The following video was shown today at the PAII convention in Little Rock. It's part of the upcoming focus of the Better Way to Stay campaign, aimed at combating a B&B stereotype that keeps some (many?) people from staying at a B&B.
Needless to say, it went over VERY well with the 500 innkeepers in the room.
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I do not have doilies - I have antimacassars.
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A Rhode Island innkeeper posted a scathing letter to Better Way To Stay this morning on the PAII Forum. I added my 2 cents. I think they would do better to video Tipsey, a farm stay, and what someone (Kenny) in the islands does, and another showing how we are everything from drippin Vic to ranch to log and everything in between. Show who we are and what what we do and not just their select few - go get some of the out-of-the way places. Show some of the small inns instead of the 20 room inns!!
I have pledged and will honor that pledge BUT I will not give more to something that puts me down.
I know we get a particular demographic than some here, but our guests comment favorably on the lack of doilies. Just sayin'
True there. But that is the reason lots of photos on the web site are a must. Guests quickly figure out your style and personal match.
True there. But that is the reason lots of photos on the web site are a must. Guests quickly figure out your style and personal match.
Amen.
But does a doily make or break the deal? We have the Love Shack and in that historic little one room guest lodging I have doilies. I don't really think I have doilies but when I myself look at the photos I say "By golly I do!" We used to sell them in our gift shop, these things were soooooooo ornate, local ladies here crocheted them and they were just beautiful!
What's next, death to quilts?
Say it isn't so. 
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Kindness not only makes the coffee. Kindness says good morning.
"does a doily make or break the deal?" No, of course not. It is a symbol of a style, however, and hence a stereotype. Web photos show real inn style - over all, as a whole.
As for quilts - there is a truely dynamic and very American art form that blends with almost any style of decor/design. Old quilts, Shaker style, midwestern craftsman, contemporary. Look at web sites to see some very avant guard. I would love to be able to afford to put hand-made quilts on our beds, and we are way, way post-vic in style.
Now that is something I could have done with Madeline's $1000 (see node/10622), but $1000 wouldn't have covered quilts for all 5 rooms and I started the bocce court already ... well, next year.
Do many people tattoo their lips, noses and eyelids? 
Do many people tattoo their lips, noses and eyelids?
Fortunately, no; not yet at least. That was the piercing part of the sentence.
Do many people tattoo their lips, noses and eyelids?
Fortunately, no; not yet at least. That was the piercing part of the sentence.
actually that is correct. Tattoo lip liner on lips and tattoo eyeliner on eyes (that was popular in the 80's) not so sure about noseliner though.
My son hates change, too. He throws all of it in a jar. Last time I counted out his change he had over $1000. I love change!
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Everyday, for good or ill, we intersect with some else's story and become a part of it.
Gnomes.
The point of the video is that the doilie represents and reinforces a stereotype that causes a lot of people refuse to even consider staying at a B&B. BWTS has a good deal of research showing there's a large market of people who can be won over to the better way to stay if the stereotypes can just be put to rest in the public mind.
My parents were importers of doilies from the PRC.
I don't own a single one.
LOVE IT!!! and JP I love the bracelet idea!
I think if you offer a guest room that is more 'masculine' you can use as many doilies as you like!
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Sunshine
I think there is a time and a place for doilies. I love some of the picture, OMG really love the baby one! Good to have you back Joey!
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"Do not put off until tomorrow what can be put off till day-after-tomorrow just as well." Mark Twain
So yawl, I guess BWTS is not about real inns.
Arkie feel free to share our feedback from those who couldn't git out to the PAII conference. Should the oppty arise. When we who belong to BWTS shared our feedback prev it was tossed in the bucket. and again, I AM NOT OLD. Getting old, but not old, yet. Feel old, but not old in years. I am a young curmudgeon. 
Once again, the "cutting edge" approach, is to pretty much isolate 75% of the inns. I WANT MY MONEY BACK! (just kidding) but seriousely. They should have taken a poll or a form to fill out for all of us inns to say if we were doileyfied or non-doileyfied. As always I have fun with this stuff, it is fodder for me. You all know that by now.
So they do NOT represent the average inn, the average inn is run by a retirement aged innkeeper or couple, and there are doileys. How the heck do you spell those, doilies, there.
PAII in its grassroots pursuit of being the "inn thing" for marketing to GenY and GenX is pushing out the average innkeeper and inn.
DOILIES UNITE!
Ok so did you see this one as well ?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=riJM4eM_3Ls&feature=endscreen&NR=1
Well all I can say (as an innkeeper who uses doilies under vases and lamps to save my mantles and dressers) is if the doily is dead it should be a LOT cheaper than they are in the antique shops.
I liken the doily degradation to what they did with houses in the 70s I think - tore out the mantles and the woodwork to "modernize" the houses. Now I hear a lot of "I am so sorry we took those beautiful mantles out of the house". How many chairs now have a nice grease spot where the head leans back? My Granny's doily saved the chair.
Too many of these artiles putting down the nice things of an earlier era are written by whippersnappers who have no clue about the upkeep of a home. They asre so busy flitting about that they do not stay in one place long enough to know the WHY things were used - or they are still living with parents who take care of those mundane things. How many innkeepers went bust from the cost of installing whirlpools and Jacuzzis that were not used - because the gurus who were not paying for them said they were necessary?
OK, I am stepping away from the computer (have to - DH has another doc apt), rant over..........
Okay I better stop, I am falling in love with doilies all over again...thanks Arks. 
I LOVE this picture - what a great way to showcase the handiwork of your Mom, grandmother, or great-grandmother. Some of these things are becoming a lost art, but they're not for everyone. We all have certain decor styles that we love. That's why B&Bs are great - something different for everyone!
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"You can't blame gravity for falling in love." ~ Albert Einstein
ARGGHH! And here I was thinking this could be part of the new innkeeper apparel line.
Here is a somewhat discombobulated blog article I wrote November 2009 - notice the quotes from various inn-mates. I am for and against doilies, saying I don't really do them, but back off and let people do what they want and be individual inns!