We asked: What have you learned by staying at other B&Bs, hotels, and/or motels that have helped you improve your inn?
We had a great response to this question, with emphasis on the need for good lighting, storage space, and a clutter-free environment, as well as the recognition that to be a good innkeeper, you need to remember what it feels like to be a guest.
Our advice is to take seriously the oft-repeated recommendation to sleep in your own guest rooms a minimum of once a year. Don't just sleep in your guest rooms, though, check in to your guest rooms! Just as your guests do, bring two suitcases, put clothes away, set toiletries in the bathroom, and shower/shave/apply make-up in the bathroom. And while you're at it, try using a laptop to check your email!
June Campbell, Campbell Cottage Bed & Breakfast, Kelleys Island, OH: We stay at B&Bs when we are traveling, and always learn something which applies to our B&B. Some great ideas we've picked up include the following:
* Hanging umbrellas on guest room doorknobs on rainy mornings. Umbrellas are cheap at discount stores, so even if we lose one it doesn't matter.
* Keeping a restaurant menu notebook in our living room. A blank sheet between pages encourages guest comments.
* Menu board: Every afternoon I post tomorrow morning's breakfast menu on a board near the guests' refrigerator. During the orientation tour, I point out the board and ask for their comments. Most guests look forward to our lovely breakfast, but some will state a preference, dislike, or dietary restriction. I thank them warmly and discuss a suitable substitute. The result is happy guests, no awkwardness at the breakfast table, and clean plates!
Less positive B&B stays we've experienced serve as key reminders to be diligent about housekeeping and avoiding clutter. Unpleasant memories include:
* No bathmat; no extra roll of toilet tissue; unemptied wastebaskets and unchanged towels during a three-night stay; no chair in the room with a lamp close enough to read by; dresser tops cluttered with stuff leaving no room for our belongings; major dust behind the headboard; inadequate sound-proofing between guest rooms.
Laurie Carloni Steets, Evergreen Inn, Spring Lake, NJ: A few tidbits I've learned from my travels to other B&Bs:
* Add dimmer switches for a more romantic atmosphere in seconds.
* The importance of really welcoming guests, and letting them know how to reach me if they need anything. I have felt completely stranded at other inns.
* To leave out little snacks for the late-night munchies.
* That imperfections are acceptable and common.
* That it is OK for me to leave my inn.
* That little hand-written notes everywhere are tacky and obtrusive.
* That offering options and second helpings for breakfast are really appreciated. I hated it when I was denied another piece of bacon, and denied again when I asked for eggs rather than blueberry pancakes since I hate blueberries.
* That boundaries are good and make guests more comfortable than no rules -- but too many rules spoil the fun.
Tricia Young, Adella Villa Inn, Palo Alto, CA: My pet peeves about other inns and hotels have become amenities for my guests here:
* I dislike B&Bs where you can't feel at home, so I offer my guests fresh fruit and hot and cold beverages at any time.
* I dislike B&Bs where the robes are skimpy or frayed, so I make sure that my extra-large size robes really do fit all.
* I've learned that flexibility at breakfast is essential, so we serve from 7-9 on weekdays, 8-10 on weekends, and offer our guests a menu ranging from light and heart-healthy to eggs, bacon, and croissants. We serve real half and half for coffee, but have non-fat and soy milk too.
* I've learned how important Internet access is, so we now offer our business travelers wireless DSL service. They can sit by the pool or in the living room and log on. They also love having cable TV with remote controls in the bedrooms.
Tim Wilk, Gray Goose Inn, Chesterton IN: We recently visited a dozen B&Bs and hotels, including stays at upscale inns with rates in the $150-300 range. They were well maintained and clean with exceptionally hospitable innkeepers. The guest rooms were clutter-free, and the comfortable beds were of high quality. Unfortunately, they often lacked comfortable chairs and reading lamps, and the bathrooms usually needed better lighting, plus space to set personal items for shaving and grooming. So what did we learn? That as an innkeepers, we need to take a fresh look at our rooms and provide for our guests the things we ourselves wanted. Pillow mints and fresh flowers plus the creature comforts we all enjoy and expect.
Heidi Senkler Godbout, North Bridge Inn, Concord, MA: When I started renovating our inn, I planned to go to flea markets and antique shows and buy stuff for our guest rooms. Then we stayed in another B&B where the innkeeper had done that very thing. Though nice to look at, we had no place to put our stuff, and I was afraid of breaking the little china figures that were scattered everywhere. I then vowed to only put a single china dish for change/keys/etc. in each room. Almost all my guests comment on how grateful they are that they can unpack without moving knick-knacks!
Maria Karvunidis, Maria's Bed & Breakfast, Lake Geneva, WI: I recently stayed at a very nice B&B, despite the fact that the owners had other jobs and were not around a lot. To compensate, each guest room had a handsome folder with extensive information about the innkeepers, where they could be reached at all times, emergency information, recommended restaurants, and so on. The dining room had wine, cold drinks, and snacks for guests to enjoy -- nice touches for the guests so they didn't feel neglected.
Sherry Heiser, The Heiser Haus B&B, Celina, Ohio: By staying at other B&Bs, I have learned to quit being such a worry-wart and enjoy our guests. I truly believe that a B&B's success comes from the personalities of the innkeepers more than any other factor. Certainly, your B&B must be clean and comfortable with good food, but the interaction between innkeeper and guest is what brings them back. When I look back on B&Bs that I have stayed at, I remember the hospitality of the innkeepers, not the bedspread or the color of the bathroom.
From the December 2002 issue of the Innkeeper News
Sarah Stotts
Marketing
BedandBreakfast.com
Inns.com
RezOvation
Sarah.Stotts@BedandBreakfast.com