Thank you everyone! I apologize for the delay. My regular day-job got a little hectic AND we are starting to get the inn ready for the season. Alas - I have lost track of days!
I will definitely check out Reservation Key and the few others suggested. I have already looked heavily into a few already over the winter, including ResNexus, InnRoads and Innquest. My favorite so far is InnRoads.
Right now, I'm looking to continue to have customers call and email for that "guest connection" and we would internally reserve through the reservation system (no online booking until next year). This will enable us to send automatic confirmation emails, etc. as well as keep CC info in a safe place. I'm also eager to get a system to use for e-blasts for special promotions and assist in maintaining the guest address list (Holiday cards were always sent to the guests and we will continue to do it, albeit the EASIEST way possible!).
I also would like to report out on bookings, YOY bookings (once we get some history), as well as be able to eventually have an outward customer-facing booking engines. OTA's still make me nervous, but I wouldn't mind at least having that capability when ready.
If anyone has additional advice, I welcome it..
Let's call this additional comments rather than advice, different things for different folks, so this is just one old guys view.
Consider the ongoing cost as well as the features of the program you choose, in the end it is not how much you take in, it is that which is left after expenses that counts.
Consider moving sooner to online bookings, I'm here and the telephone is here, still enjoy the connection of speaking with our guests and some details need to be worked out by telephone or email, however "online" is an option for those who called while we were at the doctor, cleaning rooms or some other activity, I've lost bookings because we were not by the phone at the moment a potential guest called. Online can be your friend.
You know your guests and I don't, but be cautious of e-blasts, sounds good, but me, I'm quick to blacklist the address of those that send email that was not requested, it could work against you. I also remember a guest many years ago that said something along the line of "if anyone calls there is not a woman with me", you don't want to cause problems for a guest that visited
OTA's make me nervous too as that quickly gets a lot more impersonal than letting someone book online on your own site, of course I've never used them and don't know that I ever will.
A YOY report sound useful and I see that in Reservation Key, however for me, I like the Access database, played with it a lot in a former job, so I find it convenient to export information from RK and then import into Access, it lets me pull out bits of information in a format that suits me