Recent content by rusticinn

I was surprised at the amount of phone reservations we get vs online (about 50-50). I really thought most people would book online, as I would. Sometimes I will get a call saying "I'm looking at your website and see that you have openings for ...." but they still want to call to make the...

Thank you all for the great advice! Joey, I am working on your assignment My intent was not to use it specifically for marketing, but more as communication with my guests who have asked about keeping updated with what's going on around the inn and the area. Which I guess sort of translates...

Thank you for the input - I like Morticia's idea of the link to the newsletter within the thank you note, and Gillum's suggestion of the blog being selectable on the website. I will definitely do a monthly newsletter. 2 or 3 posts a week for a blog sounds reasonable and achievable. We do have...

Congratulations! It sounds like it went great. My husband, Jeff, and I are new innkeepers as well. We have had our inn since September, but just started serving breakfast in April. We've met some really cool people - breakfast is a great icebreaker. Good luck to you! Anne

Hi Everyone! I'm sorry I don't post much - we have had a surprisingly busy April and May and are gearing up for the craziness of summer in West Michigan. We bought our log inn in September, 2014, but just began serving breakfast in April after finishing our "Breakfast Barn". It has been going...

Our inn was built in 1946 as a log cabin motor lodge. Originally it had 6 guest rooms and every pair shared a bath. Somewhere along the line bathrooms were added and one pair of rooms became "The Suite" so that we now have 5 guest rooms, each with a private bath. We live onsite in the...

We just bought our inn in September, so we are new, too. I wish you the best! We use Square and I am happy with it. It is easy, predictable and the funds are transferred to our account within a couple of days. The previous owners apparently rented a cc machine because they listed over $1000...

Thanks for the replies. I am glad checks are not the standard, even in foreign countries. I did not know they could take up to a year to clear! I definitely will just state that we do not accept checks. Period.

I had a similar scam happen with a vacation rental years ago (the overpayment check) which is why this one seems fishy to start with. We caught on early, but it is still on my mind with requests like this. It's good to know that checks aren't common over there either.

Hi everyone, I have a person from overseas (I am in Michigan) who is sending emails requesting rates for 2 guest rooms for 10 nights. My gut instinct is that this is some sort of a scam ultimately, but I emailed the rates and requested half the fee as a deposit via credit card just in case it...

Most guests turn in their keys saying "Oh it was just what we needed - everything was wonderful - we had a great time..." I don't normally question their sincerity, because they usually want to chat a bit and seem pleased. Last weekend I happened to ask a guest "How was everything?" She gave a...

I am very allergic to shellfish and spinach and beginning to develop allergies to various other things that have not bothered me before. If I am in a restaurant and they have lobster bisque on the menu I leave because any vapors from lobster cause an anaphylactic reaction. I never know when...

Thank you Kay, I missed your last post before I posted. I have some accounting knowledge, and my accountant said she can help get it going, but a class would be a great idea. I appreciate your input. This site has a lot of great people and is a good source of information and support.

Thank you for all the responses. Looks like QB is my best option. We have a VERY small office here, so it has been hard to find places for everything. I am trying to change my habit from "quick stash it in the cupboard" to "touch it once/put it in its place". I'm getting there! I do keep a...

Thank you, Morticia. My plan is to do something similar to you - enter data in the evening once a week or so. RezKey (and I assume other reservation systems) does a great job of organizing info and generating reports for the guest rooms, so that will be very useful.