View from the Innside

Bottger Mansion of Old Town

We own a Victorian bed & breakfast in historic Old Town Albuquerque, New Mexico.  We always get questions about what it's like to run a bed & breakfast.  I hope to provide information and insights to help those who may wish to have their own inn someday. 

If you think you can't ever achieve your dream of owning a bed & breakfast, just remember that we all did other things before we became innkeepers.

Kathy
Bottger Mansion of Old Town
110 San Felipe Street NW, Albuquerque, NM   87104
(800) 758-3639
www.bottger.com

Disclaimer:  The views and opinions expressed here are my own and not necessarily representative of other B&B's or the industry.  Every B&B is different--that's what makes them so great.

1000 True Fans

Today I read a blog post by Kevin Kelly called "1000 True Fans."  He talks about the idea that rock stars, artists, and just about everyone else thinks in big numbers.  They want to sell millions of CD's or prints or whatever.  He contends that there's a pretty happy smaller number (unless, of course, your heart is set on earning millions of dollars).  You can make a pretty good living if you have 1000 true fans--those who will buy every CD or book you publish, go out of their way to look for your product or material.

Maybe the bed & breakfast industry is different, and maybe it's not.  True, even if we had a thousand true fans of our B&B, not all of them are going to stay with us once a year, every year.  We do everything we can to make all of our guests "true fans" and encourage them to refer others to us.

Do your very best.  Try to make each guest a true fan.

I love it when that happens

As I’m sitting here writing this at 10:20 a.m., two of our guests are still deeply engrossed in conversation at the breakfast table. I love it when that happens.

Since we’re in a tourist area, we’re used to our guests finishing breakfast around 9:30 and eagerly heading out to start their day. Once in a while, we have some who have made such a good connection that they want to keep talking.

Am I going to do anything to end their conversation so I can finish cleaning the kitchen? Absolutely not! By the time these ladies finished their conversation, they had exchanged contact information and hugs.

Will they remember us years from now? Probably not. Will they remember where they stayed? Maybe. Will they remember the great conversation and maybe continue a lasting friendship? Definitely.

That’s what it’s all about.

People arrive at your door in many moods

We try not to make snap judgments of people, but we all do.  Someone comes across as a little standoffish, rude or snappy, and we've already formed an opinion.

It's taken some time, but I've finally learned not to judge guests by my first interaction with them.  And why is that?  Because they're different the next morning after they've rested.  Then the stories start....  their luggage got lost... the plane sat on the tarmac for four hours with crying babies....  they had a fight with their spouse on the way...  they're staying with us to attend their father's funeral...

It's been my experience that people are different the next day.  Hopefully they've had a good night's sleep or at least a respite from their problems and a chance to calm their frazzled nerves.  They're so different in the morning that I'm glad I had a chance to get to know them.  If I had stayed with my original opinion, I would have missed that opportunity to make new friends and forge new relationships.

It's been a good perspective to take on as I find myself applying the same philosophy to everyone I meet.  We never know what's going on with people. 

Meet people where they are.

"If you get the same question five times..."

"... you obviously need to change something." 

That was the advice an innkeeping consultant gave us at the PAII conference last March.  His point was that you're not making something clear or need to give additional information or have a way for your guests to find out what they need.  So if you get the question "where is the iron and ironing board?" five times or more, you need to put that information somewhere.  We're still working on that one, since the rooms in our historic house aren't set up to have an iron and ironing board in each room.  However, what we can do is have a "where is it?" list in our guest information book in each room for items commonly requested by guests such as a first-aid kit, sewing kit, restaurant menus, and so forth. 

The same principle holds true for issues to be addressed or problems to be solved.  If you get the same complaint or guest comment five times or more, you should think about changing it or fixing it.  Some issues, especially in an old house, are structural and can't be changed.  That's part of the "charm" of having an old house!  But there a lot of things you can change or at least address, or let the guest know that you're aware of it and it's on your to-do list.  Thank them for their suggestions and comments, and they'll be happy that you listened to them.  I like to draw them into the problem-solving.  "Yes, I've been thinking that for a while.  Here's what I'm thinking about doing......[   ]  What do you think about that?"

I've taken this "five times" principle into my work space and personal life as well.  It used to be that if every time I pick something up or go to do something and think to myself, "this really bugs me," eventually I would one day say, "enough!  Just fix it!  Do something about it!"  After all, if you've worked with something five times and every time been unhappy with it, isn't it time to change it?   Catch it early and save yourself some annoyance and aggravation later--just fix it!

keep your prized possessions for yourself

One of the first pieces of advice I remember receiving as an innkeeper was “never have a prized personal possession in the inn if you would be heartbroken if it were damaged, destroyed or lost.” 

Any innkeeper can tell you that everything in an inn gets hard use. No one will appreciate your Aunt Mabel’s antique highboy the way you do; someone may accidentally put a wet glass on it or toss keys on it. Having guests feel at home means feet may be up on the coffee table, every surface of every item will get touched, and spills will happen.

Keep your treasures for yourself so you know they’re safe and nothing will happen to them (unless you do it!). 

Also, your guests won’t feel so bad if they accidentally damage some of your furnishings and you can smile and honestly say, “well, accidents happen.”

dropping in on innkeepers

In late November I'm going back to southern Delaware where I grew up.  I've been researching some of the bed & breakfasts near where my family lives and would like to visit a few.  Now that I'm an innkeeper, I'm always curious about other inns, the properties and the innkeepers, how their place is similar to or different from mine, whether there's something I can learn from them or they can learn from me.

But also, now that I'm an innkeeper, I know that having another innkeeper drop by for a visit can be dicey.  I would never drop in unannounced but always call or email in advance.  An innkeeper's days are full of both the planned and the unexpected, with a gazillion tasks and never enough time.  On the other hand, we enjoy sharing a cup of coffee and some conversation for a short break from the work day.

Then I have to wonder... what am I hoping to accomplish from the visit, especially if I've never met them?  Am I just curious to see their place, and how would that make me any different from those who pop up at my front door and want a tour?  It wouldn't be because I have a specific question or problem to solve because I have other innkeeping friends whose advice I seek.  Or is it just because the innkeeping community is so small a profession that it's comforting to think a fellow innkeeper would welcome me?

I guess this is like friendships--you extend your hand to someone and find out if they will reach back.  Start a conversation and see where it goes. 

you can say anything with "please" and flowers

One of the most frustrating things innkeepers have to do is find ways to convey information to guests when we aren't around, which means we have to use lots of signs.  A recent forum discussion was about that issue of having too many signs--they can be unsightly, create a restrictive feeling of too many rules, and can possibly convey a negative message.

We were having a problem with guests using our breakfast refrigerator rather than the guest refrigerator, raiding our breakfast food supplies and also leaving inappropriate items in amongst the food.  The last straw was an open bottle of prescription medication nestled next to the yogurt.

Always have a Plan B, Plan C and maybe even Plan D

I’ve already written about the #1 rule of innkeeping—be flexible.

It means much more than don’t get flustered when things go wrong and your day doesn’t play out the way you planned. Having one or two--or more--back-up plans will keep you flexible and make you look like you know what you’re doing.

One morning early in our innkeeping career, breakfast started to go seriously wrong. We had planned on cheese blintzes that we buy frozen and heat in the oven. The trick is getting them all the way warm to the middle (good) without over-baking them and having them split and pretty much explode (bad). At that point, they’re a mess and don’t look nice at all. So, of course, that’s what happened with about 10 people already seated in our dining room for breakfast. Plan B—quickly make scrambled eggs for everyone. Oops—not enough eggs in the fridge for that many people! Plan C—pancakes because we use a great mix that doesn’t need any eggs. At that point, breakfast was seriously delayed and we had no choice but to confess about the not-watched-enough, exploding blintzes. Fortunately, they were patient and understanding and we all had a good laugh about it. A learning experience can be a hard teacher, but we learned to watch those blintzes carefully and to make sure we had enough basic ingredients and groceries on hand for whatever may happen.

The point is that you learn to have a number of back-up plans for any number of possible situations so your operation will keep running smoothly.

hold to a higher standard

“This is the cleanest place we’ve ever stayed!” As long as our guests continue to say that, I’ll know that the extra time and care I put into housekeeping is worth it.

Innkeeping is a tough business, no doubt about it. We have to compete with hotels for guests and figure out how to have an edge over them. First, how can we get the guest to stay with us instead of a hotel? Second, how do we keep them coming back?

an offer you CAN refuse

It's nearly time for the Balloon Fiesta, when nearly 800,000 people come to Albuquerque and rooms are difficult, if not impossible, to find.  We were completely booked on both weekends by mid-March. 

Today a fellow innkeeper received a call where someone offered twice the room rate if he would kick someone else out.  Of course, the answer is no!

Do you really want that person to stay with you?  How will they treat you?  How will they treat your other guests?  And is it worth risking your reputation?