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  1. IronGate

    Using facebook pages

    Anybody getting good results from their facebook page? What's working for you? Have you tried anything from this list?
  2. IronGate

    Lying in online reviews: a study

    Lying in online reviews: it's actually been studied by MIT. They could have just asked us. What does this study means for customer facing professionals? I think we can take two actionable ideas away from it: Never use online ratings as the only source of customer satisfaction/service...
  3. IronGate

    Reading: business or pleasure?

    Found this article about customer service books, and it got me wondering: when you have time to sit down and read, are you more likely to read for business or pleasure? Do you try to do both? I keep business-related stuff all around me during the day so I can grab-and-read a paragraph or two...
  4. IronGate

    What do you wish you could nail to the floor?

    This article from the UK concerns hotels, but it's still a propos to all lodging establishments. What do you routinely find has gone home with the guests? For your convenience, the list from the article's pop-out list of most commonly stolen items is: towels & linens (grrrrrrrr!) batteries &...
  5. IronGate

    Common areas

    What are the most popular common areas in your place? Least popular? What do you wish you had more of? Less of? What -- in spite of being popular and regularly used -- just isn't worth the hassle?
  6. IronGate

    How do YOU set room rates?

    How do YOU set room rates?
  7. IronGate

    Clothing requirements . . .

    or lack thereof. Lack of clothing, I mean, not lack of requirements. I was surfing around the 'net and came upon a nice place that had a pool and "spa" (read: hot tub). It all looked wonderful. As I was reading the description, I found the invitation to "shed it all." The pool, spa and deck are...
  8. IronGate

    How many seasons do you have?

    How many seasons do you have in your innkeeping year? In other words, how many times a year do you adjust your rates? Do you get much push-back from guests wanting the rate in effect when the room is booked, and not the rate that will be in effect when the guests will be arriving?
  9. IronGate

    Do you believe in omens?

    OK, there is a property I am quite interested in, located halfway across the country. Everything about it intrigues me, and the town it's in fits me like a glove. Unfortunately, the realtor is spectacularly less than responsive -- questions take literally a month to get answered -- and she has...
  10. IronGate

    Permanently removing a guest room

    A property I am seriously considering currently has six guest rooms. Five are on the second floor, and one is on the first floor. Twenty years ago, the property was remodeled from a private residence into a B&B. Every guest room has a private bath en suite. The room on the first floor is the...
  11. IronGate

    Length of stay requirements

    It seems that most inns have a minimum stay requirement. Does anyone have a maximum stay policy, whether stated or unstated? How long would you allow guests to stay? Three days? Five days? A week? A month? As long as the bank extends credit?
  12. IronGate

    Utilities budget

    I am looking at a B&B that is for sale, but the sellers and/or their realtor refuse to provide complete financials. They have shown me gross receipts, but the expense section of the form was covered when it was copied. A separate, hand-written note shows the total for gas, electric, and water &...
  13. IronGate

    Cutting the budget

    The thread about costing out breakfasts has gotten me thinking. It's a certainty that expenses cannot exceed income, and market forces dictate that there is a limit to income. When trying to balance a budget, the general consensus, of course, is that beds and breakfasts are the last things you'd...
  14. IronGate

    Guest room coffee service

    How many of you provide coffee service in your guest rooms? Do you use small coffee makers or coffee presses? How do you supply the coffee? Does it worry you to put canisters in the room, since you have no idea what people might do sometimes? Any other thoughts or considerations?
  15. IronGate

    GC balances

    For those of you who issue your own gift certficates, how do you handle the remaining balance when the GC is used, but is worth more than the total bill? For example, if someone bought a GC for $500, but the recipient's bill came to $300, would you make them keep the balance on the GC or refund...
  16. IronGate

    Selling your stuff

    Do you have guests want to buy the stuff you use at your place (sheets, towels, robes, dishes, recipes, soap, etc.)? Is it worthwhile to have a "gift shop"?
  17. IronGate

    Septic systems

    Who here is on a septic system? How much do you need to worry about the use of cleaning products? Do you explain to your guests that the property is not on a public sewer system, and needs to be treated carefully?
  18. IronGate

    Weddings

    I've read in several threads about how much work weddings are. Some have even said to avoid them, and I'm wondering why. I completely understand how the whole bridezilla, it's-all-about-me, mob mentality can take over and ruin the atmosphere for other guests. I'm just wondering, as part of a...
  19. IronGate

    What do you wish you had?

    As the opposite of YellowSocks' "love your B&B" thread, what would you make sure was included if you ever had to start from scratch?
  20. IronGate

    Is this too hard to say?

    I'm still in the process of envisioning, and I've decided I want to merge my two great interests, innkeeping and genealogy, and name the rooms in my (future) inn after my great-grandparents. Each room would be decorated to reflect the personality and heritage of one individual, so I would have...
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