ocean…that is where Louis and Clark came along, and this is where they encountered the Pacific. Right here! What a historic spot! Here up on the hill is the Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center, what a great time we had there.

Full of knowledge of the history of the area, fishing places, birds, and if at their home or in the Inn: antiques are loaded on shelves, tables, collections, cherished collectables everywhere! Books and art and furniture, it’s a collector’s haven.  Can you guess what they did before they became Innkeepers? You guessed right, they imported antiques, mostly from overseas.

At breakfast David prepared mushrooms and fried up a local fish that some person just happen to bring by! Breakfast was delicious!

Laurie shared all of the creative bends and trends, her gift shop at the Inn held some incredible locally made jewelry and pottery and handcrafted ivory items, some were imported. Some afternoons women sat in the entry room, by the fireplace, knitting and chatting, and at other days she volunteered for the visiting bureau. Always busy, and always recognizing the need to promote the place they love.

She was in charge of the mundane tasks of maintaining the Inn, after 23 years making everything look perfect and making the bread for dinner and breakfast seem to wear her down a bit.

She didn’t ride with us the next morning along the ocean on the 26 mile bicycle path (and how could she, I was using her bicycle!), but Bill, David and I had a great ride.

You know they are such interesting people; you should go visit them and see for yourselves. The whole town is a resort community; not fancy, but comfortable with easy access to everything should you have forgotten something.

Exhausted each evening from all the exploring we did, when I packed my suitcase to move on I hate to leave. Well, talk to you soon. Heide

• Today is Linda, our long-standing super support person’s B-day. Hurray for Linda! #
• Hi everyone, seen our blog? http://www.billandheide.com. Have some fun #
• Great long weekend is coming up, hike, bike and stay at a great Inn! #
• Hi JoAnn; Have fun and make it a great memory! Heide #