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Tuesday, December
5, 2006
Volume 1, Issue 5
PAII News
& Announcements: American Express
Says Hotel Fares Will Rise in 2007
American Express Says Hotel Fares Will Rise in 2007
American Express just released its Business Travel Forecast
for 2007 and is predicting that hotel prices will rise next year
in the U.S. as a result of static supply and "skyrocketing
demand." Certain business markets, such as New York, are predicted
to see increases as high as 18% while others, such as Philadelphia,
will likely see increases more in the 4%–5% range.
For the full report, click
here.
Amenities That Stick
B&B owners have always been creative with the amenities
that they offer guests, and so have independent hotel owners. Here's
a quick peek at some of the more interesting amenities getting offered
in that hospitality sector:
- Pillow menu
- Bottled water menu
- Soap menu
- Turn-down menu: Choice of chocolate/cookies or fresh fruit
- Complimentary yoga mats
- Energy drinks
- Oxygen canisters
- Lava lamps
- Guestroom goldfish bowls
- Sheets of personalized stationery
- Pre-recorded wake-up calls from friends or family
Is Bill Gates Adding Beds to His Windows?
Did you hear that Bill Gates made a bid to buy Four Seasons
Hotels? Cascade Investments, which he owns, joined with a Saudi
prince to offer $3.7 billion for Four Seasons. The Toronto-based
owners were receptive to the offer, setting the path for approval
by their board and the various regulatory agencies. Gee, for that
kind of money he could buy a whole lot of B&Bs! (back
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PAII Membership Minutes: Early-Bird
Deadline—December 15th
Early-Bird Deadline—December 15th
Don't miss the last day to get the early discount on your 2007
PAII Convention registration: December 15th. Full payment must accompany
registration to be processed. PAII members may register
online here. Mailed registrations must be postmarked by December
15th to receive the discount.
Fall Business Survey
We had such a great response to our summer business survey that
we plan to continue this process after each season. Please click
here before December 15th to complete a 5-minute anonymous survey.
The results will be posted in INNfo later this month so you
can gauge your business against other PAII members nationally. It's
important for all of us to know how the industry is doing as a whole,
so please participate!
Speaker Line-Up on Convention Website
The dynamic speaker line-up for the 2007 PAII Convention has been
posted at www.paiiconvention.org.
The convention's professional national speakers are faculty from
hospitality and culinary schools, innkeepers, vendors to the industry,
as well as experts from related fields. These experts are sure to
expand your knowledge and give you new insight into your inn business
and your life as an innkeeper. We are still adding speakers, so
stay tuned for more!
State B&B Association Winners!
Many thanks to the state associations that supported our "Salute
to the States" membership campaign. PAII offered a $25 discount
on membership to any inns that were members of their state association.
In exchange, each state association leader was entered into a contest
to receive a grand prize of a full convention registration for 2007
PAII Convention in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. The second and
third place winners also received convention-related prizes. The
campaign was a huge success, bringing in 93 new PAII members! Thanks
to the following state winners who brought in the most new members:
Grand Prize Winner
Pennsylvania Tourism & Lodging Association (PTLA), Eric Adams
10 New PAII Members
Second Place Winner
Preferred Inns of New Jersey
7 New PAII Members
Third Place Winners (Three-Way Tie With 5 Members
Each!)
California Association of Bed & Breakfast Inns (CABBI)
New York's Empire State Bed & Breakfast Association (ESBBA)
North Carolina Bed & Breakfasts and Inns (NBBI)
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PAII Forum
Digest: Business Traveler Discounts
&
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.
Business Traveler Discounts?
My questions keep on coming as we continue to set our policies.
So we plan to offer a discount rate for business travelers. Any
suggestions on policies? Do you offer the discount rate to anyone
who calls and says they are coming to town on business? Are business
rates only available Sunday through Thursday?
Long-Distance Providers
Our 800# service has recently been sporadic. Some folks are hearing:
"This number is no longer in service." A second try might
get them through. Obviously, this isn't good for business. We have
a long-distance provider who is not giving us satisfaction. I would
like suggestions from anyone who likes their long-distance providers/service.
Quiet Whirlpool Tubs: Is It Possible?
We are thinking about adding a whirlpool tub to a second-floor bedroom,
and are concerned about the noise. Can anyone recommend any that
are quieter than others?
Guests Not Coming to Breakfast
Does anyone say something in particular at check-in to determine
if guests are going to come to breakfast or not? When we check guests
in, we give them the tour and explain that coffee is out early at
6:30 a.m. and that breakfast is at 8:30 a.m. This past weekend we
had two rooms of guests who ignored the 11:00 a.m. check-out time.
They eventually came to breakfast at 11:20 a.m. and 11:45 a.m. Meanwhile,
all the food that I prepared was sitting in the warming drawer going
to waste and I had to spend hours in the kitchen area waiting to
serve them.
Re: Guests Not Coming to Breakfast #2
We have started serving breakfast to just our suites: It has increased
sales by 20% (at least). They love it, feel special, and pay more
for the service.
E-Mail Spam Filter
Due to problems with using our own e-mail server because of a hacker
attack, I decided to try Gmail (Google's free e-mail service). If
you are looking for a good e-mail server, take a look. It has many
nice features, but the one I like is the spam filter. I was getting
50 to 60 e-mails per day with the most being spam. Now, only two
or three spams get through. You can also log into gmail.com and
read your e-mails from any computer.
Re: Grand Opening Open House? #6
We just opened November 1st. We were assisted with our Open House
activities by our local Convention and Visitors Bureau (CVB) and
the Chamber of Commerce. The CVB gave us a mailing list of all of
the businesses in our area, got a proclamation of our opening formatted,
and arranged for the Mayor to attend to read it. The Chamber brought
the ribbon and the big scissors for the Ribbon Cutting. We mailed
about 600 invitations in postcard form. We had friends give organized
"tours." We had a jazz singer and pianist on Thursday
and Saturday. Approximately 400 people attended in 4 days and we
have booked some dates and sold some gift-shop items as a result
of Open House exposure. You should make a big deal of your opening.
People will see the value of your product that way.
Gift Certificate Software
Does anyone have software that allows you to make your own gift
certificates? I need something that will print a gift certificate,
redeem or void, and also gives me sales reports. I have a very old
version of GiftWorks. It works really well, but my 3.5" disc
is corrupt and I can not reinstall. The company no longer has the
same software. If anyone can help, that would be great. How do other
inns handle gift certificates?
Re: Business Traveler Discounts? #3
We offer a per diem rate to state and federal travelers (plus taxes,
of course) on a space available basis. You can find the current
rate here.
For private business travelers, we ask what their allowed per diem
rate is and adjust to that if practical (if not, we don't take them).
We figure: (a) We're retired from government service and know what
it's like to try and find a decent place to stay when traveling
under a limited budget, (b) They're a good fill during the off season
in our somewhat remote location, (c) They'll recommend us to others
in their office, and (d) They might just come back during high season
with their spouse.
Platform Beds
I have an inn client who has asked me about platform beds for their
property. Has anyone had any experience with these? I've never heard
of them.
Re: Weekend Minimum Stays #10
I wonder if you could divide your inventory? Ten of my rooms have
a minimum of 2 nights, three are available for 1-night stays. I
wonder if this would allow you to test the 2-night minimum concept
without turning away every 1-night stay? And if this was helpful,
you could refine this by adjusting the amount of inventory available
for each use (and/or the timing for when you would "release"
the 2-night minimum). (back
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PAII Food Feature: Queen Victoria B&B's Stuffed
Baked French Toast
Let us feature a recipe from your inn!
Please send your submission (and a photo of the dish if available)
to stacey@paii.org.
Doug and Anna Marie McMain at the Queen Victoria Bed and Breakfast
(www.queenvictoria.com)
in Cape May, NJ, offer this mouth-watering breakfast favorite to
warm your guests on chilly December mornings. Makes 12 stuffed rectangles.
Ingredients
Main Ingredients:
20–24 Slices of Bread (Any Variety)
6 Eggs
4 Cups of Half-and-Half
2 Teaspoons of Vanilla
1 Cup of Sugar
1 Dash of Nutmeg
Filling Ingredients:
16 Ounces of Cream Cheese
1 Teaspoon of Vanilla
2 Eggs
1/2 Cup of Sugar
Optional Ingredients:
Applesauce
Sliced Fresh Fruit or Berries
Instructions
Trim crusts from bread. Spray a 3-quart baking dish with non-stick
pan coating. Arrange half of bread in pan so that entire bottom
is covered. In a separate bowl, mix eggs, half-and-half, vanilla,
and sugar. Pour half of this liquid over bread. In a separate bowl,
combine filling ingredients, except optional fruit, until creamy.
Pour filling over moistened bread, then layer with optional fruit
if desired. Arrange other half of bread over top of filling and
pour rest of egg mixture over the top. Sprinkle top with dash of
nutmeg. Cover and let stand in refrigerator overnight. Bake in a
preheated 350 degree oven for 60 minutes, let stand 10 minutes before
cutting into 12 rectangles to serve. Serve with warmed maple syrup
or fresh fruit if desired. (back
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PAII Pointer: Holiday Decoration, Energy Conservation
When decking the halls this season, try this to trim your budget
while trimming the tree: Plug holiday lights into automatic timers.
Energy costs are quadrupled when holiday lights are left
on 24-hours a day.
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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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