Summer 2008 Innkeeping Quarterly (IQ)

Summer 2008 • Volume 2, Issue 3IQsmart reading for smart innkeeping

innkeeping quarterly

Bring on the Babymooners

One of the hottest trends in travel today

18Whole Grain Seeded Snapper Crackers

Make your own crackers with this special recipe

25Good Photography: Essential Marketing Tool

And the basis for an effective Internet presence

Professional Association of Innkeepers International

9

Pricing Decisions The Importance of

in Innkeeping page 5


IQsmart reading for smart innkeeping


cover story

5 The Importance of Pricing Decisions in Innkeeping

Part one of a two-part series

feature articles

9 Bring on the Babymooners

14 Creating Ecotourism Packages

departments

3 Key Notes

13 Innkeeper 2 Innkeeper

18 Food Glorious Food

22 2008 PAII Conference and Trade Show Wrap-up

25 Marketing Matters

35 Tech Talk

40 PAII News and Information Center

44 Inn Sales

39 Advertisers’ Index

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

Summer 2008 • Volume 2, Issue 3

NEW!

4429 SBA_HotelAd_PAII_8.5x11.indd 1 7/13/07 10:50:33 AM

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 Ingrid Thorson, 856-310-1102, [email protected].

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

IQ Staff:Contributing Editors: John Felton Laura Middleton Ingrid Thorson

Contributing Writers: Dan Arendt Tim Brady Jay Karen Lisa Petrocelli Peter Reinhart Liza Simpson Sandy Soule

Design: Imbue Creative

Advertising Sales: Marlene Sapir

PAII Staff:Jay Karen President and CEO

Karen Hudgeons Director of Membership & Member Services

Michele McVay Director of Education & Events

Marty DeLuca Bookkeeper

Laura Middleton Communications Coordinator

Marlene Sapir Vendor Services & Sales

Ingrid Thorson Marketing & Communications Manager

IQsmart reading for smart innkeeping

Key NotesNow is the Time

Now is the time. Yes, now is the time to make a promise to your-self and your business — that

you will be more successful and hap-pier next year. You are probably re-ceiving this at a time when the inn is full, unreasonable requests are being made of you (“I prefer only freshly, hand-squeezed orange juice, thank you very much”) and you’re ready to pull your hair out. Nevertheless, I’m asking you to make a New Year’s Res-olution in the middle of the summer. That resolution needs to be that you will break away from your inn — for just a few days — and come to the new and improved “Innkeeping Con-ference & Trade Show” next spring. The dates are March 30 – April 2 and the location will be the Hyatt Regency in downtown Atlanta, one of the easi-est cities to reach on the continent.

Summertime is when business is in full swing, guests are coming in and out of your inn every day and when next year’s conference may be the far-thest thing from the top of your mind. But, we have a special offer for all inn-keepers who register by August 15th. If you register by that date, you will have a choice of either receiving a free DVD set of all recorded presenta-tions from the 2008 PAII Conference (a $249 value), or a free Conference

Protection policy on your registration fee (a $400+ value). With the insurance, if you need to cancel for any reason at any time, you will get your full registra-tion back. In addition, the policy will cover additional loses, if you have a cancellation fee with the hotel and other fees airlines may charge you for having to cancel. So, you see — it’s a risk-free investment in a new, more successful and happier you! You won’t be sorry. In my humble, but obviously biased, opinion, it’s the best money you can spend on your business and yourself. Seldom can we find an innkeeper or aspiring inn-keeper who didn’t think it was worth the time and expense. The event will be fun, exciting and chock full of net-working and education for innkeep-ers at all levels of experience. Just go to www.innkeepingshow.com to register today. It will only take a few minutes. Do it while there’s a little cash in the kitty and while you are feeding off the energy of the frenetic activity going on in your inn. You deserve it!

Jay KarenPresident & CEO


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“Is there a line on your bank deposit slip for the number of rooms that were booked at your inn?” I ask

this rhetorical question when speaking to innkeepers about pricing strategies. I also ask, “Does your occupancy rate fund your retirement account?” I bring attention to pricing strategies when I travel through-out the country, because I believe it’s one of the most neglected business decisions in innkeeping. I also contend that pricing decisions will impact your bottom line more than just about any other decision you can make as an innkeeper. If that’s the case, then why do innkeepers avoid the pricing issue? Fear of the unknown. “What will happen if I raise my prices? Will my customers still support me? Will I get more business if I lower my price? What do I do?”

In the absence of an answer to that question, innkeepers may inevitably do little or make bad decisions. In fact, a 2001 article in Harvard Business Review by Joel Urbany brings to light the fact that experienced managers have little confi-dence in their pricing strategies. Urbany writes, “Your company sells sunglasses for $10. The unit cost is $7. You’re thinking about cutting the price by 50 cents. Accord-ing to the best sales estimates, if you hold the price, you’ll have a 100% chance of sell-ing 1,000 units. If you cut the price to $9.50, you’ll have an 80% chance of selling

1,250 units, and a 20% chance of selling only 1,000. What should you do?

Statistically speaking options A and B are identical: Each produces a $3,000 profit. And since Option A is risk-free, it might seem like the logical choice. Yet when 60 managers responsible for pricing decisions were asked this question, most opted to re-duce the price. When they were told that competitors were likely to match the cut, most still chose the cheaper price point. Even when they were informed that a new demand fore-cast showed that the cut would actually lead to lower profits, the majority still wanted to reduce the price.”

Urbany indicates that this study, along with others, reveal that pricing managers too often set prices too low, dramatically cutting into company profits. The bottom line, Urbany believes, is that managers are swayed by short-term thinking, rather than long-term profitability.

Consider this very basic example:

1,000 room nights at $100 =

$100,000 in revenue1,250 room nights

at $80 =

If you cut your room rate by 20%, you will need to increase your sales by 25% just to get back to the same top line. How much effort do you think an innkeeper will have to give in order to draw in 25% more guests? Most innkeepers would

shudder to think about the marketing and sales efforts that would go into in-creasing room nights sold by 25%. It would be good to remember this basic example when considering price changes.

Think back to economics class in high school or college. Do you remember the phrase, “price elasticity of demand”? To understand proper pricing, one must un-derstand price elasticity of demand. For the most part, luxury items are deemed to be elastic, meaning that if price goes down, demand will go up. For example, if the price of Apple’s iPhone suddenly lowers from $499 a unit to $100 a unit, more people will go out and buy iPhones. Maybe they’ll even buy two or more for the same household. Food and other necessities, on the other hand, are usually considered inelastic. If you knew that the price of milk was going down fifty per-cent, you would likely still buy the same amount of milk next week that you bought this week. Demand remained constant regardless of the price cut.

At first thought, an innkeeper might think that staying at an inn is elastic, be-cause it is considered a luxury expense rather than a necessity. An innkeeper may think, “If I lower my rates, then demand for my inn will increase and I will benefit by selling more rooms, more gift shop items, etc.” Closer examination could very well reveal a different outcome and that

The Importance of Pricing Decisions in Innkeepingby Jay Karen

This article, the first in a two-part series, will focus on the psychology and economics of pricing. Part two, which will be printed in the fall issue of IQ, will cover tactics for addressing your own pricing.


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staying at inns is inelastic. One impor-tant variable in this equation is time. While price may go down, consumers generally have a relatively fixed number of days they are willing to travel. Maybe it’s out of habit or their own household economic condition, or the number of va-cation days given each year by employers. In this day and age, time is a precious resource that consumers take very seri-ously. Time on the golf course could mean time away from family, other inter-ests or even work. Even if I’m an avid traveler or “inngoer” who stays at inns six times per year — and I see that the price at my favorite inn has gone down by fifty percent, that doesn’t necessarily mean I’m going to now travel twice as much. In fact, I’m not likely to, because I don’t have the time. What has that price slash-ing done for the innkeeper? Nothing but lower the top line and hurt the bot-tom line.

Michael Marn and Robert Rosiello contend in their article, “Managing Price, Gaining Profit” in the Harvard Business Review, that “the fastest and most effec-tive way for a company to realize its max-imum profit is to get its pricing right. The right price can boost profit faster than in-creasing volume will; the wrong price can shrink it just as quickly.” When looking at companies with average economics, it becomes clear how important pricing is. Marn and Rosiello illustrate the impact of pricing changes in comparison to changes in costs and sales volume, or in our case in innkeeping, occupancy.

Marn and Rosiello continue their les-son by pointing out that “the price lever is a double-edged sword.” The messages of the chart also apply in reverse: a mere 1% price decrease for an average company, for instance, would destroy 11.1% of the company’s operating profit dollars.”

For most items they buy, consumers really don’t know what they should be

paying, according to Eric Anderson and Duncan Simester in “Mind Your Pricing Cues.” They point to the television show The Price is Right to illustrate their point. “The inaccuracy of guesses is legendary, with contestants often choosing prices that are off by more than 50%. Consum-ers’ knowledge of the market is so far from perfect that it hardly deserves to be called knowledge at all.”

If I asked you: “What does a piece of chocolate cake cost? What about a pair of running shoes? What’s a good price for a television?” In each case, I’ll bet your answer would be, “it depends.” And that’s true! The same holds true for rooms at bed and breakfasts. Inngoers don’t know what it should cost to stay at your inn; they rely on you to tell them. Innkeepers shouldn’t think of their product as commodity, where price is probably the only factor a consumer will examine. The beauty of our industry is that each and every inn is different, so innkeepers should have confidence about an individualistic pricing strategy. While it is always helpful to examine competi-

tors pricing, your inn is not your com-petitor’s inn.

To further illustrate my point about consumers not having a grasp on pricing, consider the March 2008 Journal of the American Medical Association. In this jour-nal, and as reported in the Los Angeles Times, “researchers found that people given identical pills got greater pain relief from the ones they were told cost $2.50 than from one supposedly costing 10 cents.” This is not to say that inngoers will believe their stay was better at an inn that charges $250 per room, than one that charges $85 for a room. The point is that consumers rely on your signals and decisions around price more than you may think.

Lastly, let’s look at what Minet Schin de hutte and Michael Morris call “entrepreneurial pricing” in “Pricing as Entrepre neurial Behavior.” They draw distinctions between cost-based and mar-ket-based pricing decisions, risk-averse and risk-assumptive, reactive and proac-tive, and standardization and flexibility. Shindehutte and Morris say:

Fixed Cost

Volume

Variable Cost

Price

Comparison of Profits Levers*

1% Improvement in:

11.1%

7.8%

3.3%

2.3%

Creates Operating Profit Improvement of…

*Based on average economics of 2,463 companies in Compustat aggregate.Source: Marn and Rosiello


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Jay Karen is President and CEO of the Professional Association of Innkeepers International. His blog on innkeeping can be found at http://innkeepingblog.blogspot.com.

“Cost-based pricing finds manage-ment placing far more emphasis on covering its own costs than on other determinants of price (demand condi-tions, competitive market structures, company marketing strategy, and so on). It typically involves a reliance on some sort of cost-plus, keystone, or target- return formula. Market-based pricing is more customer-centered; the princi-pal purpose is to reflect the amount of value a customer is getting from the firm’s total product offering.

Risk-averse pricing represents the conservative approach. Prices are modi-fied only when absolutely necessary, price levels are kept in close proximity to those of competitors, and the price structure is kept as simple as possible. Risk-assumptive pricing finds manag-ers employing pricing schemes that are novel, untested, and have the potential to produce revenue loses.

Reactive pricing involves mimicking the price moves of competitors, respond-ing after the fact to customer signals, and adjusting prices only after a change in regulations or a new technological breakthrough that radically affects costs. Proactive means taking a leadership role not only in changing prices but in being the first to introduce new pricing structures and payment schemes. It also reflects more aggressiveness in pricing, as well as speed in adjusting prices to reflect new opportunities.

Standardization is reflected in a tendency to charge a universal price for one’s product or service regardless of the user, the buying situation, or the environmental (including competitive) contingencies. Flexibility finds the com-pany varying prices based on segment or user elasticities and time and place of purchase, as well as in response to opportunities for product or service un-bundling or bundling, or anticipated or

actual moves by competitors, among other factors.”

The authors contend that “the success of companies in virtually all industries depend more and more on their ability to engage in pricing that is marked-based, risk-assump-tive, proactive and flexible.” They call this “entrepreneurial pricing.” As an innkeeper, you should ask yourself if you’re employing an entrepreneurial approach to your pricing decisions.

If you are interested in changing the bottom line of your business, it might be time to take a closer look at how you’re approaching pricing. Realizing how important price is to your bottom line, coupled with the contention that business owners and managers have more authority and control than customers in the pricing game, how will you change your pric-ing practices moving forward? Stay tuned for an article in October that will provide concrete ideas on what you can do to be more entrepreneur-ial with pricing. ■

References“Are Your Prices Too Low?” Joel E. Urbany.

Harvard Business Review. October 1, 2001.

“Commercial Features of Placebo and Therapeutic Efficacy.” Waber et al. Journal of the American Medical Association. March 2008.

“Managing Price, Gaining Profit.” Michael V. Marn, Robert L. Rosiello. Harvard Business Review. September 1, 1992.

“Mind Your Pricing Cues.” Eric Anderson, Duncan Simester. Harvard Business Review. September 1, 2003.

“Pricing as Entrepreneurial Behavior.” Minet Schindehutte, Michael H. Morris. Business Horizons. July 15, 2001.


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Sporting creative names like “Last Hurrah”, “Bundle of Joy” and “Bliss Before Baby”, the babymoon vaca-

tion package is one of the hottest trends in travel today.

For many expecting couples, taking a babymoon getaway has moved to the top of the pre-baby “to do” list. According to a survey by BabyCenter®, a popular on-line resource for new and expectant par-ents, 59% of new parents have taken a babymoon and more than two million babymoons are taken by U.S. parents-to-be each year.

The term “babymoon” was coined by British author and childbirth educator Sheila Kitzinger. Originally, it was de-fined as the period of time after a baby’s birth that the family spends alone to-gether, to facilitate bonding between parents and baby. In recent years, the meaning of the word “babymoon” has grown to include the pre-baby getaways taken by expecting parents.

Babymoons and B&Bs — A Perfect CombinationAlthough babymoon vacation packages originated in larger hotels and resorts, in recent years inns and B&Bs have begun to see their share of babymooners. Many expecting couples want to forgo the hus-tle and bustle of a large resort and opt for a smaller, low-key setting for their babymoons. The personal service offered by an intimate inn or bed and breakfast is a perfect fit for these couples.

In addition, many expecting couples are hesitant to travel far from home and prefer to stay within reach of their per-sonal physicians, particularly during the later stages of pregnancy. For these cou-

ples, a drive-in babymoon destination is the answer. For some couples, an added draw of a close-to-home or “backyard babymoon” is that they will usually end up saving money and vacation time—both of which will likely be needed when the baby arrives.

At the Old Brick Inn located in St. Michaels, Maryland, Innkeeper Sallie Cwik decided to create the inn’s baby-moon package when she noticed an increase in the number of expecting cou-ples staying at the inn. Since its incep-tion over two years ago, The Old Brick Inn babymoon package has continued to grow in popularity. Sallie reports that she books about 4–8 babymoon pack-ages per month.

Create a Winning Babymoon PackageSo, just what are babymooners looking for on these pre-baby jaunts? Most cou-ples are simply looking for relaxation, quality time together and a little bit of pampering. Babymoons tend to be a bit more indulgent than regular vacations and babymoon packages should feature at least a few indulgences.

When creating a babymoon package for The Beall Mansion in Alton, Illinois, hosts Jim and Sandy Belote wanted to in-clude amenities that would make a very special and memorable getaway for ex-pecting couples. According to Jim, the in-room massage for two is the most popular babymoon package amenity, but it is the jar of pickles presented at check-in that elicits the most “Wows!”.

The best babymoon packages include something for everyone — mom and dad-to-be, as well as the new baby. That is

exactly what innkeepers Lesley and Dick Marquis had in mind when they created the Last Hurrah babymoon package at The Rosewood Country Inn in Bradford, New Hampshire. According to Lesley, they imagined themselves as babymoon-ers and thought about what they would enjoy if this was their last pre-baby get-away. His and her massages were the first items on the list. Then, for a touch of romance, they added a quiet in-room picnic with sparkling cider to enjoy after the massage. For the new baby, they in-cluded a teddy bear and a photo album for baby’s first pictures.

When designing a babymoon pack-age, get creative and have some fun. Here are a few ideas to get you started.

Spa Treatments●● — Include a relaxing spa treatment onsite or partner with a local spa for services. Be sure the ser-vice provider is trained and experi-enced in prenatal spa services.Spa Baskets●● — Babymoon packages that don’t include spa treatments can still provide a spa-like experience. Put together a basket of high-end bath and skincare products. Look for prod-ucts that are tailored to the unique skincare needs of pregnant women.Novelty Item●● — This is the “wow fac-tor” item. It can be simple like a jar of pickles for mom or something cute and cuddly for the new baby. The novelty item clearly tells an expecting

Bring on the Babymoonersby Lisa Petrocelli


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couple that you acknowledge and ap-preciate this important time in their lives. When presented upon check-in, it sets the tone for special treatment and pampering during the getaway.Romantic Dinner●● — Consider a gift certificate to a local restaurant, a ro-mantic in-room dinner or a gourmet picnic dinner served al fresco.Sweet Treats●● — Popular babymoon sweet treat items include chocolate covered strawberries, cravings menus where guests can select their choice of cakes and other sweets, cookies and milk at bedtime, and ice cream treats including in-room sundae bars. If pos-sible, include a regional specialty to make the babymoon package unique.

When including a beverage, be sure to make it non-alcoholic.Items for Baby●● —The possibilities are endless for cute baby items to in-clude in a babymoon package. How about baby’s first piggy bank or an attractive photo frame? Promote your inn’s brand with a baby onesie, sleeper, or bathrobe that bears your inn’s logo/name. When one popular babymoon resort started including baby ducky slippers in its babymoon package, they became such a hit with non-babymooning guests that the resort’s gift shop couldn’t keep them in stock.Late Check-out●● —Talk about an in-dulgence! How many opportunities

will expecting couples have to sleep-in once the baby arrives? Baby Shopping Resource●● — It costs virtually nothing to print a card listing the names, store hours and directions to local baby boutiques and children’s stores. Babymooning guests will ap-preciate this thoughtful touch and store owners will become your mar-keting partners (see marketing tips for more information). Baby Boutique Gift Certificates●● — Talk to the local baby boutique owner and you may find that she is very will-ing to deeply discount the price of gift certificates for the opportunity to in-troduce expecting couples to her store.Childbirth Education●● — Combining childbirth education with a baby-moon getaway is an emerging trend. These sessions (usually held on week-ends) appeal to busy couples who struggle to fit traditional childbirth classes into their schedules. Consider partnering with a childbirth educa-tor to offer a childbirth education babymoon getaway during your inn’s slow season.

A word of caution when creating your babymoon package: U.S. manufacturers of infant formula are contacting resorts and inns to offer free gift bags containing sam-ples of infant formula and other items and asking to have them included in babymoon packages. This practice has drawn the ire of several lactation and breastfeeding ad-vocacy groups. Inns and resorts that have included these items in babymoon pack-ages have been the target of negative e-mail campaigns and, in some cases, boycotts. Play it safe and steer clear of these items in your babymoon offering.

Babymoon Marketing StrategiesDoes it makes sense to create and market a specific babymoon package, or can you


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appeal to the babymoon market with an existing getaway or romance package? There are several reasons why it is worth the effort to develop and market a baby-moon-specific package.

First, by having an actual babymoon ●●

package and featuring it on your inn’s website, you stand to attract visitors who are searching online for baby-moon vacations and may not other-wise find your inn. Second, many inns are reporting an ●●

increase in the number of packages booked by dads-to-be as a surprise for their pregnant partners. Feedback from these bookings indicates that the dads-to-be appreciate the ease of selecting a package without having to tie together all the components themselves. They also enjoy the greater impact of their surprise when it comes with pregnancy-

related amenities versus just booking a room for a night or two. Likewise, when exploring babymoon ●●

options many couples are attracted to getaways that cater to their unique needs as an expecting couple rather than general romance packages.

While not necessary, it may be advan-tageous to develop a clever name for your babymoon package. A catchy name grabs attention and helps people remember your inn’s babymoon offering. Whether or not you choose to incorporate a clever name, be sure the word “babymoon” is included in the package name in order to attract those who are researching their babymoon options via the web.

Of course, creating a wonderful baby-moon package is only half the battle. Now you need to promote it. Use some

of these ideas to publicize and generate interest in your inn’s babymoon package.

Work Your Website●● — Be sure to include your babymoon package on your inn’s website. The package details should appear on a separate web page that is optimized for the word “babymoon” and related keywords (for example, Boston Babymoon). For increased exposure, add a line or graphic related to your babymoon package on your website homepage.Issue a Press Release●● — Of course you should issue a press release when you introduce your babymoon pack-age, but don’t stop there. Mothers Day, Fathers Day, and Valentines Day, tie-in nicely to the babymoon niche and provide the perfect oppor-tunity to promote your inn’s baby-moon offering.

(continues, next page)


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Create Buzz!●● —Remember that nov-elty item you included in your baby-moon package? Well, now it’s time to put it to work! Sallie Cwik of the Old Brick Inn has perfected this strategy. Included with the Old Brick Inn baby-moon package is a floral arrangement in a cute, reusable nursery container. Sallie makes sure the arrangements are delivered early and then displays them prominently in the reception area until the babymooners arrive. According to Sallie, the arrangements always attract the attention of the other guests which invariably leads to questions about the babymoon package. She remembers a specific instance when, after inquiring about the flowers, a couple booked a babymoon package on the spot for their pregnant daughter and son-in-law.Tell Your Guests●● —This seems pretty obvious, but it is easy to overlook. If you blog, make sure to occasionally

post about your inn’s babymoon pack-age. Don’t forget to include informa-tion in your newsletter too. At the very least, have some color postcards or flyers describing your babymoon package lying around for your guests to see and pass along to their pregnant friends and relatives. See The Doctor●● —Most obstetricians’ offices provide new moms-to-be with pregnancy gift packs at their first doc-tors visit. Contact the office and ask to have your babymoon brochure or postcard included in these packs. Remember to contact local offices as well as those within a few hours’ drive of your inn.Promote at Baby Fairs●● — Regional Baby Fairs are typically sponsored by local parenting publications or retail-ers to introduce expectant parents to a vast assortment of pregnancy and baby related products and services. Seize this opportunity to promote your inn’s babymoon package by sponsoring a door prize (ex. a mid-week babymoon package) or advertis-ing in the baby fair directory.Maximize General Directory Listings ●● If you list on a general B&B directory, inquire whether they have a babymoon category. If so, be sure to add your inn’s babymoon package.List in Babymoon Directories●● —To attract a highly targeted audience, list your babymoon package with a baby-moon-specific online directory.Partner With Baby Boutiques●● — Re-member those baby boutiques and children’s stores you included on your babymoon shopping resource card? In exchange for recommending their store to your guests, ask them to display your babymoon package brochure at the checkout counter.Cross Promote With Pregnancy Ser-●●

vice Providers — Contact pregnancy

service providers in your area such as pre-natal yoga studios, childbirth ed-ucators, sonography clinics and preg-nancy spas to explore cross promotion opportunities.Make It Viral●● — Use babymooning guests to help spread the word about your inn’s babymoon package. Today, the use of personal blogs that chronicle all stages of an expecting couples’ preg-nancy is prolific. Capitalize on this trend by providing a memorable expe-rience that your babymooning guests will gush about on their pregnancy blogs. Offer to snap a keepsake baby-moon photo of the couple (posed in front of your inn’s sign, of course!). In this age of viral marketing, you may be surprised where that photo ends up!

Babymooners Make Wonderful GuestsMany innkeepers find it personally satis-fying to welcome babymooners to their inns. According to Jim Belote, co-host at The Beall Mansion, babymooning cou-ples bring with them a sense of joy and happiness that is often contagious to other guests. He adds that it is gratifying to see a sense of calm and relaxation in the expecting couple upon their departure.

Perhaps Lesley Marquis of The Rose-wood Country Inn sums it up best when she says, “Babymooners are wonderful guests! They’re so excited about every-thing that is happening to them. We really enjoy pampering them and making them relax. This is one of life’s most special times and we really enjoy being a part of it!” ■

Lisa Petrocelli is the Owner and Publisher of Babymoonguide.com — a babymoon va-cation directory and online travel resource for expecting couples.

She can be reached through her website at www.Babymoonguide.com or via e-mail at [email protected]


I Love blogs. Food and travel blogs top my list of fa-vorites but I also enjoy one on saving money, and one that follows the adventures of a couple and their sailboat off the coast of Mexico. Daily I scan them and pick up a thought here, a recipe there. They feed that inquisitive part of me that loves new information, loves to travel and enjoys people.

It was not long ago I was trying to figure out how to make them work for me, in this case “me” being the inn. Jay started one while doing his innkeeping “internship” in Seattle and in the past few weeks it has seen some intense discussions. It is this instant method of communicating what is happening now in the minute. In many ways blogs are more instant than an email newsletter, they are free, and they have the potential to reach many people.

My first attempts, I will admit, were not great. I wandered through the different sites, opening new (free!) accounts until I landed on blogspot.com with a look and feel that worked for me. Uploading pictures was easy, working with the administra-tive side was easy, now all I had to figure out was what to write about. I originally thought it would stay focused on food and recipes but last summer when the daylilies were blooming it dawned on me that this was a way to show what was going on in the garden, with Werner’s bees, or even the new puppy, and the idea finally grabbed hold and a vision was born. I now had an answer for the never ending request for breakfast

recipes, and inspiration to complete that cookbook that I have been working on for the past 10 years. Here is a place to use the recipes as I get them ready and formatted. I can also easily point guests to the blog to find the recipes they are looking for.

Innkeepers are idea people with vision and enthusiasm. There are far more ideas than any one of us can follow and fulfill, but that said there are many that are doable and will not become an added burden. As we move forward wading with trepidation into this Web 2.0 era, we can pick and choose, and run with those parts of it which fit our businesses well, fill our rooms and serve our guests. It is exciting to see the opportunities, grasp the concepts and then apply them in a way that makes us better innkeepers. As with everything one must make a start. Wade out there and just do it.

I am sure as we go on we will find more ways to inter-twine these blogs, making them more interactive within the innkeeping community, linking to each other, sharing thoughts, and as a result reaching more and more guests. Happy blogging! ◆

*Some of my favorite blogs are: www.bramptoninn.com/blog http://raptordance.blogspot.com www.innkeepingblog.blogspot.com

innkeeperinnkeeper

by Debrah Mosimann—Chair, PAII Board of Directors and Innkeeper, Swiss Woods B&B, Lititz, Pennsylvania2

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As an innkeeper, when you think of ecotourism an exotic trip to the rain forest might be some-

thing that comes to mind. But the fact is, ecotourism can happen anywhere, in-cluding your own backyard. And with some simple steps you can join this grow-ing movement in the travel industry.

First let’s talk about what we mean when we say ecotourism. Ecotourism means many things to many people. For our purposes we define it as travel oppor-tunities that showcase, enhance, and pro-mote local cultural and natural resources, while minimizing negative impacts on the environment.

So how do you get involved? You may already be expanding into new “green” ways of operating, including through recycling, energy efficiency, and water conservation. The next step is to create

ecotourism packages for your guests. These packages can be groupings of lo-cal, cultural and natural experiences that you and other local vendors join togeth-er to provide. They can be sold through your website, partner websites such as activity providers, and the Global Book-ing Network.

What would these packages include? That depends on what’s going on in your local area and the time of the year. Here are three examples of ecotourism pack-ages to give ideas of what you can do. 1. Outdoor Adventure — Combine a

hike in a nearby national state park, bird watching, bike rental, and kayak-ing. Included in a package like this could be the entrance/parking fee to the park, trail maps, bird guide, bike or kayak rental, and a picnic lunch.

2. Educational Excursions — Go on a

docent-led mushroom hunt, fol lowed by a meal at the inn showcasing sev-eral mushroom varietals found on the hunt. Visit a fish hatchery for a special tour during spawning season. Take a tour of a local organic winery. Included in this package: Fee for the docent-led mushroom hunt, lunch, fish hatchery tour, wine tasting fees. Wine purchases not included.

3. Cultural and Historical Outings Take a guided tour with your local historical society, visit a local organic dairy farm, attend an outdoor music concert and have a picnic. Included in this package: Fees for guided tour, tour of dairy farm, tickets to music event and take along picnic.Don’t have any organic wineries or

dairy farms in your area? That’s ok. You don’t need these things to make an ecot-ourism package. All you need is an un-derstanding of the local attractions in your area and a little creativity.

Creating Ecotourism Packagesby Daniel Arendt

15


If you’re like most innkeepers, you already play the role of concierge for your guests. Use this as a starting point for developing your own packages. Once you start thinking on a local level, the possibilities are endless.

An important aspect to any type of package is making it easy for your cus-tomers to purchase. A list of resources on your inn’s website might be informative but it doesn’t take the legwork involved in setting up the various activities. Nor does it create an experience for your guests. To take things to the next level you’ve got to put it all together for your guests.

Many innkeepers are already selling “dynamic packages” over the phone. This is certainly one option. But an even easier way to offer packages is through your website using a modern property man-

agement software program. You can use these programs to build and sell the pack-ages, making it simple for you to manage and fulfill them as well as easy for guests to purchase them.

The benefits of selling ecotourism packages are numerous. They help you increase the overall profitability of your business. They can also help minimize the time you spend in that concierge role. Packages can provide a richer, more memorable experience for your guests and reduce the headache of on-location planning. Finally, packages can help im-

prove your local economy by encouraging the use of local vendors.

Still not sure what to think of ecot-ourism packages? Well, just consider that B&Bs and inns have developed a reputa-tion for anticipating and providing addi-tional services and items to serve the needs of your guests. As such, you are perfectly positioned to move into this arena. Now is the perfect time to turn over a new “green” leaf. ■To see what other inns are doing to market their local ecotourism activities or package their own, please visit http://www.paii.org/iqsummer08_ecolinks.pdf

Dan Arendt has been helping hospitality businesses benefit from technology and marketing for more than ten years. He is a co-founder and Director of Marketing for BookingCenter. Previously, he has served as General Manager for a resort on Orcas Island, WA. Dan has helped launched hundreds of independent properties onto the Internet and Global Booking Network. Dan has a passion for preservation, and is a part of the EcoRing which has pioneered creating Ecotourism Packages in Sonoma County.

From the outside looking in, an innkeeper’s life seems idyllic. Many innkeepers

will tell you the perceived life-style is what captured their imag-ination and set them on the path to becoming innkeepers.

Once on the other side how-ever, it quickly becomes appar-ent that what appeared like a few leisurely hours of work each day, has quickly evolved into a 24 hour, 7 day a week responsi-bility. And nowhere is this more apparent than when it comes to the telephone.

The hospitality business re-volves around the telephone. Just the tip of the telephone “iceberg” requires answering inquiries, taking reservations, giving di-rections, accommodating chang-es in plans, dealing with guests who’ve left behind any number of items, answering more ques-tions and the list goes on and on.

The ringing telephone often controls the lives of innkeepers. Whether the call comes in at 7:00 in the morning or 11:00 at night, or when guests are check-ing in, a ringing telephone begs to be answered. After all, it may be an inquiry for a room.

The “personal touch” that so many inns pride themselves on, is lost when voice mail is used and relying on cell phones is not far behind.

Many innkeepers will secret-ly confide of answering busi-ness calls on their cell phone and being totally embarrassed, and then having to make excus-es, for the background noise — whether it’s a crying baby at a friend’s home, to a PA in a gro-cery store, a jackhammer when driving past a road crew, or poor reception. That all so important first impression can be totally ruined, and with it the reputa-tion the innkeeper has been dili-gently working on.

Hiring staff to answer the phone is an option, but expen-sive, and two calls coming in at the same time, means one goes to voice mail. Still not an ideal situation.

Fortunately, marrying tech-nology with the human touch has a way of creating solutions to problems that at first seem in-surmountable.

Just like the washboard and clothes line gave way to wash-ing machines and dryers, today’s telephone conundrum for inn-keepers has found an elegant solution that goes way beyond what most innkeepers would have dreamed was possible.

Imagine being an innkeeper, and doing what you like best — perhaps it’s greeting guests and spending quality time with them, answering their questions,

giving them the inside scoop on the attractions and events your community offers. Or perhaps it’s to relax and go out with friends and not having to worry about a ringing cell phone.

Innkeeper Connie Hall of Ingleside Bed and Breakfast in Brenham, Texas found the solu-tion she was looking for with Calling Inn, a hospitality specific call answering service. Her com-ments after using Calling Inn’s call answering service for a few weeks: “It’s totally amazing what the service can do for you. My life is mine again. I have a social life again. I can leave the inn, knowing my business is being taken care of, even though I’m not there. It’s like hiring staff without the expense of meeting payroll every two weeks.”

Joe Silipigno, owner of Boat-house Bed & Breakfast in Bolton Landing, NY wishes he had found out about Calling Inn’s service 8 years ago when he opened his B&B. In his own words, “It would have saved me a lot of stress of always having to be available to answer the phone. Every reservation is im-portant for a small B&B. When the phone rings, the question al-ways comes up, ‘is this a $2,000

Answering Services for Bed and Breakfast

Good idea or bad?

1 6 A D v E r T I S E M E N T

reservation?’ and it always drives you to answer the phone. Before Calling Inn, we were always tak-ing our cell phones to family and social events and constantly be-ing interrupted.”

To get a better understand-ing of Calling Inn’s service, we spoke to Andrew Dykeman the company’s Sales and Marketing Manager.

To say Calling Inn’s services go way beyond a typical answer-ing service is an understate-ment. The technology used is impressive, when the call comes inn, it automatically brings up the corresponding profile so the agent has all your information at their finger tips, you will be amazed at how many of your callers will think they are speak-ing to someone on-site, the process is just that seamless. Something else that stood out is that the innkeepers who use the service noticed that their bill is based on time used, so the charges are totally scalable to the size of their Inn. You don’t need to have a lot of rooms to afford this service, since the ser-vice is billed based on usage it does not matter if you have 4 rooms or 24. It’s like having front desk staff 24/7.

Besides each agent being very personable and engaging on the phone, they are also trained to up sell where possi-ble, so that the innkeeper gets maximum value out of every reservation.

If an inn is set up to take res-ervations online, the agent will complete the online reservation, and send an email to the inn-

keeper informing them of the reservation.

Benefits to the innkeeper are considerable.

The service pays for itself very quickly, since innkeepers are assured that incoming phone calls are answered by qualified, trained and attentive staff.

The extensive profile for each inn allows any Calling Inn agent to answer most questions in a natural conversational tone. As

new questions come up that are not in the profile, they are added along with the answer. This fea-ture often allows Calling Inn staff to know far more about an inn, than the inn’s own part-time staff. Taking advantage of this opportunity allows innkeepers to dramatically lower their train-ing costs for new staff.

The service scales to fit the needs of any inn. For example, an inn with 24 rooms gets the same personal attentive service that an inn with only 4 rooms receives.

Innkeepers using Calling Inn’s service can focus on giving at-tentive service to their guests without fear of missing a call. They know that their own high standards are being met every time the phone rings. And that every phone call is being an-swered by an agent who has their best interests in mind.

In these days of economic uncertainty, innkeepers are find-ing that every call is important. Missing just one call makes a difference. Playing phone tag or relying on voice mail can mean losing a significant amount of money in lost reservations and future business. It’s just one more reason to consider a ser-vice like Calling Inn.

Calling Inn’s clients are en-thusiastic about the dramatic

difference in their personal and business lives after engaging Calling Inn to answer their phones.

They’ve found a reason to look at their business again with an idyllic glint in their eyes.

To find out more about Calling Inn visit www.callinginn.com or call Andrew Dykeman toll free at 1-877-680-5500.

A D v E r T I S E M E N T 1 7

The ringing telephone often controls the lives of innkeepers. Whether the call comes in at 7:00 in the morning or 11:00 at night, or when guests are checking in, a ringing telephone begs to be answered.


18

Everybody loves crackers. They’re crisp, can be sweet or salty, and may be eaten by themselves or as an accompa-niment to spreads, cheeses, or other appetizers. While

there are many delicious and fancy brands at the market, it is fun to make your own to give your inn yet another special, unique touch. This recipe, taken from my latest book on whole grain baking, fits in perfectly with the growing national interest in high fiber, healthy snack alternatives.

These crackers are 100% whole grain (it’s always a good idea to check the ingredient list on packaged foods that promise whole grains to be sure the very first ingredient listed is whole grain, such as “whole wheat flour” rather than just “wheat flour”).

But what makes these crackers even more special is the use of seed flour to supplement the whole wheat flour (or whole rye flour — you can use either). The seed flour not only adds addi-tional minerals and nutrients but also a wonderful nut-like flavor,

and for less expense than the cost of nuts. The natural oils in the sunflower, pumpkin, and flax seeds tenderize the dough and help produce a crisp, snappy cracker with a very pleasant, long lasting fin-ish on the palate.

You can use these crack-ers for nearly any application, especially as a healthy alter-native to potato or tortilla chips, and can make them ei-ther sweet or salty, depend-ing on your preference or need. The dough takes a matter of minutes to make and roll out, and can be mixed either in an electric mixer or by hand.

The only real problem with these crackers is that once your guests taste them, you may have to make a double batch to keep up with their requests. We’ve all heard of the Cookie Monster but, watch out, you may be creating a Cracker Monster with these.

Ingredients:1¾ cups (8 ounces by weight) whole wheat or whole rye ●●

flour, or a combination of the two3 tablespoons (1 ounce by weight) hulled sunflower seeds●●

3 tablespoons (1 ounce by weight) hulled pumpkin seeds●●

3 tablespoons (1 ounce by weight) flax seeds (red or golden)●●

6 tablespoons “natural” sesame seeds (with the tan skin on, ●●

rather than pure white) ¼ teaspoon table salt (or ⅓ teaspoon kosher salt)●●

1½ tablespoons honey or agavé syrup●●

2 tablespoons (1 ounce) vegetable oil such as canola, ●●

peanut, or corn5 ounces water (approx.), room temperature●●

Honey glaze or egg wash (see below) and extra sesame ●●

seeds or seasoning salts for garnishing

Grind the sunflower and pumpkin seeds into a fine powder 1. (or flour), in a blender or seed/coffee grinder. Be careful not to blend too long or they will turn into seed butter. Sepa-rately, grind the flax seeds also into powder or flour. (The sesame seeds, however, do not need to be ground.)In a mixing bowl, combine all the ingredients and either mix 2. with a paddle attachment or by hand to form a firm ball of dough. It should not be sticky. Add more flour or water if needed to hydrate all the dry ingredients. Knead the dough

Whole Grain Seeded Snapper Crackersby Peter Reinhart

Food Glorious Food


19

on a lightly floured counter for about 30 seconds to be sure all the ingredients are evenly distributed and that the dough ball holds together. It should be slightly tacky, but not sticky.Preheat the oven to 300° F. (275° if convection) and prepare 3. three baking pans by lining them with parchment or a silicon baking liner. You do not need to oil the paper or liner. Divide the dough ball into three pieces of approximately the 4. same size. Set two of the pieces aside and roll out the re-maining piece on a floured counter with a floured rolling pin (use whole wheat or whole rye flour). Continually lift the dough as you roll it to be sure it is not sticking to the counter and dust more flour under it if need be. You can also flip the dough over and continue rolling with the bottom side up. The goal is to roll it to approximately 1/16” in thickness, or nearly paper thin. If the dough resists, lift it gently and set it aside and begin rolling out one of the other pieces. You can return to the first piece after a few minutes and it will roll more easily. Continue rolling out all three pieces in this man-ner until they are all ready to be garnished, cut, and baked.For savory or salty crackers, brush the tops of the rolled 5. dough with a wash made by whipping 1 egg with 2 table-spoons of cool water. Brush on the egg wash evenly and then sprinkle the top with your favorite seasoning salt. For sweet crackers, stir 2 tablespoons of water into 2 tablespoons of honey or agavé syrup to make a glazing syrup (agavé is a nat-ural sugar syrup made from the same cactus used to make tequila—it’s delicious). Brush this syrup evenly over the top of the cracker dough and then sprinkle sesame seeds over the top (the additional seeds are optional; the crackers are fine with just the glaze, but I prefer the additional seeds for ap-pearance and added sesame flavor).Use a pizza roller knife to cut the rolled dough into rectan-6. gular or diamond shaped crackers (you can also use a small biscuit cutter, dipped in flour, to make round crackers, but this takes longer). The crackers do not all need to be the same size. Carefully transfer the cut crackers to the baking pans. The pieces can be nearly touching, as the crackers will not spread or rise. Fill each pan as full as it will allow. If your oven has enough shelves to accommodate all the pans, 7. you can bake them all at once. If not, bake them in shifts. After placing the pans in the oven, set the timer for 10 min-utes. Rotate the pans to insure an even bake, and bake for another 10 minutes. Make one final rotation and continue baking until they are done (the thinner you roll them the faster they will bake — they typically take about 25–30 min-utes total baking time, but this can vary from oven to oven). The crackers will develop a rich golden brown, caramelized

color and should be fairly dry and crisp when they come out of the oven. Leave them on the pans to cool; after they cool they will crisp up even more. If they do not snap cleanly after they cool, return the pan to the hot oven for a few more min-utes until they dry sufficiently to snap when broken. Cool and serve. After they are thoroughly cooled, the left-8. over crackers can be stored in an airtight container or zipper-style freezer bag and kept for at least 8 days at room temperature or indefinitely in the freezer.

Adapted with permission from, Peter Reinhart’s Whole Grain Breads: New Techniques, Extraordinary Flavor, (Ten Speed Press, 2007)

Photography by Ron Manville.


20

Many innkeepers do not feel the need to track and ana-lyze their food costs. When an operation is not open to the public with published menus and individual

prices for various dishes, oftentimes an innkeeper will let careful tracking of food costs slide. With the costs of almost every aspect of our operations rising it is important to re-evaluate the costs of everything we serve to determine if we are pricing our meals correctly, whether or not those meals are bundled into the cost of a room night. Accurate tracking of food costs will also give innkeepers an ability to find where they can cut costs with-out sacrificing quality.

Where to StartInventory should be performed regularly, on a schedule that works for your operation. Start by deciding what and how you want to count. Some operations only count full cases or un-opened product. Some only count high-cost ingredients: nuts, meats, cheese, or alcohol. An inventory record can be as simple as lined paper and a three-ring binder.

The key to any successful, accurate inventory is consistency. Decide how you are going to track your items and use that method every time. The standard inventory methods are by weight, item count, case count or liquid volume.

The easiest way is to count in the format you purchase items. For example: You purchase sausage links for breakfast in a ten-pound case for $23.00 per case, or $2.30 per pound. You could weigh the sausage, and extend the value for what you have on hand. If you portion the sausages and store them in portions, it would be easier to determine how many servings you have per pound or per case and count that way.

Most operations estimate some inventory values. Spices are a good example. Unless you routinely have large amounts of an expensive ingredient (like saffron) on hand, you can probably estimate the value of your spice cabinet, rather than making yourself crazy by meticulously weighing every spice. Again, the key is consistency.

Ingredient pricing will fluctuate, often seasonally. Creamier dairy products (sour cream, heavy whipping cream) usually fall in price in the winter because dairy cows produce creamier milk in the winter. And we have all seen the price of strawberries in January!

The other important ingredient to a successful inventory is tracking the prices. In its simplest form, this could be a sheet in the three-ring binder where you can track the prices of ingredi-

ents as they arrive from the supermarket or the foodservice vendor. Many of us who do the shop-ping have a good instinct for the prices of what we purchase, but track-ing those prices and shar-ing the information with anyone who shops for you will help avoid costly mistakes.

Ways to Factor PricesThere are several ways to determine what you should charge for meals. Again, this is important information even if you include meals in your room rates; if you don’t know what prices you should be getting for food service, you are missing a key aspect of determining how much to charge your guests.

The Factoring Method●● — Multiply the cost of ingredients in a dish by three (this method does not include labor or other costs).Gross Margin Pricing●● —The formula for this method is gross profit minus cost of goods sold divided by net sales. A gross profit margin of 0.33:1 means that for every dollar in sales, you have 33 cents to cover your basic operating costs and profit. This is a good method for dishes having a high cost of ingredients. Prime Cost Method●● —The formula is to add the costs of labor and food, then add a percentage for profit. This method is good for dishes that require a lot of preparation.Competitive Pricing●● — Competitive pricing seeks to match what others charge for the same product or service. Conduct a market study and compare the prices to similar ones on your menu. That means pricing your product neither far above or below what others charge. Don’t ignore this idea, even if you don’t charge guests for breakfast separately. Get out into the community and see what restaurants are charg-ing and compare what you serve. At the very least, this can give you a good comeback when a guest complains about your rates; tell him that omelet he had for breakfast would have cost $15 at the local hotel.Combination Pricing●● —This considers all methods—factor-ing, gross margin, prime costs and competition—and tries to balance the prices of the competition with your costs and needs. This is how the chain restaurants determine their prices.

Evaluating Your Food Costsby Liza Simpson

Food Glorious Food


21

Analyzing the ResultsNow you are ready to accurately evaluate the costs of the meals you are serving. On a broad front, you can simply begin with your total dollar amount for inventory on hand (starting), add the dollar amount spent for the month on food and subtract the dollar amount for inventory on hand (ending). This gives you the total food expense for the month. Now you can divide that figure by the number of guests you served. You can divide by the number of guests who actually had meals, or just by the number of guests who stayed during the month. This will give you a rough idea of what you are spending per guest.

You could be more specific by determining the costs for each meal, for example by calculating the costs of breakfast separately from snacks or afternoon tea. However you do it, all of the food you serve your guests should be included in your inventory. Don’t forget the cookies, snacks, fruit bowl, turn-down candy, and all of the other little touches you provide.

You can also use ingredient prices to factor the cost per serving of a recipe. This will help if you are trying to determine where you might be able to trim costs. Reworking a recipe or substituting less expensive ingredients can save you money without sacrificing flavor or quality.

Don’t forget to analyze the style in which you are serving. For example if you serve jams and other condiments in pre-packaged servings, you might want to purchase tiny rame-kins, buy the jam in bulk jars and serve the jam on the plate. Or you could serve juice by the glass rather than in pitchers. The key is that you must know what the costs are to see where the savings can be.

If you are handy with spreadsheets, it’s easy to track your costs. Or, you can use a variety of special software for inven-tory control, from the free download of PC Food II from softlookup.com to ChefTec ($595.00) from culinarysoftware.com. You will need to carefully evaluate your needs and the myriad of programs available. However you choose to evalu-ate your food costs, you will find information to help your bottom line. ■

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Liza Simpson, formerly of The Old Miner’s Lodge in Park City, Utah,

has cooked professionally for over 25 years. She is currently serving

on the Park City Council, innsitting, cooking and selling books while

she and her husband Chris (and their Corgis) search for their next

innkeeping adventure.

“Loved the conference and came away with a

wealth of information, hence projects to improve

business at the Lavender Inn”

—Kathy Hartley, Lavender Inn

“Thanks for providing a valuable service to the industry. Despite being in the hospitality business for 45 years, every

time I go to a PAII Conference I learn a lot and can turn that information into financial business revenues much greater

than the cost of my travel and other costs of attending the Conference!” —Peter Glaubitz, Innkeeper Emeritus

“We were both energized to try out some of the new ideas we had

heard and definitely are going to look into getting set up for “online

reservations” so we can be ready for the Gen-X’ers coming along.”

—Judy & Max Chosewood, The Lodge on Apple Pie Ridge

Hundreds of innkeepers gathered for the largest conference and trade show in our business at the Disneyland Hotel in Anaheim, California last month. A lot happens when you have that many people under one roof, all looking to improve their businesses and this industry.

It’s a Wrap!

The first Hardy-Bell Award for long-term

service and contribution to PAII was given to

PAII founders, Pat Hardy and Jo Ann Bell.

“The Great Innkeeper Idea Fair” launched with great fanfare and success, culminating with Tim Brady from Forty Putney Road B&B (Brattleboro, VT) taking home first place. Stay tuned— PAII will be sharing the great ideas that were presented on stage.

Leaders from state and local B&B associations from all over

the US gathered to discuss ways to improve operations and

collaborate on industry-wide issues.

Innkeepers shopped ‘til they dropped at the

Trade Show, which had nearly 100 booths of

goods and services.

2 2


Thank you to everyone who came to Anaheim! A special thank you to the exhibitors and sponsors, without whom we could not put on the event.

And these are just the highlights! Make plans to attend the event next year: March 30 – April 2, 2009 at the Hyatt Regency, Atlanta, GA www.innkeepingshow.com

“We will spend the next 12 months implementing ideas and tips from the conference. Some of the sessions had such great information, they easily could have lasted half a day or more. Thank you!”—Stephen O’Connor, The Tefft House

Almost too many choices of quality

classes and workshops on how to operate

more successful inns. Aspiring innkeepers met to learn the ins and outs of innkeeping from some of the industry’s brightest consultants and former innkeepers.

“As a new innkeeper this was an invaluable

experience; made contact with other innkeepers,

found appropriate vendors, and learned a great

deal from educational workshops.”

—George Simpson,

Stone Crest York Bed & Breakfast and Retreats

PAII celebrated 20 years of service and leadership with a Birthday Bash!

Industry leaders discussed the challenges and

opportunities for innkeeping today and tomorrow

during the State of the Industry panel.

2 3


25

Good photography is the basis for an effective Internet presence, from your website to your listings on Inter-net directories to coverage on your local tourism or

B&B association. It’s equally important for getting media at-tention and creating effective printed collateral. Your website visitors will quickly move on if they’re not immediately “wowed” by your photos. Email newsletters, blogs, and postcards are equally strengthened by the quality of your pictures. Compel-ling photography produces reservations — just ask any inn-keeper who’s made the switch. Similarly, media coverage is greatly enhanced by compelling photography.

Five photo fallacies:Many innkeepers are unconvinced of the importance of in-vesting in good photography. Let’s examine some of these innkeeper fallacies.

Fallacy #1: I know my pictures don’t do my inn justice, but I would rather have my guests be pleasantly surprised when they arrive. For every guest that exclaims: “Your inn is so much nicer than it looks on your website!” there are probably five or 10 others who didn’t book because your rooms looked drab, dark, and/or de-pressing. Take a careful look at your photos as they appear on the Internet. Are they in focus and correctly exposed? Are they big and bright or are they a tiny thumbnail lost in a sea of un-read text?

Remember: your pictures are a reflection of the quality of your property. The better their quality — in terms of focus, def-inition and clarity — the better your look-to-book ratio will be. Check your web stats for your “bounce” or “click-away” rate for a rough idea of how many people landed on your site and left in a hurry. You want photos that allow prospective guests to project themselves into the room. The point of view for photos should be that of a prospective guest, not a fly on the wall.

Fallacy #2: My rooms just don’t photograph well. The best way to get great photos of your inn is to use experi-enced professional photographers who can show you samples of their work, both online and in print. Visit the websites of their clients to get a feel for the kind of photography that generates reservations, and study the photos to understand what’s possi-ble at your B&B. If using a pro is not an option, or until you can schedule a pro to shoot your inn, consider these tips:

For best results, always use digital photos; you can instantly ●●

review them and fix what needs changing. Turn on all the lights in the room; add supplemental lights if ●●

needed. Most professionals recommend turning off your flash. Take pictures at different times of the day, then select the ●●

images that show off the room in the best light. If photographing bathrooms, fill the tubs with water or ●●

bubble bath to make them more inviting. Always show the fireplaces with a fire burning, even if you ●●

just need to light some crumpled newspapers to get the shot. If you are not able to get a great photograph of an entire room, ●●

or your whole inn, concentrate on smaller interesting features. Shoot guestrooms from different angles, not just a straight ●●

shot of the entire bed. Copy the pros and do a little staging, from fresh flowers to wine ●●

and chocolates, to other touches that guests enjoy at your inn.

Good Photography: Essential Marketing Toolby Sandy Soule, BedandBreakfast.com

Marketing Matters



26

Take a careful look at the photos on the websites of other ●●

inns, and pay attention to what works and what doesn’t. Apply these lessons to your own pictures.

Photos still not up to par? Perhaps photography is not the entire problem! Time to deep clean each room and scrub every window, then freshen your décor with new curtains, bedspreads, lamps, paint and/or wallpaper. Use fresh flowers, not artificial ones. If you can’t see the forest for the trees, cut the clutter!

Before: The wide angle lens makes the room appear larger than it is and misleads guests.

After: Taking pictures of a room in pieces shows a true representation. (Jumping Rocks)

Fallacy #3: All I need to show are photos of a couple of guest rooms. You’ll need an excellent exterior photo, shot during different seasons, plus small and large-size photos of common areas and every guest room (yes, guests want to see where they’ll be sleep-ing, so each room should be photographed and displayed on

your website). Don’t forget shots of your dining room and the beautifully presented meals; as B&Bs, breakfast is half of our name, so entice potential guests with mouth-watering photos of food they never get at home. It’s also a good idea to offer shots of area activities, to remind guests that one night is not enough to fully enjoy your B&B. Remember, travelers generally pick a destination first and lodging second, so make sure the photos convey that message. Photos are often available from local tour-ist offices to use on your site; remember to highlight different seasons of the year.

Potential guests want to see the grounds, the common areas, the inn’s exterior, the innkeepers, and even the pets. Stay fo-cused on the guest’s point of view. A close-up image of a garden flower is beautiful but irrelevant. If the inn’s gardens are a high-light, then take a photograph of the garden, with a garden chair and a book open on the seat in the foreground, with a glass of iced tea ready to be sipped. Use photos to tell intriguing stories; guests will want to find out more, and the media will too. Whether it’s a newspaper, magazine, TV or online story, your pitches utilizing good photography will always get more atten-tion than words alone.

Fallacy #4: Once I get pictures online, I can forget them. If you put your pictures online a few years ago, you need to update the old shots and add some new ones. Did you redecorate the honeymoon suite? Landscape the swimming pool area? Add a whirlpool tub? Get a new puppy? These marketing features can bring you new guests only if people know about them!

Older websites used thumbnail photos to minimize down-load time for dial-up users. With almost all travelers on high-speed connections, larger photos are fine; guests can then click through to a detailed page with several photos of the same room. Include rate information, a description of the room’s amenities, and a Book Now button so folks can make a reservation—which is, after all, the point!

Fallacy #5: I can use my Internet photos anywhere.Nope. Photos that are posted on your website are low-resolution (smaller files intended to load quickly). For reproduction in news-papers, magazines, and other print applications, it’s best to have .jpg files that are a minimum of 300 dots per inch (dpi). If you’re not sure of your photo’s size, open the photo, put your mouse over the image and right click it. You’ll see a menu; click Properties to see the photo size. Most high-res photos are at least 1200 x 1600 pixels. It’s important that you have high reso-lution photos easily available on your computer, so that you can supply them to the media on a moment’s notice.


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Innkeeper recommendations: Debbie Reynolds of Rocky Mountain Lodge & Cabins, in Cas-cade, CO, had three unsatisfactory photo experiences before finding someone who could do the job right. Here’s what she recommends asking the photographers you are considering:

Check their portfolios.1. Not just hard copy pictures, but the photos on their own website as well as their clients’ sites. B&B references:2. Ask if they’ve shot other B&Bs, both indoors and outdoors. Get references and check out those websites; call the innkeepers and ask about their experience with the photographer. Lighting and gear:3. Do they have the proper cameras, lenses, and lighting to do the job right? (Our walls, ceil-ings and floors are primarily wood. It soaks up the light and is a photographic challenge.) Can they photograph the view through the window? Although you probably won’t have the technical expertise to evaluate their equip-ment, be sure to discuss it, so you get a feeling for their approach and experience. Who owns the photos? 4. How will the pictures be given to you? Will you get all the high resolution pictures on a CD with release of rights given exclusively to you? Will the


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pictures be raw or edited? If they’re edited, make sure you get the raw pictures as well. Get a written quote. 5. Any extra costs for editing? Is satisfac-tion guaranteed? If a picture doesn’t turn out for some rea-son or another, are they willing to come back and reshoot? Will there be extra costs for this? Work with your photographer. 6. The photographer may have great suggestions to enhance the results. If there’s something you specifically want photographed, be sure it’s on the shot list. Be prepared in advance for special shots.7. If you want food pictures, make sure you have your food ready ahead of time, beautifully plated. If you want romantic pictures, have the wine, champagne, glasses, roses, chocolates, candles, and flowers ready and available. Get a prop list from your photo-grapher in advance. Be available to the photographers while they are shoot-8. ing. They may need something extra and will need you to hunt it down. Ask about staging. 9. Modest amounts of staging enhance your photos by helping to create the scene for prospective guests. Ask the photographers how they handle it.

Be gracious, but firm. 10. Photographers are human, just like innkeepers. We can’t expect perfection; we can expect a quality final product at the end. You get what you pay for.11. It cost me a lot of money to get quality pictures, but well worth it in the long run. I spent about $2,000 previously for pictures of poor quality that I couldn’t use.

Before: Dark and dreary

After: Bright and cozy. (Acorn Internet Services)

Let’s hear from the pros:When you are asked to photograph a B&B, what are your requirements, charges, rights usages, expectations, etc.? General comments:

Most photographers charge daily and half-day rates, with ●●

additional costs for travel, food, lodging (generally supplied by B&B), and any props purchased by the photographer. Some charge by the room, with a minimum number of


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rooms to be shot. Get the details in advance, so that you can make fair comparisons when considering quotes from several sources. Rights are generally owned by the innkeepers for use in all ●●

advertising promotion, etc. Photographers also retain rights to use photos for their own marketing. Situations where the photographers retain all the rights rarely have happy outcomes. The amount of staging and styling done by photographers ●●

varies extensively, and may be reflected in their fees. Be sure to discuss this with each photographer to get the results you want. Don’t bring in furniture that’s not usually found in a room, and don’t go overboard in repositioning the decor, unless you make the change permanent. If you don’t serve breakfast in bed, don’t include it in a photo; if you don’t permit candles, don’t show them. Otherwise, guests may be upset because your advertising is misleading. Photographers have different approaches to lighting. Ask ●●

them about their style, but more important than their tech-niques is the outcome.

“Charges are discussed in advance; we then send an invoice for approval, requesting a signature to seal the deal. We never ask for any money in advance; invoices are based on 30-day terms unless other arrangements have been made.” (Dan Horn)

“Satisfaction is guaranteed; if they don’t like what I’ve done, they don’t have to pay. I select and edit the photos and provide a CD with full sized, edited pictures, which they may use as they see fit. I’ll give them a pretty good selection to choose from. I ask for attribution when possible. Under accepted copyright law, as the photographer, I retain the right to use the photographs as well the innkeepers.” (Peter Scherman)

“When setting up shots, we often rearrange furniture; about 75% of the time the innkeeper decides to keep it that way!” (Matthew Lovette & Mark Smith)

“Be sure you have a firm grip on rights the photographer is granting you. Can you use them on brochures, postcards and in the media without paying additional royalties in the future?” (Matthew Lovette & Mark Smith)

“Shooting an inn can take several days. I photograph each room according to the incoming sunlight (east-facing rooms in the morning; west-facing rooms in the afternoon) and use a fair amount of space to set up my lighting. Because of this, guests staying at the inn while I’m taking pictures may be inconvenienced. I advise innkeepers to



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take my presence into consideration when accepting reservations when I’ll be doing the photo shoot.” (Robert Chiasson)

How should the innkeeper prepare for your visit?Guest rooms must be open, clean, and ready to shoot. ●●

“Take the extra special care to get rooms ready before the photog-rapher arrives. Press those bedspreads and clean those windows. I can’t tell you how many times we’ve asked for Windex…” (Dawn Hagin & Adam Policky)

“Clean, clean, and clean some more. The camera doesn’t lie; it picks up every little stain, dust, and any imperfections.” (Dan Horn)

Get a prop list from the photographer in advance, and make ●●

sure that you have all the suggested extras.“During the photo shoot, keep interruptions to a minimum.

Every room on the shot list must be open, clean, and ready to shoot; all the props I’ve recommended should be readily available. Making extra trips to a B&B is costly and inconvenient for all. Anything that innkeepers can do to allow me to focus on photography is good for everyone. This includes food trips and more importantly, clean up. A photographer often has to have to move furnishings to get the perfect shot; to save time and money, it’s better if the innkeepers can put rooms back together.” (Christian Giannelli)

“Have 25- and 40-watt light bulbs on hand. Higher wattages like 75- and 100-watt bulbs are great for reading in bed, but for photography, the lower wattages help to create a mood and can help to balance bright outdoor light — we bring our own, but it is nice to have extra.” (Dawn Hagin & Adam Policky)

“I only do minor staging to correct odd perspectives or improve composition, but I’m not shooting for a magazine. The goal is to show the rooms and common areas to prospective guests (or prospec-tive buyers). Generally, I prefer to be left alone, with the innkeeper available in case I need something.” (Peter Scherman)

“Prepare a complete shot list of what you want to accomplish, and discuss it with the photographer. Prioritize from the most im-portant shots to the least. Many people have great expectations but don’t realize what goes into setting up a room or how long it takes to check every detail of a shot before we shoot the final image. Time is of the essence.” (Dan Horn)

What improves the odds of a successful experience for both innkeeper and photographer?“I believe that good communication is vital for a working relation-ship. It is important to know what an innkeeper expects out of me before I start shooting and it’s also good for them to know what can realistically be achieved.” (Christian Giannelli)

“Innkeepers should have a vision of what they want to achieve during the photo shoot. We are delighted to discuss their goals,


31

brainstorm ideas, and expectations — it is then is up to us to exceed their expectations. Once we begin a shoot, we are grateful when inn-keepers allow us to do our job as professionals.” (Dan Horn)

“We love working closely with innkeepers to create the photos that best represent the experience that guests expect.” (Carolyn & Roby LaPorte)

What advice would you give to innkeepers when they are selecting a photographer? Start by checking out photographers’ websites and portfolios. Be sure to click through to see their inn portfolios. If you like what you see, call the innkeepers and ask for comments and recommendations. Some questions to ask:

Would you recommend these photographers? ●●

Have you seen an increase in reservations as the result of ●●

adding the new photos to your website? If you need new shots, would you ask these photographers ●●

to return? If you had to do it all over again, what would you do differently? ●●

Did your photographer and web designer work well together?●●

“Many great nature or portrait photographers are not experienced or equipped to shoot interiors. Interior and architectural photography

is a specialty. Keep in mind: rooms with lots of natural wood or painted in dark, enveloping colors are difficult to photograph. You’ll need an experienced pro for good results. Styling is key for shooting small guest rooms without misleading potential guests.” (Matthew Lovette)

“Quality and diversity of portfolio shots are most obviously in-dicative of a good photographer, but a photographer’s personality is also integral to a satisfactory relationship. Ask questions and be pro-active. Innkeepers should be able to rely on their photographer for website upkeep, seasonal shots, etc.” (Christian Giannelli)

“When selecting a photographer, make sure that the photo-grapher understands that the objective is to create pleasing images of the spaces guests may occupy, evoking a feeling of the place.” (Peter Scherman)

“Ask how long the photographers have been in business, and if they are insured. Many inns have heirloom antiques and art work. We are insured and carry a $5 million policy for our own piece of mind and our clients.” (Dan Horn)

“Your photos need to create a mood, inspire the viewer, and en-courage them to select your inn. You can spend a lot on a website, but if you don’t have the photos to support it, you have wasted your money.” (Carolyn & Roby LaPorte)



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What advice would you share with amateur photographers?If you can’t afford to pay a pro, or have to wait several months before a photographer can visit your inn, here’s some great ad-vice from Matthew Lovette and Mark Smith of Jumping Rocks Photography for taking pictures with your own digital camera:

Buy or borrow a simple tripod. ●●

Level the camera and avoid tilting the view down or up. ●●

Turn off the flash. Natural light, supplemental artificial ●●

light, varied exposures, and photo editing software produce better results. Shoot at different exposures. (Many cameras have plus/ ●●

minus buttons to control exposure.) Generally, brighter im-ages work better. Potential guests respond to light and bright and colorful! If you don’t know what white balance is, read your camera ●●

instruction book. Shoot a series of the same shot in different white balance: tungsten, daylight, cloudy, and auto; select the one that shows your inn at its best. For rooms with a view, be sure to photograph the vista guests ●●

will enjoy from the room or the porch and label it as such. If possible, frame the shot with a portion of the window frame or porch railing.

Ask your guests to share their photos of your inn and their ●●

area adventures to use on your website in an online guest photo gallery. Shoot lots of pictures. Film is “free” when you shoot digital! ●●

And more from Robert Chiasson and Dominique Lavigueur:Select each room’s best feature and make it a key element of ●●

your composition. Better to take two or three close-ups of a room than a single ●●

distorted one with an extreme wide angle lens. A few vertical shots add variety to your website. Avoid shooting a room from an angle where a window faces ●●

the camera. The intense exterior light from the window will trick the camera’s light meter into taking the wrong exposure and result in a very dark shot. Increasing the exposure allows the camera to better record the room’s details but the window will be overexposed. Shoot from an angle where the window is less obvious to minimize the problem. If the room is small with pale walls, you can achieve a reason-●●

ably good photo using a [detached] flash aimed at the ceiling. The bounced light creates a more evenly lit scene.


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Contributing PhotographersThanks to the photographers who lent their advice, experience, and expertise in the writing of this article. They are listed below alphabetically by company name.

Lisa Kolb*• Acorn Internet [email protected] / 877-226-7699 Colorado Springs, CO

Dan Horn* • Beam [email protected] / 214-760-7911 Dallas, TX

Christian Giannelli • Christian Giannelli [email protected] / 908-328-2565 Stockton, NJ

Matthew Lovette & Mark Smith* • Jumping Rocks, [email protected] / 215-985-3277 Philadelphia, PA



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Well-known travel writer and speaker Sandy Soule is a key member of the BedandBreakfast.com/Inns.com/RezOvation team. She offers a unique perspective on the B&B industry, derived from her decades of experience as a freelance writer, book author, editor, and Internet pioneer, combined with the fact that she’s visited more inns than any-one else in the United States. As the Marketing VP, Sandy is responsible for communicating a wide range of company products and services to both consumers and the innkeeping industry.

Robert Chiasson & Dominique Lavigueur • Moka & Pyjama [email protected] / 418-452-1132Saint-Irénée, Quebec, Canada

Dawn Hagin & Adam Policky • Rare [email protected] / 707-824-5186 Eureka Springs, AR

Peter Scherman* • The B&B Team, [email protected] / 434-286-4600 Scottsville, VA

Carolyn & Roby LaPorte* • Wowi Zowi [email protected] / 949-369-1270 San Clemente, CA

* Indicates PAII Member.


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It seems that for the past few years, a day hasn’t gone by where I haven’t seen the term “Web 2.0” used in some capacity. While the term was originally coined as a reference to the use of ad-

vanced web technologies like AJAX and Javascript, the more com-mon use has become marketing language referring to sites that have interactive features. Rather than being just a web version of a brochure, a “Web 2.0” site is a place for visitors to interact with the site owners and more importantly, each other. Blogs, forums, web polls, online surveys and social networking sites would all be con-sidered examples of what marketers are calling “Web 2.0”. Each of these sites contains an interactive component that calls for feed-back or input from the visitor. For example, Trip Advisor would not be a site of any value without its user contributed content. An-other example is the PAII forums. Without the participation of innkeepers and vendors, the forums would be pointless.

All that said, the call for innkeepers to just “Join the Web 2.0 phenomenon” is a scary one. Innkeepers should certainly be

aware of the phenomenon, and educated participation in it can be an excellent marketing tool. In reality, properly utilizing these in-teractive web services can be more effective than most online directory sub-scriptions and it will cost you nothing but some of your time. Of course, improperly jumping into interactive web content can be unproductive.

As far as our industry is concerned, this model of interac-tion works well for third party marketing sites (such as Trip Advisor) and for “top level” sites; such as Yelp, Yahoo and even PAII and other industry organizations. This model does not work well for the direct to consumer site (such as your inns own website). While we certainly want to get feedback from our guests and visitors, our own website is still our most powerful marketing piece and we cannot allow that to convey any mes-sage other than the carefully crafted one that we have created. Many businesses were quick to jump into adding “Web 2.0” features to their sites, only to regret doing so later. Rather than

Using “Web 2.0” as Part of an Effective Marketing Campaignby Tim Brady

Tech Talk


36

adding interactive features to your site, I recommend that you take advantage of the many other sites that are already online offering the interactive functionality.

So how do you get involved in this frenzy in a careful and controlled manner? Here are 10 tips for getting your inn out there and into the “Web 2.0” world:

Stick to a plan. 1. You should already have a pretty solid branding in place for your inn. You have a website; you have brochures and business cards. Don’t stray too far from your already crafted brand. If you don’t already have a strong branding, I would suggest not diving into this project until you have crafted one. Don’t just get into the world of blogs and forums because you read an article about it, or heard a speaker at a conference talk about it. Know what your goal is in this project. Make sure that your goal is something quantifiable. Perhaps you want to see x number of reserva-tions from the new traffic in x number of months. Know how much time you want to invest in the process and be sure that you can afford to use that time to take on this project. This is not “set it and forget it” marketing. Don’t get started unless you are ready to commit the time needed to make it successful. I spend about 4 hours a week participat-ing in forums and on blogs for the purposes of increasing traffic to my website. Putting in much less time than that would likely not result in much of a return. Do a Google search for forums, groups, blogs, articles, 2. etc…about your area. Some of the large travel sites have very active user forums. Take advantage of that. Be a local expert. Don’t just limit yourself to travel sites. Be creative. If you happen to have a national park nearby, search for groups talking about the park. If you are a great chef and love to talk about food, find a forum or group for chefs or foodies. If you love craft beers (like me) join a craft brewing forum. There is no limit or boundary to where you can get involved.


37

Just be sure that it’s a topic that interests you and that could perhaps also interest potential customers. This leads us to…Know your customer. 3. Don’t try to make this work in areas that are uncomfortable for you. Do you really think that your customer is on MySpace? Maybe they are, but if you aren’t comfortable there yourself, don’t even try. Also, con-sider your Inn when deciding where to jump in using your Inn profile. If your Inn does not accept pets, participation in a forum of pet lovers would seem off-brand and would confuse your message and your potential guests. Sure you can still participate in those forums, but you should not be using your Inn identity for them. The most important part of making this successful is finding user forums, blogs and social network groups that you are comfortable chatting and participating in and that ideally you can present your-self as an expert.Create a consistent online identity. 4. To make this market-ing project successful, you will need to sign up for many different forum, blogs and social networks. Pick a unique name that is available and likely to remain available on the next great new thing. Don’t be concerned about making the name contain your town names or anything like that, just be consistent. Using the same username on every site cre-ates a subtle “link” between these sites and yourself. As us-ers see you in several places, you begin to establish yourself as an expert (hopefully) and your online persona will gain credibility. I have had many people mention that “they see me everywhere online.” In fact, they are just researching their trip to the area and see my username active on every site that is relative to our area. Complete your profiles. 5. Fully fill out any profile informa-tion at every network you join. This is where the search en-gine optimization (SEO) part of this project starts to come into play. Make sure that you include links to your website, a bio and photos if you can. Include a bit about why you are an expert in the forum’s topic. Use a consistent email ad-dress, but not your Inn’s main email address. Create a unique one for this project. A good suggestion would be to use your name like [email protected]. A separate email ad-dress will make the results more traceable as well as make it easier to fight the inevitable spam that will come from a public address. Just remember, the profile should be about YOU, not your Inn. You are working to establish yourself as an expert in this community. That will inherently create in-terest in you, and therefore your inn. This leads me to the most important tip I can give…


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Do not advertise. 6. You are participating in a “Social Net-work.” Just like in real life, nothing turns off your friends faster than trying to sell them something. You are here to share your wealth of knowledge and to participate in con-versations about a topic that is interesting to you and excit-ing to talk about. Of course, you just happen to own a beautiful Inn in an interesting area. Let this already inter-ested audience come to you. Believe me when I say that they will. One of the forums I regularly post and participate in ranks 4th on all of the referrers to my website and has re-sulted in at least a dozen bookings that we are aware of. Don’t feel that you need to make an ad out of every post. It won’t work and will get you flagged as a spammer. You should never even mention your inn unless it is in response to a direct post asking about it. But…Add a signature line to every post. 7. The signature line is the most important part of this process. It is the way that you will subtly advertise your Inn and add to your inbound links which will help with your websites search engine ranking. Make sure that the anchor text (the actual linked text) is appropriate for both the community you are writing in (the forum, blog, etc.) as well as for the search engine optimization of your site. For example, if you are participat-ing in a forum about pets and happen to have a pet friendly Inn, try using text like “Bill and Sue Smith. Proud parents of Fluffy and Kitty at the Maple Tree Inn in Vermont”. This is a subtle and effective way to promote your Inn, without sounding like a salesperson. You will be surprised how many folks will click on that link if your posts are interest-ing. Providing interesting or intriguing content and discus-sion creates a desire for the other users to know more about you (or your pets, your model train collection, etc.) and the signature line link is the way for them to do that.Be an expert on your topic. 8. You are an innkeeper, which means that you are already an expert on many topics. You are also “living the dream” of many of your readers. Make the most of that. I have been participating in about 6 forums regularly since I became an innkeeper. Every one of them has led to a discussion (brought up by other users) about the Inn. As I said earlier, let them come to you. The fastest way to become an expert is to look for existing top-ics that you can jump in on and post your knowledge. An-swer others questions and share your opinions. You can be slightly more adventurous in your posts on these sites as you again are making an effort NOT to sell anything. If topics you are well versed in do not yet exist, create them. Be careful here — nothing will set off a forum faster than

posting a topic or comment that is already addressed in another thread.Use good link content. 9. Although many blogs and public forums block indexing of links in their comments, many others do not. In the interest of building good links, be sure that if you include a link in the body of your post, your con-tent is relevant to the page you are linking to and that your anchor text is both relevant and useful. Link to distinct landing pages of your site, not your site’s main page. For example, if you are posting a comment about restaurants in your town and you happen to have a great list of restaurants on your website, link to the actual restaurant page, not to your main page. You can create essentially infinite pages on your website. If a topic comes up that you think would make a good webpage, then create it. I have added a page of local shops, a page of bike paths and a page of places to rent kayaks and canoes as a direct result of the discussions I have had in forums. These have become some of the more popular entrance pages of my site. Type till your fingers are numb.10. There are countless ave-nues for you to employ these tips. The most important aspect is being consistently visible. This takes time, patience and more time. That is why I suggest that you only partici-pate in the groups and forums that are of interest to you. A “one off ” posting in a forum will not be very effective in get-ting someone to visit your website, let alone your Inn. Post something, at minimum, once a week to every forum you participate in.


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Overall, never forget the point of what you are actually doing: advertising your inn. So follow these 10 tips, start posting, be yourself and let your knowledge and passions become an effec-tive part of your marketing success. ■

Tim Brady and his wife Amy own Forty Putney Road Bed and Break-fast in Brattleboro Vermont. A recovering I.T. professional and life-long geek; Tim’s tips, thoughts and meanderings can be read and discussed at www.innkeeping.org.

1st Travelers Choice ....................................................... 36B&B Team, The ............................................................... 19BedandBreakfastFinancing.com ...................................... 8Beth Brown Photography ............................................... 27Bushnell & Bushnell ....................................................... 29Calling Inn ................................................................. 16 –17Comerica Bank .................................................................. 2Compu-Books .................................................................... 7Dispenser Amenities ...................................................... 21dnj specialities ................................................................ 18Essential Amenities ........................................................ 39Essentials Design Group ................................................ 28Fullers’ Soaps .................................................................. 27George W. Gardner Associates ..................................... 25Guest Tracker .................................................................. 35Inn Consulting Partners .................................................. 34Inns Magazine ................................................................. 14innSPAration ................................................................... 30InnStyle ............................................................................ 33InnPayment ..................................................................... 11Interim Innkeepers Network .......................................... 29iRobot .............................................................................. 34James Wolf Insurance .................................................... 10Lanier, Pamela ................................................................ IFCLodgingResources.com .................................................. 12Markel Insurance ............................................................ 15Merriam Insurance ......................................................... 13Mid-Atlantic Innkeepers Conference ............................. 36NPC .................................................................................... 4PAII ....................................................................33, 43, OBCRezOvation ...................................................................... 37Select Registry ................................................................ 24Sky V Spa ........................................................................ 32Smith, Bell & Thompson ................................................ 31TMG, Inc.— Virginia Inn Brokers .................................. IBCTurkish Towel Company, The ......................................... 38

ADvErTISErS’ INDEx

July 2008Louisiana/Mississippi Bed and Breakfast AssociationsJuly 20–23 Location: New Orleans, LA Contact: www.louisianabandb.com/2008_LAMS_Conference_Brochure.pdf

August 200825th Annual Convention sponsored by Hospitality Accommodation of TexasAugust 24–26 Location: Wingate by Wyndham Round Rock, TX Contact: www.hat.org

September 2008Florida Bed and Breakfast Inns (FBBI)September 21–22 Contact: www.florida-inns.com/conference

October 20086th Annual Interim Innkeepers (IIN) ConferenceOctober 26–28 Location: Carlton Hotel in Oak Park, Illinois Contact: www.interiminnkeepers.net/ mem_news.htm

November 2008Empire State Bed and Breakfast Assoc.November 11–13 Location: The Thayer Hotel, Westpoint, NY Contact: www.esbba.com/conference.shtml

Select Registry Annual MeetingNovember 9–12, 2008 Location: Williamsburg Lodge, Williamsburg, VA Contact: [email protected]

January 2009 Indiana, Kentucky and Ohio Tri-State ConferenceJanuary 11–13 Location: French Lick Resort, French Lick, IN Contact: www.indianabedandbreakfast.org/mem_conferences.html

Mid-Atlantic Innkeepers Trade Show and ConferenceJanuary 12–14 Location: The Homestead, Hot Springs, VA Contact: www.midatlanticinnkeepers.com/ site-map.html

The Bed and Breakfast Association of Alabama’s 2009 Conference, Trade Show & Annual Meeting January 18–20 Location: Lake Guntersville State Park Lodge Contact: www.bedandbreakfastalabama.com

February 2009CABBI InnSpire Conference and Trade ShowFebruary 1–3 Location: Hyatt Regency Monterey, Monterey, CA Contact: www.innspireconference.com

March 2009The Innkeeping Conference & Trade ShowHosted by the Professional Association of Innkeepers International March 30–April 2 Location: Hyatt Regency, Atlanta, GA Contact: www.innkeepingshow.com

Industry Events

To add your event to the calendar, contact Laura Middleton at [email protected] or call 800-468-7244.

ShOw YOur StuFF!Include the PAII logo on your website, confirmation letters, emails, etc. to let the public know that you are a member of your professional association. The logo can be downloaded at www.paii.org on the right hand side of the members’ only section. Download the logo today and let your guests know that you are a current member of the Professional Association of Innkeepers International.

WELCOME NEW MEMBERS! (March 2008 – May 2008)INN MEMBERS

MAZATLANCynthia Romero El Meson de Cynthia Centro Historico, MAZ

ARKANSASCourtney Madden Elements of the Ice House Fayetteville, AR

CALIFORNIABrian Siewert Sonoma Orchid Inn Guerneville, CAWill Swenson Inn at Parkside Sacramento, CA

Karen & Bob Tierno Hanford House Sutter Creek, CA

Derek & Roxanne Archer La Belle Epoque Luxury Inn Napa, CA

Roger & Sue Garlick Grey Gables B&B Inn Sutter Creek, CAStan Schuler One Mesa – A B&B Point Reyes Station, CASusan Moreno Calderwood Inn Healdsburg, CARoy & Barbara Bissember Spanish Villa Inn St Helena, CAPaul & Mabel Shults Inn on Summer Hill Summerland, CAYohn & Melanie Gideon Captain’s Inn at Moss Landing Moss Landing, CA

Carolyn Van Stralen Molly’s B&B Clio, CA

Susie Hasenpusch Hillview Country Inn Napa, CAJameson Estes Hale Pacific Mist Bungalows Little River, CADarrell & Karen Darling Darling House Santa Cruz, CANancy & Jerry Fischman Birmingham Bed & Breakfast Kenwood, CAAnita & Ken Spencer Victorian Gold Bed & Breakfast Jamestown, CAGeary Boedeker` Lodge at Pine Cove Bed and Breakfast

Idyllwild, CAKathy Hartley Lavender Inn Ojai, CAEd Dechant Bodega Bay Inn Santa Rosa, CARobert Rubio Casa Rubio B & B Smith River, CAMike Stanbrough The Gables Wine Country Inn Santa Rosa, CABrian Sprinsock Hinds Victorian Guest House Santa Cruz, CATeri & Brett Matson Ten Inverness Way Inverness, CAJay & Janice Ilsley Christmas House Rancho Cucamonga, CADeanna Boos Flora Vista Inn La Selva Beach, CACarolayne Holley Kaleidoscope Inn Nipomo, CA

Nina Zosa Zosa Ranch & Gardens Escondido, CA

CONNECTICUTKim Wanamaker green ROCKS Inn, an eco-friendly B&B Ridgefield, CT

FLORIDAGwen Thibault Stuart Inn Stuart, FL

GEORGIAMary Jo Stamper Aska Lodge Bed and Breakfast Blue Ridge, GA

IOWAAmy Boynton Mandolin Inn Dubuque, IAEsther Hoffa Garden and Galley Bed & Breakfast Indianola, IA

ILLINOISWayne McGuirt The Beadle Inn Chicago, IL

MASSACHUSETTSRuth & Freddy Riley Honeysuckle Hill B&B W Barnstable, MAStan Rosen Hampton Terrace Bed and Breakfast Lenox, MA

MAINEHarriet Gott Bufflehead Cove Inn Kennebunkport, ME

MICHIGANDianne South Three Creeks Bed & Breakfast Frederic, MI

MISSOURIJulie & John Rolsen Garth Woodside Mansion Hannibal, MO

NORTH CAROLINACarolyn Gendreau Brookside Mountain Mist Inn Waynesville, NCDede Walton Blueberry Villa & Banner Elk Winery Banner Elk, NCRobert Rankin Snowbird Mountain Lodge Robbinsville, NC

NEW HAMPSHIRECindy Clarke Clarke House Bed & Breakfast Campton, NH

NEW JERSEYHR Kaprelian 7 Ocean Ave Ocean Grove, NJ

NEW MEXICOAlice Kee Casa Blanca B&B Inn Farmington, NMCynthia & Richard Spence Hacienda Vargas B&B Inn Algodones, NMLeone Wilson Desert Willow B&B Jemez Springs, NMAmy Bobrick Bobcat Inn Santa Fe, NMWenda Johnson Parlor Car Bed & Breakfast Chama, NMSue Kehoe Heritage Inn Artesia, NMSteve & Kara Grant Heritage House Albuquerque, NM

MEMBER BENEFIT SPOTLIGHTMentor Program

The Professional Association of Innkeepers International Mentor Program was designed with the innkeeper in mind. The pro-gram not only allows aspiring and new innkeepers to reach out for advice and direction, but also provides a medium through which veteran innkeepers can ask for insight or the opinion of a peer. Each mentor completes a detailed survey of their areas of expertise and interest so that we can make an appropriate match based on the specific need.

Are you considering an expansion project? Why not get in touch with a mentor that has gone through that experience so that they can help you understand what obstacles and experiences you may endure.

Trying to decide on a property management software system? Or, maybe you need an objective opinion on your website? The PAII Mentor Program allows you to talk to an innkeeper with that specific experience and knowledge.

Need to apply for a loan to get your business started and don’t know where to start? We have mentors that have already gone through this process and are willing to share their tips with you.

If you are looking for a mentor or are interested in becoming a mentor, please contact [email protected] for additional details on the program or to join PAII and begin taking advantage of this great benefit program.

NEW YORKPauline Trindel Morning Glory B&B Bemus Point, NYLeslie DiCarlo Springwater Inn Saratoga Springs, NYKirk Nichols Brunswick Bed and Breakfast Saratoga Springs, NYLisa Gardner North Fork B&B Lisbon, NYEllie Coffey Coffey House Bed & Breakfast East Marion, NYPeter Lessing Three Village Inn East Islip, NY

OHIODenise Mamula Hudson’s Historic Inn Hudson, OH

TENNESSEEJanice Haynes Creekwalk Inn at Whisperwood Farm Cosby, TNChristin Carlson University Guest Rooms Sewanee, TN

TEXASRichard & Martha Linnartz Azalea Plantation Fort Worth, TXEdith Gower Peaceful Pelican Palacios, TXMagdalena Lara Oak Tree Manor Spring, TX

VIRGINIADennis & Janice Fitzgerald By the Side of the Road B&B Harrisonburg, VACarolyn Avalos Staunton Choral Gardens Bed and Breakfast Staunton, VA

VIRGIN ISLANDSCherrie Wallace-Cole King’s Alley Hotel St Thomas, VI

VERMONTJim Barnes Hermitage Inn Wilmington, VT

WASHINGTONBetsy Schultz Tudor Inn Port Angeles, WANathan Allan Swantown Inn B&B Olympia, WAShelly Davis Queen of the Valley Inn Mount Vernon, WADaryl King Bacon Mansion Seattle, WA

Linda Mayhugh Elk Valley Guest Farm Skamokawa, WA

WISCONSINJohn Sherman The Arbor Inn Prescott, WIKathleen Burk River Road Inn Stockholm, WI

WYOMINGLynn Montoya Vista de la Luna B&B Cheyenne, WY

VENDOR MEMBERSAccent Amenities, Inc. Jon Clark 61450 American Lane #110 Bend, OR 97702 Ph: 541-382-1340Babymoon Guide Lisa Petrocelli 2674 Raymond Way Allentown, PA 18104 Ph: 610-530-2683Beth Brown Photography Beth Brown 871 Soco Road Maggie Valley, NC 28751 Ph: 828-550-1272Cherry Tree Financial Solutions Charles Kirschbaum 11828 Trail View Lane Parker, CO 80134 Ph: 303-840-0352Deco Breeze Jeffrey Amon 10755 Scripps Poway Pkwy, Ste 431F San Diego, CA 92131 Ph: 800-979-4326Dreamerz Foods Sarah Romotsky 535 Pacific Ave San Francisco, CA 94133 Ph: 415-486-2106Hale Tea Company Lisa Brown 1110 Sweet Hill Road; PO Box 1171 Richmond Hill, GA 31324 Ph: 912-727-5059Iveta Gourmet, Inc John Bilanko 360-C Coral St Santa Cruz, CA 95060 Ph: 831-423-5149Jingerbread Box Trevor Grossman 825 W 8th Ave, 207 Vancouver, BC V5Z 1E3 Ph: 778-737-1727Nofziger, Rodney & Sandra Sandra & Rodney Nofziger 1113 Butler Place Angola, IN 46703 Ph: 260-668-8743Reservations 5.0 Linda Pitts 5451 N 79th Drive Glendale, AZ 85303 Ph: 623-217-2167

Signature Worldwide Jeff Scholes 5115 Parkcenter Avenue Dublin, OH 43017 Ph: 614-766-5101Sterling Sleep Systems Tony Hochschild 7274 Lampson Ave Garden Grove, CA 92841 Ph: 714-891-3191Visual Data Systems Robert Gray 10760 Hickory Ridge Road, Suite 312 Columbia, MD 21044 Ph: 410-964-8665Webtools Hosting Services Inc. Warren Montague 24050 Madison Street, Suite 100E Torrance, CA 90505 Ph: 424 247-9479

ASPIRING INNKEEPERS

GERMANYHeather Luiz Windsor, Berlin

CALIFORNIASue Gillingham Coronado, CALois Panziera Soledad, CAChantal Chelin Chatsworth, CAJohn Moselage Irvine, CATony & Pat Goetz Los Angeles, CADebra Thurnell Pomona, CABeth Colt Studio City, CAKaren Clark Desert Hot Springs, CA

CONNECTICUTDaniel Bundy Oxford, CTJason Crandall East Haven, CT

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIAJoe Tierney Washington, DC

GEORGIAChuck Cody Deluth, GA

ILLINOISThomas Eadon Hoffman Estates, IL

KENTUCKY Leslee BottorffPleasureville, KY

MASSACHUSETTSMark & Diane Robinson Attleboro, MA

MARYLANDAdriane Wendell Chevy Chase, MDStephanie Gordon College Park, MD

MICHIGANJustin & Michael Matthews Canton, MIDeborah Higgins Grand Rapids, MI

MISSOURIDavid Williams Tebbetts, MO

NORTH CAROLINAJessica Rountree Charlotte, NCCherie Gibson Apex, NC

NEW HAMPSHIRELisa Caisse Pelham, NH

NEW JERSEYDan & Donna Leyden Pompton Lakes, NJ

NEW MEXICOHans Kris Johnson Albuquerque, NM

NEVADADiana Starkus Henderson, NVKim Dance Sparks, NV

NEW YORKHenrique Tischler Brooklyn, NYDon Bayley Riverdale, NYEartha Robinson New York, NYDeborah Null Kingston, NYPeter Levasseur New York, NY

OHIOCatherine Meguire Cincinnati, OH

OKLAHOMAMariesa McNeill Oklahoma City, OK

PENNSYLVANIASharon Krock Narvon, PA

TEXASMary Guerra Austin, TX

VIRGINIATree Andre Alexandria, VA

Hernan Garces Lynchburg, VA

WASHINGTONJulie Mercer Seattle, WAAlyssa Arley Marysville, WA

WYOMINGKathy Williams Gillette, WY


44Inn Sales

Nine Guestrooms and Suites in New Hope, PA$1,399,000 – 100% Turnkey. New Hope, PA, B&B has been operating for 13 years and enjoys a great clientele and lifestyle, along with high occupancy and six-figure net income. Five rooms, three two-room suites, and a one-bedroom apartment suite in the main building. Separate two-story home, plus pool, workshop. Country ambiance. Outdoor activities, fine dining, strong art community, excellent theatre, great shopping, two world class cities within 1.5 hours. A lovely place to live, work and play!

Contact Kathryn Triolo, Owner, (and licensed PA Realtor)Home: 215-862-4817 • Cell: [email protected]

Please do not contact inn directly. Thank you.

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

Your Ad Here!Reach 5,000 inns with a

classified ad in the next issue of IQ. Contact Marlene Sapir for details at 800-468-PAII or [email protected].

Summer 2008 Innkeeping Quarterly (IQ)

Documents

Transcript of Summer 2008 Innkeeping Quarterly (IQ)