Professional Association of Innkeepers Int'l

I am writing this from the Travel Industry Association’s “Marketing Outlook Forum,” in Charlotte, North Carolina. By time you read this, the event will have adjourned over a week ago. Convened here are some of the top brass and opinion leaders in the United States travel industry. What’s the message here? Things are changing, and changing fast...so you better be ready! I have a duty, which I take very seriously, to absorb as much of the information on performance and trends as one man can absorb, and filter for innkeepers what I believe are the most relevant facts and opinions that will impact our industry.

Here is some of what I heard at the Marketing Outlook Forum, which I believe to be pretty relevant to innkeepers.

“Consumers trust each other more than they trust you (marketers).”
Geoff Ramsey, CEO of eMarketer

This was mentioned in the context of reviews that consumers are increasingly posting online after their stay at hotels, resorts, B&Bs, etc. In fact, research shown at the TIA meeting indicates that consumers trust anonymous peer reviews more than professional travel journalists! If you doubt the popularity and acceptance of this form of consumer-generated content (CGC), click here. If you know how popular this television show is, then you’ll understand. My message to innkeepers? Embrace this, embrace this, embrace this. If your listing on BedandBreakfast.com, TripAdvisor, Google, etc., does not have any user reviews, or an unfortunate few, then it is more likely that potential customers will pass on making a reservation with you. In fact, BedandBreakfast.com is reporting that properties with online user reviews are getting double the traffic that comparable properties that don’t have reviews are. As you can see, I’m not the first, nor the only, advocate of embracing online reviews. Do your very best to encourage your guests to leave reviews on any and all sites that are garnering attention and used by the traveling public. We will be discussing this at great length at the 2008 PAII Conference & Trade Show. When registration opens, I highly encourage you to come take part in the conversation.

“Consumers feel the most important travel web site features are: 90%—able to check fares…81%— easy-to-use booking feature…71%—photos of rooms.”
Peter Yesawich, CEO of Ypartnership

Whether we like it or not, the Internet has created a level playing field for all types of lodging, so consumers are expecting all types of lodging to have these features. Here's how I think their findings and messages apply to innkeeping. If you have the ability—whether through your own web tools or by using third-party reservation systems—to list the exact price of your rooms, rather than price ranges, you should. A visitor to your web site should be able to pick a night, pick a room (if your room prices vary) and see the exact pricing. Also, to meet the needs of consumers who want “easy-to-use booking features” (the second most important feature), I advise innkeepers, who don’t already have it, to consider adding real-time reservations to your website. I am concerned for the properties that require guests to get in touch with you personally as part of the booking process. I know many innkeepers like to weed out their prospective customers through conversations over phone or email, as well as set expectations for their visit. I am not suggesting you should replace phone and email with real-time reservations, just make sure it’s part of the mix. I venture to guess that innkeepers who still use email forms exclusively and have to get back to prospective customers are losing business—possibly losing more business than it’s worth to screen out the occasional bad apple. If a potential customer is doing her travel research and reservations at 11 pm at night, and she wants to close the loop on the romantic vacation she’s trying to book, those sites which allow her to make the reservation and receive an instantaneous confirmation will win the day. And for the inns whose “bread and butter” are minimum-night stays, require your technology provider to include this element in the booking process. Research by Babson College reveals that visitors to travel sites will abandon their online search efforts if they have to wait more than four seconds for information to load. If someone has to wait a few hours (or longer) for a response from an innkeeper about their reservation request, they very well might move on to real-time reservations in the time they’re waiting to hear back. The sooner you can capture and confirm a reservation, the less likely you are to lose the customer to another inn (or even a hotel) while they wait to hear back from you. Regarding photos of rooms, here’s where innkeepers are leading the way. Since each room is likely to offer a unique experience, it’s essential to have high resolution, up-to-date photos of your rooms. If you don’t have photos of rooms, then visitors to your site may think you have something to hide. Show off your property! You’ve worked hard on it, and it’s what makes your inn special.

“Average Daily Rate (ADR) for the hotel industry is $103.63 in 2007.”
Duane Vinson, Vice President at Smith Travel Research

In 2006, ADR for the lodging industry was $97. Smith Travel’s findings are showing rates are up. The recent PAII study of B&B and country inns showed ADR for our industry was $166 in 2006. That was $93 ahead of hotels. I’m wondering how 2007 has been for our industry. Smith Travel also reported that a night’s stay in Oahu, Hawaii, is averaging $168 – second only to New York, New York ($241). That means our AVERAGE member is on par with lodging in the 2nd most expensive market in the entire country. As the hotel industry works to stay ahead of the curve, which sometimes includes stealing from the innkeeper playbook (i.e. investing in luxurious linens, increasing the quality of “free” breakfasts), what are innkeepers doing to maintain the gap? Why is that important to me? I’m not suggesting the B&B market should maintain high prices for the sake of having high prices (that would actually be unlawful). But, the $69 gap in ADR in 2006, to me, demonstrates that travelers view the B&B experience as premium. If the gap closes, that means the consumer perception of value of the typical hotel and the typical B&B are getting to be similar. Innkeepers have been offering unique lodging and hospitality experiences for years. Ask yourselves—what am I doing to maintain the premium experience (from booking to staying to checking out to reviewing) that warrants a premium price? If innkeepers want to maintain premium status in hospitality and lodging, we have to continue offering an experience you just can’t get in the hotel market.

One thing that occurred to me from being at the TIA meeting is that most of the chain hotels and resorts have senior management and larger bureaucracies that study trends and performance in the lodging/travel/hospitality industry. No surprise there. Innkeepers don’t have such resources as part of your business. But, you do have PAII. Look to us for information and opinions on what’s happening in lodging, travel and hospitality. We are mining these worlds to bring you what is relevant and timely for innkeepers. To those innkeepers pushing the envelope and adopting some of the best practices, congratulations and thank you. To those who have been on the fence or who haven’t made many changes over the past few years, I encourage you to consider a progressive approach to your business in 2008. Many who haven’t made changes may be very happy with the level of business you are experiencing right now; but I’m trying to look down the road. I don’t think business methods of 2005, 2006 or even 2007 will work as well in 2008, 2009 and beyond. As Ben Franklin said, “The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.” If you hope for better results in 2008, plan now for some changes.

If you have thoughts you want to share with me, please email me at jay@paii.org. We’re in this together, so I want to hear from you.

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What is GPS and Why Should I Care?
by George Newman, Third Millennium Marketing, LLC ® / www.inns.net

GPS stands for Global Positioning System. It's an important technology that many of your guests already are using to find their way around the planet and more of them will be using it in the future. With just a little bit of effort you can make GPS work for you and for your guests.

GPS is incorporated into cell phones, rental cars, and by automobile companies as an option on most of their model lines. The newest GPS devices come pocket size with all of the United States shown down to street-level maps; they can even report traffic conditions in many major cities. Some also have built-in MP3 players and BlueTooth, so a driver can use his or her cell phone with hands-free dialing.

An automobile GPS can determine a driver's Latitude and Longitude (or Lat/Lon) within one meter (providing reasonable conditions exist) and associate that Lat/Lon with an address on a pre-loaded map. The device then calculates precise directions to that address, giving turn-by-turn instructions.
What this means is that, with GPS, a guest need only enter your address and he or she will receive precise instructions for getting to your property. How nice it is for guests to reach your property relaxed and unconcerned about getting lost on the way.

All this works just fine if the GPS system has correct information about the location of your property. If that information is wrong, however, a guest might follow the directions perfectly but still drive by your property, or stop several blocks short, or maybe even end up in the wrong town. That's been the case in the past with many of the maps and directions provided by MapQuest and other companies, most of which, in turn, use the services of a mapping company called NavTeq. Using a GPS device, you can obtain the correct information about the location of your property and submit it yourself over the Internet to NavTeq and other companies that provide that information for the majority of GPS devices on the market.

Here's what you need to know. First, any database management system needs to associate a number (such as your address) with a piece of data. In this case, the required data is your property's Latitude and Longitude; for the United States, that means your property's position north of the Equator (the Latitude) and west of Greenwich, England (the Longitude). There are two ways to determine whether NavTeq and other companies have your property's location correctly listed on the map. The first is to use a car equipped with a factory-installed GPS, drive away from your property, enter your address, and have it guide you back. If the directions are fine, you don't need to do anything about it. But if they are wrong, you'll need to make a note of the Latitude and Longitude of your property's driveway, and then follow the instructions shown below.

At this point I want to digress for a moment about your property's address. If, for example, your property is located at 123 West Elm Street, the GPS database may have it as Elm Street West. Alternatively, your property's official address may be in Mount Olive, but you would rather advertise your inn as being in Murfreesboro. In both these cases, you need to make certain that your guests know exactly how your property's address will show up when they enter it into a GPS. You can do this by showing the various alternatives on the "directions" page of your website (both West Elm Street and Elm Street West, for example, or both Mount Olive and Murfreesboro).

A second way to determine if your address is listed correctly is to go to Google maps, then type in your street address and click on "hybrid" for a satellite photo/street version of the map. Here you will see where Google's address information is placing your property on the map. Google is tying the Lat/Lon they have for your address to a point on the map. Zoom (+) to the closest level that a Google map allows of your area and see just how well the pointer matches up to the actual photograph. I've shown an example of how poorly this can work is at www.inns.net/GPS In this photograph one can see that the entrance to 639 Park Road (my office) is several driveways before the actual entrance.
Here's how to get the correct information about your location into the GPS systems.

Once you have used a GPS device to determine your correct Latitude and Longitude, type that information into Google. You will see that the map and the pointer should be within a few feet (if not closer) to the actual spot. For the Latitude and Longitude of my office, the accepted format for Google is 41.75315,-72.74254. The first numbers are the Latitude (degrees, minutes and seconds), and the second numbers are the Longitude. In this case our office is 41 degrees (and change) north of the equator and 72 degrees west of Greenwich England. Since this property is located in Connecticut, decreasing the Latitude number will bring you south while increasing the Longitude number will bring you west.

To correct the information about the location of my office, I took one of my GPS devices and noted the Lat/Lon on it, literally standing at my office's driveway entrance. I typed that information into Google maps and, low and behold, the pointer was MUCH closer to the actual driveway's entrance than the address in the GPS device's database (see the second picture at www.inns.net/GPs).
The information in the GPS device's database came from NavTeq. To correct it, I went to NavTeq's site (http://www.navteq.com/) and clicked on Map Reporter. I filled out the correct information about my office location. Over the next few months the data will disseminate throughout new databases served by NavTeq.

NavTeq is not the only company with which you should do this. TeleAtlas is another company that provides information to Ford, BMW and GM, just to name a few. Go to http://mapfeedback.teleatlas.com/index.htm to submit correct information. Because both companies take time to update information, it is critical that you do this now rather than later. Is it worth it for you to take the time to do all this? My answer is, yes. Because GPS devices are becoming ubiquitous, it is important now to make sure that your property's information is correct in all the various databases so that your location is shown correctly. It's possible that, within a few years, you will no longer get any late-night phone calls from guests who have gotten themselves lost three towns away from your inn.

Also, I can easily see a time when innkeepers will be able to hand GPS devices to their guests and send them on walking or driving tours without having to give them complicated directions. Guests will be happier when they find a restaurant or a store without any hassle, and you'll be happier, too.

Special PAII Contest
Win a new Garmin Foretrex® 101 GPS provided by George Newman of Third Millennium Marketing, LLC®/www.inns.net

Enter to win a new Garmin Foretrex® 101 GPS (https://buy.garmin.com/shop/shop.do?pID=260) provided by Third Millennium Marketing, LLC® /www.inns.net if you can perform the following task:

Take the latitude and longitude provided here and describe in as much detail as possible (hint, use Google Maps Hybrid) where on earth the follow point is. N41° 47' 38.70", W72° 42' 59.50".

The winner will be chosen at random. Deadline to enter is Thursday, November 8, 2007. Please email George Newman at paiigpscontest@inns.net with your answer and contact information.

George Newman is Managing Member of Third Millennium Marketing, LLC ® / www.inns.net. He has spoken at just about every PAII conference since 1998 and has provided web site design, hosting, and marketing services to the Bed & Breakfast industry since 1997. George has served on the PAII advisory board several times and the DIA board of Managers.

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How to Get the Most from Training, Make it Stick and Make it Fun
by Don Farrell, entreprenYOUR, Inc., www.entreprenyour.com

In 1986, I started a sales and service training company that provided exemplary sales and service training to hotel/motel clients. From my true belief that improving customer service levels absolutely bolstered the bottom line with more revenue, I had offered what no other training company offered: a money-back guarantee. I knew that, with properly installed and reinforced training, a hotel would see measurable results. This guarantee is still in place today and has helped take that company and its business and training solutions worldwide. To date, that company has trained over 8,500 hospitality clients and another several thousand in non-hospitality markets.

Over the last 21 years I have learned that, in order to get the most from your training, you first need to consider (talk) and, more importantly implement (walk) certain dynamics.

Here are some of those concerns:

Why Train?
There are companies and managers and organizations that still doubt the value of training-they don't see the clear connection of training and employee turnover. Training is viewed as non-essential overhead. So, why should they train? Remember this: The only thing more expensive than training an employee and having them quit, is to not train them and having them stay.

Training done right is an investment, not an expense. Training done right fosters a desired culture directly related to reduced employee turnover, greater levels of service, improved sales performance and it can also refocus staff priorities and encourage them to act and respond as owners.

I often hear…"I can't find good people…so the one(s) I have are not worth training…let me find someone first and then we can train."

You may have grades A-D kinds of employees, but you also have few you know who have the potential to be the kind employee you find most desirable. YOUR kind of employee. My advice: train them all—your core group of A's and B's along with the C's and D's to move them up and encourage them to become a big part of your best team. Waiting gets you nowhere. Lack of training leaves you in the dust.

What are Some Different Ways to Train?
1. Face-to-face, one-on-one, or in small groups
2. Face-to-face, larger group
3. On-line via the Internet, individually, or in small groups
4. On-line via semi-interactive broadcasts (live and recorded) with a facilitator
5. CD ROM
6. Hand someone a book and say read this and then ask them to do it
7. Ask someone to shadow another and learn from that person

Which Way(s) are Best for You?
1. Some of us can pick up a manual and learn how to work new computer software without any additional instruction or personal assistance. Some folks can't learn from a book-we need human help. Everybody knows how best they learn. Find out what works for your people based on their personalities and aptitude for picking up new skills.
2. How simple or complicated are your desired training end results? Example: Getting room attendants to clean mirrors better vs. getting your front-line staff to improve service and selling skills are vastly different in terms of challenge and the necessary training steps. The tougher the desired training result, the more we see a need for highly engaged, face-to-face training.

Challenging Training: Face-to-face, How to Get the Most Out of It.
a. Know that your audience is already expecting your training event to be boring (most are) so build fun into the agenda; make it highly interactive and highly personal. What can these attendees gain on a personal/professional level? Do you want to send signals that your goal is to get personal riches or would you rather make it clear that you want your employees to be more successful and, as a result, together you all can make a more profitable operation?
b. Get the authorship of every participant so they feel they are part of a solution. Many times you will find that the audience has a better definition/solution to problems than you.
c. Training needs to address the audience's buy-in (heart). Spend sufficient time for the "whys" not just the "whats." Get their heart, get their head, and then you connect to their passion of saying and doing the right things.
d. Care enough about your employees to find out what they want out of their job, what personal goals they have that you can help them reach. Would you rather have a 'B' player for two years or an 'A' player for one? 'A' players work for people who care about them. And all people work for leaders-not your business.
e. Skills practice, skills practice, skills practice. That is to say role-play, role-play, and more role-play. Don't assume for a second that your new theory interprets well into desired actions. When looking at the reviews of more than 500 training events I've held, the number one thing participants said they hated most was role-playing, but they also said the best part was the role-playing It is tougher to do in front of your peers and boss(es), but it is also most rewarding when they see their progress.
f. You have 3 parts to every training initiative:
1. Benchmarking where you are (reality trip)
2. The training implementation (the first actual training event) and
3. The reinforcement of that training event. Where most people fail in their training goals is in their lack of reinforcement.
g. So, what is reinforcement and how do you reinforce?
   1. Inspect, review, and give feedback
   2. Coach and mentor
   3. Have new employee orientation and mini-training sessions ready to go now, not when you get a        new hire
   4. Review training sessions on a regular basis
   5. Consider an incentive program
6. Track results and share those results

How to Make Training Fun
1. Build in relative activities
2. Get them out of the inn so they can focus better
3. Feed them breaks and lunch
4. Nerf toys, crayons-stuff that they can see turns a clinical session into a fun one
5. Discussions, not lectures
6. Have them critique your training. Find out what they liked and what needs improving

Don started his hospitality career as a pot scrubber with Marriott and worked his way up through the ranks into the sales office 3 ½ years later. He left to go to work for Holiday Inns Inc. in various sales and marketing capacities such as city sales in Chicago, pre-opening sales in Detroit, Director of sales in Oak Brook Illinois and again with the company’s #1 NOP hotel in St Louis and also as Regional Sales Manager in Minneapolis and later in Columbus Ohio and Washington DC. After leaving Holiday Inns Don worked for his first entrepreneurs in Boston and Memphis where he was VP of marketing for 7 Sheraton resort and conference centers and then later as VP of sales for 30 of the best Holiday Inns in the country.

In 1986 he started a company called Signature that eventually became the largest, and best, hospitality training company in the world with 265 employees, 7,000 current clients and offices and operations in 45 countries. In June of 07 Don sold Signature to a long time partner to start a new company called entreprenYOUR, Inc specializing in creating competitive uniqueness by building superior cultures. The net effect is more production, greater quality, better and longer term employees.

Don also delivers key note addresses nationally and is writing 3 books.
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Kitchen Corner: Overnight Yeast Breads
by Carol Edmondson, Innkeeping Specialists, www.innseminars.com

Few things evoke an inn experience quite like the scent of warm yeast based baked goods wafting through your inn. Whether this aroma emanates from the most modern stainless steel urban kitchen or the kitchen of a genuine antique farm house, the reaction of guests is the same. The smell (and taste) of fresh baked yeast dough is hypnotic, alluring, and a crowd pleaser. If you are thinking that you don't have the money or time to hire a pastry chef, think again.

Professional bakers will attest that some of the finest yeast breads-sweet or savory-are produced through a method called "cool rise." The essence of cool rise is that after mixing yeast dough you allow it to develop under refrigeration. Several things happen as a result. First, the dough develops a yeastier flavor because the slower rise allows the yeast to multiply in greater numbers. Second, cool rise happens over 12, or even 24, hours with no attention from you. And, third, you control the timing of mixing, rising and baking so it fits into your busy schedule. You can even change your plan and extend the rise if the world goes haywire. So, for example, cinnamon rolls that you planned to bake for Sunday morning breakfast can be held over till Monday when you discover that Sunday's crowd is a wheat free, vegan group.

What this may mean is that you can, in fact, bake for your guests without rising at 3 AM. The bonus is that what you bake using this method will be even better than the batch you would start in the wee hours of the morning.

Yeast breads usually go through two rises, one after kneading and one after being shaped into their final form. Each of these rises can be done in the refrigerator. In the case of my guests' favorite cinnamon rolls (recipe below), I prepare the dough right after breakfast while the kitchen is still a mess. Using my stand mixer this takes about 15 minutes total time. They rise right in the same mixer bowl in the refrigerator until sometime that evening when I get a break. Then, I form the rolls and put them back in the fridge until morning. At 7 AM (for serving at 8:30 AM) I remove the rolls from the fridge. They sit at room temp until 7:45 AM while the oven preheats. I bake them, frost, and serve warm. If you need to change the breakfast menu as mentioned above, simply leave the rolls in the fridge for another 12 or even 24 hours. Their flavor will continue to improve.

This method works on every type of yeast dough recipe. In addition to these cinnamon rolls I have used it successfully on white bread, whole wheat bread, onion bagels, sourdough bread, rye bread, pizza, focaccia, Danish pastry, French bread and yeast based waffles. This method is worth a try-guests will notice.

Orange Pecan Cinnamon Sticky Buns

Ingredients for one dozen (may be doubled or tripled):

Dough
4 large egg yolks, room temperature
1 large whole egg, room temperature
1/4 cup sugar
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
6 ounces buttermilk, room temperature
Grated zest of one orange
4 cups all purpose flour, plus additional for dusting
1 package instant or fast acting dry yeast, approximately 2 1/4 teaspoons
1 1/4 teaspoons kosher salt
Vegetable oil or cooking spray

Filling
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup finely chopped pecans

Icing
1/4 cup cream cheese or Greek style yogurt
2 tablespoons thawed orange juice concentrate
1 1/2 cups confectionery sugar

For the dough: in the bowl of a stand mixer with the whisk attachment, whisk the egg yolks, whole egg, sugar, 4 tablespoons of the butter, and buttermilk. Add approximately 2 cups of the flour along with the yeast and salt; whisk until moistened and combined. Remove the whisk attachment and replace with a dough hook. Add all but 3/4 cup of the remaining flour and knead on low speed for 5 minutes. Check the consistency of the dough, add more flour if necessary; the dough should feel soft and moist, but not sticky. Knead on low speed 5 minutes more or until the dough clears the sides of the bowl. Spray the top of the dough with cooking oil spray, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate until evening or up to 24 hours.

Combine the cinnamon, brown sugar, pecans, and a pinch of salt, in a medium bowl. Mix until well incorporated. Set aside until ready to use.

Butter a 9 by 13-inch glass baking dish. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface. Gently shape the dough into a rectangle with the long side nearest you. Roll into an 18 by 12-inch rectangle. Brush the dough with the remaining 2 tablespoons of melted butter, leaving 1/2-inch border along the top edge. Sprinkle the filling mixture over the dough, leaving a 3/4-inch border along the top edge; gently press the filling into the dough. Beginning with the long edge nearest you, roll the dough into a tight cylinder. Firmly pinch the seam to seal and roll the cylinder seam side down. Very gently squeeze the cylinder to create even thickness. Using a serrated knife, slice the cylinder into 1 1/2-inch rolls; yielding 12 rolls. Arrange rolls cut side down in the baking dish leaving room between for the rolls to rise; cover tightly with plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator overnight or up to 24 hours. Remove the rolls from the fridge 45 minutes before baking.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. When the oven is ready, place the rolls on the middle rack and bake until golden brown-approximately 30 minutes. While the rolls are cooling slightly, make the icing by whisking the cream cheese until creamy. Add the orange juice concentrate and whisk until combined. Sift in the powdered sugar, and whisk until smooth. Spread over the rolls and serve immediately.

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:
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?

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. Also, do you have a nut-picker, a loud-snorer, or another scenario you'd like to ask other innkeepers "What do you do?" If so, please post your scenario in the "Question of the Month" thread on the Member Forum and your question will be included in a future issue of innkeeping!
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INNS in the News

Longtime PAII member Conch House (www.conchhouse.com) will participate in the Key West Innkeepers Association's Historic Lighted Inn Tour. http://www.prweb.com/releases/2007/10/prweb563303.htm

Experience the charm and flavors of a true wine country holiday gathering at the Napa Bed & Breakfast Inns’ annual Holiday B&B Tour and Taste event. The event will feature tours of 13 downtown Napa historic inns, along with food and wine pairings from premier Napa chefs and winemakers. http://hospitality-1st.com/PressNews/Napa-Downtown-102307.html

The Inn at Buena Vista (www.innatbuenavista.com) in Buena Vista, CO is in the September issue of Country Magazine and is featured in a guidebook titled, Colorado's Best B and B's, 100 Unique Getaways, by Tamra Monahan.

Linda Nicola, owner of Colonial Manor Inn (www.colonialmanorinn.com) in Onancock, VA pays to save thriving wild bee hive. http://content.hamptonroads.com/story.cfm?story=132863&ran=174517

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Membership: Retired Innkeepers

If you are considering selling your inn or retiring, remember that PAII has a new membership category for Retired \Innkeepers who transfer their membership from Active Innkeeper status. The dues are only $99 per year and it allows you to retain access to the Forum, continue to receive our electronic newsletters, and get our new Innkeeping Quarterly magazine by mail. We want you to be able to stay in touch with the industry you have put your heart and soul into over the years. Also, you may find that you now have the time to be a part of our Mentor Program and share your expertise with newcomers to the industry. We would welcome your participation and would only call on you a few times a year to give guidance and advice on topics you select in a pre-screening questionnaire. Imagine how helpful it would have been if YOU had a mentor when you first started! Please help us guide the future generation of innkeepers by being a mentor.

Please email membership@paii.org for more information on the Retired Innkeeper membership or our Mentor Program.

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PAII People: Member Kudos, New Members, & New Vendors
Wildberry Lodge Bed and Breakfast in Leicester, NC was chosen by BedandBreakfast.com as a top undiscovered place for fall foliage viewing.

Our sincere thanks to the following members who referred a new member. Each will receive 2 months free membership as part of our Member-Get-A-Member Program:

Oates & Bredfeldt referred Bernadette Ronan from the Alexander's Country Inn in Ashford, WA to PAII.

David Hiler from Hiler Hospitality, LLC in Brattleboro, VT referred new vendor member Brenda Johnson from Execu/Tech Systems, INC in Panama City, FL.

Congratulations to the following new inn owners! All the best to you in your new venture.

Jillian Johansen, former PAII aspiring innkeeper, has purchased Comstock House, LLC in Big Rapids, MI.

Michael Boyle and his wife Nancy Klewicki, former PAII aspiring innkeepers, are now the proud owners of Maple Leaf Inn in Barnard, VT.

Carrie Yeager recently bought the Rosebud Ruby Star in Joshua Tree, CA and is now doing business as The Desert Lily.

Marianne and Cathy Schap were members as Aspiring Innkeepers and are pleased to announce they have purchased Awaken Inn in Millsboro, DE.

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 for your commitment to PAII.

Brian Sprinsock, Adobe on the Green, Santa Cruz, CA
Freda Danzig, Always Inn San Clemente, San Clemente, CA
Doreen & Kirk Swanson, Arnold Black Bear Inn, Arnold, CA
Julie Taft Whitman, Blue Iguana Inn, Ojai, CA
Eugenia & Jean Lunney, Bordeaux House, Yountville, CA
Wendie & Bill Cox, Delta Daze B&B, Isleton, CA
Richard & Larnice Eklund, Inn at Locke House, Lockeford, CA
John Micuda, The La Jolla B&B Inn, Carlsbad, CA
John & Susan Nelson, Lingonberry Farm, Point Reyes, CA
Barbara Bowers, Rose Mountain Manor, Colfax, CA
Ann Dunham, San Diego Oceanfront B&B, Encinitas, CA
Dick White, Tahoma Meadows B&B, Homewood, CA
Andrew Cardenas, Three Thirty Three B&B, Palm Springs, CA
Margaret Frisbee, Vista B&B, Vista, CA
Lee & Linda Stanley, Wikiup B&B Inn, Julian, CA
George & Irma Starke, Zinandel House, Calistoga, CA

Welcome New Vendor Members!
As If You Were There Innsitters
Bob & Suzanne Ellis
449 North Spring Road
Vineland, NJ 08361
Phone: 856-691-4443 or cell 609-319-3661
Fax: 856-691-1655
srellis1@comcast.net
www.inn-tenders.com
We are prior owners of the Hickory B&B, NC. Overall 12+ years as Owners & Innsitters. Check our references on our web-site.. Will travel anywhere.

Beam Studio LLC
Dan Horn
145 Manufacturing St.
Dallas, TX 75207
Phone: 214-760-7911
Fax: 214-760-7912
sales@beam-studio.com
www.beam-studio.com
At Beam Studio we believe in giving our client's the opportunity to shine and stand out in the Hospitality industry. 18 years exp, qualified staff, Happy Customers. We will deliver. That's our guarantee. (PAII members can receive a $350.00 savings.)

Gail Fraser, Author
305 Cottrell Road
Greenwich, NY 12834
gail@lumbybooks.com
www.lumbybooks.com
Innkeepers love the Lumby novels! Escape to Lumby and the unforgettable Montis Inn in the acclaimed new series by Gail Fraser. Ideal holiday presents and gift shop books.

Pur-Sleep, Inc.
Bret Randall
PO Box 95245
South Jordan, UT 84095
Phone: 801-831-5959
Fax: 801-208-2079
bret@pur-sleep.com
www.sleeparomatherapy.com
SleepAromatherapy is the use or all-natural aromatics to enhance and promote sleep. Our DreamWeaver Lavender essential oil lotion has been specifically designed for the hospitaility industry!

Welcome New Innkeeper Members!
1890 Captain's House on the Lake
Bob Hayes
Granbury, TX
www.captainshouse.info

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

Archbishop's Mansion
Jonathon Shannon
San Francisco, CA
www.archbishopsmansion.com

Badin Inn Golf Resort and Club
Andy Kinnecom
Badin, NC
www.Badininn.com

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

Boot Hill Bed and Breakfast
Enid Scadden
Dodge City, KS
www.boothilldodgecity.com

Brick House Bungalows
Denise & Tony Salvo
Sonoma, CA
www.brickhousebungalows.com

Casa Del Mar Inn
Yun Kim
Santa Barbara, CA
www.casadelmar.com

Cedar Gables Inn
Ken Pope
Napa, CA
www.cedargablesinn.com

Country Inn the City
Fergus O'Brien
New York, NY
www.countryinnthecity.com

Duke Mansion
Tim Miron
Charlotte, NC
www.dukemansion.com

Estabrook House
Maurine Hennings
St Johnsbury, VT

Eureka Springs Hideaway
James Bright
Eureka Springs, AR
www.eurekaspringshideaway.com

Gables Inn Sausalito
Abraham Chador
Sausalito, CA
www.gablesinnsausalito.com

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

Inn at Benicia Bay
Jim Harris
Benicia Bay, CA
www.theinnatbeniciabay.com

Los Willows
Catherine Ransom
Fallbrook, CA
www.loswillows.com

Palm Tree Inn
KuJigish Shah
Porterville, CA

Red Corral Ranch
Colleen Reeves
Wimberley, TX
www.redcorralranch.com

Stringfellows Inn, LLC
Jane Nelson
Round Hill, VA
www.stringfellowsinn.com

Tanglewood Inn
Susan Trento
Front Royal, VA
www.tanglewoodinn.com

The Tefft House Bed and Breakfast
Stephen O'Connor
Plainview, MN
www.teffthouse.com

Thistle House Bed & Breakfast
Phyllis Esler
Granite Falls, NC
www.thistlehousebb.com

Vitosha Guest Haus
Kei Constantinov
Ann Arbor, MI
www.a2vitosha.com

Whitegate Inn
Susan Strom
Mendocino, CA
www.whitegateinn.com

Welcome New Aspiring Innkeeper Members!
Dean Barrett
Spring Lake, MI

Jeff & Chau Blair
McLean, VA

Marcia Doty
Indianapolis, IN

Kathy Drew
New York, NY

Danna Eck
Tucson, AZ

Daina Hill
New York, NY

Kim Johnson
Pleasanton, CA

Brenda Jones
San Antonio, TX

Annette Kanshepolsky
Milwaukee, WI

Christie Martinez
Bloomfield, NJ

Suzanne McErlain
Holland, PA

Mike & Debra Urash
Eureka Springs, AR

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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
Jay Karen, Karen Hudgeons, Jeanine Zeman, Don Farrell, Carol Edmondson, George Newman

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

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©2007 Professional Association of Innkeepers International.