Inn-sitters - to hire or not to hire!!??

NEVER HIRE THE PO'S TO INNSIT!

We did that out of desperation.  Our son got married end of  December, 2010 in another province.  We had arranged 4 mos. earlier for our regular innsitter to stay for the 5 days between Christmas and New Years when we would be attending the wedding. .  It was all planned and she was happy to do that as she always is.  Two days before we were about to leave (and almost all rooms booked up for the 5 days) she took ill and had to have emergency surgery.  We were desperate.   We called the PO's who still live in our city by the way. 

Though it was nice to have them last minute, we had to pay them more than we normally would, but they sure did not go above and beyond their call of duty like our regular innsitter.  I'm not even sure if they even did the basics.  I do know that the iron and vacuum cleaner were never used.  Even though they had it as a b & b for 2 years and we have had it for 5 years with our occupancy rate 4 times higher than when they had it, they still try to give us advice on how things should be done.  And now, since they were here in Dec. we got our first not so good review and it was during the time they were here.    UGH!

I am lucky as I have a very good friend with 10 years hotel/B&B experience who can sit in for me if I want a day off or my parents only live across town and have 20 years B&B experience (they are no good with computers however) I do find more and more bookings are comming through the internet so I can pick them up on my phone (the emails) and the calls. I always like to have someone here though if I can as we are in a location where we do pick up a lot of passing trade. (ie 3 rooms a day lately) so it does pay to have someone here especially as three of the walk ins have been for over 5 nights! I would prefer a paid inn sitter but it would hurt my parents feelings so I am in a catch 22 situation. I do consider taking on people now and again who want experience but I worry it would take a lot of my time. Also one of my majour problems is the age of my building plus as we all know there is always something falling off of something! It is just when something breaks! Luckily our on call handyman lives next door and he does all handyman things plus plumbing so that does help.

Welcome to the forum SueEllen.   

Welcome suellen!  Sorry I'm comin' in late on this...

I had a lovely post all typed up and bumped the wrong button.  Ugh!

I strongly agree that it is important to answer the phone when someone calls.  I always forward the phones when I'm out and I know I've gotten reservations because of it.  And it is no bother to process reservations while I'm on vacation as I'll be on the 'puter anyway.

As a small B&B we've always closed when we've gone away, which we do during our slow times.  If I were to go away when I was expecting guests I would have no idea how to go about getting an innsitter.  How DOES one find an innsitter?  Is there a going rate?  I do have an invitation I declined for January that maybe I should reconsider...

It seems to me that hiring an innsitter is a little like hiring a babysitter.  That is, I want them to be able to handle an emergency, feed my kids what and when I want them fed, and generally maintain the rules I have in place.  I would not expect them to be a replacement mom.  In the same way, I'd want an innsitter to know what to do in an emergency, feed my guests appropriately, and generally maintain the atmosphere we've created.  I would not expect them to balance my books, perform regular maintenance or repairs, or create new policies.  I think this might be what suellen was trying to say... an innsitter is not creating from scratch but maintaining what another has done.

Either way, suellen!

=)
Kk.

WOW, been away for a while but as I read the many responses, yea sueellen you seem condensending to some. I see what you mean though, its as if when we all strarted we has lots of experience running our Inns and we where instantly professional innkepers because we "owned and operated an Inn". First and foremost not one single guest has ever ever asked weather we where professional innkeepers because our first year was just an experience for us. We never owned an inn, neither one of us had ever really worked in the hospitality industry as in--housekeeping, reservations etc of a hotel, motel or anything of the sort. Although we where both in the "service" industry which innkeeping is part of. We all work for the customer just as much as the waitress in a nice restaurant does to make their experience the best one so that they come back and not only do we make money but so does the establishment..common sense huh?

Now for the Innsitting profession, you got lucky sueellen, we are thinking seriously of becoming Innsitters, not because we don't want to own our own Inn, but because we consider ourselves Innkeepers, cooks, customer service, operator and we LOVE IT! Just because there are owners all over the country and world thart DONT WANT TO BE INNKEEPERS (meaning the job) but want to own an Inn and hire someone to take care of their inn does not mean that a guest is not well taken care of by the Innkeeper (not the owner) because they LOVE THEIR JOB and the owners trust their management to run their business.

My husband and I have lots of experience running an Inn and we are praying that we can find a fit with an Inn for a long assignment. Everyone is right...there arent that many Inns that use Innsitters, but there are many that do and they are invaluable if they truly love their profession as any other profession. I do understand that hiring someone to come and take care of your Inn would take careful consideration and it would be more difficult for an aspiring to get a job if they have no experience. It takes alot of patience and love to do what all of us do daily. 

There is an Interim Innkeepers Network.

Here is how they describe what an Interim Innkeeper is:

"An Interim Innkeeper is a person or couple who has developed the knowledge, skills and experiences necessary to successfully operate a Bed & Breakfast, Country Inn, Boutique Hotel, or Family Resort during the absence of the owner-operator or resident innkeeper. An Interim Innkeeper keeps abreast of new trends and practices through involvement in industry associations, training programs and seminars."

Sounds good to me!

of the interim innkeepers i am aware of, some carry their own insurance, liability and workers comp (like a self-employed contractor)  ... others do not.  i believe they all should. it's a cost of doing business.

anyone's services i used at the inn either had to be my employee (and i had to insure them) or they had to show proof of insurance.  this was for the inn's protection ... in the event of an accidental injury, the person hurt would be covered. 

eeek! 

dang the internet anyway!!!  i LOVE this forum but we can't talk face to face and words can and do hurt, can and do get taken the wrong way .... and without the face, the voice, the physical exchange, we can hurt one another and be hurt ~~ all without intent.

deep breaths, everyone.  let's just talk ...

how about a group hug? too much?  

just had a thought ~~ is there a course available specifically for those who want to be interim innkeepers?  including someone from the red cross to give the cpr cert. and heimlich instruction. 

those of you who offer innkeeping seminars ... maybe you already do this. if not, it would be great for those who can't afford to buy a place ... to be certified in some way?

just a thought

As per usual I feel someone made an innocent comment and everyone took it differently and people got their hackles up and one thing led to another and it devolved.  This forum is getting to be more work than running this Inn.  

People, realize this...as innkeepers we are all held to impossible standards every moment of every day.  I think what would help all of us the most is if folks would just give us an inch of slack.  Why can't we even do that for each other on here?

i am sorry, littleblue ... but i would use the word condescending to describe suellen's saying that innkeeping is not rocket science.  not the best phrase to use, surely. 

not one i would want to hear when seeking out an interim innkeeper and not one i would use, hoping to be hired. 

suellen222, we are a passionate bunch in here.  as you see. 

suellen222,

Ummm.... first, I'm thrilled that you and your sister have found a venture you find rewarding and valuable.

The tone and the asumptions you've made in your initial post to support your sales pitch are about as condescending and presumptive towards the intelligence of any veteran inn owner as I've seen here.

I'm in the camp of innkeeper that believes "we" as the owner or innkeeper of a small B&B are such a huge part of the experience for our guests that except for a health emergency or family death, nobody could ever "sit in" for us here.

I'm not sure how it is that hundreds of OUR guests per year can bring a laptop, cellphone, pda, etc. and for a few minutes per day, keep up on their business affairs AND still relate to us just how relaxing and enjoyable of a time they have while in our home, but they do.

While our B&B is only in its fifth year of operation, we already know with about 95% certainty what our busy and slow seasons are and when we could most easily expect to take a break and NOT miss much business.

Maybe for innkeepers who refuse to take vacations only in their slow season or are in it only to make maximium income, your service would be very appealing.

I'm not sure why you would encourage inexperienced, aspiring innkeepers to start competing with you, but I would expect that flooding a fairly small labor market niche with too many inexperienced, untested service providers could eventually work against the positive aspects and reputation of having highly trained, experienced innsitting services available for those that could use them.

suellen222, are you saying that someone hired you to innsit before you had any experience working at an inn?

if so, you were very fortunate!

i've been looking at inn sitting and the first questions i am asked are 'how many years of innkeeping experience do you have?' and 'what reservation systems are you familiar with?', etc.   an aspiring innkeeper would not likely be able to answer those questions in a way that would get them an interview, let alone 'a chance'. 

a better route for an aspiring who cannot afford to purchase an inn/b&b, in my opinion, would be to seek out a position as an assistant innkeeper or similar job in the hospitality industry.  after that, perhaps as an interim.

you do not say how long you inn-sat at the place where you earned over $1600 and $2500 for the innkeepers.  the interims i know (and i only know 2 innsitters - a couple and a single person) are paid approximately $100 to $200 per day, in addition to room and board, depending on whether or not they are expected to do the housekeeping and if it is one person or a couple. 

when i ran a b&b myself, my overhead was so high that i often paid the housekeeper more than i earned myself. i hired an innsitter twice --- when i attended an out of state wedding and an out of state graduation.  i paid the innsitter more than i would have earned in that time also. sad but true. 

but i wanted the place to be open and it was the only way i could attend these important events.  both times, i let all guests know that i would not be there.  i explained why and asked for their 'critique' of my interims and they seemed to enjoy this ... giving me long, report card style notes.   

i am glad you are happy with your experiences and that you continue to be hired to innsit.  but i do not believe it is such an easy thing to be taken on as you were. 

also, the economic reality many innkeepers face, especially those who own old buildings that require ongoing repairs (think money pit without the humor), in addition to a mortgage, can be staggering. 

large, established businesses with additional staff are the ones i am finding are looking for interim innkeeping help.  and they want someone with a lot of experience. 

i wish you well.

I guess it depends on if you are trying to run a business or if owning a B&B is just a hobby for you.  

No, it depends on what is economically sensible. If I go away for 2 weeks and hire an innsitter, I have to pay for every day that innsitter is here BUT will probably only have guests on the weekend - and since I am in Podunk, depending on the season, even that is a maybe. IF I have guests to equal the cost of the innsitter, I still lose due to overhead costs. I am not trying to run a business, I am running a business. Perhaps if I were in a destination area - I have had to tell people we are a tourist destination - it would be different. I have also had comments about the disappointment of not getting to meet ME - even though I left everything ready for breakfast for DH to "open zip-loc and put in bowl" put in oven for xx min. etc - I was not nere.

Hiring an innsitter depends on a lot of factors. I wish I had enough demand to warrant an innsitter - I think. I would probably - unless it was something like my daughter's wedding in 2007 or DH's HS reunion (and I DID have reservations for that weekend so hired a friend to innsit) for me it is best to be booked.

BTW, that particular Labor Day weekend, I had 8 room nights booked when we found out about the reunion. This friend was considering foing B & B. I worked out for both of us. I had coverage for guests who sould NOT have been able to find othr rooms and she found out she did NOT want to do B & B.

You are entitled to have you own opinion...and I have mine!   I have taken vacations and closed and have taken vacations and hired an innsitter.  I wll say there are good and bad points with both and would really not depend on if it is a 'business or hobby' B&B.  What it really boils down to is what experience YOU want for ALL your guests. 

When I hired an innsitter I had several emails when I returned.  Some that were left were bragging up and down on the great treatment they had with our sitter while others were disapointed in the fact that WE were not here stating that half the B&B experience is getting to meet and talk with the innkeeper and they had truely wanted to meet US.  The second time we hired an innsitter for vacation we make it a point to tell our potential guests that we would be gone during their stay....some did not book!!  Guess there is really no right or wrong way to do things...it is an individual preference but it has NOTHING to do with whether it is a business or hobby.   

My Two cents!

I would never hire an innsitter who did not previously own an inn or had extensive experience working in one.