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Tuesday, November
21, 2006
Volume 1, Issue 3
PAII News
& Announcements: Happy Thanksgiving!
Happy Thanksgiving!
The PAII office will be closed on Thursday and Friday
this week for Thanksgiving. We re-open again on Monday morning at
9:00 a.m. Eastern time. (We don't close the office until 6:00 p.m.
Eastern time Monday-Thursday to make sure even West Coast members
can reach us before check-ins.)
Welcome New Advisory Council Members!
We were delighted by the terrific response to our recent
call for nominations to the PAII Advisory Council. We not only have
a generous group of volunteers, but they have some amazing qualifications.
The PAII Nominating Committee and the PAII Board met recently to
review the nominations, and we are pleased to announce the following
new members to the PAII Advisory Council:
Kristie Rossett: Lookout Point Lakeside Inn in Hot Springs,
Arkansas
Brooke Sadler: Nolichuckey Bluffs in Greenville, Tennessee
Susan Sternthal: InnStyle in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Lucy Lewand: Camellia Inn in Healdsburg, California
Lynnette Scofield: William Henry Inn in Ithaca, New York
Amy Smith: Saratoga Arms in Saratoga Springs, New York
Congratulations to our newest Advisory Council members. We will
be contacting those people who expressed an interest in being more
involved in PAII, but for whom there were not enough open seats
at the moment to make sure we make use of their expertise and interest
in other PAII committees and task forces. Thanks to everyone who
volunteered—you are the heart and soul of a strong association.
50% Off the PAII Industry Study Now Thru December 31st!
Are you getting ready to do your budgets for next year? Make
your job easier by using the PAII Industry Study of Operations and
Finance. Compare how your property is doing in all the major revenue
and expense categories—broken out by region, type of location,
number of rooms, ADR, and by age. This is the industry's most respected
source of financial benchmarks, and it's on sale now through the
end of the year for just $45! That's a 50% saving off the $89 member
price! Get yours now. (back
to top)
PAII Membership Minutes: Meetings
With Vendors & State Associations
PAII Staff on the Road...For You!
Karen Hudgeons and Marlene Sapir recently attended the International
Hotel, Motel, and Restaurant Show in New York to meet with new vendors
that would work well with our B&Bs and country inns. We met
with vendors who represent everything from linens to amenities,
commercial appliances to flat screen televisions, beverages to wedding
supplies, and everything in between. We also attended the New York
International Gift Fair this summer. Our goal is to bring new vendor
members on board that have the products you need and have been asking
for. We hope to convince many of them to exhibit at the upcoming
PAII Trade Show in Myrtle Beach.
State Association Meetings
PAII was invited to speak and/or exhibit at a number of state
association meetings this fall. Our participation enabled us to
reach out to potential new members in these areas and tell them
about all of the great things that are happening at PAII. Pam Horovitz
provided the State of the Industry keynote address at the Kentucky
state association meeting and conducted a workshop on "How
to Use the PAII Marketing Study." In Maryland, she spoke about
"2006 Travel Trends." Pam and Stacey Bleistein attended
the New Jersey meeting to discuss the next PAII convention. Jeanine
Zeman exhibited at the Colorado state association meeting. Our thanks
to Betty Gladden, a member of PAII's Board of Directors, who represented
PAII at the Texas HAT conference.
If you would like to see a list of upcoming meetings, please go
to our website and click on Education & Events/Industry Calendar.
If your state has an annual meeting that is not listed on our website
please contact laura@paii.org
and we will be happy to list it for you. We encourage everyone to
participate in their state association meetings. (back
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PAII Forum
Digest: The Cheapest Place in Town
&
More
If you have not had time to log on to the Forum
located in the Members
Only section of www.paii.org,
here are some of the interesting topics that have been discussed
this past week.
The Cheapest Place in Town
Remember, for the purpose of this thread, cheap does not equal reasonable,
it equals rock-bottom lowest price. One of the worst things anyone
offering a quality experience can hear is: "I'm here because
you are the cheapest place in town." Over the years, most of
our complaints have been during the off-season from guests in our
lowest priced rooms. It is the same as "you get what you pay
for," you also "get what you charge"...the majority
of damages, rude behavior, rule breakers, have, in general, been
the seekers of cheap! They are not our target clientele and generally
they are not going to be happy in a B&B.
Bamboo Towels & Sheets
I had recently purchased one set of Bamboo/Cotton blend sheets from
a retail store. Once I tried them, I liked them so much that I went
online and ordered many more sets from that retailer. The sheets
are very soft (my main criteria) and have very minimal wrinkles
when coming out of the dryer. And the price, as far as I am concerned,
was very economical. They cost less than half of what I had been
paying for other sheets.
Clothes Washing Machine
We have a small inn (three rooms) and are interested in knowing
what washing machines other B&Bs prefer. We're thinking of purchasing
a front loading, energy/water conserving machine that apparently
can hold a greater capacity of towels, etc. For our busy season,
this would be great. We would appreciate any washing machines you
would recommend, or those you would steer us away from.
Knobs Vs. Levers & Locks in General
We are researching locks for our guest room doors. I should start
by saying we are not required to be ADA compliant because we are
less than six rooms. So two questions...
1) Knobs or Levers? Knobs seem okay, but does a lever handle suggest
more elegance and/or quality? 2) Locks for guest room doors: Do
we use passage locks with separate deadbolts that have thumb turns
on the inside or a knob or lever with a built-in keyed lock?
Average Business Expense per Breakfast
This may have been addressed before, but does anyone have an average
rate to charge per breakfast as a business expense for food/supplies
(rather than calculating each item as business vs. personal expense)?
Capture Commission Expense as a Business Expense
For those of us who pay TA commissions and other booking commissions,
be sure and keep accurate records in order to capture these commissions
as business expenses. The 10%, 20%, and 30% commissions some innkeepers
are paying to get their rooms booked can add up to substantial business
expenses.
Ways to Woo Guests New to B&Bs...OR...Fish Where Other B&Bs
Are Not
It has been said on previous posts that there are millions and millions
of people who would love B&Bs if they tasted the experience
once! But how to attract them to their first B&B? Let's call
them "first timers."
Commission & Gift Certificate Programs
There have been numerous postings this week regarding commission
and gift certificate programs. BedandBreakfast.com has been out
on the road for the past several weeks promoting their new products
and there has been quite a bit of activity on the Forum relating
to their programs.
(back to top)
PAII Food Feature: Nantucket House of Chatham's
Holiday Yeast Rolls
Let us feature a recipe from your inn!
Please send your submission (and a photo of the dish if available)
to stacey@paii.org.
Carol Gordon from Nantucket House of Chatham (www.chathaminn.com)
offers this clever recipe for holiday yeast rolls, which can be
found in her book, Sleep
On It (Hyperion, 2006). This recipe is a staple at all her
holiday dinners. They make wonderful sandwiches for the leftover
meat. (Note: If planning to make a lot to use as leftover, you may
wish to omit the sea salt. The rolls with sea salt sprinkled on
top do not keep well—the sea salt dissolves into the rolls.)
Makes 24 rolls.
Ingredients
4 cups all-purpose flour
¼ cup sugar
2 packages dry yeast
1-1/2 tsp. salt
¾ cup lukewarm (105 to 115) milk
½ cup lukewarm (105 to 115 degrees) water
1/3 cup melted butter, plus additional for greasing
2 large eggs
Sea salt, poppy, and/or sesame seeds
Instructions
Step 1:
In a large bowl, combine 1-½ cup flour, sugar, yeast, and
salt. In a small bowl, combine milk, water, and 1/3 cup melted butter,
using an instant-read thermometer to make sure the mixture is 105
to 115 degrees. Add to dry ingredients. Using an electric mixer
at medium speed, beat mixture for 2 minutes.
Step 2:
Add 1 of the eggs and ½ cup of the flour, and beat at high
speed for 2 more minutes. Add remaining 2 cups of flour and mix
with a wooden spoon to make a soft dough. Place dough in a bowl,
grease top with butter, cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate
overnight.
Step 3:
The next day, butter 2 baking sheets and set aside. Remove bowl
from refrigerator and punch dough down. Transfer dough to a lightly
floured surface, and cut into 24 pieces of equal size. Shape into
knots or other desired shape. Place rolls about 2" apart on
baking sheets. Cover with a dish towel and let rise in warm place
until doubled in size, about 20-40 minutes.
Step 4:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Beat remaining egg, brush on top
of rolls, and sprinkle with sea salt, sesame seeds, poppy seeds,
or any combination of the three. Bake until golden brown, 15 to
20 minutes. (back
to top)
PAII Pointer: Before & After Turkey Time
Before turkey time, try chilling
your onions in the refrigerator. This drop in temperature will slow
the chemical release known to make "Onion Cutter" a job
to cry over.
After turkey time, store
your still-gleaming silverware in a freezer bag. This is an easy
way to ward off tarnish until next turkey time.
(back
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About INNfo
INNfo is published weekly. Annual subscription is included
in the price of membership.
Advertising Rates & Information
Weekly sponsorship ads are available. Please send all inquiries
to Marlene Sapir at marlene@paii.org
or 856.310.1102. MC/VISA/AMEX/DISCOVER accepted.
Publisher
Professional Association of Innkeepers International (PAII)
Editor-in-Chief
Stacey Bleistein
Production Coordinator
Laura Middleton
Editorial Staff
Pam Horovitz, Stacey Bleistein, Karen Hudgeons, Laura Middleton
Editorial Suggestions and Contributions
Editorial comments and suggestions are welcomed. In addition, if
you have a suggestion for an article or would like to contribute
an article for INNfo, please contact INNfo’s
Editor-in-Chief, Stacey Bleistein, at 856.310.1102 or stacey@paii.org.
Editorial Offices
c/o PAII
207 White Horse Pike
Haddon Heights, NJ 08035
Phone: 856.310.1102 • Fax: 856.310.1105
membership@paii.org •
www.paii.org
Title Image Courtesy of Jumping
Rocks
©2006 INNfo, all rights
reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted
in any form or by any means without written permission from the editor.
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