Recently a fairly new innkeeper told me that he had discovered something important. Passion. “You have to be passionate about something and express that passion and share it with your guests.” Oh, so true. What is your Innkeeper’s Passion.
Innkeepers are lucky because they have people moving in and out of their days and can share their passion on a daily basis. Here are a few examples of some innkeepers that come to mind who are good at expressing and sharing their innkeeper’s passion.
Siobhan and Katja both left teaching and became the innkeepers of the Towne Motel in Camden Maine. They both love to write. So blogging was a natural outlet for them. Katja is an avid swimmer and has written a series of blogs on swimming in Maine. Her latest Towne Motel blog included wigwam socks; “Best winter socks you can wear in Maine.”You must read her series to see how swimming and socks relate. Katja’s swimming adventures bring her to different locales in Maine. What a great way to sell the area as she discovers new places to indulge in her passion. Katja is writing (passion #1) and swimming (passion #2) and sharing it with future and returning guests through her blog. Now Siobhan has not written a blog in a while but rumor has it she may be working on another mystery novel (her passion). Do you think the main characters may include two passionate innkeepers?
Now a passion for food is an obvious one for innkeepers. The next example includes eight innkeepers from different regions across the US. All dynamic women with epicurean passion in their DNA. The eight met and formed friendships through networking at innkeeping conferences. Their shared passion for food evolved into a brand that has grown from cooking workshops and demos at their inns and conferences into a recently published cookbook. You most likely know who they are…The Eight Broads in the Kitchen. They sincerely enjoy what they do and get tremendous satisfaction in sharing their passion. And…they have fun.
Roy and Sue Forsberg purchased the Wolf Cove Inn in Poland Maine in 2013. Now Roy has passion for a lot of things. He loves cooking. He loves the location of the Inn and the community. He loves the Maine outdoor lifestyle, especially skiing. Most of all I believe he loves what he and Sue have created at the Wolf Cove Inn in the short time they have been there. Their success and growth has been tremendous. So much so that Roy has stated that his goal is to become the ‘best B&B in Maine and the US’. Now that is hutzpah and passion!
Passionate people are the most successful Innkeepers. The new innkeeping association now being formed, AIHP- Association of Independent Hospitality Professionals, has a group of very passionate current and former innkeepers and allied partners on the Founding Leadership Team. In the April AIHP Newsletter the group made a very passionate statement: “Here are their Top 4 Reasons for the Creation of AIHP:
- They love innkeeping
- They want to provide the best experiences and memories for their guests
- They love the generous friends associated with hospitality
- They love the thought-provoking conversations, learning and fun that come from our community.
I don’t see how any passionate innkeeper could disagree. The B&B Team has become a founding member. We hope that everyone reading this will consider the same.
So whatever your passion is, don’t hold back. The excitement you share is catching. I will end with this quote from an article written by CEO David Lucatch of Yappon Corp explaining why passion is the key to success. “When you are passionate, you make those around you feel excited, and everyone wins.”
Thanks for Listening,
Janet Wolf
