Hello... (Introductions)

[Generic]

I'm posting this here, because someone asked me a bit about myself and I thought that maybe I should introduce myself and of course, have others introduce themselves... so share as much as you want to...
We are in Montreal. I'm a native English speaker (male) and my partner is a native French speaker (male), so if you see spelling errors, I'm blaming him! We have been running a B&B for about 16 to 17 years. This is our second B&B.
I was born and raised in Montreal and here I am called an Anglophone (someone who's first language is English). I speak three languages and have a BA in PoliSci that I earned in one language and a teaching certificate that I earned in another language... the only language that I don't have a degree or certificate in is... English! The teaching certificate really helps with running a B&B.... really helps!
I'm sometimes opinionated, often sarcastic, but always open to help if I can.

 

[JBloggs]

GB glad to meetchya!
I am not really as whiny in person as I have been of late on this forum. That is my intro. I am actually a nice person who loves her guests. I even let the honeymooners check out nearly 2 hours late today and gave them a big plate of strawberries with cream as a "welcome to married life" gift upon arrival last night. So far so good they told me, 2 days married and getting along splendidly.

 

[The Tipsy Butler]

I'm sometimes opinionated, often sarcastic,

My kind of person

 

[gillumhouse]

GB - JB is even nicer than admitted to. A great innkeeper.
I am old, prob set in my ways, and have been a start-up innkeeper since 1996 w/3 rooms in a very small city. Although I have been accused of being a teacher many times, have a whole 7 college credits from long, long ago. I was just lucky enough to go to high school before the old dragons retired. In my previous life I was in data processing and raising 2-legged animals. They have given us 8 more - thankfully most are not "just like them". In my town, I am like

, I am everywhere (meaning over-involved).

 

[The Tipsy Butler]

GB - JB is even nicer than admitted to. A great innkeeper.
I am old, prob set in my ways, and have been a start-up innkeeper since 1996 w/3 rooms in a very small city. Although I have been accused of being a teacher many times, have a whole 7 college credits from long, long ago. I was just lucky enough to go to high school before the old dragons retired. In my previous life I was in data processing and raising 2-legged animals. They have given us 8 more - thankfully most are not "just like them". In my town, I am like

, I am everywhere (meaning over-involved)..

GB - Gillumhouse RULES. She likes to present herself as "old and set in her ways" but don't let her fool you. She is one of the most "open" and fun people I know.

 

[Generic]

Well... maybe I should mention my worst daily addiction... Killer Sudoku. It's one of those things that keeps my mind sane.
I'm a sr. admin on website with about 200K users, so I know my way around a forum. MCSE. A+, Network+, INet+, so I know my way around the Internet... since I was on it before it was called the Internet.
And like most of you, I have some CDO (OCD so bad that even the letters have to be alphabetical.)

 

[Penelope]

Well... maybe I should mention my worst daily addiction... Killer Sudoku. It's one of those things that keeps my mind sane.
I'm a sr. admin on website with about 200K users, so I know my way around a forum. MCSE. A+, Network+, INet+, so I know my way around the Internet... since I was on it before it was called the Internet.
And like most of you, I have some CDO (OCD so bad that even the letters have to be alphabetical.).

And like most of you, I have some CDO (OCD so bad that even the letters have to be alphabetical.)

That made me laugh

 

[Don Draper]

I'm sometimes opinionated, often sarcastic, but always open to help if I can.

We will get along just dandy

Innkeeping for just over 5 years with a 9 room facility. Have never really been about the people so much as sharing our area with guests. People continue to amaze me on a day to day basis with their "uniqueness". But like many others on this forum you'll hear me beef about the troublesome ones and rarely say a peep about the tons of truly nice guests we have.
Glad to have your experience and willingness to help here, and a "tell it like it is" attitude is always appreciated by me.

 

[Samster]

Glad to have you here, GB!
We spent over 2 years renovating a 100 yr old home in a downtown historic neighborhood in a 200K city. Bought a second house next door & then opened a start up B&B with 5-6 rooms. I was open 2 years when I realized that due to increased occupancy, some extended family health issues, & higher demands from my dh's "real" job, we needed to spend more time on ourselves and our family...so we closed the business.
I actually loved the guests, loved the biz, but didn't like the lack of sleep and having to do everything on my own.
Working a couple of very satisfying part-time jobs at present and continuing lots of community involvement and trying to figure out the next step in a year or so.

 

[egoodell]

HI there GB!
My husband and I came to Virginia Wine Country from my native Calfiornia as we could not get a B&B iicence at the time in Napa. I'm from San Francisco, he is from southern Vermont.
I started a wine tour company 8 years ago while working at the local university (no $$) while he built the B&B and one two room wing - we now are building our other wing as we are allowed 5 rooms here.
Have a vineyard out back of Chambourcin grapes and are aging our first barrel of port style dessert wine.
My CPA says I get to quit the university next year as my income cannot be written off so it is starting to cost us money. Yipeeee I'm tired of working two jobs.
RIki

 

[Alibi Ike]

Well... maybe I should mention my worst daily addiction... Killer Sudoku. It's one of those things that keeps my mind sane.
I'm a sr. admin on website with about 200K users, so I know my way around a forum. MCSE. A+, Network+, INet+, so I know my way around the Internet... since I was on it before it was called the Internet.
And like most of you, I have some CDO (OCD so bad that even the letters have to be alphabetical.).

I love killer sudoku! Love that page! Print out the puzzles to take with me when I have to sit somewhere.

 

[greyswan]

hey - I attended Gillumhouse's aspiring workshop over 4 yrs ago, got a bunch of books, looked at properties, attended an aspiring innkeepers weekend workshop, found this place in 2007, and have been here since Sept 2007. Our place was a turnkey and is 5 guest rooms. It's just the right size for us... we wanted to be in a college town, but found that being next to a military post works well, too. DH retired from fed job in 2007 and we both work full-time here at the inn.

 

[Generic]

A bit OT, but can this forum be read via RSS reader? Anyone interested in sharing what they regularly read in their RSS reader that might be business/B&B related?

 

[Joey Camb]

Hello I am one of the British members was pretty much born into the industry (there have been B&B's in my town since 1849) went away to Uni to study international politics with history and subsidiaries in computer science and applied social studdies. Came back worked for the UK equivalent of the IRS in the business section (learned one or two things about small businesses) then worked for a financial institution where I was made redundant and went to work as reception manager for a 42 bed hotel then moved to an 80 bed hotel same job and then finally bought a turnkey operation with my partner where we are renovating like crazy people!

 

[Country Girl]

Montreal is one of my favorite cities.
I hail from N.E. and have been doing this for 15 years, and still love it. This forum has saved me (and consequently my guests) many times.

 

[Generic]

Hello I am one of the British members was pretty much born into the industry (there have been B&B's in my town since 1849) went away to Uni to study international politics with history and subsidiaries in computer science and applied social studdies. Came back worked for the UK equivalent of the IRS in the business section (learned one or two things about small businesses) then worked for a financial institution where I was made redundant and went to work as reception manager for a 42 bed hotel then moved to an 80 bed hotel same job and then finally bought a turnkey operation with my partner where we are renovating like crazy people!.

Hello I am one of the British members was pretty much born into the industry (there have been B&B's in my town since 1849) went away to Uni to study international politics with history and subsidiaries in computer science and applied social studdies. Came back worked for the UK equivalent of the IRS in the business section (learned one or two things about small businesses) then worked for a financial institution where I was made redundant and went to work as reception manager for a 42 bed hotel then moved to an 80 bed hotel same job and then finally bought a turnkey operation with my partner where we are renovating like crazy people!

Well, I say my BA is PoliSci, but in reality it's half PoliSci (with some Intl. Relations thrown in for good measure) and half Liberal Arts, which consisted of Russian Studies, Asian Studies, European History, American History (yes, I'm in the Middle East learning American History!) and some language thrown, for good measure. I didn't have the grades to do CompSci, so I just had to do the odd CompSci courses that were available to SocScience students.... The prof got really angry at me, I got 120% on the final exam and pointed out his errors. I even worked as a programmer in SPSSx for a while.
We are at the legal limit for a B&B here in Quebec... 5 rooms.

 

[Tom]

Welcome, opinionation is perhaps our only common thread ...
Looks like GB is in a fun neighborhood. I loved Montreal, particularly after I figured out SAQ.
We built new to be a 5-room (also max to code) so lots of space, privacy, energy efficiency, in country setting on a river. Have met some great people.