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, January 16, 2007
Volume 2, Issue3


PAII News & Announcements: Detailed Convention Workshop Schedule Available

Convention Workshop Schedule by Day: Now Available!
The 2007 PAII Convention runs three full days with a compelling educational program that is equally strong each day. Get the best return on your time and money by attending the entire Convention. Click here to see the list of workshops scheduled for each day.

Exact times for each workshop will be assigned closer to the Convention after we have more complete information regarding speaker needs and after we have surveyed attendees to find out which workshops are most popular and need to be scheduled in the larger rooms.

2007 PAII Convention
March 26-29
Myrtle Beach , SC
www.paiiconvention.org
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PAII Membership Minutes: Travel Exchange Program

Travel Exchange Program
PAII's Travel Exchange allows innkeepers to take advantage of the generosity of their fellow members by exchanging affordable vacation options. Participating inns agree that they will either offer free lodging, lodging on an exchange basis, or 50% off to any PAII innkeeper on a space-available basis.

Some guidelines that have been commonly used in the past are as follows:

• If a fellow innkeeper wants to stay at your place and you're pretty sure you'd like to stay at their place, you arrange to swap room nights.
• If they would like to stay with you, but you think it is unlikely that you would ever stay at their place, consider seasonal factors and your occupancy during the timeframe they intend to visit, and then decide whether to comp' or discount the room.
• If they are asking for a room during a very slow period when you know it's likely that you would have a vacant room anyway, you may want to charge just enough to cover your costs (breakfast and laundry).
• If they are staying in a "shoulder season" or mid-week, where there's a 50/50 chance the room would be rented at full profit, you might want to charge cost plus 50% of whatever profit you would normally be getting.
• If they want to stay during your busiest season, or on a weekend when you know you are normally sold out, then it isn't uncommon to say, "Gee, that's just not a time when I can give a discount," and encourage them to come at a different time.

We hope that through PAII's Travel Exchange, you will meet other innkeepers, become friendly with one another, and you'll have the opportunity to gain perspective from the guests' point of view.

If you would like to be part of the Travel Exchange throughout 2007, or you aren't sure if you are already signed up, all you have to do is go into your member record and check off the Travel Exchange box which is located on the organization page under "Affiliations." If you would like to be removed from the existing list, simply go into your record at any time and uncheck the box.

Please respond by January 31st.
The new list will be distributed to all participating innkeepers in February. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to call Valerie Auletto in Membership Services at 1.800.468.7244. (back to top)


PAII Forum Digest: Financial Software & 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.

Financial Software
Curious to learn what software other folks are using to track expenses? We are a 5-room B&B and do not have any employees, and do all our own bookkeeping. The previous owners used Quickbooks but they also employed a full-time bookkeeper. We have an old version of Quickbooks which we used last year in addition to hand writing in a journal.

Business Guest
I have a business guest coming next week. While making the reservation he told me that he was with a non-profit organization. Therefore, he wanted to know if the sales tax would be exempt. We are in Indiana. Does anyone know the answer to this? Because I sure don't.

Whole Inn Rentals
We've gotten lots of requests this past year from families that want to rent out the whole B&B for family reunions rather than finding a private home here in the mountains to rent. I've seen some innkeepers who rent out the whole place and serve only breakfast, some that don't serve any meals at all, and a few other scenarios. I'm not talking about just filling the B&B for a wedding or other event like we've done before, but more like a vacation rental unit.

Looking for Myrtle Beach Moderators
I am looking for moderators for a few round table discussions at the Aspiring Innkeeper Workshop held on Monday, March 26th in Myrtle Beach.The moderated discussions take place at 3:30 p.m. in the afternoon and last 45 minutes. The moderators are responsible to lead a discussion. There is no formal presentation, but moderators must be knowledgeable of their topics.

Scam Faxes
Under United States law, it is unlawful "to use any telephone, facsimile machine, computer, or other device to send an unsolicited advertisement" to any "equipment which has the capacity to transcribe text or images (or both) from an electronic signal received over a regular telephone line onto paper." The law allows individuals to sue the sender of such illegal "junk fax" or (arguably) "junk email" for $500 per copy. Most states will permit such actions to be filed in Small Claims Court. Click here for details.
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PAII Food Feature: The Green Cape Cod Bed & Breakfast's Dutch Baby
Let us feature a recipe from your inn!
Please send your submission (and a photo of the dish if available) to L1simpson@msn.com.

The Green Cape Cod Bed & Breakfast's Dutch Baby

The Green Cape Cod Bed & Breakfast in Tacoma, Washington (www.greencapecod.com) offers this delicious recipe.

Preheat oven at 425 degrees. Using a pie plate, melt 1/2 cube of butter in the oven while preheating. (I set the timer for 5 minutes so I don't burn it.) In blender, mix together in this order:

3 eggs
3/4 cup milk
1/2 t. vanilla
3/4 cup flour
Pinch of salt

The key to success is the blender. Blend, blend, and blend it more. The lighter and airier it is, the more it puffs up. It does not work well using a mixer.

Pour in pie plate and bake 18-20 minutes at 425 degrees. Serve with maple syrup. Also is good with powdered sugar, or lemon juice and powdered sugar. Serve with bacon, sausage, or ham. Treat it like a pancake.

Also, it is very good with sautéed apple slices (I use Granny Smith, but any baking apple is good), or raspberries, blackberries, blueberries, (fresh, if available, or frozen). When putting the original recipe in the oven, I set the timer again for 5 minutes, until a base forms, then add the fruit so it does not fall to the bottom of the pan). Enjoy!
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PAII Pointer: Down the Drain
If your drain's a bit sluggish, give it a cup of baking soda and a cup of white vinegar, let it bubble for a minute or two, and then flush it with boiling water.
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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
Pam Horovitz, Stacey Bleistein, Karen Hudgeons, Laura Middleton, Jeanine Zeman

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.

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