When travelers to New England think of a destination location their thoughts may lead them to the Berkshires of Massachusetts. A destination location must tell a story and the small towns in the Berkshires tell a great story. In a recent article by Vikram Singh titled; ‘Shift Your Marketing Focus From Price to Value’, he talks about how your unique location can tell a story and can help with a guest’s value perception. What comes to mind when you think of the Berkshires?
Art Museums
History
Music and Dance
Gardens
Food
Now many New England destinations have all of the above. So what makes the Berkshires of Massachusetts unique? What story does it tell? Here are some brief examples.
Art Museum. The Norman Rockwell Museum is probably one of the best known and loved museums in New England. Rockwell’s paintings depict the historic small town charm of this area. Who wouldn’t want to spend time in a Rockwell painting, at least for a short visit? Think “Back to the Future!”
History. Just walk the small town streets and the historic buildings tell a story or two. Just ask a local shopkeeper or innkeeper about the building they occupy and they will be glad to share their story. Be prepared to listen for a while!
Music. Tanglewood is also one of the best known and loved music venues in New England. A seat in the “shed” or on the lawn with a picnic is a treat that visitors and locals enjoy many times over. The artists it attracts are world class. Just take a look at the 2015 line-up.
Dance. Jacob’s Pillow Dance is a National Historic Landmark. It is home to America’s longest running dance festival. A real treasure.
Gardens. Edith Wharton’s former estate, The Mount, is a garden lover’s destination. There are three acres of formal gardens and so much more. Shakespeare & Co performances, music concerts, tours of the estate home.
Food. Berkshire Farm & Table has created a Beer & Cider Trail, a Cheese Trail and a Charcuterie Trail. Wow, this really sounds like fun. People do travel for food!
These Berkshire treasures are not places to visit only once. New artists and new exhibits are fresh and new every season. That is why guests are frequent flyers to the Berkshires and the Inns they stay at. The B&B Team is representing the Birchwood Inn in Lenox for sale. The Birchwood Inn has a lovely story and it is told well by innkeeper Ellen, from the first interaction on the website to the last interaction upon departure. For more than 240 years the Birchwood Inn has been welcoming guests, first as the oldest home in Lenox, to the present, as a classic Berkshire Bed & Breakfast Inn. History reigns at the Birchwood Inn, as the saying goes, “if walls could talk.” They would have a lot to say, Birchwood Inn will be celebrating it’s 250th anniversary in 2016!
Restating Vikram Singh from his article, “A good story helps with value perception and is generally reflected in your online reviews.” Oh so true! From a recent Trip Advisor review:
“We come to the Berkshires to decompress, relax, overdose on culture, enjoy wonderful food, see old friends and make new ones. The Birchwood makes an ideal place from which to do all of that. The perfect B&B for us is not about the room but the ambience, the hosts, the other guests, and the breakfast – the entire package. The Birchwood has it all. We eagerly anticipate the coming summer and many more wonderful days and nights at our Birchwood ‘home away from home’.”
Vikram concludes with a wonderful telling statement. “People prefer to give their business to someone who cares about them. It’s your greatest differentiating factor, and you should use it at every opportunity.” This is what Innkeeping is all about. B&B’s, historic country inns and small boutique hotels are the best at providing this valuable experience.
The Birchwood Inn is ready to welcome new owners. You could be part of the long and rich story of the Birchwood Inn in a wonderful part of the world with so much to offer.
Thanks for Listening,
Janet Wolf
