INNfo

Tuesday, June 5, 2007
Volume 2, Issue 22


PAII News & Announcements:
PAII Convention Success Stories

Did you return to your inn after the 2007 PAII Convention and implement ideas gathered during educational sessions and from trade show vendors? Have you seen results?
Please share your success stories by emailing them to PAII's Director of Meetings and Events, Jeanine@paii.org. We'll print as many as we can in INNfo.

The Bass Cottage Inn in Bar Harbor, Maine launched its completely new website (www.basscottage.com) in early April, shortly after the conclusion of this year's PAII Convention in Myrtle Beach, SC. "While site work has been underway for months, we were able to scramble to incorporate numerous valuable tips acquired during general sessions, breakouts and vendor meetings at the PAII Convention. The result is that bookings are up 200% over same time last year. The website has much to do with this and my PAII conference time was very well spent." Jeffrey Anderholm, The Bass Cottage Inn, ME
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PAII Membership Minutes:
Getting Inn

Getting Inn, is PAII's monthly electronic newsletter that is specifically designed for new and aspiring innkeepers. Getting Inn has lots of basic information about buying and running successful bed and breakfasts and country inns. It covers additional useful topics such as working with a realtor, financing a purchase, website dos and don'ts, marketing plans, housekeeping, handling guests, software and more. Getting Inn also shares breakfast recipes from PAII member innkeepers along with other handy tips and pointers designed to save you time, effort or money. Getting Inn is complimentary and available to non-members as well as PAII members. Let us know if you would like us to add you or a friend to the mailing list by emailing laura@paii.org.
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PAII Forum Digest:
Changing Your Rates, & 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.

Changing Your Rates
We have been open for a few months and are re-assessing our rates. We had not finished our rooms when we initially priced them, and feel we put too much value on size of the room and not enough on location, views, and other factors. This issue sort of came up this weekend when a guest had reserved one of our more expensive rooms and when he arrived, I showed him our other open rooms and they chose the less expensive room (not because of price). Do I refund him the difference?

Cheese Plates
We've had our first request for a cheese plate (with crackers) to be put into a guest's room. Those of you who do these plates, how much cheese do you offer?

BedandBreakfast.com on Wheel of Fortune
In case any of you missed it, Bedand Breakfast.com was featured on the TV show Wheel of Fortune. Eric Goldreyer of BedandBreakfast.com states that "we continue to try and push the envelope to find new ways to drive more business for the industry."

Bad Guest Comments: Learning from Trip Advisor
Phone rings during breakfast as 8:15 am, I answer. Guest is in town and lost. Upon arrival his room is not ready so I escort him to adjacent room to relax and I do an express check-in. Meanwhile, I telephone guests who indicated 8:30 am breakfast on their private terrace telling them I am running late. Turned out to be 30 minutes. I thanked them and explained what had happened. I issued them a refund of $30. I think these leisure guests will definitely be back.

Finance Structure Specific to Country Inns: Recommended Books, Studies?
Does anyone know of a book, guide, textbook, or published study that specializes in discussing the finance structure for "Full service country inn" properties?

Pressing Sheets
My husband and I are aspiring innkeepers and are in the process of purchasing sheets. I understand that we should purchase white or beige sheets because they do not fade as colored sheets would. However, I am very unsure of the thread count we should purchase. I understand that we should not consider anything less than 400 thread counts. Do all 400 count sheets have to be ironed? Are their nice sheets out there that one does not need to iron?
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PAII Food Feature:
Stonewall Jackson Inn's Egg Orleans
Let us feature a recipe from your inn!
Please send your submission (and a photo of the dish if available) to L1simpson@msn.com.

Waye and Roger Engel from the Stonewall Jackson Inn (www.stonewalljacksoninn.com) in Harrisonburg, VA offers this delicious recipe for Eggs Orleans. 4 Servings

Ingredients
Crab Cakes:
16 ounces quality lump crabmeat
1 large egg
3 tablespoons mayonnaise
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
Splash of liquid crab boil
1 teaspoon Louisiana hot sauce
1 tablespoon grated carrot
1 tablespoon diced roasted red pepper
1 tablespoon sliced green onions
Bread crumbs
2 tablespoons vegetable oil or butter

Eggs:
1 1/2 teaspoons white vinegar
8 large eggs
4 English muffins, split and toasted
1/2 cup hollandaise sauce
8 slices tomato

Directions
For the crab cakes: Combine all crab cake ingredients, except oil or butter, using enough bread crumbs to help form cakes. Make 8 relatively thin cakes the size of an English muffin. Heat oil or butter in a skillet over medium heat. Cook crab cakes until golden brown; drain on paper towels

For the eggs: Bring 4 cups of water and white vinegar to a boil (the vinegar helps the eggs coagulate). Gently crack eggs into water. Cook for about 3 minutes, until eggs are set and yolks are still soft. Remove eggs with a slotted spoom, rocking the spoon over a towel to drain excess water.

Put 2 English muffin halves on each plate. Top each with a slice of tomato and a crab cake. Gently top with 1 poached egg. Spoon 1 tablespoon of hollandaise over each egg. Sprinkle with paprika to serve.
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PAII Pointer:
Green Innkeeping

Reduce your use of resources (water, natural gas/propane, electricity, plastic, and paper) in the bathrooms, kitchen, yard, and around the inn.

1. Use flow restrictors in your shower heads and sink faucets.
2. Retrofit bathrooms with low-flush toilets.
3. Using energy efficient furnaces and appliances saves electricity.
4. Install compact flourescent light bulbs as another electricity saving step.
5. Pre-cycle by buying products that have minimal packaging and then strive to buy products in more highly-recyclable containers like glass and metal.
6. Save paper by not providing each guestroom with a morning paper, print on the front and back of your office paper, and only subscribe to magazines you actually want and read.
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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
Laura Middleton

Production Coordinator
Laura Middleton

Editorial Staff
Laura Middleton, 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, Laura Middleton, at 856.310.1102 or Laura@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