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

April:
Issue 13
Issue 14
Issue 15
Issue 16

May:
Issue 17
Issue 18
Issue 19
Issue 20
Issue 21

June:
Issue 22
Issue 23
Issue 24
Issue 25

July:
Issue 26
Issue 27
Issue 28
Issue 29

August:
Issue 30
Issue 31
Issue 32
Issue 33
Issue 34

September:
Issue 35
Issue 36
Issue 37
Issue 38

October:
Issue 39
Issue 40
Issue 41
Issue 42
Issue 43

November:
Issue 44
Issue 45
Issue 46
Issue 47

December:
Issue 48
Issue 49
Issue 50
Issue 51

Tuesday, April 24, 2007
Volume 2, Issue 16


PAII News & Announcements:
Good News for Vendors & Innkeepers! New PAII Staff!

Good News for Vendors & Innkeepers!
We are pleased to announce that Marlene Sapir has been promoted to the position of Vendor Services & Sales, a new position at PAII. Our vendor members are a very important segment of our membership and we want them to know how much we appreciate them!  Marlene will continue to handle all of our advertising programs and will be happy to create a personalized marketing plan to meet the specific budgetary requirements of each of our vendors. She will also be responsible for trade show booth sales and exhibitor programs. We invite our vendors to contact Marlene with any special needs or issues and she will be happy to help.

The good news for innkeepers is that Marlene will be attending several national shows over the next year to find new and unique vendors with products and services that are a good fit for our inns. We have received many recommendations on the types of products that you would like to see available in our Vendor Marketplace as well as at our trade show, so she will be focusing on  these areas. If you have a company that you work with or a product you think is terrific and would like to share, please e-mail her at marlene@paii.org.    Remember, you get two free months membership if the company you refer joins!

New PAII Staff!
Please join us in welcoming Kristin Strong, PAII's new Membership Sales Coordinator. Kristin comes to PAII with 10 years experience in the hospitality industry, including creating leisure packages for groups and individuals, reservations, sales, and customer service team leadership for key accounts. We are very happy to have her on board!
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PAII Membership Minutes:
Staples Discount Program
We would like to remind you that PAII has a member discount program with Staples Business Advantage. This program is designed to provide your properties with substantial savings on everyday business expenses like office supplies. This program offers an average discount of 60% off manufacturer list prices on items featured in their pre-priced "Unbelievably Low-Priced Catalog" and an average 40% off their large stock catalog. Whether you phone, fax, or order online, Staples offers fast and free delivery, so your order is always there when you need it. This contract is offered exclusively through Staples Business Advantage, the business-to-business division of Staples, Inc. You will not find these prices in your local Staples retail stores, Staples Direct mail order catalogs, or Staples.com without signing your property up today.

Register your property today and begin taking advantage of the savings. Go to our website at www.paii.org and click on the Staples link at the bottom of our homepage or contact peter.dangerfield@staples.com for more information.
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PAII Forum Digest:
Waiting for Guests to Arrive, Cookbooks, & 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.

Waiting & Waiting for Guests to Arrive
I am sitting here waiting for a guest that said they were going to arrive at 2 p.m. It is now almost 4:30 p.m. What do you do? It seems I spend much of my time waiting for guests to arrive. I ask each guest when they expect to arrive and I wait. I do ask them to call if the arrival time changes and still I wait. I have a regular check-in time of 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. but many people want to arrive at other times which I don't mind if they would just arrive. What do you more experienced folks recommend? I am a solo innkeeper and do not have a housekeeper. I am growing grey waiting...

Cookbooks
In response to many requests from our guests, we are contemplating creating a cookbook for sale at the inn. We have received some good information from Morris Press Cookbooks, but wondered if any of you had any experience, guidance, suggestions, etc.

Self Check-In
For those of you who have self check-in available, how do you go about it? I am thinking of trying it since 3 a.m. is not a good time for guests to be ringing the bell and waking the rest of the guests! Also, I wonder/worry about them missing the personal touch!

Getting Started! Any Suggestions to Acquiring More Bookings?
I've just opened on February 1st of this year and was wondering if there is anything more I can do to get business going? I'm on several directories, have over 1,500 brochures in the public, and am putting them in every hand I can! Everyone who has stayed here takes along brochures and is very positive and supportive of my inn, loving it. Could some of you experienced innkeepers give me some advice on this subject? Any input would surely help. I get referrals from an inn nearby when they're booked, but it seems slow in coming.

Getting Started: Any Suggestions to Acquiring More Bookings?
I agree with the earlier responses, and would also like to direct your attention to the article on websites I just wrote for the April Innkeeper News:
http://www.innkeepersonly.com/innkeepernews/April-07/featured.htm

Question About 2-Night Minimum Weekends
We were discussing our policy regarding the peak fall season and 2-night minimum reservations. Would a Thursday/Friday or Saturday/Sunday reservation be acceptable or does it have to be Friday/Saturday?

Slippers in Guest Rooms
I am interested in putting slippers in each of my guest rooms. Would anyone who does provide slippers give me an idea of how you handle this? Do you just assume guests will take the slippers home with them and build the cost into your room price, or do most people leave them in the room after using them and you then wash the slippers in a sanitizing fashion? Do they get misshapen quickly or last quite a few washings? Do you just provide a disposable type of spa sandal?

Suggestions for Room Locks & Front Door Locks
We are very interested in learning what lock systems (brands/models) have worked well for inns in the 7-10 room size category. In addition to being as convenient as possible for guests, we want to meet AAA standards. Our inn is best described as casually elegant and we would prefer to find something that is attractive rather than totally utilitarian/commercial in appearance. But guest convenience and ease of use is the most important factor.

Suggestions for Pay-Per-Click (PPC) Management Companies
As a result of the latest Overture "improvements," we have lost a lot of our PPC traffic. Presently, we are looking to hire someone to manage our PPC campaign, and get the results we used to have. Does anyone have someone like Acorn do theirs, and can they make any recommendations? I am looking for a company who can handle the changes and get things back on track, and yes we are having Acorn create a new website for us very shortly.

Re: Best Sheets After Washer/Dryer . . . Thread Count?
It's a very confusing issue and the biggest problem is the linen/sheet industry doesn't need to print specifics on the back of the packages. The most important thing you need to know is this: The fabric needs to be a long staple thread, and if you can get ultra fine thread, even better. It's when they are short, or double that you run in to the roughness issues and no amount of thread count is going to fix the problem. Thread count comes second. You can get a really nice 300 thread count and people will compliment you on them. I personally aim for the 450-600 count. The other thing these days is that Egyptian cotton is no longer regulated, so again you do not know what you are getting. Look for Supima long staple cotton.
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PAII Food Feature:
John F. Craig House's Monkey Bread
Let us feature a recipe from your inn!
Please send your submission (and a photo of the dish if available) to L1simpson@msn.com.

Chip and Barbara Masemore from the John F. Craig House (www.johnfcraig.com) in Cape May, NJ, offer this delicious, unique recipe for Monkey Bread. Serves 10 to12.

Ingredients
2 Cups pecans, chopped
1/2 Cup butter
1 Cup brown sugar
2 Tablespoons water
2 Cans flaky biscuits

Instructions
Grease a tube or bundt pan. Sprinkle bottom of pan with 1-1/2 cups pecans. In a small saucepan, melt butter and add sugar, water and pecans. Set aside. Cut each biscuit into halves and form each half into a ball. You should have 40 balls. Place 20 balls in the bottom of the pan. Drizzle balls with half of the melted mixture. Place the remaining 20 balls in the pan and top with remaining mixture. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes.
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PAII Pointer: Pumice Prowess
Toilet bowl rings getting you down? Have no fear, pumice stick is here! Softer than porcelain, but harder than a toilet ring, pumice is a mild abrasive that can save the day. Make sure the porcelain and the pumice are wet, and then gently rub!
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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, 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