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, March 13, 2007
Volume 2, Issue 11


PAII News & Announcements:
Your State at Myrtle Beach, Extended Industry Study Deadline, & More!

Is Your State Association Represented in Myrtle Beach?
Each state association may have a table in the Exhibit Hall on which to display your membership materials. Don't miss this opportunity to recruit new members for your state association! Whether your state officers are attending the PAII Convention or not, your association can be represented.

To reserve a table for your materials, an officer or staff must complete the State Association Questionnaire by March 15th. If you do not complete the questionnaire, there will not be a table for your state materials. (The only states that have completed this questionnaire so far are UT, NC, IN, and MN.)

It's simple: Just have someone from your state who is attending the convention bring the materials to the Exhibit Hall when the trade show opens at 12:30 p.m. on Tuesday, March 27th. They will need to straighten the table each day and pick up what's left before the trade show closes at 4:00 p.m. on Thursday, March 29th. To find out who is attending the convention from your state, contact Laura@paii.org for a list.

State Association Leaders Seminar
For board members, officers, staff, or other designated representatives
Monday, March 26th
10:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.
Myrtle Beach Convention Center
$59 Per person, member or nonmember

Join association leaders from across the country for a day of enlightening discussions and informative presentations designed specifically for state B&B association leaders including information about your liability and the liability of your organization. You do not have to attend the convention to attend the Association Leaders Seminar. The states that are registered to date are FL, IN, NC, PA, SC, and UT. Please encourage your state leaders to have representation at this important meeting!

PAII Industry Study Deadline Extended to March 23rd
The deadline for completing the PAII Industry Study's online survey has been extended to March 23rd. We’ve got 436 back, but we’re going for 500 responses! The questionnaire takes about an hour to two hours to complete. The survey is designed so that you can log in and out, and work on answering the questions as you have time available. Remember, you need to complete the entire survey in order to receive your free copy of the results. Thank you, again, for contributing to this important research for our industry. Click here to participate.

On-Site Registrations Welcome
Pre-registration for the convention is closed and we are really excited about the response! We welcome additional attendees to register in Myrtle Beach. The Convention Registration Desk opens Monday, March 26th, at 7:00 a.m.
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PAII Membership Minutes:
Home Depot Discount Program & We Want Your Cookbooks!

New Home Depot Supply Discount Program
PAII is very excited to announce a great new member benefit program designed to save you money! We have partnered with Home Depot Supply, the online Hospitality Solutions division of Home Depot, to bring you discounts on over 18,000 maintenance, housekeeping, and operational products. They are your one-stop shop for reliable, quality products. Their vast distribution network ensures you'll get fast, on-time, FREE delivery from coast to coast.

PAII members will receive their lowest published catalog price on every item with no need to reach minimum thresholds on your purchases! This means you can buy a quantity of one and automatically receive the case price break. Just look for the check-marked price in their catalog or online and that is the discounted PAII price. This adds up to an average savings of over 14% off their everyday low prices.

In addition to the products you would normally associate with Home Depot, you may be surprised to learn that they offer such merchandise as flat screen televisions, bamboo and other linens, more than ten amenity product lines, furniture, mattresses, environmentally safe cleaning products, guest room supplies, and much more!

In addition to great prices and an extensive product line, you receive FREE delivery (a few items are plus freight and these are noted in the catalog) directly to your inn usually in a day or two. There is a $50 minimum order to avoid a $5 handling charge. Visit Home Depot Supply online today at www.hdsupply.com or call toll free at 800.431.3000. Be sure to identify yourself as a PAII member to receive your discount. PAII has provided Home Depot Supply with a list of our members so you have all been added into their system and are ready to go! You will be receiving a catalog by mail shortly.

Home Depot Supply will be in booths 517 and 519 at the PAII Trade Show in Myrtle Beach.

We Want Your Inn Cookbooks!
If you have a cookbook and are attending the upcoming convention in Myrtle Beach, we would like to offer you the opportunity to sell it at the PAII bookstore. If you are interested in participating, please email karen@paii.org for details before March 16th.

State Association Cookbook
Does your state association have a cookbook that you'd like to sell in the PAII Bookstore at the convention? If you have a member who can bring a small quantity, contact karen@paii.org , 800.468.7244, for details. (We do not accept shipments of books.)
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PAII Forum Digest:
Ladies & Gentlemen Serving Ladies & Gentlemen & 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.

Ladies & Gentlemen Serving Ladies & Gentlemen: A Keynote Speaker in Myrtle Beach
The famous motto of the Ritz-Carlton hotel—from busboys and concierge, alike: "We are ladies and gentlemen serving ladies and gentlemen." Have you ever wondered where this phrase came from? If you attend the PAII Convention in Myrtle Beach this month, you will meet the author, Horst Schulze who was named Ritz-Carlton's executive vice president in 1987 and president and chief operating officer a year later. He is now President and CEO, The West Paces Hotel Group.

"Black Listing" Guests?
We have been very fortunate for the 3+ years that we've been open and have only had a few couples that we really do not ever want to see again! I am wondering how others handle such situations. Do you just keep their names on a list and never have any availability for them or do you handle it some other way?

Do You Expect Tips?
Do you? I'm a newbie so bear with me! I NEVER thought of tipping a B&B owner.

How Safe Is Your Inn? A Reminder...
Sometimes, I think we as innkeepers become so familiar with our inns that we can't see the forest for the trees. We miss the obvious: We don't see the chipped paint, the worn out welcome mat, the ripped spot or frayed edge on the carpet runner, or the rickety wicker chairs on the front porch. It is also easy to become complacent and get used to the quirks of our inn, the nuances, and such. And also to not recognize safety hazards.

What might not be a safety hazard to me, as the owner, might very well be a safety hazard to someone who is totally unfamiliar at my B&B. Maybe at the beginning of the year, now is a good time to do a thorough walk-around survey of your/our inns with clip board, paper, and pen in hand, noting any and all things that could be safety issues. It is smart to do a survey in daylight and also at night—interiors and exteriors.

What safety issues can you think of? I think it would be good to hear from a lot of you: vendors, innkeepers, aspiring owners. A refresher course from each other is a good thing.

Re: How Safe Is Your Inn? A Reminder...
One of the things I would like to do to improve safety is install emergency lighting in the common halls. Does anyone know where I can find lights that would plug in to normal wall sockets but run off of batteries that would turn on during a power outage? I should also look at getting a generator for those rare but annoying times the power goes out for several hours. Any suggestions on those as well?

Buderus Heating System
We are in the process of getting estimates for a new heating system and was wondering if anyone has a Buderus Boiler and what you think of it. Some companies love it and others told us to stay away from it. Very confusing. Please let me know your input if you have one.

Hello! I'm New & Have a Question Re Weddings
I just opened a B&B and had a young lady ask about having her September wedding using my grounds. It's a small one, 30 or 40 people, and I was wondering...any thoughts? I would only allow the "use" of the grounds and require the B&B to have all four rooms booked for the weekend. Has anyone ever just had their grounds used for a wedding? Cost?

Alpaca + Bed and Breakfast
Has anyone tried having a bed and breakfast and raising alpacas?

Inns With Spas: How Do You Manage?
Last summer a couple approached me about renovating some storage space into a spa. The couple who were running it split. There weren't many clients and the ones from the inn who took advantage of it really liked it so I want to continue it. I have created packages with local partners for activities, a stay at the inn and spa services. I am looking for some advice. We have massage therapists around every corner here so staffing shouldn't be too much of a problem. I need to hear from folks who are managing and can tell me about possible pitfalls.

Minimum Wage = Minimum Output? Some Thoughts...
I have had my eyes opened about wage practices in the hospitality industry that before I did not know existed. I am not saying they are wrong or unlawful, it is just that I was not knowledgeable. Are we paying our B&B staff a decent wage? Something far and away above the minimum wage laws for our state? Or are we paying only what is required?

How Is Business This Year?
We are getting off to a horrible start this year with rooms nights. Running several specials on our website and directories. We have done e-mail blasts to our database, and are trying Hotels.com, Expedia, B&B.com, etc. to no avail. Locally, I have "heard" that others are slow, too. What are the rest of you seeing?

innkeeping 's Question of the Month
PAII's monthly newsletter, innkeeping, poses a real innkeeper's query each month in its section entitled, "Question of the Month: What Do You Do?" March's question: A young couple is staying with you, and you happen to hear a fight between them: The guy was talking about spilling wine. When they stepped out later that night, you went into the room to assess the damage done. You were expecting a simple stain on a sheet, but found large stains on two sheets, the sham, the coverlet, two robes, and three towels: Essentially, damage amounting to about $600. Normally, you do your best to get out wine stains, and if you can't, you simply chalk it up to the cost of doing business. This seems extreme to you, however. What do you do? Post what you would do in the Members Only section of www.paii.org and your response will be included in next month's issue of innkeeping.
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PAII Food Feature:
Casa de San Pedro B&B Inn's Mexican Eggs
Let us feature a recipe from your inn!
Please send your submission (and a photo of the dish if available) to L1simpson@msn.com.

Karl Schmitt and Patrick Dome from Casa de San Pedro B&B Inn (www.bedandbirds.com) in Hereford, Aizona, offer this delicious, simple recipe for wonderful Mexican Eggs.

Ingredients
1 Can mild enchilada sauce
2 Corn tortillas per serving
1 Can low fat refried black beans
2 Strips bacon per serving
1/2 Cup Cheddar, Monteray Jack, or Mexican cheese mix, shredded
2 Eggs per serving
1 Tomato, chopped
1 Dullop sour cream per serving

Garnish:
Sliced olives

Instructions
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Preheat enchilada sauce. Place 2 corn tortillas on each plate. Warm refried black beans with a small amount of water in a saucepan. Spread 2 to 3 tablespoons of beans in the center of each tortilla. Place two strips of crisped bacon alongside the beans on the edges of the tortillas. Top with a generous sprinkling of shredded cheese. Place plates with prepared tortillas in oven to melt cheese for about 10 minutes as you prepare eggs.

Immediately poach eggs in preheated enchilada sauce approximately 4-1/2 minutes or until cooked to your preference. Place poached eggs on top of prepared tortillas. Top with enchilada sauce, cheese, chopped tomatoes and a dollop of sour cream. Garnish with sliced olives.

Adjust the spiciness of the dish by increasing the heat of the enchilada sauce from mild to medium or hot. Do not allow the tortillas to dry out in the oven; warm them thorough enough to melt the cheese. (back to top)

PAII Pointer:
Blimey! Sticky Blender Buttons
For many, the blender's going to be a major beverage-building component this St. Patrick's Day weekend. To keep your blender's bank of buttons from sticking, try this: Lightly mist the button bank with a degreasing cleaning product (such as Formula 409™ or Red Juice™), rub with a toothbrush, and then cover the toothbrush with a cleaning cloth to dry between and around the buttons. (back to top)

About INNfo

INNfo is published weekly. Annual subscription is included in the price of membership.

Publisher
Professional Association of Innkeepers International (PAII)

Editor-in-Chief
Stacey Bleistein

Production Coordinator
Laura Middleton

Editorial Staff
Laura Middleton, Stacey Bleistein, Pam Horovitz, Karen Hudgeons, Jeanine Zeman

Editorial Suggestions and Contributions
Editorial comments and suggestions are welcomed. In addition, if you have a suggestion or would like to contribute news and announcements for INNfo, please contact INNfo’s Editor-in-Chief, Stacey Bleistein, at 856.310.1102 or stacey@paii.org.

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.

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