G-Part 2. Plus, I need some feedback from you!

Good Morning and a very happy new year to everyone out there!  I hope that you all celebrated last night in your favorite way and are ready for 2010.  I want to wish you all health, happiness and prosperity in the coming year.  For myself, I am feeling ready to hit the ground running in  2010 and make some things happen that I have been dreaming about!

So now we are back to finish up the letter G. This post is about the most important, and enjoyable, part of innkeeping- GUESTS! While an innkeeper can do everything perfectly and provide all the expected amenities, it is really the guests that bring an inn to life!  I think of it as a glow that seems to come from an inn where guests feel welcome and at ease in their surroundings.  A good innkeeper, to me, is someone who is the link between guests and the particular experience they are providing at their inn.  An innkeeper who does not fit his/her surroundings is not going to be comfortable and that will create a different atmosphere than someone who has created an ambiance they are comfortable with.  For some innkeepers 2 or 3 rooms with a lot of guest contact and little privacy keeps they quite content.  Others are more comfortable with a larger space and less guest contact with a focus on guest privacy.  The same is true for guests-there are different inns for different needs.  Still, I think there is a certain something that has to happen for a guest to want to come back and/or refer it to friends.

So I’m going to turn the tables here and ask you, my faithful readers, what makes your stay at an inn a peak experience?   While all the details (breakfast, beds, cleanliness, etc..) might be perfect, and the innkeeper pleasant-what specifically inspires you to return or refer the inn to friends?  Let me know how it all comes together for you!

Okay, I’m off to further organize my desk for the new year!  Anyone else with that resolution?  H is coming up next, and while it may seem a little thin, does include Handling stuff on a day-to-day basis, which innkeepers do to the nines.  Humor seems to be a good H word too.  So stay tuned for more innkeeping tidbits and reader polls.

Thanks for reading and I look forward to your feedback about inn experiences.