G – Part One!

Good morning faithful readers-of which I see I have at least one!

I’ve decided to make G a two part post, since it encompasses a couple of important innkeeping matters-Green rooms and Guests.  I’m going to start with green and follow-up with Guests.

I’m very excited that this time around there are so many more green options for innkeepers.  There are now paints with no voc’s, more organic fabrics, and cleaners.  For innkeepers who need to use carpeting, there are healthier choices out there and a larger selection.  I particularly like that there is a larger selection of green cleaning products for rooms and laundry.  For me, a room should smell fresh and perhaps only have a hint, and I mean a small hint, of any sort of scent.  The days of rooms smelling like harsh cleaning products are over!  It is important to me that along with providing  a relaxing and rejuvenating experience for my guests, that the rooms themselves are healthy.   Laundry products are also available now that disinfect without using bleach or other products that are harmful to people, animals and the environment.  I don’t know about you, but just walking down the cleaning products aisle of the grocery store makes me feel bad, so I know I don’t want to stay in a room that smells like that.  I’ve been trying out many Green products and have been very impressed by how well they work, so I know I will find the best ones to use in my future inn.

I want to take a moment and recommend a book to my followers.  It is by Pema Chodron, who I am sure some of you have heard of and possible read before.  The title is The Places that Scare You..A Guide to Fearlessness in Difficult Times. As it states on the jacket “..Pema provides the tools to deal with the problems and difficulties that life throws our way.”  These don’t have to be catastrophic problems or major life difficulties-but I feel our lives are so full and it is easy to get overwhelmed with worry and to get stuck in places that don’t bring us joy, happiness or contentment.  Pema Chodron gives us a way to deal with the everyday things( and the big things) in a fearless way.  Give it a try, it is a very comforting book.

Stay tuned for Guests.  Right now I am going to yoga which helps me start my day in the best way possible.

Thanks for reading!

Feather Beds, Fireplaces and Fluffy Robes!

Good afternoon faithful readers.  I hope you are all having a great weekend.  We are having record high temperatures in north Florida, and I’m sure not going to complain.  Our Christmas tree and inside decorations are now up, although at the moment they seem a little at odds with our warm weather.  The tree seems especially pretty this year, and adds a nice warm feeling to our home.

Well, F provides us with some luxurious elements of an inn.  I guess I should add fluffy towels to my title.  I think that walking into a guest room that has all of these amenities creates a good first impression!  It can be the icing on the cake to an inn with great curb appeal and well designed and welcoming common areas and/or entry way.  All of these wonderful elements can be created if they don’t already exist when I find the inn I want to buy.  Since I’m not really interested in renovating a house again,  the existing floor plan will be very important.  I’m hoping for larger rooms so I can work with color and feng shui to create a restful and peaceful experience for my guests.  I’m also hoping for a garden that will provide flowers for the rooms.  I think even a small vase or ikebana type vase can add a burst of color and liveliness to a room.

You know, I’m really finding out a lot about myself and the type of inn I want to have by writing this blog.  It has helped me to define the atmosphere I want to provide and even how I want my rooms to look in a less abstract way.  I’m having fun going through the alphabet, and being reminded of everything involved in innkeeping.

Financial feasibility will wind up the letter F. It is a concept that stays in the picture from purchase through selling an inn.  It goes along with budgeting as something to never lose sight of.  It is very easy to fall in love with an inn without looking at the big picture.  Buying something that is never going to cash flow and not knowing that if you haven’t done your homework can be one of the most discouraging things that can happen to an innkeeper and take the fun out of the job.  Since I definitely want to have fun and enjoy my inn and my guests, keeping my eye on the bottom line is something I plan on paying a much attention to.

Take care and enjoy the rest of your weekend.  Next week it’s on to G which stands for what it is all about-guests!

E is for effort…and more.

Hello, faithful followers if there are any of you left!  I will apologize quickly for being away so long.  No excuses except those we always use and I will try not to let it happen again.  My Mom has arrived from Michigan for the winter-apparently in the nick of time!  I hope those of you with the day off are enjoying it completely and doing something not work related.

I get more and more excited about once again having my own inn.  The small business association provides some good examples of inn-specific business plans and I have been reading some of those.  So I am about ready to start on my own outline.  I have joined the Professional Association if Innkeepers International for the second time around as an aspiring member, and reading information and connecting with other innkeepers in the forums feels like reconnecting with an old friend.  While I know I have a lot of hard work ahead of me, I am feeling very committed and know I will get through the tougher aspects of re-inning.

Regarding E!  Well, the amount of Effort needed to have a successful inn requires a lot of Energy.  One of the reasons I have ruled out smaller b&b’s is that I have already done that and feel like my energies would be better spent marketing, chatting with guests and managing, rather than making beds and doing laundry all day, plus everything else.  One area I do want to remain active in from previous experience is breakfast!  Keeping up energy levels also requires some work.  I do yoga and eat well, and also eat my healthy chocolate cookie every day.  It really gets me through long days, keeps my mood even, and helps me sleep better.  Please see my links if you are interested in chocolate that tastes good and is loaded with antioxidants, omega3′s and probiotics.  If you are going to eat chocolate, there’s no harm in having it be good for you!

Expenses-okay, who even wants to hear that word this time of year!  I will keep it short so we can quit thinking about it quickly.  Budgeting for expenses is one of the most important things an owner will do concerning the day to day running of the inn.  Otherwise it is so easy for money to fly out the door even more quickly than it will anyway.  When looking at an existing inn to purchase, you will find out when doing your due diligence if expenses are in line for that specific inn.  In general, the more luxurious the rooms, the more it costs to run them.  It really can be sticker shock and that is why it is important to have a grasp on these sorts of issues going in-there is no getting around the issues of expenses and the need to have a handle on them. It’s Elemental!

E also covers Employees.  This will be a growing edge for me.  I always had good luck with the housekeepers I had previously, so I’m hopeful I will be able to make the leap to a larger staff.  Along with all the paperwork sort of issues that go with having employees, there seems to be a good amount of intuition needed to keep everything running smoothly.  The paperwork is just something to do, so I will focus learning more about the human relations part of management.

So….E is not the most exciting letter so far.  But that is how the inn business is;  often crucial and sometimes tedious work to provide a wonderful guest experience.

Hopefully you are all enjoying the holiday season.  We are progressing here.  Tree is on the patio waiting to come in and get decorated.  Outside lights are out of storage and will be on the trees soon.  And even though we are committed to a one-gift  Christmas, shopping and secret hiding places abound!

Be well.  F and luxuries like Feather comforters are next-something I’m sure many of you are enjoying right now!