Every generation has a ‘youth culture’. In other words, hepcat or hippie we were all young once! But cultures evolve to what eventually becomes mainstream culture. For the Gen X & Y technology and the internet are at the center of their culture, they are intensely intertwined with their life. Technology unifies the culture of this generation and makes their life efficient.

Today’s youth culture is also seen as consumers. The focus here is to look at the Gen X/Y Hipster consumer’s wants and needs. We want to identify the how, what and why. This is tough because remember youth culture is continually evolving. The ‘how’ is pretty easy to identify, the internet, social media. The why and what is the moving target. Let’s go back to the Travel & Leisure survey, look at a few of the results which may give us a window into this generation’s consuming mind.

#1 – For those innkeepers located in and around Seattle you are once again at the top of the ‘where’ hipsters like to visit and live. Congratulations! You Seattleites have the edge on the smart and tech-savvy folks as well as high octane coffee. Example: The Walrus and the Carpenter, an oyster bar owned and operated by three Gen Yers offering ‘high quality food in a space that is stripped of pretense and feels like home.’ A hipster magnet!

The Walrus and the Carpenter owners Jeremy Price, Renee Erickson and Chad Dale

#2 – If Seattle is smart, Portland, OR is quirky with great beer, creative street food mixed in with bicycle enthusiasts. Example: Hopworks Bike Bar features stationery bikes that generate electricity for the pub and it is kid friendly. Tinker Toys is the proud sponsor for their pub’s play area. Quirky? Yes but in a real positive interpretation. It can be what makes Portland unique and fun to explore. So to all you quirky (and smart) Portland innkeepers, congrats on your #2 status.

Family Friendly Hopworks for Generation Z

#5 – The other Portland in Maine is a top winner in the food and beverage category which includes coffee and micro-brews. Example: Coffee by Design, a business started by two local Gen Xers with a focus on two of their passions, coffee and community. From a humble street front coffee house to five local shops and a flagship coffee shop in LL Bean, they have created a reason and multiple places for the hip to sip.

#6 – Providence ranks high in its mix of nerds and artists. Performance art and cafes are a great draw for RI hipsters to connect. Example: The Providence Geeks hub AS220. This is a center for concerts, lectures and classes. The Geeks goal is to ‘help RI digital innovators connect and collaborate’. To all the innkeepers in this small but mighty state, your nerd status is dully noted and appreciated. Nerds can be hipsters too!

A Happening at As220

A very interesting thread that runs throughout this survey is that this generational pull is toward places that have thriving and innovative entrepreneurial businesses. William Deresiewicz in his article ‘Generation Sell’ says; “Today’s ideal social form is not the commune or the movement or even the individual creator as such; it’s the small business. Every artistic or moral aspiration – music, food, good works, what have you – is expressed in those terms. The characteristic art form of our age may be the business plan”.

This says to me that the Gen X/Y Hipster is drawn to the new and innovative micro-brew, restaurant, coffee shop/barista and art gallery business because they may be or aspire to be entrepreneurs themselves. I find this very interesting. We know that it is imperative for the future of the small lodging business to market to this generation of youth consumer. We also see them as the innkeepers of the future. The B&B Team notices the interest in innkeeping increasing in this generation and it is very exciting to us.

To all the hepcats and hippies of the past who once claimed the realm of the hip, it’s not over yet! We may appear a bit mainstream to the Gen X/Y Hipsters but we recognize their innovation, their enthusiasm and their desire to view the future as a positive force. I see the entrepreneurial spirit in the Gen X/Y folks that attend our Better Way to Learn Seminars and the PAII Conferences and its real groovy.

A thanks to Andrew Pruden, owner and innkeeper at The Inn and the great staff for their service and welcome.  If you get a chance to visit Bloomsburg, the recently opened Pub and Grille was fabulous and their  micro-brews and menu were a welcome Friday night treat.

Lots of laughs…lots of strong interaction…and lots of appreciated feedback on the effectiveness of the workshop.  But one attendee made a comment that I am still thinking about a few days later.  “I’m not afraid anymore, Scott”.  I think this just became another goal of these workshops for me.    Scott

Bed and breakfasts (or B&Bs and BnBs) offer a quaint, intimate, and less expensive alternative to larger hotels for the North American traveler. However, if you run a bed and breakfast or guesthouse, your time is likely largely consumed by making sure your inn is spotless, your meals are fresh, and your guests are comfortable. Apart from cooking meals, meeting guests’ needs, and cleaning, you probably don’t have a lot of time to think about how to market your accommodations, improve your online reputation, and grow your business within your local community.

Luckily, using smart phone apps to help build your bed and breakfast marketing plan can help you focus your efforts so that when visitors plan to travel to your area—your B&B automatically pops up on their radar.

Thanks to a proliferation of devices, competitive pricing and innovate wireless internet products like T-Mobile mobile broadband services, more people than ever connecting to the web on-the-go. These five popular apps will help market your bed and breakfast or guesthouse wherever internet service is available:

1. Yelp for Mobile (Free – for BlackBerry, iPhone, and Android)

The Yelp for Mobile app is made up of reviews from an active community of locals in the know! So it’s your prerogative to make sure your B&B is listed on Yelp. In fact, whenever I make travel plans for out of town business or vacation, I read the user reviews for hotels, B&Bs, resorts, restaurants, and tourist attractions on Yelp before I pull out my credit card. Yelp is the traveler best ally—it offers up thousands of results for places to eat, stay, shop, drink, relax and play. Users can use this tool to search for a variety of businesses according to geographical location, category, business type, or even by deal. B&B owners can list their contact information (including address, email, website, Facebook profile, directions, and phone number), and even offer special deals via the Yelp app in order to entice and introduce new customers to your accommodations.

2. foursquare (Free – for BlackBerry, iPhone, and Android)

Fifteen million people can’t be wrong! That’s how many potential customers you can draw by listing your bed and breakfast with the foursquare application. Not only is this an excellent business directory, foursquare also works as a viral word-of-mouth marketing tool. Users can use the app to see what restaurants, stores, accommodations, products, services and entertainment their friends recommend or they can use the app to browse local business by category to discover what’s nearby. This app is built on personalized recommendations from clients—if you gain enough, your business will be placed on a list of the best spots to go, stay, see, or do and shared with foursquare’s audience of 15-million!

3. Yellow Pages Mobile (Free – for BlackBerry, iPhone, iPad, and Android)

Join over eighty-million listings and include your business on the Yellow Pages Mobile app—the leader in local mobile search. This app offers users tons of customer ratings and reviews on a variety of businesses and services according to geographical location. Plus, the unique turn-by-turn voice GPS navigation tool (only for the iPhone) will ensure visitors can search for your establishment by voice, user rating, or deal (when you feature discounts in the Deal Section).

4. Urbanspoon Mobile (Free – for BlackBerry, iPhone, and Android)

Urbanspoon is ideal for users who need some help deciding where to eat and where to stay (if you’re B&B offers dining). This app works like a dining slot machine—users just shake their smart phone to make the app spin, and they will view a collection of nearby restaurants with good user ratings. If you list your B&B with Urbanspoon, potential clients will be able to search for you according to neighborhood, cuisine, or price, and they can also use their current location to identify the nearest dining options to their current location.

5. Groupon (Free – for BlackBerry, iPhone, iPad, and Android)

For B&Bs who want to appear on the list of the very best stuff to do, see, eat, stay, and buy within 500 cities around the globe—Groupon is the app for you! This app offers businesses the option to entice new clientele by offering spectacular discounts between 50% and 90% of the regular price! Groupon is renowned for handpicking every deal they deliver to customers’ smart phones, so if listed, your business is automatically viewed with confidence. Offer a deal to draw new customers, and users can easily redeem deals directly from their mobile phones.

Bio: Jane Johnson is a freelance writer for BBGeeks, a popular site that provides BlackBerry news, commentary, reviews and beginner BlackBerry tips for BB newbies.

The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of The B&B Team®.

Signature Keys

The professional concierge organization, Les Clefs d’Or, has been around since 1929 and you may have known or guessed, was formed in France. The crossed golden keys a member earns is quite prestigious, there are only 650 in the United States and about 3500 worldwide. The organization is strictly a hotel service organization. Sorry, no bed and breakfast innkeepers need apply! This doesn’t mean you cannot achieve the kind of excellent service a Les Clefs d’Or concierge provides.

Let us look at some basic services a concierge provides.

•  Make restaurant reservations
•  Arrange for spa services
•  Recommend night life
•  Book transportation
•  Procure tickets to special events
•  Assist with tours of local attractions

Innkeepers are obviously concierges, since you do this stuff all day, night and in between! Going above and beyond the basics is what a great innkeeper/concierge must do to exceed the expectations of their guests. Here is a great story and a great example of going above, beyond and achieving the nearly impossible.

A guest walks up to the concierge and says. ”The cheeseburgers here are terrific. I want to send one to my brother in Bahrain and I want it to arrive hot.” “The concierge calmly replies, “Will that be with Bleu Cheese or Cheddar?”

That concierge was Holly Stiel, a motivational speaker and the first US woman member of Les Clefs d’Or, quite an honor. Many of you may have heard her speak at the PAII Conference in Little Rock this year. Holly tells this story often as does The B&B Team in our seminars and presentations. In fact this is the opening quote in Chapter 1 of her new book, ‘The Art and Science of the Hotel Concierge.’ There is so much in this book that anyone involved in hospitality or any service business will find informative and inspiring.

Great innkeepers/concierges do not work alone. Having an extensive list of contacts with local merchants and service providers they can rely on is essential. Building those important relationships with your contacts can make you look absolutely brilliant and your guests absolutely grateful. There is an entire chapter in the book entitled; ‘Building and Nurturing Relationships’.

Another part of great service is anticipating a guest’s wants and needs. It starts with listening. A friend and concierge colleague of Holly’s, Johanna Husk, writes in the book’s preface; “Yes, we are here to answer questions, but often the questions a visitor asks is just the tip of a vast iceberg, underlying what they really want to know: How can they get the most from the limited time they have during their visit, and how will they fit it all in to make an enjoyable experience?” Holly calls this; ‘being a sleuth and reading the moment.’

This is where the art and science comes in. With new innkeepers it sometimes takes time to develop these skills, but once you do you can become the ultimate problem solver, organizer and hero. Your guests will remember you, the great experience they had that YOU helped create and come back for more!

Make mine cheddar

I found this to be a great quote from a travel and food author and blogger I just discovered. She writes with gusto and passion about the food and places she loves. Check out her latest blogs, ‘Fatback & Foie Gras’. One important feature about her blog is the great photography. They are large and enticing shots that bring you close to the food being featured. People do eat with their eyes first. Warning, don’t look if you are hungry.

Culinary focused travel is becoming increasingly popular. You want to bring these travellers to your Inn to feast at your table and the tables of your favorite local restaurants. Here are a few B&B’s I believe do a great job creating and promoting culinary getaways. The Inn at English Meadows in Kennebunk, Maine not only features their special breakfast offerings with great photos and text, but also on their blogs. Take a look and read their two recent posts featuring culinary topics. The Inn at English Meadows and the Hartstone Inn in Camden, Maine have both teamed up with Epitourean.com to promote their culinary getaway packages. This is a go to website for travellers looking for culinary focused travel events and specials. BnBFinder also has a page dedicated to posting culinary getaways, another great source.

Have you ever wanted to learn how to bake the perfect cake? You can, during a Culinary Getaway at our B&B in the Kennbunks.

We all know it is all about the experience you create for your guests. And food is a big part of that experience. An event that involves cooking with a professional chef in cooking class or demonstration followed by a meal with your group feasting on your creations accompanied with good wine and good conversation, that’s the ticket! Sign me up. Another quote from Kendra; “Let’s face it, chefs are now rock stars and food is definitely in.” Well you must have a local rock star chef in your area that would love to perform and show off their culinary creations, or you may be the rock star! Go for it.

Risotto Close Up by Jenn Cuisine

Jenn Oliver of Jenn Cuisine is another great food blogger I discovered. She offers some great advice in her blog, ‘The Importance of Good Food Photography’. She says:” When I take a photo of a dish, my goal is to bring the viewer to the table, so they can mentally reach out and taste the full flavor of the food I’m displaying.” In this blog she shares some photo shots that are good next to the same shot that is great. You really can clearly see what the difference is. We always recommend professional photographers that will produce artful interior, exterior and food photos . Christian Giannelli and Jumping Rocks Photography are two of the best out there for our industry. Christian did the photography for The Inn at English Meadows and Jumping Rocks did the photgraphy for Hartstone Inn.

Sticky Toffee Pudding-Hartstone Inn-Jumping Rocks Photography

I have included a lot of links in this posting. I hope you view each and every one of them and that they help you visualize the importance of good food photography when marketing your culinary getaway packages.

Here is a question for you? A picture is worth a thousand words so does this mean a picture of food is worth a thousand calories?

Cold Feet

Have you ever made an important purchasing decision and then gotten cold feet just before everything was signed, sealed and delivered? Hope not, because this act of retreat can be costly. The reason for cold feet usually results from the lack of doing due diligence. In general terms due diligence is defined as ‘a voluntary investigation and evaluation of a target business of its assets for acquisition’. (Once again thank you Wikipedia for this definition).

It helps to know what questions to ask and where to find the information you need to move forward once you have identified a property you believe you want to purchase. There is a strategic process  experienced hospitality brokers and consultants can guide you through. The B&B Team takes pride in working very hard for our clients and being very diligent and persistent in the ‘digging in’ process.

If you are planning to purchase an existing bed and breakfast you may assume that all the regulatory requirements are current and all information will be provided to you in detail. Well you know the rule, don’t assume anything! Here is a ‘Regulatory Checklist’ we have put together.

1. Zoning Compliance and Issues – Sidewalks/Trees/Permits/# of Rooms/Parking/Signage

2. Health Codes and Requirements – Kitchen/Grease Traps/Serv-Safe/Records/Permits

3. Environmental Concerns – Asbestos/Radon/Underground Tanks

4. Fire Codes and Regulations – Fire Escapes/Sprinklers/Alarms/Carbon Monoxide

5. Governmental Agencies, Licenses and Taxes – Local/State/Federal/Occupancy Permits

6. Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA) – Sidewalk Cuts/Ramps/Room Features

7. Alcohol Licenses and Taxes – Past Taxes Due/Renewable Licenses

8. IRS Requirements – Personal Space in Inn/Filings Done

9. Past Records of Violations and Convictions – ADA/Better Business Bureau

10. Local Historical Agencies – Décor/Design Requirements

One of the most important parts of due diligence that we provide for our clients is a thorough and intelligent set of numbers. You want to know exactly what you are buying in terms of $$$. P&L (profit and loss) statements, number of nights sold, true 365 day occupancy rates, detailed expenses, and tax returns. This is the window into how profitable the business is and how successful or not the current innkeepers have been running their business. Extremely important information for you and for the bank where you may be applying to for a loan. The banks don’t just want to see some of this information, they require it!

Just like in any real estate transaction you want a good building inspection. Again knowing what you are buying. You don’t want to wake up in the middle of the night wondering about the age and condition of the boiler, you want to know how often it has been inspected and serviced and the approximate time you will need to replace it. No surprises, no cold feet from lack of heat. Ha!

Another important part of the process of due diligence is making sure you receive a detailed ‘inclusion, exclusion list’ from the sellers. You don’t want to walk into your newly purchased bed and breakfast and find out the pots and pans have disappeared. Believe me we know of innkeepers this happened to.

Warm=Happy Feet

This isn’t by any means a complete list of information that needs to be gathered before your decision can be made on a property purchase. The expression ‘but wait there’s more’ is very relevant here. The B&B Team is experienced in guiding future innkeepers through this process. We know how powerful a knowledgeable buyer is vs. a buyer with ‘cold feet’. We love to warm those tootsies up!

This guy needs A Better Way to Stay!

Transparency, Honesty and Value. These are the key words that describe what today’s business traveller wants from their lodging choice. This comes directly from a recent article titled; “Hotels try harder to woo business customers’ These three words best describe what top producing bed and breakfast innkeepers strive hard to provide for their guests, leisure travellers as well as business. B&B’s have never (to my knowledge) thrown in hidden charges, what you see is what you get!

Attracting more Sunday through Thursday business customers has been a continuing challenge for bed and breakfasts. B&B’s are often viewed primarily as the ‘romantic getaway’ venue. The urban inns are the ‘no brainer’ locations for the business customer. For the more remote country B&B’s, you may not have a lot of large corporations or business centers near you that bring travellers to your area. But there may be smaller businesses, colleges, and hospitals in these more isolated areas. Personal calls and face to face ‘greet and meets’ are essential. If they don’t seem receptive at first, don’t give up. Be persistent. Show and tell them the advantages you provide for the business guest. Go out of your way to be more accommodating than the chain properties in your area. Do your homework, find out what your competition offers and offer more value. We know as an industry we are transparent and honest so we must work on the value.

I love lists! Read on.

Marketing Essentials:

• Mobile Marketing – It is crucial to transform your website into a mobile friendly version. Companies like Show Me Inn will do the work for you and you will get results. Mary White of BnBfinder used this company for her mobile site and recommends them highly. Here is a quote from another satisfied customer: “As a travel-oriented business, it’s important to reach customers on the move. My Show Me Inn website provides directions and an easy phone link to my business – which brings guests to my door,” says Paul Breitenbach, Innkeeper at the Jacob Rohrbach Inn in Sharpsburg, Maryland.
• SEO – Make sure they can find you easily. Your website must be optimized to help promote your business friendly services and packages to your target market and geographic area. Provide all those helpful links to make their planning seamless.
• Social Media – Make Facebook and traveller review websites work you. Your content with your business friendly services and packages should be front and center on these sites.

Thoughtful Basic Inn Essentials

• Desk with comfortable chair.
• Power consoles, not only in the guest rooms but in public spaces.
  

  Belkin Outlet Surge Protector

• Free WIFi throughout the inn.
• Flexible check in and check-out times
• Flexible cancellation policy.
• Early breakfast. Could be an easier smaller version of your full breakfast, even something they can take with them.
• Coffee/Tea service 24 hours.
• Use of a microwave and refrigerator.
• Online booking.
• Special midweek business traveller rates.
• Offer an all-inclusive price for your meeting space package, if applicable, that could include lunch brought in or made on sight, don’t forget your signature dessert that will make them smile and remember you!
• Flat screen TV with DVD player

Suggested Added Value Extras:

• Newspaper delivered to their door.
• Snacks for the evening, with some healthy choices, like fresh fruit. Something welcoming after a long day!
• Frequent stay reward program
• Access to fitness center. Partner with the center so you can offer your guest a discount drop in fee.
• CD/MP3 player
• Call ahead and on- going concierge service. Call your guest ahead of their stay and arrange for any service (i.e. overnight delivery service, transportation) and/or reservations for dinner/lunch. Also provide links to these services so they can make their own travel plans.
• Fax and Copy machine available.
• Safe or safe deposit boxes available.
• Sleep-Mate ambient “white noise’ machines.
• Create a ‘meeting tool box’ filled with markers, scissors, stapler, and calculator. Even if you don’t have a meeting room this could be a great help for the single business person.
• Pillow menu.
• Use of a common room/dining room for small conferences and meetings. A comfortable atmosphere for these small meetings is a wonderful alternative to the sterile plastic coated hotel conference rooms.

Inviting? You bet. Lookout Point Inn, Hot Springs, AR

Look at your common spaces. Are they inviting and comfortable? Are the seating areas well lit? There is a reason why hotels and some B&B’s are creating areas that resemble ‘lounges’. This doesn’t mean you have to go ‘uber hotel chic’ and serve cosmos, just inviting with seating areas arranged to encourage socialization. I also read in the recent article about attracting the millennial customer that this age group prefers solializing and working in the lobby of hotels rather than in their rooms. They call this ‘isolated togetherness’.

The other kind of ‘togetherness’ is still just as important, the fireplace lit whirlpool tub, champagne and choclate dipped strawberries combo.  Those travelling salesmen/women like romance too! (When they come back for a week-end getaway.)

“After raising families and pursuing successful careers, we are fulfilling a long standing dream of running a bed and breakfast”. This is a typical statement from empty nester innkeepers of a certain age, you may be one of them. Rick and I certainly were when we purchased our bed and breakfast, our son was in college. On the other hand there have been and continue to be many couples who have built and feathered their nests as innkeepers and have managed to be successful at doing both.

Rick and I had the pleasure of staying at the Saltair Inn Waterfront Bed and Breakfast in Bar Harbor, Maine last month and meeting innkeepers Kristi and Matt and their three (count them one, two, three) young children. The B&B Team conducts many aspiring innkeeping seminars throughout the year and our attendee couples are getting younger and younger and many of them have growing families. A question most of them have is; “Can we realistically raise a family and run a bed and breakfast?

We say yes you can and it can be a wonderful lifestyle for the entire family. Picture this scene; one daughter being swept out of the inn by Matt into the car at 7:30 to be dropped off at choir practice. Later that morning their adorable 5 year old son gets bundled up (dad put one jacket on his son, mom said ‘no not that one, it’s cold today’ and a warmer jacket appeared, sound familiar?) As I viewed this memorable scenario, a blog subject came to mind. I asked Matt and Kristi if they would agree to an interview and talk about their experience as active parents/innkeepers. They generously agreed. The following questions are based on the inquiries that many of our aspiring innkeepers ask us.

Question – How do you maintain the separation of your personal family space from the guest space?

Matt – Walls!

Kristi – We told our daughter Katie who was 5 when we moved here that the threshold separating our home from the inn was between the kitchen and the guest dining room. She started calling it, ’the big house and the little house’. The other kids naturally picked up on this and there has never been a problem.

Kristi – We searched to find an inn that had enough space in the owner’s quarters for us so we didn’t have to share space with the guests. As with any home we spend a lot of time in the kitchen.

Question – What is the hardest part of balancing your personal time from your innkeeping time?

Matt – Splitting up the time between the two of us, who does what, can be a challenge. One of us drops off or attends an event while the other stays at the inn. Together we often miss some of the big evening events but we make a point that one of us is always there.

Kristi – But we rarely see both parents at events, sometimes there are no parents attending their kid’s events. Many times one of us may take some time off in the afternoon to take one or two of the kids for a hike or something while the other stays here for check in, how many parents have the flexibility to do that?

Question – Do you ever take time off for just the two of you?

Kristi – Yes in the off season. We went to Phoenix for a week and left the kids with Matt’s parents. We are lucky to have them live nearby.

Matt – We take a two nighter here and there. But everything has to be planned ahead, spontaneity is out the window. We could try harder for the two of us to go out more often.

Kristi – Our daughter Katie (now 11) says to us sometimes; ‘You and Daddy should go to dinner tonight!’

Question – What about family time away from the inn? Is this important to you or not?

Kristi – Again we take time away in the off season. What is important is that we as a family or the two of us have breakfast, lunch and dinner together every day. Much more than other couples or families. This is a real plus to owning your own business where you live.

Question – What do your kids like most about the inn?

Matt – When we don’t have guests! Seriously, I don’t think they know any different, they were all so young when we bought the inn. Adam was born here, he definitely doesn’t know any different.

Kristi – At this time I don’t believe they realize the advantage they have of us being at home with them all the time. Dinners together, etc.

Question – Do you feel obligated or not to welcome families at your inn?

Kristi – No. The inn is really not set up for kids. There are plenty of other places in Bar Harbor with pools, playgrounds and rooms with multiple beds. This is not us.

Matt – Most of our guests are here for a vacation away from their kids. If they ask we tell them our kids don’t have the run of the inn. There has never been a problem. Many of our guests like the fact that we are a family business. They like seeing the kids going off to school and occasionally around the inn, especially grandparents and wanna be grandparents.

Question – Anything you both want to add?

Matt– We’re glad we did this when we did. We were both 35. We know we are much happier because we can be around our kids more than if we had stayed in our other careers. There are many more pros than there are cons.

Kristi – The hard part is owning an old house and the upkeep it takes. Raising our kids here is the easy part!

Thank you Kristi and Matt. To conclude I will add a quote from Trip Advisor from a couple that stayed at Saltair for 8 days last November. “One thing we really enjoyed about this inn was how well Matt and Kristi work together. They’re a team. I love that they’re raising their family and running a successful inn.”

Another quote, this one from Matt and Kristi that appears on their website. “It was a decision that we have never regretted, and likely never will.”

Innkeepers and parents, Matt and Kristi

Prince Hamlet

When it comes to rates, to increase or not has always been a brooding question for innkeepers and a subject of much discussion, especially in tough economic times. In a recent PAII Forum thread the subject of raising rates was introduced and many innkeepers took the time to give their opinions and express their own dilemmas when making this tough decision.

“Travelers don’t buy rate; they buy value.” Neil Salerno – Hotel Marketing Coach

Think about this statement…value over price. Let’s look at what value is and put aside the number crunching for now. There are three key components to consider when looking at your property and determining value. In analyzing your Inn and determining its value, you should include your bed and breakfast location (which cannot be changed), your facility inside and out (which can be changed and will lose value if not maintained) and your competition (which can also change and must never be ignored). All of these components should be honestly scrutinized when making the decision whether to raise your rates or not.

Location – A popular tourist destination will command higher rates. This is a given. A great location needs great marketing to keep its competitive edge. Participating in your Chamber of Commerce, local, state and national (PAII) innkeeper associations and tourist bureau can keep you informed as well as give you the opportunity to help in the marketing of your property’s location. Working within a vacuum is not good for your business. Other location factors to include are close proximity to attractions, restaurants and activities. Water views, mountain tops and other attractive surroundings should also be considered. Your market value will be on the high side if you are in a popular destination in an attractive setting with great marketing.

Facility – Your entire Inn must always be a work in progress. Upkeep, improvements, re-doing guest rooms and baths, keeping up with all sorts of trends, from marketing to décor, the list goes on. If your rates have not been raised in three years and you have done nothing to your Inn in three years then you can’t justify raising your rates, because you have not added any value to your facility. But, if you have consistently made significant ‘value added’ improvements to your property and have communicated them to your potential guests loud and clear, then you are in a much better position to raise rates. Travelers will look at a ‘new and fresh’ guest room and put a higher value to that room in comparison to another room that appears dated and tired. Don’t forget to present these improvements on your website, Facebook and all your social media! Your amenities will also help to determine your individual room’s rates. The more bells and whistles the better.

Curb Appeal - A Cottage Suite at The Inn at Stockbridge, clean and pristine!

There is also the consideration that the rates you and your competitors are currently offering are at the highest your market will bear. So if you don’t believe you can raise your rates at this time, what can you do to raise revenues? Creating and promoting special packages is a good way to accomplish this. “Packaging allows you to mask actual room rates with features which add benefits (value!) to staying at your Inn.” (Another quote from Mr. Salerno). The B&B Team is a firm believer in packaging as a great tool to increase your bottom line.

What next? Homework. Look at the three components and make lists of your strengths, your weaknesses and your opportunities in these three areas. This should give you an idea of the areas you need to work on and then make a ‘To do priority list’. Increasing the value of your Inn will eventually enable you to prudently raise your rates. When your occupancy starts to climb, when your revenue starts to climb from packaging and specials and better marketing of your Inn, these are clues that you are creating a demand and good value to your guests. When you are confident about the quality and value of the product you offer, then raising rates becomes any easy decision. No need to brood and ponder like Prince Hamlet. Determine your worth and take action.

Janet Wolf

The B&B Team's Class of February 2012

Marilyn and I had the good fortune this past weekend to work with 9 excited aspiring innkeepers at our A Better Way to Learn Innkeeping^TM  seminar held at the Wayside Inn B&B in Ellicott City, Maryland.  What a great group!  We laughed and networked with Bill and Charlotte Schmickle of the Flag House in Annapolis but the real focus was on the KEYS to a strong business at your inn.

1. Location, Location, Location
2. Understanding WHO will be coming to your inn
3. Wrapping your inn AROUND those guests
4. Think Sunday-Thursday
5. Being the Best

Each of these Keys can be put on a continuum numbered, say, from 1-10 with 10 being the strongest.  Let’s look at each one:

1. Location, Location, Location:  This has been the buzzword for any real estate purchase but for a Bed & Breakfast EACH word has a separate meaning:  The first definition is the Macro-location…is the inn located near major metropolitan areas from which to pull guests?  The more population close at hand (gas is getting more expensive!), the higher on the continuum the rating.  For the Wayside Inn, being located nicely in the Baltimore-DC corridor, this inn ranks high on this Location…perhaps a 9.  The second definition of Location includes the area attractions in that region which will draw guests to the area.  And the broader the diversity of attractions (historical, antiquing, entertainment, soft adventures, etc.), the higher the likelihood of drawing folks out of the nearby metropolitan populations.  The third definition of Location is the Inn itself…its attractive location in the town, its curb appeal and its accessibility.
2. The second KEY is identifying the guests who will be coming to those area attractions…and what their needs would be.  If the attraction is an amusement park or college, children will be coming.  If there are businesses in the area, corporate travelers have particular needs as well.
3. Wrapping your Inn around those guests’ needs is the next KEY.  Room features, amenities and services must satisfy the needs of those identified guests.  Business travelers need desks, Wi-Fi, multiple outlets, a forgiving cancellation policy, early breakfasts, and NO advanced deposits.
4. The fourth KEY can often be a difficult one…Thinking Sunday through Thursday.  Any inn can fill up on the weekend, but that is only 28% of the week…an occupancy not high enough to pay all the bills.  Marketing to corporate guests, elder-travelers, quilting and scrap booking groups, or offering discounts to weekenders to encourage them to stay an extra day or two becomes a high priority targeted activity.
5. Being the Best.  This KEY is what will keep your parking lot full while the inn across the street wonders how you do it.  Investigate what the competition is doing (and NOT doing!) and Beat Them!  Have the best breakfast in town, offer a welcoming warmth that guests enjoy, and make their experience complete.

This dynamic group of aspiring innkeepers heard this important message and are currently defining the profiles of the inns that are RIGHT for them.  Congratulations to all of them as they continue their journey into the world of inn ownership!      Scott