In This Issue:
On My Mind
PAII Conference
Online Newsletter
Slip Slidin' Away
KitchenCorner
Question of the Month
INNS in the News
Fall Survey
PAII People
About innkeeping

innkeeping Archives
2007 Volume 1

January

February

March

April

May

July

August

October

November

December

Thursday, December 6, 2007
Volume 1, Issue 10

On My Mind
by Jay Karen, PAII President and CEO

A few weeks ago, the PAII Board of Directors met at The Montford Inn (www.montfordinn.com) in Norman, Oklahoma, for our fall meeting. Besides having a great meeting, I had the good fortune of observing the Murray family in action as they took care of all their guests. There certainly was a good deal of hustle and bustle to accommodate the needs of our group, especially considering we had our meeting onsite as well. The experience reminded me that the warmth and service provided by the innkeepers themselves are as important as the comfort and lure of the building and rooms. The Murray family provided an example of fine innkeeping indeed.

The experience also spurred a thought. Could I hack it as an innkeeper? Well, let’s see. I spent years in the kitchen and waiting tables at family restaurants. My wife and I have a revolving door in our house, always welcoming friends and family. And when we do, we break out all the amenities and cook full breakfasts. I’ve been working in—and for—hospitality industries for over a decade. I like to think I’m a “people person.” I’ve owned rental properties for many years, doing almost all the maintenance work myself. I understand budgeting, marketing, P&L sheets, etc. I think that’s a fairly good résumé. BUT…nothing prepares you for innkeeping like innkeeping. I want to put myself to the test, albeit a short one.

Therefore, I am making myself available as an employee for a short duration to one lucky (or unlucky, depending on how things turn out) innkeeper this winter. If you would like to have me come and work for you for a few days at your inn, doing whatever it is you need done to help make the time a successful one for your inn and your guests—hire me! My salary requirements? Only my own bedroom and bathroom. I will come prepared to do whatever you need me to do, such as plunge toilets, scramble eggs, pour coffee, pull weeds, make beds, etc. As much as I can, I want to observe and live the life of an innkeeper.

In order to make this as fulfilling as possible, I’m looking to visit an inn that expects to be relatively busy at some point in February or March. My dates are flexible, including some weekends, save a few blackout times that come into effect, such as Valentine’s Day. I think the right environment would be one in which you’re not sold out completely and too busy to “show me the ropes,” yet busy enough so I can be part of some action. The duration of my stay is a bit flexible as well, but a “few days” is what I’m aiming at.

Interested in having me come work for you? Are you a risk taker? Can you handle mentoring this rookie for a few days? If so, CLICK HERE to enter your request by December 14. We hope to announce the lucky innkeeper before New Year’s Day.

As always, feel free to drop me a line at jay@paii.org and let me know what’s on your mind these days.
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2008 PAII Conference & Trade Show: Think there is nothing new under the innkeeping sun?

Think again.

• Internet marketing is evolving more rapidly than ever before-what are you doing to move your website toward Web 2.0?
• Do you use viral marketing?
• Do you know how to get PR coverage in online travel publications?
• How do the latest hotel trends affect your business?
• Are you attracting new guests from younger generations?
• What is it that inns with drastically increased occupancy rates know-that you don't?

The annual PAII Conference is the very best place for innkeepers to find out what's new under the innkeeping sun and how to respond so that their businesses thrive. You should attend the PAII Conference for the invaluable educational program with ideas to help you increase revenue, decrease expenses, and make your guests happier; the incredible Trade Show where you can find new vendors and save money; and the warm camaraderie of spending a few days with other innkeepers from all over the country.

Here are a couple of examples of what's new that affects your business and what you'll find at the 2008 PAII Conference to address it.

Web 2.0, Web 2.0, Web 2.0
If Internet marketing is the biggest thing ever to hit the B&B industry, Web 2.0 is a very close second. Your guests are using Web 2.0—are you? Do you know what Web 2.0 is and how to incorporate it into your Internet marketing plan? Susan Sweeney, Internet Marketing Expert and author of eight Internet marketing books for the travel industry, will explore the best new Web 2.0 tools and strategies to increase new reservations and repeat business in Thriving in a Web 2.0 World.

Are you still resisting reviews? Sandy Soule from BedandBreakfast.com and an innkeeper who is a "Local Advisor" for TripAdvisor, will show you how to use reviews to increase website traffic, reservations, referrals, and repeat bookings in Reviews: Harness the Power!

Many other workshops include Web 2.0 information that will help you improve the effectiveness of your Internet marketing.

"We launched a completely new website shortly after the conclusion of the PAII Convention in Myrtle Beach, SC. While site work had been underway for months, we were able 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 the 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, Maine

Global, Cultural, and Travel Trends
The world is an ever-changing environment in which you are doing business. The current exchange rate, for instance, is bringing more international visitors to the U.S. What are you doing to bring them to your door? Opening keynote speaker Daniel Levine, global trends consultant and founder of the Avant-Guide series of travel guides, will zoom out to show you a big cultural trends picture so that you can respond in innovative ways and gain a competitive edge. To focus a little closer to home, Berkeley Young, who has been researching travel and tourism for 20 years, will discuss Trends Driving Demand for Travel to Small Communities. You'll leave both sessions with a broader understanding of your potential for growth in the travel market.

The Changing Financial Climate
The mortgage financial crisis and real estate inflation are affecting many inns' financial health.
Crisis in the Mortgage Industry and How It Affects Your Inn, presented by a realtor and a lender, will provide current solutions for inn buyers, inn sellers, and innkeepers who need help dealing with refinancing. Valuations from the Four Corners is a perennial Conference favorite; experts from different geographic areas analyze data on inn sales in their regions. Find out what's changing that affects your inn's value.

Master Innkeeper Level Workshops
Longtime innkeepers sometimes think that there is nothing more to learn and that the PAII Conference is for beginners. Not true! Innkeepers with more than seven years' experience accounted for almost one-third of the attendees at the last PAII Conference.

The Master Innkeeper Level workshops in Anaheim include Tracking and Interpreting Financial Indicators, New Innovations in PR, Yield Management, and Using Ethical Wisdom, among others. Workshops designated as appropriate for "All Levels" of innkeepers are also valuable to longtime innkeepers.

"We found this to be very energizing, which was exactly what we needed. We have been innkeepers for 11 years, and need to be making changes to keep up with the 21st century. The keynote speakers were great. The educational sessions were very helpful."
- Sue Sherman, Village Green Lodge, Ephraim, Wisconsin

More of What You'll Find at the PAII Conference
• The Great Innkeeper Idea Fair where innkeepers present their very best ideas and you go home with great new ideas to help you run a more successful business.
• State of the Industry Panel with leading industry leaders discussing the most important factors affecting B&Bs and where the future is headed.
• 65+ workshops on Marketing, Food, Legal & Financial, Operations, Technology, and Staff issues.
• Trade Show with 80+ exhibitors who cater to innkeepers; products and services range from Internet directories and website designers to linens, tea, insurance, and robotic vacuums. Many vendors offer show specials that save innkeepers money.
• Social and Networking Events that mean plenty of time to visit with other innkeepers-the only people who truly understand exactly what you do.
• PAII's Big Birthday Bash! Celebrate 20 years of supporting innkeepers at a fun-filled birthday party with special honored guests, Pat Hardy and Jo Ann Bell, co-founders of PAII.

Great Ratings from Innkeepers
You owe it to yourself and your business to find out why 99% of the attendees at the 2007 PAII Conference rated the overall event "Excellent" or "Good." That means that innkeepers of all levels of experience find it valuable. Don't let another year go by without finding out what the buzz is about! Register now for the largest event anywhere, created especially for innkeepers.

For more information and to register: www.paiiconference.org or call the PAII office, 800-468-7244.
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Online Newsletters as a Marketing Tool
by Lisa Kolb, Acorn Internet Services, Inc www.acorn-is.com

Should innkeepers use newsletters as a marketing tool? Do they really generate bookings? The answer is a resounding YES!

Acorn investigated approximately 2,500 bookings recorded by our Intell-a-Keeper product over an 8-10 month period. The inns using our Reservation Tracking product were scattered from the East Coast to the West Coast. This is what we found.

In highest to lowest order, our customers are deriving their bookings from the following sources, starting with the highest number of bookings:
• Direct Hit (rack cards or brochures, Printed media in a newspaper article or magazine article, website is bookmarked on guest's PC, domain name branding)
• Organic Search Engine Optimization (Google, Yahoo, MSN, AOL)
• Local Directory Bookings (city web sites and local bed and breakfast groups who market together)
• National Bed and Breakfast Directories (BNBFinder, BBONLINE, BedandBreakfast.com, etc.)
• Pay Per Click (PPC) (Google, Yahoo / Overture)
• E-Mail (newsletter campaigns, direct e-mail, e-mail a friend this website link)
• State Level Directories (These directories include other state information, NOT just bed and breakfast listings)
• Alternative and Specialty Website Directories (child friendly, senior friendly, pet friendly, gay friendly, etc.)
• State Association Bed and Breakfast Websites

The most interesting thing to note is that the actual percentage for pay per click (PPC) referrals made up approximately 7% of all bookings, and e-mail campaigns made up approximately 5% of all bookings.

But look at the marketing dollars for both:
The outlay for a PPC campaign started, on average, at $100 a month on up. A simple e-mail campaign can start at $2.50 a month (for up to 500 guests) up to $40-$50 a month for the pricier products.

It's easy to do the math—email campaigns bring in bookings with very little outlay of marketing dollars.

Another advantage of e-mail marketing is that it goes to a target audience who already knows who you are. A PPC campaign is directed at a mass audience that has yet to be introduced to your inn and its services.

So now that we know that adding an e-mail campaign can add to your bottom line, let's look at the work that goes into one.

How Often Should I Send a Newsletter and what is the BEST Way to Gather E-mail Addresses?
• Once a Month?
• Once a Quarter?
• When you have open nights you are trying to fill
(These should only be sent to people who have signed up for the newsletter who have indicated they want to be alerted to Last Minute Deals.)

All the answers above are acceptable. Take a moment and look at your business. The easiest way to do a newsletter is to allow a guest to sign up to receive information from your inn via a short sign-up area on your website. They simply put in their e-mail address and click Sign Me Up. (See Example to the right.)

But if your inn offers specialty packages, weddings, reunions, or any type of niche marketing, you may want to ask your guest to choose things they'd like to receive additional information on. This can also include Last Minute Deals mentioned above. In the case of gathering more than just an e-mail address, we recommend that a Newsletter ICON be created and then have a link to another page with all the information they can choose from being included on the secondary page. This way you won't clutter up all the pages of your site.


Note: Whether you choose a simple sign-up box or a lengthier questionnaire, we recommend that you place the sign-up or icon on each and every page of your website in approximately the same location. You never know how a guest will enter your site and you don't want to limit the opportunity for them to join your Newsletter E-mail Program.

How do I Choose a Newsletter / E-mail Gathering Program that best fits my needs?
There are many different types of Newsletter Distribution / E-mail Capture products available in today's marketplace. Some things you want to look for when choosing a product:

• Does the company work to keep their e-mail process free of any Blacklists?
What is a Blacklist you may ask? Each computer that is on the Internet is assigned an IP (Internet Protocol) address. Computers that are servers, such as an e-mail server, have an IP address that does not change and is static. E-mail servers that are reported as sending spam will have their IP address added to services that maintain Blacklists. If an e-mail server ends up on a Blacklist, e-mail sent from that computer are readily identified by the receiving e-mail server as a spam sender by checking the Blacklist services. All e-mails received from a Blacklisted e-mail server are discarded. If you choose a company that doesn't work to keep their e-mail sending programs off of the Blacklists, you will risk having your newsletters being discarded and never being seen.

• Does the product allow both single and double opt-in signups? A single opt-in simply means once the guest clicks the SIGN ME UP button, their e-mail address is automatically added to your database. A double opt-in is a higher level of security on newsletter signups. On a double opt-in, a guest will click SIGN ME UP, and will then receive an e-mail to the e-mail address they are keying in. They will then need to open the e-mail and click the link to VERIFY they really wanted to join your newsletter list.

• Does the product offer you user friendly authoring tools for both text and images? Many products offer WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) authorizing tools that are quite easy to use. They allow you to build a newsletter from scratch. Or, you may choose to have your webmaster create a newsletter header and template that you can then update each month as you create new content to send to your guests. Finally, you may decide you simply do not have the time to do a newsletter campaign on your own and choose to simply provide your webmaster with the content and allocate some marketing dollars to have your webmaster create, distribute, and monitor your newsletter program for you.

• Does the product allow you to track both OPEN RATE (did the guest open the e-mail) and CLICK THROUGH RATE (did the guest actually click any links in the newsletter while they were reading the content)?

• Does the product automatically accept new e-mails and remove un-subscriber e-mails? Does it allow you to be notified when a new subscriber joins?

• Does the product allow you to EASILY input a list of existing e-mails (such as those in your existing database or property management system?)

• Does the product allow a free test trial? Some products like YMLP.com (Your Mailing List Provider) offers a free subscription with a limited amount of subscribers to give the product a test run before you sign up for a full subscription.

• What is the cost structure? Some products charge per each newsletter sent, others based on the number of e-mails you are sending to. Depending on the product you choose and the features you select, the cost can range from a simple e-mail campaign at $2.50 a month (for up to 500 guests) up to $40-$50 a month for the pricier products.

Now that you know what to look for in a newsletter product, you can go to the Search Engine of your choice (Google, Yahoo, MSN, etc.) and type in: mailing list provider

You'll see a variety of companies that provide e-mail gathering and newsletter authoring tools.
Don't have time to investigate, compare, and contrast? Below are some companies that our customers recommend:

• Your Mailing List Provider - www.ymlp.com
• I Contact - www.IContact.com
• Constant Contact - www.ConstantContact.com

What should I include in my newsletter?
That answer depends on what you are trying to sell. If you are just gathering up e-mails to receive a newsletter and not any specific niche marketing, then you should probably consider including:

• Current packages

• Current special deals

• A list of current events for the area (For the time period of your newsletter, if you send monthly-then include the upcoming month's events.) Remember to include website, e-mail, and phone contact information for items of interest.

• Special awards you have received or publications you may have been in that would be of interest to your guests.

• Updated design or content changes to your website that a guest would want to be alerted to.
If you are considering niche marketing newsletters based on the questions you asked the guest to fill out, then newsletters will be sent only to the group of guests asking to receive that information.

Examples:
• If a group of guests wants to be apprised of reunion information, your newsletter might include dates you have available for reunion bookings, suggested "Good Date Bookings" based on events in the area, even concierge services you might provide the family.

• If a group of guests is interested in last minute deals, compose a short e-mail letting those guests know what dates you have open. Include their discount amount if they book by a certain date and time.

• If a group of guests is interested in romantic getaways, consider creating packages for that type of getaway, changing them once a quarter. And sharing those wonderful romantic getaway ideas with those who want to know about them.

Newsletters are totally customizable to your business. You can choose what to provide or not provide, and how you want to provide it. They can be a very effective tool for adding additional revenue at very little cost.

Items that should be standard in any type of correspondence are: (See example below)
• A visual heading located at the top of the newsletter. You can ask your webmaster to create a heading that complements your current website.
• A link to your website
• A link to your availability system
• An e-mail link
• Your inn name
• Your city and state
• Your toll free / local phone numbers
• Photos to support the text contents of the newsletter. In other words, if you are providing a Romance Package as part of the newsletter, a nice shot of the contents of that package is visually appealing to the reader.
• Built-in Tracking Code on all links to your Website pages. This is only applicable if your Website statistics tracker supports referral (query) tracking. Ask your webmaster for assistance if you are unsure of your Tracking Programs capabilities.



Newsletter Tracking
Once you've invested both your time and money in setting up a newsletter campaign, you must have a good tracking system or you won't know if what you are doing is turning into bookings or not. There are many different types of tracking for your newsletter program. The top tracking options are listed below.

• Tracking Provided by your Newsletter Program
Each product will provide different levels of tracking. Two of the most basic tracking items are:

Open Rate—How many guests actually opened the e-mail?
Click Through Rate—Did the guest actually click any links in the e-mail while they were reading the content?

• Tracking Provided by your Website General Statistics Tracker
If your Website Statistics Tracker allows you to pass parameters from your newsletter, you will be able to determine the following:

Page Views—Which links (pages) the guest chose to view from the newsletter, and
Duration—How long the guest stayed on any particular page.

• Tracking Provided by your Booking / Reservation Tracking System
There are a limited number of products available that will allow you to track where your actual BOOKINGS are coming from, not just your traffic. Such products are SuperStatZ and Intell-a-Keeper. With these products you will be able to track any bookings that come from a guest viewing your newsletter and either choosing to view your availability online and book a room that way or linking to your website from the newsletter. These products vary in the information they provide about the guest. Some of that information may include:

• Guest Reservation Number
• Date and Time of Reservation
• Guest Name (where available)

A Booking / Reservation Tracking System is the ultimate way of proving how well your newsletter program is working and what the ROI (Return on Investment) for your newsletter program actually is. Remember to check how many room nights were attached to the reservation. Your newsletter booking might be worth more than you think.

Newsletters and SEO (Search Engine Optimization)
Did you know that Search Engines like Google, Yahoo, MSN, etc. look at the size of a website (how many pages are part of the site) as a small part of information that determines placement of that site in the Organic Listings (Organic Listings are the free listings on the left hand side of the search engine screen that DO NOT SAY SPONSORED)?

So as you plan your newsletter campaign, you may want to work with your webmaster to include each of your newsletters in a newsletter archive (and include a link to that archive in your site map so the search engines can find all the newsletter pages of your site).

Newsletters are a great way to grow your site along with bringing in more bookings.
You can simply type in the search box of any search engine the phrase below and it will provide you with a list of all pages that the search engine is aware of for your web address. Once you begin to archive your news, take a moment every month and watch your page counts go up.

site: www.YOURWEBSITEADDRESS.com

Next Steps
Don't wait! If you have maximized all other areas of marketing (Organic Placement, Online Listings, PPC, etc.) and are looking for a cost effective way to increase your bookings, a newsletter program is the way to go!

President and Co-Founder of Acorn Internet Services, Inc. Lisa Kolb and her husband Mark owned a Bed and Breakfast in Colorado Springs for over 9 years. While doing software support and development for their own B&B,the need for a low-cost quality solution for online marketing needs became increasingly apparent. In January of 2002, Mark and Lisa formed Acorn Internet Services, Inc www.acorn-is.com.
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Slip Slidin' Away: Preventing Slip and Fall Accidents at Your Inn
by Michael Swain, Markel Insurance, www.markelinsurance.com

Slip and fall/trip and fall accidents are the most common types of mishaps that occur at B&Bs and inns. Guests fall down the stairs, trip over holes in the lawn, slip in the bathroom, and slip on ice and snow.

Luckily, there are easy and inexpensive ways to help prevent these types of accidents. Increase your lighting: Inadequate lighting is the cause of many slip and fall accidents. Guests are in unfamiliar surroundings and can easily stumble on the stairs, over furniture, and on their way to the bathroom. To prevent these accidents:

• Consider using higher-wattage bulbs on stairways and installing night lights in guest bathrooms.

• If possible, install overhead fixtures in guest rooms, so guests can just flick a light switch when they enter the room.

• Consider placing a battery-operated flashlight in each guest room in case of power failures.

Make your bathrooms slip-proof: Accidents frequently occur in bathrooms as guests slip getting out of the tub or slip while in the tub. To make these spaces less slippery, you can:

• Place non-slip rugs on the floor and non-slip suction mats inside the tub.

• Make sure to use cleaning products that don't leave a slippery residue.

• Consider installing safety bars (grab bars) in the tub or shower. Don't use towel rods, as they can't support a person's weight and will tear out of the wall when grabbed.

• Frequently inspect plumbing for leaks and repair them immediately.

Take special care during special events: If you host weddings, family reunions, or other private parties, you may need to take extra precautions. Guests wearing high-heeled shoes can easily take a tumble, especially when walking on lawns or uneven surfaces. To keep guests safe, you can:

• Thoroughly inspect your grounds and fill in holes, remove anything people can trip over (pinecones, rocks, sticks), and create paths to steer guests away from uneven surfaces.

• If you use tents, make sure they are easy to walk through and have enough exits, have secured flaps, and have adequate lighting. Tie flags or garlands of flowers on poles so guests can see them and won't bump into them.

Pay extra attention to stairways, floors, and carpets: In older buildings stairways can be narrow, floors uneven, and carpets loose. To prevent accidents, you can:

• Frequently inspect handrails on stairs and repair them if they are loose. You might consider painting your outside steps with abrasive paint so people are less likely to slip in wet weather.

• Replace loose floor boards. If you use wax on your wooden floors, use a product that is not slippery.

• Place throw or area rugs on non-skid mats. Don't place throw rugs at the top or bottom of the stairs, where they can easily become tripping hazards. Make sure carpet is firmly tacked down and has no bulges or rips.

• Remove ice and snow as soon as possible after a storm. Apply ice melt to stairs, walkways, and your parking area and reapply as necessary to prevent refreezing and black ice. Much of the regular maintenance you do every day helps reduce slip and fall/trip and fall accidents as well. Cleaning up spills the moment they occur, keeping clutter to a minimum, and frequently inspecting and repairing your property goes a long way in preventing accidents.

Note: If a guest is seriously injured, always call 911 for an ambulance—don't try to drive the guest to the hospital. Paramedics and EMTs can begin medical treatment on the way to the hospital. They can also radio the hospital emergency department and physician with details about the person's condition, so further treatment can begin the moment the ambulance arrives at the hospital.

Michael Swain is Senior Loss Control Specialist for Markel Insurance Company in Richmond, Virginia. Markel specializes in insurance for B&Bs and country inns. www.markelinsurance.com
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Kitchen Corner: A Signature Dish
by Carol Edmondson, Innkeeping Specialists, www.innseminars.com

A signature dish is a great focal point for your menu and for marketing your inn experience to your guests, as well as the media. Finding your signature dish is a simple process. First, your signature dish should be something that your guests love and comment on often. It could be an entrée, a side dish, a condiment, or a special bread recipe. It should have a story. The story can be part of your family history, your ethnic background, or a local specialty that everyone associates with your area. The best candidates for food stories are those that a food editor or travel editor can expand on and find a "hook" or theme to write about. History or geography or family or new food concepts are all good candidates. One of our best food write-ups was the recipe for my teatotaling grandmother's baked beans which had rum as its secret ingredient. The beans are delicious and very popular, but the tale of how she snuck the rum into the beans really sold the story.

Feature your signature dish on your website. Use great mouth watering photos of your dish served on a beautifully set table. A signature dish will create a buzz among prospective guests. Alyce Mundy, Innkeeper at Dunscroft by the Sea on Cape Cod promotes her signature Portuguese Sweet Bread French Toast on her web site, right on the her welcome page. Alyce has found that the news about this guest favorite dish travels by word of mouth and in raves found in her common area guest book. New guests often request this special treat after seeing it on the web.

Write a cookbook or series of recipe cards featuring your signature dish. Chris Mason, Innkeeper at the Parish House Inn in Ypsilanti, Michigan, featured a guest favorite baked oatmeal recipe in the inn's cookbook which sold over 1,000 copies in its first year. Chris sent the cookbook to a local newspaper and the ensuing buzz continues to bring Chris business. The oatmeal is so popular it is served almost every day at Chris's inn.

Enter your signature dish in a regional or national recipe contest. Search the web for contests involving the ingredients in your dish. National food companies frequently sponsor these contests and love to feature entries in their marketing efforts. Enter your dish in the judging at your state or county fair. Bring lots of inn rack cards with you to hand out while the judges are conferring.

Signature dishes create a buzz that can lead to coverage in local newspapers and magazines. Send a press release to food and travel editors letting them know that you are featuring a locally harvested ingredient in your dish or that your special dish has a connection to the history of your town or region. Donate a batch to a local charity or auction off a cooking lesson to raise money for a favorite cause. Teach a class at the local school (it helps here if your dish is cookies or other kid friendly food). Food stories travel and coverage in national magazines and periodicals is a real opportunity. USA Today, Country Home Magazine, Cape Cod Life magazine, The Boston Globe, and many local publications have told the story of our signature dishes. A simple one page press release will draw attention to your inn through your guests' favorite offerings. Get to know who the food editors are for local and national periodicals and keep them informed through regular contact.

Best of all, signature dishes add to the list of reasons why your guests come back to your inn, recommend it to friends and family, and brag about their experience at your inn. Knowing that their favorite preserves or pancakes are waiting for them creates a sense of welcome that only you can offer, helping to cement your guest relationship.

Enjoy this yummy signature dish provided by Rachel Reid from the Andon-Reid Inn in Waynesville, North Carolina. Rachel is constantly giving copies of recipes to guests and putting recipes on many bed and breakfast directories, plus their own website, www.andonreidinn.com.

Frozen Chocolate Brownies
You actually eat this right out of the freezer!
6 oz. unsweetened chocolate
1 1/2 sticks of butter
6 eggs
3 cups sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon vanilla
1 1/2 cups flour
1 cup chopped, toasted pecans
Melt butter and then add chocolate. Cool.
Beat eggs, sugar, salt, and vanilla till light and fluffy. Turn mixer to low and add flour. Then add chocolate and pecans. Do not over mix. Grease and flour jelly roll pan. Bake at 325 degrees for 25 minutes. The top of the brownies should be dry. Cool and put into freezer for 1 hour. Cut as desired, freezer wrap, and keep frozen.

Carol Edmondson owned and operated an award winning 14 room B&B Inn on Cape Cod for 12 years. Carol and her husband Tom, a commercial real estate broker, formed Innkeeping Specialists in 1994. Their consulting partnership focuses on finding inns for clients and teaching their "Innkeeping from the Innside" seminar. Carol has developed and presented several PAII conference workshops, currently chairs the Cape Cod Bed & Breakfast Committee, and is a member of the PAII Advisory Board. She was formerly a marketing executive with a Fortune 500 high-tech firm and holds a degree in finance and marketing. Contact Carol via email at inninfo@yahoo.com or visit her website at www.innseminars.com.
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Question of the Month: What Do You Do?

Question:
Patricia Faser
Fairfield Place Bed & Breakfast Inn, www.fairfieldbandb.com
We are wondering what, if anything, you all do on New Years Eve for your guests. We are not trying to attract guests we are already full, but thought we should do something for the guests that will be here. This is our second New Years and last year we did not do anything. Any thoughts?

Answer: Post what you would do in the "Question of the Month" thread on the Member Forum and your response will be included in next month's issue of innkeeping.

Q&A Last Month
Question:
Terri Cameron
The Prairie Creek Inn, www.theprairiecreekinn.com
How necessary is it to refresh a room during a stay? What is the protocol? What exactly should be done? What do you do when guests don't leave their room or you can't make the timing work? I've been having a tough time knowing how to deal with my guest's personal belongings and their mess! How much should I clean? For example, do I wash the dirty dishes in the sink of the cottage when this is actually their responsibility? What do I do with curtains and blinds that are closed by my guests? Do I open them or do I leave them closed?

And those towels... I hate it when hotels leave their signs about reusing your towels to conserve energy and then the housekeepers end up replacing all the towels anyway to make the towel shelf "look pretty" again. Is it not OK to leave a towel on the hook for the guest to use the next day? Is that too messy looking?

Answers:
Ian & Yvonne Martin
White Oak Inn, www.whiteoakinn.com
We clean around the guests' belongings as much as possible. We assume they want them where they are and don't handle them unless we have to. We make the beds, clean the bathroom, vacuum the floor—if necessary—take away all the used glasses, mugs, etc., and put in new ones, replace all used towels, empty all the trash containers, open all the blinds and curtains, re-set the fireplaces and turn the heat and air-conditioners to our "daytime" settings to conserve energy. We turn off all lights and leave the room.

If there is clothing on the bed or floors, we lift it up to make the bed or vacuum and then put it back in as close to the same position as possible. We would only move their stuff if it was in some way damaging our furniture—such as a wet bathing suit left draped over a piece of wood furniture. If guests have moved furniture, we leave it where it is.

You mention that dishes are the guests' responsibility. If that's clearly understood by the guests, then I wouldn't do them.

If you have "green" notices that say towels left on bars or hooks will be reused then don't replace them. Otherwise replace them. I've never understood hotels that have the "green" cards and then replace all the towels regardless.

David & Brigette Walters
Inn on Mill Creek, Ridgecrest, NC www.innonmillcreek.com
If our guests don't leave their room or if they leave at a late hour, the first chance we get, we simply ask if they need anything for their room. We market to a laid back crowd and most times, they will say they don't need anything. This saves us time and energy. I do get paranoid about what state a room will be in, so even if a guest says we don't need to refresh their room, we'll still go in the rooms while they're away just to make sure a wet towel isn't hanging on a piece of furniture or something.

We leave personal belongings alone and just try to clean around them. My thinking is that the guests have made themselves at home and that's exactly what my husband and I want.
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INNS in the News

B&B Celebrates 14 Years of 'Zero Waste' in Heritage Hill
When Peaches Bed and Breakfast set up shop 14 years ago, there was no such thing as a 'zero waste' concept and there were few recycling programs. But that didn't stop owner Jane Lovett from doing what came naturally for her—paying attention to how she uses and disposes of everything.
Click here to read full article.

Kudos to Eric S. Eichenfield from the Deerfield Lodge at Heavenly in S. Lake Tahoe, CA. The Deerfield Lodge at Heavenly was featured in a Destinations' news story in the Wall Street Journal.

Vegetarian B&B Opens
BREWER, Maine — An old colonial home on East Summer Street has undergone a transformation over the last year to become the Fiddlehead Inn, a vegetarian bed and breakfast.

Innkeeper Saundra Haley, a former third-grade teacher from Boston who retired in 2006 and bought the two-story home, said it’s important to her for people to start their day with a healthful meal...Click here to read full article.

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Membership: Fall 2007 Business Survey
By Karen Hudgeons, Membership Director

Would you like to know how your fall business compared to other inns across the country? Just click on the link below before December 20th and complete a 5 minute anonymous survey. The results will be posted in INNfo so you can gauge your business against other PAII members nationally, this year versus last year. It's important for all of us to know how the industry is doing as a whole so the stronger our response is, the more comprehensive our data becomes. Thank you for participating!

Click the following link to access PAII's Fall Business Survey:
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=QbOAbuccFN0JbE61vhMQpA_3d_3d
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PAII People: Member Kudos & New Members

Member Kudos
Congratulations to longtime PAII member Inn at Playa del Rey for being named one of
Sunset Magazine's Top 10 Hidden City Hotels in the West. The owner and staff are speaking at the 2008 PAII Conference in Anaheim. Click here to read more.

Congratulations to the following Aspiring Innkeepers who have purchased inns:
Bernadette Ronan, Alexander's Country Inn, Ashford, WA
Jeff Finley & Barry Werner, Scarborough Fair B&B, Baltimore, MD
Carol McCulloch, Western Skies, Dillon, CO

Our thanks to Oates & Bredfeldt for referring new inn owner Bernadette Ronan of Alexander’s Country Inn, Ashford, WA. As part of our Member-Get-A-Member campaign, Oates & Bredfeldt has received two free months of membership!

Thanks to Bob Hope of Bob Hope & Associates Insurance & Financial Services and Steve Miller of California Mutual for bringing the following new PAII members on board. We really appreciate your support and your commitment to PAII.

Felicity Kirsch, Carriage House B&B, Point Reyes Stn, CA
Brian Jensen & Joanna Guidotti, Churchill Manor, Napa, CA
Julia Whitman, Emerald Iguana Cottages, St. Ojai, CA
Bob & Lee Jones, Harkey House B&B, Yuba City, CA
Jon de Gier , Inn on Castro B&B, San Francisco, CA
Brooke Boyer, The Napa Inn, Napa, CA
Karen Baker, Zane Grey Pueblo Hotel, Avalon, CA
Ben Baltic & Doug Scott, Keating House B&B, San Diego, CA

New Vendor Members
A Break 4 U
Betsy Maitland,
936 Gun Barrel Rd
White Post, VA 22663
Phone: 540-533-9300
info@abreak4u.com
www.abreak4u.com
"I Step Inn, While You Step Out"
As an innkeeper, I know that aside from making guests feel comfortable and welcomed, there is the "background" daily business of taking reservations, bookkeeping, housekeeping, gardening, general maintenance as well as cooking and baking. I offer experience in all phases of innkeeping with the addition of having a working knowledge of Microsoft Office including Excel, QuickBooks, Webervations, Guest Tracker; phone, mail and online reservations. I will bring this knowledge to your Inn.

Auberge au Pair
Brigette Quinn & Dean Forsyth
930 3rd Avenue #254
McBride, BC V0J 2E0
520-400-9648
info@aubergeaupair.com
www.aubergeaupair.com
As aspiring innkeepers we travel many places in search of the perfect
property for us. Looking after yours is the next best thing.

Design Your Own Draperies.com
window treatments ~ bedding ~ area rugs
Chris Cash, Owner & Designer
630-752-0095 phone
630-375-6737 fax
sales@designyourowndraperies.com
www.designyourowndraperies.com
Look like you hired a decorator with our custom made Window Treatments & Bedding. Choose from over 300 different fabrics. Custom quality with out the high price or long wait. Also available, ready made designer line of bedding from "Pine Cone Hill" and Area Rugs from "Dash & Albert". All PAII members get a 10% discount—Use coupon code PAIImem upon checkout. Right now, get FREE shipping on orders over $100. E-mail or call us for additional discounts on large quantity orders.

Innkeeper Direct
Charlie Noonan
714 Spirit 40 Park Drive, Suite 100
Chesterfield, MO 63005
Phone: 636-736-4000
Fax: 636-736-4001
cnoonan@customerdirect.com

Inn2 Your Shoes Interim Innkeeping Service
Wayne or Denise Couey
40 Mallory Ct.
Hiram, GA 30141
Phone: 678-391-2578
innsitters@inn2yourshoes.com
www.inn2yourshoes.com
We provide innkeeping for planned or emergency absences. We turn rooms, refresh rooms, take reservations, prepare breakfast and clean kitchen.

iRobot Corporation
Liz Rosberg
63 South Avenue
Burlington, MA 01803
Lrosberg@irobot.com
www.iRobot.com
iRobot Corp. specializes in behavior-based robots that help people complete tasks with better results. Powered by iRobot’s unique AWARE™ Robot Intelligence Systems, the company’s robots can navigate in complex and dynamic real-world situations. To date, the company has sold more than 2 million iRobot Roomba® Vacuuming Robots worldwide, making it the best-selling consumer robot in history.

Leggett & Platt, Inc.
Phillip E Herrin VP OF SALES OF HOSPITALITY
361 Treetop Dr
Bremen, GA 30110
Phone number: 770-329-6326
Fax Number: 770-537-0941
phillip.herrin@leggett.com
www.lphospitality.com
Bedding support, Ornamental Bed or Headboard products, and Top of Bed Products (sheets, protectors, ensembles, and pillows).

VacShack.com, Inc.
Stephen Fuhrman, Owner
4221 N. MacArthur Blvd.
Oklahoma City, OK 73122
Phone: 877-742-2565
service@vacshack.com
www.vacshack.com
Full line of vacuum cleaners, domestic, commercial, floor cleaning machines, cleaning tools, supplies, including all-natural alternatives and bulk quantities. We also have Rotary Irons and Coffee Systems. Free shipping over $50. Call for special discounts for PAII members.

New Inn Members
Abode at Willow Tail Springs
Lee & Peggy Cloy
Mancos, CO
www.willowtailsprings.com

Alexander's Country Inn
Bernadette Ronan
Ashford, WA
www.alexanderscountryinn.com

Australian Walkabout Inn
Lynne & Bob Griffin
Lancaster, PA
www.walkaboutinn.com

Bluegrass Country Estate
Cheryl Sabin
La Grange, KY
www.bluegrasscountryestate.com

Brookhill Bed and Breakfast
Susan Forsman
North Conway, NH
www.brookhillbb.com

Bryce Trails B&B
Gordon Smith
Blue Diamond, NV
www.brycetrails.com

The Chatelaine Bed and Breakfast
Ida Mae McQuade
Pine Grove Mills, PA
www.chatelainebandb.com

Cottage on the River
Sally & Philip Gauntt
Island Heights, NJ
www.cottageontheriver.com

Coutts Crossing Horse n Hound Hotel
Leo Maxwell
Coutts, AB
www.couttscrossing.com

Full Circle Ranch Bed & Breakfast
Jim Langan
Cave Creek, AZ
www.fullcircleranch.com

A Harbor View Bed and Breakfast
Cindy Lonn
Aberdeen, WA
www.aharborview.com

Heart's Content
Sharon Eller
Canton, MS
www.heartscontentms.com

Inn at Rivers Edge Marina
Robert Royle
Forked River, NJ 08731
www.innatriversedge.com

Laurie House
Sara Blivaiss
Princeton, NJ
www.lauriehouse.com

Les Saisons
Art & Libby Christensen
Maplewood, NJ

Lovelace Manor B&B
Lark McCarley
Lancaster, PA
www.lovelacemanor.com

Mountain Home Bed & Breakfast
Marilyn Clark
Mountain Home, NC
www.themountainhomeinn.com

Nightingale Inn
Moshe Mazin
Wenham, MA
www.nightingaleinn.net

Ocean House
Nancy & Dennis Kaloostian
Spring Lake, NJ
www.theoceanhouse.net

Old Town Guest House
Deb A Lovci
Park City, UT
www.Oldtownguesthouse.com

Salado Yellow House
Brian Harris
Salado, TX
www.saladosbest.com

Victoria House
Lynne & Alan Kaplan
Spring Lake, NJ
www.victoriahouse.net

Villa De Valor
Valerie Ashley
Julian, CA
www.villadevalor.com

New Aspiring Innkeeper Members
Audrey Bennett, Terryville, CT
Angela Correll, Stanford, KY
Laura Fletcher, Merced, CA
Kathy Horton, Ft Collins, CO
Ed Kivett, Winston-Salem, NC
Gay Neven, Leonardtown, MD
Loni Parrish, Newberg, OR
Bill Perro, New York, NY
Roger Remedios, Sacramento, CA
Alfred Richardson, San Jose, SJ
Lou Ann & Robert Savoyski, Chanhassen, MN
Louis Steadwell, Washington, DC
Judy Thomas, Summerville, SC
Kelly Thomson, Gig Harbor, WA
Dana Underwood, St. Louis, MO
Louise Vacco, Eden, NY
Kai Williams, Eugene, OR
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About innkeeping

innkeeping is published monthly. Annual subscription is included in the price of membership.

Publisher
Professional Association of Innkeepers International (PAII)

Editor-in-Chief & Production Coordinator
Laura Middleton

Editorial Staff
Karen Hudgeons, Jeanine Zeman, Ingrid Thorson, Carol Edmondson, Lisa Kolb, Michael Swain

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 innkeeping, please contact innkeeping’s Editor-in-Chief, Laura Middleton, at 856.310.1102 or laura@paii.org.

Advertising Rates & Information
Monthly banner 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