In This Issue:
PAII News
Membership Minutes
PAII Forum Digest
PAII Food Feature
PAII Pointer
About INNfo

PAII INNfo Archives
2006 Volume 1
November:
Issue 1
Issue 2
Issue 3
Issue 4

December:
Issue 5
Issue 6
Issue 7
Issue 8

2007 Volume 2
January:
Issue 1
Issue 2
Issue 3
Issue 4
Issue 5

February:
Issue 6
Issue 7
Issue 8
Issue 9

March:
Issue 10
Issue 11
Issue 12
Issue 13

April:
Issue 14
Issue 15
Issue 16
Issue 17

May:
Issue 18
Issue 19
Issue 20
Issue 21
Issue 22

June:
Issue 23
Issue 24
Issue 25
Issue 26

July:
Issue 27
Issue 28
Issue 29
Issue 30

August:
Issue 31
Issue 32
Issue 33
Issue 34
Issue 35

September:
Issue 36
Issue 37
Issue 38
Issue 39

October:
Issue 40
Issue 41
Issue 42
Issue 43
Issue 44

November:
Issue 45
Issue 46
Issue 47
Issue 48

December:
Issue 49
Issue 50
Issue 51
Issue 52

Tuesday, December 19, 2006
Volume 1, Issue 7

PAII News & Announcements

Holiday Wishes!
We can almost smell the pine boughs, roasting chestnuts, and fruitcakes at all our member inns from here in New Jersey! Whatever holiday tradition you are holding for family, friends, and guests this season, we hope it brings smiles and laughter to all. The PAII office will be closed on December 25th and 26th so that our staff can spend time with family and friends during this wonderful time of year. We will reopen on Wednesday, December 27th. Happy Holidays from all of us to all of you!

Trying to Minimize Your 2006 Tax Liability?
Consider registering for the 2007 PAII Convention before December 31st—it's a deductible business expense for inns on a calendar fiscal year. Online registration is available day and night—and you can still get the pre-registration discount price of just $359! Click here to join the over 300 people who are already signed up. See you in Myrtle Beach!.

Holiday Travel Stats
For many families, the holidays mean traveling to be with friends and family. How much travel? Here's what AAA predicts for this season:

More Americans will travel this Christmas-New Year holiday than ever before, according to AAA. AAA estimates that 64.9 million Americans will travel 50 miles or more from home this holiday, a 2.2 percent increase from last year's 63.5 million travelers. "Because hotel rates, air fares and gas prices have risen only slightly from this time last year, Americans will not hold back when making travel arrangements this holiday season," said AAA. “This Christmas-New Year holiday we will see a healthy growth in travelers, following relatively flat travel seasons earlier in the year.”

Unlike this Thanksgiving, travelers will be happy to see more reasonable hotel rates, airfares, and rental car rates this holiday season, according to AAA's Leisure Travel Index. Christmas hotel rates are up 4% for AAA-rated Three Diamond hotels, as strong demand allows hotels to raise rates. Airfares stayed at an even keel from last Christmas, while rental car rates have dropped a welcomed average of 3% from their prices last Christmas. Americans traveling over the New Year holiday will also be rewarded with lower airfares and no increase in hotel rates from last New Year. According to AAA's Leisure Travel Index, travelers can expect to see a 2% decrease in airfares from this time last year, but will make up for those savings with higher rental car rates—
up about 5%.

As in 2005, the greatest number of Christmas-New Year auto travelers will originate in the Southeast with 13.8 million; followed by the West, 13.2 million; Midwest, 10.2 million; the Great Lakes, 8.3 million; and the Northeast, 7.2 million. The Southeast is expected to produce the largest number of air travelers with 2.7 million, followed closely by the West with 2.5 million; then the Northeast with 1.8 million; Midwest with one million; and Great Lakes with 924,000. Most travelers will avoid the high hotel rates expected over Christmas and the New Year, with 66% of holiday travelers expecting to stay at a friend or relative's home. Hotels and motels are a distant second at 19.7%; followed by cabin/condo, 2.4%; camper/trailer/RV/tent, 1.9%; other, 1.8%; no overnight stay, 5.1%; and didn't know, 1.3%. For more information, visit www.aaa.com .
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PAII Membership Minutes: Fall Business Survey Results

Fall Business Survey Results
Many thanks to the 130 innkeepers that responded to our survey about fall business. We really value your input and appreciate you taking the time to provide us with this useful information. The more people that respond, the more accurate information we can provide to the media and to you! Below are the results:

How did your fall (Post Labor Day—December 1st) business in 2006 compare to 2005?
Better than last year 65.4 %
Not as good as last year 20.8 %
About the same 13.1 %
Not sure 0.8 %

If fall business was UP, the approximate revenue increase was:
% Increase......... Respondents
1-5 %................ 11.8 %
6-10 %.............. 30.6%
11-15 %............ 15.3 %
16-20 %............ 10.6 %
21-25 %............ 11.8 %
26-30 %............ 5.9 %
31-35 %............ 2.4 %
Over 35%......... 11.8 %

If fall business was DOWN, the approximate revenue decrease was:
% Decrease......... Respondents
1-5 %................. 20.7 %
6-10 %............... 31.0 %
11-15 %............. 6.9 %
16-20 %............. 10.3 %
21-25 %............. 6.9 %
26-30 %............. 10.3 %
31-35 %............. 3.4 %
Over 35 %.......... 10.3 %

To what do you attribute the increase in revenue?
Word of Mouth 63.3%
Other 51.0 %
Traffic from Online Directories 34.7 %
Website Revamp 33.7 %
Local Activities/Events 29.6 %
Special Packages 19.4 %
Renovations 9.2 %

*Some of the comments expressed regarding increases in revenue are as follows:
•  Targeted pay per click ads
•  Hard work focused on our guests!
•  The weather couldn't have been better!
•  Increased marketing
•  Visitation to our region was up. Gas prices caused people to stay closer to home.
•  New photos and a revamp of our website appear to be making a big difference.
•  We have a new guest bathroom in one room which is generating a lot of interest.
•  Reservations are coming in slowly. People seem to wait until the last minute to book.
•  Definitely shorter lead time on reservations. A significant percentage of our reservations are coming within the 2-week cancellation period.
•  As soon as we got our professional photos up on the website there was a marked increase in bookings from last year.

To what do you attribute the decrease in revenue?
Economy 48.6 %
Other 48.6 %*
Gas Prices 32.4 %
Weather 32.4 %
Renovations 2.7 %

*Some of the comments expressed regarding decreases in revenue are as follows:
•  Weather: Related to snow andice; no good snow in the Sierras; roads washed out in areas.
•  We had more cancellations than usual. People booked farther out and then cancelled right at our cancellation deadline.
•  Holiday travel to our area depends on family schedules. We are on the "every other year" rotation for some family groups. We will be busier one year than the next.
•  The national media is killing the innkeepers in New Orleans. Help us get the word out that the city, and the rest of Louisiana, is open and ready for business!
•  We were on target to exceed 2005 revenues despite an increase in rates when we experienced a sudden fall off during the last week of October. We believe this was due to poor reporting on foliage conditions.

How do your advance bookings look for the holidays?
Same as expected 46.8 %
Less than expected 30.2 %
Better than expected 23.0 %
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PAII Forum Digest: Discover Card "Statement" Fees, & 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.

Discover Card "Statement" Fees
At the risk of incredulous replies, I will admit that I rarely look over our merchant account statements. Just saw today that Discover is charging a whopping $9.95 per month to send out paper statements!

RE: BedandBreakfast.com
The whole area of taxes on this seems to be a grey area, and we have followed what we believe to be the proper way—that is only charging the consumer the nightly tax on the net rate the property gives us. This is what we pass through to you. This does result in a very small discount—however to counter that discount we require the guest to pay everything up front, and we charge them a cancel fee no matter when they cancel the reservation.

RE: Websites #8
I launched my website 6 to 8 months before I opened for business, 2 to 3 months before renovations began. My 1st reservation was made 1 month before renovations began (5 months before opening). It sounds like there is a building you are purchasing, hence, the word "renovations" that you used. If I were you, once you are the official owner and escrow is closed, launch your site THAT DAY or soon after if possible! There is so much you can capture, photograph, and load onto your web site about your inn before you start renovations and before you open your doors—I encourage you to use only images, not sketches on the web site.

Advanage for Blood Stains
Reading through a stack of posts we printed out some time ago and came across one that recommended a product called Advanage for removing blood. Went to their website and see they have four different products. Which one do you use for blood removal?

Bad Day
Today is the day after yesterday—and that is SO GOOD! Yesterday at 7 a.m. I awoke to jack-hammering in the street right in front of my inn! The water utility company had returned. Five plugged toilets, 5 plugged sinks, 5 plugged showers, 5 plugged tubs, 2 plugged washers, and 2 plugged garden hoses!
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PAII Food Feature: Christmas Cherries From the Governor's Inn
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's book, Sleep On It (Hyperion, 2006), features this Christmas recipe from The Governor's Inn in Ludlow , VT ( www.thegovernorsinn.com ). It's a dish that's appealing to the palate as well as the eyes! Serves 12.

Ingredients
3 One-pound cans pitted tart cherries (packed in water)
2 Cinnamon sticks
6 Whole cloves
6 Whole allspice
Half a lemon
½ cup sugar
Pinch of salt|
2 cups heavy cream
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
2 cups Bordeaux wine
Sweetened whipped cream for garnish

Instructions
Step 1: Empty two cans cherries and their juice into a large pot. Add juice from third can, but reserve cherries. Add the cinnamon sticks, cloves, allspice, lemon, sugar, salt and 1 cup of water. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low.
Step 2: Place the cream in a medium saucepan and heat just until steaming (do not boil). Whisk in flour. Allow to cool  slightly and add to the berry mixture. Add the wine and bring just to the boiling point. Strain and cool mixture, discarding the boiled cherries. Add the reserved can of cherries. Cover and refrigerate for about a week [“up to two weeks” recommended].
Step 3:  To serve, place about 5 ounces in a glass bowl or compote lined with crushed ice.  Garnish with a dollop of whipped cream. Eat with soup spoons.
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PAII Pointer: Better Baking Bearings

Instead of scooping and tapping down your flour when measuring, try gently spooning flour into your measuring cup and leveling with the dull side of a knife. Also try this: When cooking brownies and cookie bars, line your pan with a piece of foil that's long enough to hang over the sides. When finished baking, use the hangover foil edges as handles for easy removal and cleanup!
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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