Anybody Join "Select Registry"

[trishany]

One guest told me about this site and I never heard of it.

 

[muirford]

We are members. You can download the membership requirements and fees on the website, www.selectregistry.com. Generally B&Bs under 6 rooms are not eligible, and innkeepers should be in the hospitality business for 3 years before applying. You need to have a fine dining restaurant within a few miles, as well. You must pass inspection (a surprise, full-service inspection where the inspector stays overnight and doesn't reveal his/her identity until check-out) to be invited to join.

 

[trishany]

We are members. You can download the membership requirements and fees on the website, www.selectregistry.com. Generally B&Bs under 6 rooms are not eligible, and innkeepers should be in the hospitality business for 3 years before applying. You need to have a fine dining restaurant within a few miles, as well. You must pass inspection (a surprise, full-service inspection where the inspector stays overnight and doesn't reveal his/her identity until check-out) to be invited to join..

We do have fine dining restaurants about 2 miles from us. Only have 4 rooms. "Hospitality" business -- well, that's open to interpretation.
A surprise inspection -- I love it!. I love a good challange -- who knew?!!! lol.
Thank you so much for posting this and giving a heads up.

 

[Morticia]

We are members. You can download the membership requirements and fees on the website, www.selectregistry.com. Generally B&Bs under 6 rooms are not eligible, and innkeepers should be in the hospitality business for 3 years before applying. You need to have a fine dining restaurant within a few miles, as well. You must pass inspection (a surprise, full-service inspection where the inspector stays overnight and doesn't reveal his/her identity until check-out) to be invited to join..

We had guests last week who always stay with us. They have stayed at other B&B's in town, but all of them have closed (uh oh). She left behind a Select Registry book so I'm guessing the other places she stayed must have been in that book. She never says boo about where else she stays and she comes here on her way 'there' and on her way back so we must do something that makes her happy.
I told her it costs a fortune to be in that guide and we're just not up to paying that much money.

 

[trishany]

We are members. You can download the membership requirements and fees on the website, www.selectregistry.com. Generally B&Bs under 6 rooms are not eligible, and innkeepers should be in the hospitality business for 3 years before applying. You need to have a fine dining restaurant within a few miles, as well. You must pass inspection (a surprise, full-service inspection where the inspector stays overnight and doesn't reveal his/her identity until check-out) to be invited to join..

We had guests last week who always stay with us. They have stayed at other B&B's in town, but all of them have closed (uh oh). She left behind a Select Registry book so I'm guessing the other places she stayed must have been in that book. She never says boo about where else she stays and she comes here on her way 'there' and on her way back so we must do something that makes her happy.
I told her it costs a fortune to be in that guide and we're just not up to paying that much money.
.

How much does it cost? Do you think it's worth it?

 

[Morticia]

We are members. You can download the membership requirements and fees on the website, www.selectregistry.com. Generally B&Bs under 6 rooms are not eligible, and innkeepers should be in the hospitality business for 3 years before applying. You need to have a fine dining restaurant within a few miles, as well. You must pass inspection (a surprise, full-service inspection where the inspector stays overnight and doesn't reveal his/her identity until check-out) to be invited to join..

We had guests last week who always stay with us. They have stayed at other B&B's in town, but all of them have closed (uh oh). She left behind a Select Registry book so I'm guessing the other places she stayed must have been in that book. She never says boo about where else she stays and she comes here on her way 'there' and on her way back so we must do something that makes her happy.
I told her it costs a fortune to be in that guide and we're just not up to paying that much money.
.

How much does it cost? Do you think it's worth it?
.

How much does it cost? Do you think it's worth it?

I thought it was in the thousands, so for us it would not be worth it. I don't have the right 'standards' anyway. For me, I'd get better results paying that amount to be a AAA member.

 

[GeorgiaGirl]

As many times as I have booked a stay at a B&B, I have never used them to find an Inn, this is the first time I have ever been to their website! I got a stamp from a stay back in 06, and then we didn't realize it, but on our recent trip we stayed at 2 Select Registry Inns and got 2 stamps, the single stamp is in a seperate book though. As a guest I don't see the real benefit of Select Registry.

 

[muirford]

The jury is still out a bit for me on the ROI - yes, the annual cost is in the thousands and the initial application fee is also in the thousands. Both are under $5000, if you need a limit, but they vary depending on the size of the property and the initial sourcing of the application. We were invited to join and our initial fee was much less than the stated application fee - I still don't know why we were asked to join but there are not a lot of SR inns in our state. We get enough guests from them to cover our annual fee. The real question is, would we get those guests anyway without being in Select Registry, or would we get other guests to fill those rooms from other, less expensive sources. I think there is a better ROI if you are a new inn looking to build your business and not an established one, like we were.
We do get guests, way more this year than last year, who never travel anywhere without the Select Registry book (it is the book that gets the most attention, not the website). Many of them will not stay at an inn unless it is Select Registry. They get some comfort from the surprise inspection process. It is a much more rigorous process than our state association inspection. As an innkeeper, I get to stay at SR inns for a 50% discount - not as good as the discount I've received from some forum friends

, but I've gotten use out of that benefit for some good vacations.
If you don't meet several of the criteria - number of rooms, years in the business, etc. - it is pretty difficult to get in. We met all three when we were solicited to apply - it was our third year in, we have six rooms and are walking distance to fine dining. The inspection was still a hellish process - if you think it's no fun having guests or people on this forum tell you what you are doing wrong, wait until you are sitting across from an inspector telling you all the low-class items he's found! I barely survived...

 

[Morticia]

The jury is still out a bit for me on the ROI - yes, the annual cost is in the thousands and the initial application fee is also in the thousands. Both are under $5000, if you need a limit, but they vary depending on the size of the property and the initial sourcing of the application. We were invited to join and our initial fee was much less than the stated application fee - I still don't know why we were asked to join but there are not a lot of SR inns in our state. We get enough guests from them to cover our annual fee. The real question is, would we get those guests anyway without being in Select Registry, or would we get other guests to fill those rooms from other, less expensive sources. I think there is a better ROI if you are a new inn looking to build your business and not an established one, like we were.
We do get guests, way more this year than last year, who never travel anywhere without the Select Registry book (it is the book that gets the most attention, not the website). Many of them will not stay at an inn unless it is Select Registry. They get some comfort from the surprise inspection process. It is a much more rigorous process than our state association inspection. As an innkeeper, I get to stay at SR inns for a 50% discount - not as good as the discount I've received from some forum friends

, but I've gotten use out of that benefit for some good vacations.
If you don't meet several of the criteria - number of rooms, years in the business, etc. - it is pretty difficult to get in. We met all three when we were solicited to apply - it was our third year in, we have six rooms and are walking distance to fine dining. The inspection was still a hellish process - if you think it's no fun having guests or people on this forum tell you what you are doing wrong, wait until you are sitting across from an inspector telling you all the low-class items he's found! I barely survived...

.

If you don't meet several of the criteria - number of rooms, years in the business, etc. - it is pretty difficult to get in. We met all three when we were solicited to apply - it was our third year in, we have six rooms and are walking distance to fine dining. The inspection was still a hellish process - if you think it's no fun having guests or people on this forum tell you what you are doing wrong, wait until you are sitting across from an inspector telling you all the low-class items he's found! I barely survived...

That's kind of what I meant...I'm sure I'd be classified as 'low class' so no reason to even go thru the process. Besides, if the SR guests are anywhere like the AAA guests, no thanks. The AAA guests don't understand the rating system at all and wonder why we have the same 3 stars that the dumpy hotels do? So that doesn't help our image, either.
Want to give an example of 'low class' while I sit here and cringe?

 

[trishany]

The jury is still out a bit for me on the ROI - yes, the annual cost is in the thousands and the initial application fee is also in the thousands. Both are under $5000, if you need a limit, but they vary depending on the size of the property and the initial sourcing of the application. We were invited to join and our initial fee was much less than the stated application fee - I still don't know why we were asked to join but there are not a lot of SR inns in our state. We get enough guests from them to cover our annual fee. The real question is, would we get those guests anyway without being in Select Registry, or would we get other guests to fill those rooms from other, less expensive sources. I think there is a better ROI if you are a new inn looking to build your business and not an established one, like we were.
We do get guests, way more this year than last year, who never travel anywhere without the Select Registry book (it is the book that gets the most attention, not the website). Many of them will not stay at an inn unless it is Select Registry. They get some comfort from the surprise inspection process. It is a much more rigorous process than our state association inspection. As an innkeeper, I get to stay at SR inns for a 50% discount - not as good as the discount I've received from some forum friends

, but I've gotten use out of that benefit for some good vacations.
If you don't meet several of the criteria - number of rooms, years in the business, etc. - it is pretty difficult to get in. We met all three when we were solicited to apply - it was our third year in, we have six rooms and are walking distance to fine dining. The inspection was still a hellish process - if you think it's no fun having guests or people on this forum tell you what you are doing wrong, wait until you are sitting across from an inspector telling you all the low-class items he's found! I barely survived...

.

In the thousands!?? You know, we are in a great place here and we are booked out for all weekends. If they can't offer us something phenonmenal, then, well..........................

 

[muirford]

The jury is still out a bit for me on the ROI - yes, the annual cost is in the thousands and the initial application fee is also in the thousands. Both are under $5000, if you need a limit, but they vary depending on the size of the property and the initial sourcing of the application. We were invited to join and our initial fee was much less than the stated application fee - I still don't know why we were asked to join but there are not a lot of SR inns in our state. We get enough guests from them to cover our annual fee. The real question is, would we get those guests anyway without being in Select Registry, or would we get other guests to fill those rooms from other, less expensive sources. I think there is a better ROI if you are a new inn looking to build your business and not an established one, like we were.
We do get guests, way more this year than last year, who never travel anywhere without the Select Registry book (it is the book that gets the most attention, not the website). Many of them will not stay at an inn unless it is Select Registry. They get some comfort from the surprise inspection process. It is a much more rigorous process than our state association inspection. As an innkeeper, I get to stay at SR inns for a 50% discount - not as good as the discount I've received from some forum friends

, but I've gotten use out of that benefit for some good vacations.
If you don't meet several of the criteria - number of rooms, years in the business, etc. - it is pretty difficult to get in. We met all three when we were solicited to apply - it was our third year in, we have six rooms and are walking distance to fine dining. The inspection was still a hellish process - if you think it's no fun having guests or people on this forum tell you what you are doing wrong, wait until you are sitting across from an inspector telling you all the low-class items he's found! I barely survived...

.

In the thousands!?? You know, we are in a great place here and we are booked out for all weekends. If they can't offer us something phenonmenal, then, well..........................
.

Honestly, I doubt you would get in - not enough rooms and not enough time running the business. Some people really swear by it, as start-ups - the Inn at Riverbend in Virginia is one. But I'm not saying I recommend it for you.

 

[JunieBJones (JBJ)]

As many times as I have booked a stay at a B&B, I have never used them to find an Inn, this is the first time I have ever been to their website! I got a stamp from a stay back in 06, and then we didn't realize it, but on our recent trip we stayed at 2 Select Registry Inns and got 2 stamps, the single stamp is in a seperate book though. As a guest I don't see the real benefit of Select Registry..

As many times as I have booked a stay at a B&B, I have never used them to find an Inn, this is the first time I have ever been to their website! I got a stamp from a stay back in 06, and then we didn't realize it, but on our recent trip we stayed at 2 Select Registry Inns and got 2 stamps, the single stamp is in a seperate book though. As a guest I don't see the real benefit of Select Registry.

I can tell you what it means, it means they have met all superior standards to be eligible for Select Registry, it is an accomplishment, a hard earned one. Select Registry s/b a notch above neighboring B&B's. Example: It is like saying are you 2 star or 4 star?

 

[muirford]

The jury is still out a bit for me on the ROI - yes, the annual cost is in the thousands and the initial application fee is also in the thousands. Both are under $5000, if you need a limit, but they vary depending on the size of the property and the initial sourcing of the application. We were invited to join and our initial fee was much less than the stated application fee - I still don't know why we were asked to join but there are not a lot of SR inns in our state. We get enough guests from them to cover our annual fee. The real question is, would we get those guests anyway without being in Select Registry, or would we get other guests to fill those rooms from other, less expensive sources. I think there is a better ROI if you are a new inn looking to build your business and not an established one, like we were.
We do get guests, way more this year than last year, who never travel anywhere without the Select Registry book (it is the book that gets the most attention, not the website). Many of them will not stay at an inn unless it is Select Registry. They get some comfort from the surprise inspection process. It is a much more rigorous process than our state association inspection. As an innkeeper, I get to stay at SR inns for a 50% discount - not as good as the discount I've received from some forum friends

, but I've gotten use out of that benefit for some good vacations.
If you don't meet several of the criteria - number of rooms, years in the business, etc. - it is pretty difficult to get in. We met all three when we were solicited to apply - it was our third year in, we have six rooms and are walking distance to fine dining. The inspection was still a hellish process - if you think it's no fun having guests or people on this forum tell you what you are doing wrong, wait until you are sitting across from an inspector telling you all the low-class items he's found! I barely survived...

.

If you don't meet several of the criteria - number of rooms, years in the business, etc. - it is pretty difficult to get in. We met all three when we were solicited to apply - it was our third year in, we have six rooms and are walking distance to fine dining. The inspection was still a hellish process - if you think it's no fun having guests or people on this forum tell you what you are doing wrong, wait until you are sitting across from an inspector telling you all the low-class items he's found! I barely survived...

That's kind of what I meant...I'm sure I'd be classified as 'low class' so no reason to even go thru the process. Besides, if the SR guests are anywhere like the AAA guests, no thanks. The AAA guests don't understand the rating system at all and wonder why we have the same 3 stars that the dumpy hotels do? So that doesn't help our image, either.
Want to give an example of 'low class' while I sit here and cringe?
.

Let's see - a laminated guest instruction sheet on the dresser? With an 'intimidating' smoking policy. I change to nicer guest folders (it's better, they have more info that way) but kept the smoking policy. The second guy didn't say 'boo' about it.
It was hard to say that most of the items on the punch list weren't appropriate and almost all of them were things we were in process of, anyway. Adding lighting to the parking lot, painting the fence and the exterior - locks on the doors came up, too. We were taken by surprise with a really quick inspection - it happened about two weeks after we returned the application. We had been told we wouldn't be inspected before the first of the year (which gave us three months lead time). Still, it's like a knife in the gut to have to sit there and take it.
I can honestly say the SR guests have not been any snottier than our other guests - no better, no worse as a group. Some have been really nice. I might prefer them to the AAA guests who always seem to be looking for discounts and 'using up' everything, as JBJ says. That tendency doesn't seem to exhibit with SR guests.

 

[trishany]

The jury is still out a bit for me on the ROI - yes, the annual cost is in the thousands and the initial application fee is also in the thousands. Both are under $5000, if you need a limit, but they vary depending on the size of the property and the initial sourcing of the application. We were invited to join and our initial fee was much less than the stated application fee - I still don't know why we were asked to join but there are not a lot of SR inns in our state. We get enough guests from them to cover our annual fee. The real question is, would we get those guests anyway without being in Select Registry, or would we get other guests to fill those rooms from other, less expensive sources. I think there is a better ROI if you are a new inn looking to build your business and not an established one, like we were.
We do get guests, way more this year than last year, who never travel anywhere without the Select Registry book (it is the book that gets the most attention, not the website). Many of them will not stay at an inn unless it is Select Registry. They get some comfort from the surprise inspection process. It is a much more rigorous process than our state association inspection. As an innkeeper, I get to stay at SR inns for a 50% discount - not as good as the discount I've received from some forum friends

, but I've gotten use out of that benefit for some good vacations.
If you don't meet several of the criteria - number of rooms, years in the business, etc. - it is pretty difficult to get in. We met all three when we were solicited to apply - it was our third year in, we have six rooms and are walking distance to fine dining. The inspection was still a hellish process - if you think it's no fun having guests or people on this forum tell you what you are doing wrong, wait until you are sitting across from an inspector telling you all the low-class items he's found! I barely survived...

.

In the thousands!?? You know, we are in a great place here and we are booked out for all weekends. If they can't offer us something phenonmenal, then, well..........................
.

Honestly, I doubt you would get in - not enough rooms and not enough time running the business. Some people really swear by it, as start-ups - the Inn at Riverbend in Virginia is one. But I'm not saying I recommend it for you.
.

I don't know, maybe you're right.
But I think being in "Distiction" Magazine (if anyone wants a copy I will send it) Sept 1st, 2008 Issue puts us on the map!.
Distinction Magazine markets to owners making over $600,000 a year.
It's like "Architectural Digest".
Soooo. let me know if you recommemd us.

 

[JunieBJones (JBJ)]

Hey I just discovered the IGNORE button on this forum. HALLELUJAH!

 

[seashanty]

The jury is still out a bit for me on the ROI - yes, the annual cost is in the thousands and the initial application fee is also in the thousands. Both are under $5000, if you need a limit, but they vary depending on the size of the property and the initial sourcing of the application. We were invited to join and our initial fee was much less than the stated application fee - I still don't know why we were asked to join but there are not a lot of SR inns in our state. We get enough guests from them to cover our annual fee. The real question is, would we get those guests anyway without being in Select Registry, or would we get other guests to fill those rooms from other, less expensive sources. I think there is a better ROI if you are a new inn looking to build your business and not an established one, like we were.
We do get guests, way more this year than last year, who never travel anywhere without the Select Registry book (it is the book that gets the most attention, not the website). Many of them will not stay at an inn unless it is Select Registry. They get some comfort from the surprise inspection process. It is a much more rigorous process than our state association inspection. As an innkeeper, I get to stay at SR inns for a 50% discount - not as good as the discount I've received from some forum friends

, but I've gotten use out of that benefit for some good vacations.
If you don't meet several of the criteria - number of rooms, years in the business, etc. - it is pretty difficult to get in. We met all three when we were solicited to apply - it was our third year in, we have six rooms and are walking distance to fine dining. The inspection was still a hellish process - if you think it's no fun having guests or people on this forum tell you what you are doing wrong, wait until you are sitting across from an inspector telling you all the low-class items he's found! I barely survived...

.

In the thousands!?? You know, we are in a great place here and we are booked out for all weekends. If they can't offer us something phenonmenal, then, well..........................
.

Honestly, I doubt you would get in - not enough rooms and not enough time running the business. Some people really swear by it, as start-ups - the Inn at Riverbend in Virginia is one. But I'm not saying I recommend it for you.
.

and all guest rooms must have a private bath.
bree, one of OUR guests left behind the select registry guide, too. odd huh?
i stayed at one, they had copies in all the guest rooms. all looked like very elegant places. the place i stayed had a wonderful restaurant in the place. just lovely.
as we all know, my place is soooo not elegant. let's just call it comfortable and whimsical. and with some of the stunts i pull to hold things together, well .... let's just leave it at that.

 

[seashanty]

Hey I just discovered the IGNORE button on this forum. HALLELUJAH!.

but what is it for??

 

[GeorgiaGirl]

Hey I just discovered the IGNORE button on this forum. HALLELUJAH!.

but what is it for??
.

I'm thinking it ignores all posts by a specific user?

 

[trishany]

Hey I just discovered the IGNORE button on this forum. HALLELUJAH!.

I am sooooo happy.

 

[muirford]

This was a reply to Trishny, but her post has disappeared...
It would not be up to me to recommend you. We are not in your SR region (our states are VA, WV, DE and MD), and I have never stayed at your B&B. If you are really interested I would talk to a nearby SR inn - the Mill House Inn in East Hampton is the only one close to you. It's not that easy to get accepted - there are several inns in VA who applied this year who didn't make it. You would need the support of a member inn in your region to get in, in my opinion.