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

Why stay at Inns? I can’t believe when I stay at an Inn that I have never been to before, that there is yet one more way, that the Inn-keepers can be different, and running their Inn uniquely from any other place that I have been. Yes, it is partly the setting, it is always the charm and taste, that individual décor, the authenticity of the art work, the beautifully appointed public areas, an oriental rug, a painting, that just makes me breathe easy. I feel a sense of being in the right place, I feel my choice was more then I could have expected by visiting here; I feel at ease and I just can relax!

So where is this latest haven that we stumbled upon? Try the Guest House at Lost River.  It is in West Virginia among mountain tops. From my window I see well situated homes off in the distance on more mountain tops, its quiet here and the owners who built many of the fancy homes in the area, also created this rambling Inn. From our room we looked down on many rooftops and turrets, and there are decks for every accommodation and a pool to cool yourself among it all!

You can hike up roads, right off the property, bicycle and work out at the spa. Exercise and exhaust yourself and then opt for a massage… or sit in the hot tub. It is all so smoothly luxuriously easy. As the sun sets, twilight descends, fog lies on the mountain tops and the light of the homes twinkle like stars in the night. If you didn’t find a good book, or didn’t bring one either, it is really okay to absorb the serenity of this place. You might find a place to sit on a deck of the common room, might consider a cocktail, and sit by the beautifully crafted bar, and linger there until it is time to dine.

The Inn-keepers are relaxed, gracious and reserved and are always present to attend to your needs. The staff is cheerful and quietly going about doing their business: want to go away? Stay in well appointed rooms, get spoiled?  Well why not research their website: www.guesthouseatlostriver.com and speak with either Bob or David, the owners. I know that you will have a great stay there, and what amazing beauty lingers in those hills! Let’s go, see you there! Heide

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