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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.
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Maria's Bed & Breakfast Lake Geneva,
WI
