happykeeper
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The Innkeeper's Wayback machine continues.
More THEN... and NOW
- Thread starter happykeeper
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Help Support Bed & Breakfast / Short Term Rental Host Forum:
happykeeper
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Then.. we lacked the confidence to manage our guests.
Now... when something comes up and we get "that feeling" we don't sit back and make stuff up about them. We put on our proactive hat and engage them with intent. Most often, it's just us and we can quickly slip back into comfort mode, but we do notice that it does sometimes open a door for our guests to ask for something they need or need help with but didn't want to or know if they could ask.
Now... when something comes up and we get "that feeling" we don't sit back and make stuff up about them. We put on our proactive hat and engage them with intent. Most often, it's just us and we can quickly slip back into comfort mode, but we do notice that it does sometimes open a door for our guests to ask for something they need or need help with but didn't want to or know if they could ask.
Then...oh you are new at this.
Now...oh you have been doing this a while.
I have always engaged our guests over breakfast who have been to B&B's before asking them about stories, and it keeps me entertained. I sometime divulge some of my own, from this B&B, and they feel like they are in a special place to hear the innsider stories.
Now...oh you have been doing this a while.
I have always engaged our guests over breakfast who have been to B&B's before asking them about stories, and it keeps me entertained. I sometime divulge some of my own, from this B&B, and they feel like they are in a special place to hear the innsider stories.
Iris
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absolutely, with time on the job comes confidence. It also helps when not wanting certain guests.happykeeper said:
Silverspoon
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Then: We took every reservation that came our way, filling in with one-night stays and working ourselves until we dropped.
Now: We begin to limit and schedule our reservations so we do not have to do "whole-house-turnovers". An empty room feels like a vacation.
Now: We begin to limit and schedule our reservations so we do not have to do "whole-house-turnovers". An empty room feels like a vacation.
happykeeper
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Isn't it the truth. We made the big jump to eliminate single night stays when the busy season began to look like it wasn't going to end.Then: We took every reservation that came our way, filling in with one-night stays and working ourselves until we dropped.
Now: We begin to limit and schedule our reservations so we do not have to do "whole-house-turnovers". An empty room feels like a vacation..
Then... single nights helped us.
Now... When a reservation comes in that leaves a stray night dangling between reservations, it gets blocked off on line immediately. Figured out very quickly that even though we put a two night minimum on line, if someone saw a stray night on the calendar view, they were going to call.
Mary at Bridgewater Inn and Cottage
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Everythings about the same but I started 2002 with just the Cottage and have added sense the Inn Suite ,Hot Tub room/common room, Barn and Guest Room. All about every 3 yrs apart. Now have lots of ideas roaming around my head ; )
happykeeper
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From another thread
Then... we scoured google analytics because we needed to find out how and what marketing was effective and here was a free vehicle that could help us understand it. We were hungry for information and they provided it. We focused on SEO and avoided dumping lots of money into PPC, OTA, and eventually directories.
Now... much of what we learned about demographics has remained fairly constant over time, we have an established presence with the main player, and we are moving on to influencers and gearing up for the social media blitz that will be very mainstream, IMO, come 2017.
Then... we scoured google analytics because we needed to find out how and what marketing was effective and here was a free vehicle that could help us understand it. We were hungry for information and they provided it. We focused on SEO and avoided dumping lots of money into PPC, OTA, and eventually directories.
Now... much of what we learned about demographics has remained fairly constant over time, we have an established presence with the main player, and we are moving on to influencers and gearing up for the social media blitz that will be very mainstream, IMO, come 2017.
Innkeep
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Then - I always used recipes. My heart rate went up when I scrambled eggs. I had never fried an egg or made an omelet.
Now - I can go off the beaten track food-wise. I have learned how to adulterate pancake batter. For example, a couple of weeks ago a friend of mine was waxing poetic about a brand of buttermilk pancake mix he buys to do his monthly church pancake breakfasts. He even went as far as giving me a whole box (4x the size of one from the grocery store). It's the kind you just add water to. My taste test was just barely meh.
I didn't want it to go to waste (nor did I want it to go to my waist) so I experimented. (Jon, stop reading immediately) It turns out that by adding enough water to make it thin like crepe batter, it actually makes very decent crepes. Then this morning I got a call at 7:15 am from someone wanting to make a reservation, so I ended up turning off the stove to get her taken care of, and the batter I had cooking at the time ended up being perfectly done when I got back to the kitchen. So, I have added that step to my own personal crepe manufacturing, along with stacking the crepes with waxed paper between and putting in a warm oven to wait for assembly.
The current guests are vegetarians, and staying for 5 nights, so I'm adding stuff off the beaten track. Tomorrow it's fried mush (which the cognoscenti will call polenta) topped with braised tomato, avocado and asparagus, a mushroom and swiss cheese omelet and locally grown strawberries.
The next day I'm going to try eggs florentine. I'm really getting brave because I have never poached an egg. I have, however purchased a device which pokes a hole in egg shells after reading our poached egg thread. I figure if the poached eggs are a disaster, they can always have fried eggs instead, cause I now know how to fry eggs.
(half photo, you get the general idea)
And here's today's Crepe a la Innkeep
Now - I can go off the beaten track food-wise. I have learned how to adulterate pancake batter. For example, a couple of weeks ago a friend of mine was waxing poetic about a brand of buttermilk pancake mix he buys to do his monthly church pancake breakfasts. He even went as far as giving me a whole box (4x the size of one from the grocery store). It's the kind you just add water to. My taste test was just barely meh.
I didn't want it to go to waste (nor did I want it to go to my waist) so I experimented. (Jon, stop reading immediately) It turns out that by adding enough water to make it thin like crepe batter, it actually makes very decent crepes. Then this morning I got a call at 7:15 am from someone wanting to make a reservation, so I ended up turning off the stove to get her taken care of, and the batter I had cooking at the time ended up being perfectly done when I got back to the kitchen. So, I have added that step to my own personal crepe manufacturing, along with stacking the crepes with waxed paper between and putting in a warm oven to wait for assembly.
The current guests are vegetarians, and staying for 5 nights, so I'm adding stuff off the beaten track. Tomorrow it's fried mush (which the cognoscenti will call polenta) topped with braised tomato, avocado and asparagus, a mushroom and swiss cheese omelet and locally grown strawberries.
The next day I'm going to try eggs florentine. I'm really getting brave because I have never poached an egg. I have, however purchased a device which pokes a hole in egg shells after reading our poached egg thread. I figure if the poached eggs are a disaster, they can always have fried eggs instead, cause I now know how to fry eggs.
(half photo, you get the general idea)
And here's today's Crepe a la Innkeep
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Good show. You are VERY good.Then - I always used recipes. My heart rate went up when I scrambled eggs. I had never fried an egg or made an omelet.
Now - I can go off the beaten track food-wise. I have learned how to adulterate pancake batter. For example, a couple of weeks ago a friend of mine was waxing poetic about a brand of buttermilk pancake mix he buys to do his monthly church pancake breakfasts. He even went as far as giving me a whole box (4x the size of one from the grocery store). It's the kind you just add water to. My taste test was just barely meh.
I didn't want it to go to waste (nor did I want it to go to my waist) so I experimented. (Jon, stop reading immediately) It turns out that by adding enough water to make it thin like crepe batter, it actually makes very decent crepes. Then this morning I got a call at 7:15 am from someone wanting to make a reservation, so I ended up turning off the stove to get her taken care of, and the batter I had cooking at the time ended up being perfectly done when I got back to the kitchen. So, I have added that step to my own personal crepe manufacturing, along with stacking the crepes with waxed paper between and putting in a warm oven to wait for assembly.
The current guests are vegetarians, and staying for 5 nights, so I'm adding stuff off the beaten track. Tomorrow it's fried mush (which the cognoscenti will call polenta) topped with braised tomato, avocado and asparagus, a mushroom and swiss cheese omelet and locally grown strawberries.
The next day I'm going to try eggs florentine. I'm really getting brave because I have never poached an egg. I have, however purchased a device which pokes a hole in egg shells after reading our poached egg thread. I figure if the poached eggs are a disaster, they can always have fried eggs instead, cause I now know how to fry eggs.
(half photo, you get the general idea)
And here's today's Crepe a la Innkeep.
Arks
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Then - I always used recipes. My heart rate went up when I scrambled eggs. I had never fried an egg or made an omelet.
Now - I can go off the beaten track food-wise. I have learned how to adulterate pancake batter. For example, a couple of weeks ago a friend of mine was waxing poetic about a brand of buttermilk pancake mix he buys to do his monthly church pancake breakfasts. He even went as far as giving me a whole box (4x the size of one from the grocery store). It's the kind you just add water to. My taste test was just barely meh.
I didn't want it to go to waste (nor did I want it to go to my waist) so I experimented. (Jon, stop reading immediately) It turns out that by adding enough water to make it thin like crepe batter, it actually makes very decent crepes. Then this morning I got a call at 7:15 am from someone wanting to make a reservation, so I ended up turning off the stove to get her taken care of, and the batter I had cooking at the time ended up being perfectly done when I got back to the kitchen. So, I have added that step to my own personal crepe manufacturing, along with stacking the crepes with waxed paper between and putting in a warm oven to wait for assembly.
The current guests are vegetarians, and staying for 5 nights, so I'm adding stuff off the beaten track. Tomorrow it's fried mush (which the cognoscenti will call polenta) topped with braised tomato, avocado and asparagus, a mushroom and swiss cheese omelet and locally grown strawberries.
The next day I'm going to try eggs florentine. I'm really getting brave because I have never poached an egg. I have, however purchased a device which pokes a hole in egg shells after reading our poached egg thread. I figure if the poached eggs are a disaster, they can always have fried eggs instead, cause I now know how to fry eggs.
(half photo, you get the general idea)
And here's today's Crepe a la Innkeep.
Innkeep said:
For heaven's sake. I was in a store yesterday, and they were selling a mango slicer!Then - I always used recipes. My heart rate went up when I scrambled eggs. I had never fried an egg or made an omelet.
Now - I can go off the beaten track food-wise. I have learned how to adulterate pancake batter. For example, a couple of weeks ago a friend of mine was waxing poetic about a brand of buttermilk pancake mix he buys to do his monthly church pancake breakfasts. He even went as far as giving me a whole box (4x the size of one from the grocery store). It's the kind you just add water to. My taste test was just barely meh.
I didn't want it to go to waste (nor did I want it to go to my waist) so I experimented. (Jon, stop reading immediately) It turns out that by adding enough water to make it thin like crepe batter, it actually makes very decent crepes. Then this morning I got a call at 7:15 am from someone wanting to make a reservation, so I ended up turning off the stove to get her taken care of, and the batter I had cooking at the time ended up being perfectly done when I got back to the kitchen. So, I have added that step to my own personal crepe manufacturing, along with stacking the crepes with waxed paper between and putting in a warm oven to wait for assembly.
The current guests are vegetarians, and staying for 5 nights, so I'm adding stuff off the beaten track. Tomorrow it's fried mush (which the cognoscenti will call polenta) topped with braised tomato, avocado and asparagus, a mushroom and swiss cheese omelet and locally grown strawberries.
The next day I'm going to try eggs florentine. I'm really getting brave because I have never poached an egg. I have, however purchased a device which pokes a hole in egg shells after reading our poached egg thread. I figure if the poached eggs are a disaster, they can always have fried eggs instead, cause I now know how to fry eggs.
(half photo, you get the general idea)
And here's today's Crepe a la Innkeep.Innkeep said:
.
Although I admit to getting the breakfast sandwich maker...
What's next, a cherry pitter? One too many people has been on Shark Tank (or Kickstarter?) with their can't miss invention, I guess...
I love my cherry pitter!For heaven's sake. I was in a store yesterday, and they were selling a mango slicer!Then - I always used recipes. My heart rate went up when I scrambled eggs. I had never fried an egg or made an omelet.
Now - I can go off the beaten track food-wise. I have learned how to adulterate pancake batter. For example, a couple of weeks ago a friend of mine was waxing poetic about a brand of buttermilk pancake mix he buys to do his monthly church pancake breakfasts. He even went as far as giving me a whole box (4x the size of one from the grocery store). It's the kind you just add water to. My taste test was just barely meh.
I didn't want it to go to waste (nor did I want it to go to my waist) so I experimented. (Jon, stop reading immediately) It turns out that by adding enough water to make it thin like crepe batter, it actually makes very decent crepes. Then this morning I got a call at 7:15 am from someone wanting to make a reservation, so I ended up turning off the stove to get her taken care of, and the batter I had cooking at the time ended up being perfectly done when I got back to the kitchen. So, I have added that step to my own personal crepe manufacturing, along with stacking the crepes with waxed paper between and putting in a warm oven to wait for assembly.
The current guests are vegetarians, and staying for 5 nights, so I'm adding stuff off the beaten track. Tomorrow it's fried mush (which the cognoscenti will call polenta) topped with braised tomato, avocado and asparagus, a mushroom and swiss cheese omelet and locally grown strawberries.
The next day I'm going to try eggs florentine. I'm really getting brave because I have never poached an egg. I have, however purchased a device which pokes a hole in egg shells after reading our poached egg thread. I figure if the poached eggs are a disaster, they can always have fried eggs instead, cause I now know how to fry eggs.
(half photo, you get the general idea)
And here's today's Crepe a la Innkeep.Innkeep said:
.
Although I admit to getting the breakfast sandwich maker...
What's next, a cherry pitter? One too many people has been on Shark Tank (or Kickstarter?) with their can't miss invention, I guess...
.
happykeeper
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someone gave me a cherry pitter- when you need to pit cherries- not all that often- this is the tool.For heaven's sake. I was in a store yesterday, and they were selling a mango slicer!Then - I always used recipes. My heart rate went up when I scrambled eggs. I had never fried an egg or made an omelet.
Now - I can go off the beaten track food-wise. I have learned how to adulterate pancake batter. For example, a couple of weeks ago a friend of mine was waxing poetic about a brand of buttermilk pancake mix he buys to do his monthly church pancake breakfasts. He even went as far as giving me a whole box (4x the size of one from the grocery store). It's the kind you just add water to. My taste test was just barely meh.
I didn't want it to go to waste (nor did I want it to go to my waist) so I experimented. (Jon, stop reading immediately) It turns out that by adding enough water to make it thin like crepe batter, it actually makes very decent crepes. Then this morning I got a call at 7:15 am from someone wanting to make a reservation, so I ended up turning off the stove to get her taken care of, and the batter I had cooking at the time ended up being perfectly done when I got back to the kitchen. So, I have added that step to my own personal crepe manufacturing, along with stacking the crepes with waxed paper between and putting in a warm oven to wait for assembly.
The current guests are vegetarians, and staying for 5 nights, so I'm adding stuff off the beaten track. Tomorrow it's fried mush (which the cognoscenti will call polenta) topped with braised tomato, avocado and asparagus, a mushroom and swiss cheese omelet and locally grown strawberries.
The next day I'm going to try eggs florentine. I'm really getting brave because I have never poached an egg. I have, however purchased a device which pokes a hole in egg shells after reading our poached egg thread. I figure if the poached eggs are a disaster, they can always have fried eggs instead, cause I now know how to fry eggs.
(half photo, you get the general idea)
And here's today's Crepe a la Innkeep.Innkeep said:
.
Although I admit to getting the breakfast sandwich maker...
What's next, a cherry pitter? One too many people has been on Shark Tank (or Kickstarter?) with their can't miss invention, I guess...
.
- Joined
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I like my butter cutter.I love my cherry pitter!For heaven's sake. I was in a store yesterday, and they were selling a mango slicer!Then - I always used recipes. My heart rate went up when I scrambled eggs. I had never fried an egg or made an omelet.
Now - I can go off the beaten track food-wise. I have learned how to adulterate pancake batter. For example, a couple of weeks ago a friend of mine was waxing poetic about a brand of buttermilk pancake mix he buys to do his monthly church pancake breakfasts. He even went as far as giving me a whole box (4x the size of one from the grocery store). It's the kind you just add water to. My taste test was just barely meh.
I didn't want it to go to waste (nor did I want it to go to my waist) so I experimented. (Jon, stop reading immediately) It turns out that by adding enough water to make it thin like crepe batter, it actually makes very decent crepes. Then this morning I got a call at 7:15 am from someone wanting to make a reservation, so I ended up turning off the stove to get her taken care of, and the batter I had cooking at the time ended up being perfectly done when I got back to the kitchen. So, I have added that step to my own personal crepe manufacturing, along with stacking the crepes with waxed paper between and putting in a warm oven to wait for assembly.
The current guests are vegetarians, and staying for 5 nights, so I'm adding stuff off the beaten track. Tomorrow it's fried mush (which the cognoscenti will call polenta) topped with braised tomato, avocado and asparagus, a mushroom and swiss cheese omelet and locally grown strawberries.
The next day I'm going to try eggs florentine. I'm really getting brave because I have never poached an egg. I have, however purchased a device which pokes a hole in egg shells after reading our poached egg thread. I figure if the poached eggs are a disaster, they can always have fried eggs instead, cause I now know how to fry eggs.
(half photo, you get the general idea)
And here's today's Crepe a la Innkeep.Innkeep said:
.
Although I admit to getting the breakfast sandwich maker...
What's next, a cherry pitter? One too many people has been on Shark Tank (or Kickstarter?) with their can't miss invention, I guess...
.
.
Silverspoon
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OMG, undersea, you clearly have never made a fresh cherry pie! That little gadget is a time saver.For heaven's sake. I was in a store yesterday, and they were selling a mango slicer!Then - I always used recipes. My heart rate went up when I scrambled eggs. I had never fried an egg or made an omelet.
Now - I can go off the beaten track food-wise. I have learned how to adulterate pancake batter. For example, a couple of weeks ago a friend of mine was waxing poetic about a brand of buttermilk pancake mix he buys to do his monthly church pancake breakfasts. He even went as far as giving me a whole box (4x the size of one from the grocery store). It's the kind you just add water to. My taste test was just barely meh.
I didn't want it to go to waste (nor did I want it to go to my waist) so I experimented. (Jon, stop reading immediately) It turns out that by adding enough water to make it thin like crepe batter, it actually makes very decent crepes. Then this morning I got a call at 7:15 am from someone wanting to make a reservation, so I ended up turning off the stove to get her taken care of, and the batter I had cooking at the time ended up being perfectly done when I got back to the kitchen. So, I have added that step to my own personal crepe manufacturing, along with stacking the crepes with waxed paper between and putting in a warm oven to wait for assembly.
The current guests are vegetarians, and staying for 5 nights, so I'm adding stuff off the beaten track. Tomorrow it's fried mush (which the cognoscenti will call polenta) topped with braised tomato, avocado and asparagus, a mushroom and swiss cheese omelet and locally grown strawberries.
The next day I'm going to try eggs florentine. I'm really getting brave because I have never poached an egg. I have, however purchased a device which pokes a hole in egg shells after reading our poached egg thread. I figure if the poached eggs are a disaster, they can always have fried eggs instead, cause I now know how to fry eggs.
(half photo, you get the general idea)
And here's today's Crepe a la Innkeep.Innkeep said:
.
Although I admit to getting the breakfast sandwich maker...
What's next, a cherry pitter? One too many people has been on Shark Tank (or Kickstarter?) with their can't miss invention, I guess...
.
I don't like cherries (although I use cherry extract in some recipes).OMG, undersea, you clearly have never made a fresh cherry pie! That little gadget is a time saver.For heaven's sake. I was in a store yesterday, and they were selling a mango slicer!Then - I always used recipes. My heart rate went up when I scrambled eggs. I had never fried an egg or made an omelet.
Now - I can go off the beaten track food-wise. I have learned how to adulterate pancake batter. For example, a couple of weeks ago a friend of mine was waxing poetic about a brand of buttermilk pancake mix he buys to do his monthly church pancake breakfasts. He even went as far as giving me a whole box (4x the size of one from the grocery store). It's the kind you just add water to. My taste test was just barely meh.
I didn't want it to go to waste (nor did I want it to go to my waist) so I experimented. (Jon, stop reading immediately) It turns out that by adding enough water to make it thin like crepe batter, it actually makes very decent crepes. Then this morning I got a call at 7:15 am from someone wanting to make a reservation, so I ended up turning off the stove to get her taken care of, and the batter I had cooking at the time ended up being perfectly done when I got back to the kitchen. So, I have added that step to my own personal crepe manufacturing, along with stacking the crepes with waxed paper between and putting in a warm oven to wait for assembly.
The current guests are vegetarians, and staying for 5 nights, so I'm adding stuff off the beaten track. Tomorrow it's fried mush (which the cognoscenti will call polenta) topped with braised tomato, avocado and asparagus, a mushroom and swiss cheese omelet and locally grown strawberries.
The next day I'm going to try eggs florentine. I'm really getting brave because I have never poached an egg. I have, however purchased a device which pokes a hole in egg shells after reading our poached egg thread. I figure if the poached eggs are a disaster, they can always have fried eggs instead, cause I now know how to fry eggs.
(half photo, you get the general idea)
And here's today's Crepe a la Innkeep.Innkeep said:
.
Although I admit to getting the breakfast sandwich maker...
What's next, a cherry pitter? One too many people has been on Shark Tank (or Kickstarter?) with their can't miss invention, I guess...
.
.
I was being tongue in cheek. Have to think of something that does not exist. Like on the Cat in the Hat "a moss covered three handled family credenza/gradunza"
happykeeper
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We just sold ours. Guests didn't care for the moss.I don't like cherries (although I use cherry extract in some recipes).OMG, undersea, you clearly have never made a fresh cherry pie! That little gadget is a time saver.For heaven's sake. I was in a store yesterday, and they were selling a mango slicer!Then - I always used recipes. My heart rate went up when I scrambled eggs. I had never fried an egg or made an omelet.
Now - I can go off the beaten track food-wise. I have learned how to adulterate pancake batter. For example, a couple of weeks ago a friend of mine was waxing poetic about a brand of buttermilk pancake mix he buys to do his monthly church pancake breakfasts. He even went as far as giving me a whole box (4x the size of one from the grocery store). It's the kind you just add water to. My taste test was just barely meh.
I didn't want it to go to waste (nor did I want it to go to my waist) so I experimented. (Jon, stop reading immediately) It turns out that by adding enough water to make it thin like crepe batter, it actually makes very decent crepes. Then this morning I got a call at 7:15 am from someone wanting to make a reservation, so I ended up turning off the stove to get her taken care of, and the batter I had cooking at the time ended up being perfectly done when I got back to the kitchen. So, I have added that step to my own personal crepe manufacturing, along with stacking the crepes with waxed paper between and putting in a warm oven to wait for assembly.
The current guests are vegetarians, and staying for 5 nights, so I'm adding stuff off the beaten track. Tomorrow it's fried mush (which the cognoscenti will call polenta) topped with braised tomato, avocado and asparagus, a mushroom and swiss cheese omelet and locally grown strawberries.
The next day I'm going to try eggs florentine. I'm really getting brave because I have never poached an egg. I have, however purchased a device which pokes a hole in egg shells after reading our poached egg thread. I figure if the poached eggs are a disaster, they can always have fried eggs instead, cause I now know how to fry eggs.
(half photo, you get the general idea)
And here's today's Crepe a la Innkeep.Innkeep said:
.
Although I admit to getting the breakfast sandwich maker...
What's next, a cherry pitter? One too many people has been on Shark Tank (or Kickstarter?) with their can't miss invention, I guess...
.
.
I was being tongue in cheek. Have to think of something that does not exist. Like on the Cat in the Hat "a moss covered three handled family credenza/gradunza"
.
