Innkeeper Couple Salary Question

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Southern-We are a husband and wife team that owned a B & B for four years and circumstances some beyond our control and some of our control we had to close the business. We liked what we were doing so we diligently searched for Innkeeping positions and it took us many interviews and letters and e-mails but we did land one and out of kind of desperation because the job market was low and because we could do the job we took it. In retrospect we had no idea what kind of boss we would have because the boss was an absentee owner that micromanaged the staff that managed to stay here. In short, we decided two months into the job to start searching for another position-this was a year ago.
We do have another position that we are going to in November and it seems like a good partnership, although we really won't know until we get there; we asked questions and we are satisfied with the salary. There are many types of B & B's and most do include innkeeper's quarters which is included in your salary, but like Alibi mentioned there are too many variables to say that there is a salary that can be made at every Inn and it also depends on what you will be doing. I can tell you this-if you were to be hired as "management" instead of an "innkeeper" which will be jack and jill of all trades-that Inn would be making alot of revenue to pay the management, lawn service, housekeepers, cooks etc all year long. Keep in mind that being innkeepets is a 24/7 job, its not a 9-5 job and as someone else mentioned-you should consider going to some seminars and such. We were baptized by fire meaning we went and we owned one and actually learned alot, now being hired by an Inn we learned different things.
If you want more info dont hesitate to e-mail me. Good luck.
Thank you, Birdwatcher, for your kind reply and for the encouragement. We really want to do this. We have talked about it and been reading about it for years. We have done some homework around this, talked to people who know a little about the business. My husband has computer reservations systems experience from leisure and corporate travel. So - we feel like if someone is willing to give us an opportunity - we really would like to give it all we have and see if this is for us. And in fact, we are in the interviewing process with a wonderful couple who seem to be interested in taking some business savvy, customer service focused, aspiring innkeepers and teach them the ropes. I hope the situation is not as some of the others have suggested and that they simply want to take advantage of us. We hope not. But, I guess if we take no risks then we don't have the chance to experience the blessing that may be available to us in this. So we are stepping out in Faith.
The potentials have asked what we think would be a fair salary - hence the question to you all about salary. I so appreciate your warm invitation to email you for more information. Blessings!
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Treat this like any position and be sure that a lot of the details are spelled out:
  1. Get a job description in writing - including specifics about your responsibilites, owner responsibilites, contractor's responsibilities; also, vacation time, sick time, health insurance, back-up plan for sick or injured innkeepers, etc.
  2. Get the salary and hours in writing - I have known of innkeepers that have not been paid because business was slow; or their hours were cut; OR their hours were increased and they had to do more as other contractors were let go but they were not paid any additional wages.
  3. Make sure that the inn you're working for has some kind of procedures manual - there's nothing worse than to get to a position and find that everything has changed and you have to figure out what to do.
  4. Make sure that you know the "chain of command" for decision making - in other words, what exactly are you empowered to do? To hire? To buy?
  5. What about your innkeeper quarters? - what is included? Can you make any changes? Can you make it more like your own place
These are just a few things off the top of my head.
You asked such a broad brush question about salary that's really impossible to answer. It really does depend on region of the country, type of inn (does it have a restaurant, shop, do they do events/weddings?), inn size of actual property, number of rooms, occupancy, and scope of responsibilities. It could well be that you would be paid more if you supervise other employees, but maybe not if the owner still has the final word.
There's really nothing like an internship or OJT at a B&B/inn to see if this is really the job for you before you jump into a contract with an owner.
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I cannot even begin to tell you all how much Donald and I are appreciating your candor! We've not been around here long and weren't really sure how much info to provide in asking this question about salary. But clearly we also had not considered some of the variables you are mentioning in considering what a salary should/would be. You have provided a wealth of information. Thank you for the time you invested in answering the question.
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No problem.
Before I owned my own start-up B&B, I worked at a very large inn that also did weddings and events, as well as off-site catering. I went to work there to see if I really wanted to own an inn of my own. I was hired to be an assistant innkeeper. Never got a job description and was paid very little. Long story short, the inn provided no introduction to their particular place and had no procedures manual, no training whatsoever, and I was expected to do really any kind of job....from cleaning toilets and other housekeeping duties, to shopping and assisting with catering jobs for special events, to detailed computer work.
I worked there long enough to learn what I wanted to do (or not do) with my own place someday and how I would treat any employees, if I had them.
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Hey Samster,
Like you, I think we have settled in our minds in advance to this search that this first stint will be a a huge learning experience and that if we enter into it with that in mind we may not as put off by the whole experience.
We are watching out for the "this seems too good to be true" signs - which from past interviews we have learned that those signs can be very cunning. It is easy to fall over into, "Oh my gosh! This is exactly what we thought would be PERFECT for us!" This may possibly be one of the most difficult interviewing processes either of us has ever experienced! Really. We both have hired and fired, been hired and laid off, but this is a whole new ball game. I think part of it is that clearly both sides of the picture are interviewing the other. The prospective is deciding if we fit - we are deciding if they/it fit. Lots of posturing - which I HATE. It is both exhilarating and exhausting! :)
The place we are considering and who is considering us right now is not a big EVENTS venue - and if it was, I don't think we would consider it. We know we are not ready to be wedding arrangers - we need to care for guests who are simply vacationing first. It can be used as a retreat for a church group or mens/womens group getaway weekend. Maybe a team summer vacation. But the grounds are not conducive to having a big wedding. No huge catering events could go on there for sure. So this is good for us.
We do have what I think is a healthy fear of getting in over our heads - although it seems this is where the cunning aspect of this interview can come in a fool us. We are trying to be as honest as we can be about our abilities.
Thanks again.
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SSC, I think that it's excellent that you're going into it with your eyes wide open. I had a long, corporate career and managed employees, including hiring as well, before I decided to become an innkeeper. I jumped at the opportunity to work with this successful inn and maybe I jumped too soon. Thus, a cautionary tale.
Best of luck to you. You will probably not make much money, but you may enjoy innkeeping very much.
 
Hi ServingSouthern,
I just left you a long reply on your other question about the interview process,and then read this qustion about salary.
Both hubby and I have signed a contract to be innkeepers at an amazing property in the South.We will be running the inn,cooking breakfast,taking reservations,taking care of guests etc etc etc
Our salary is not anywhere near the 41k (a lot lower!) however like you said in the beginning of your post,we are not doing this for the money,but because we got tired of corporate Amerca,and wanted to do something we LOVED and would make us HAPPY.
Just make sure you have a figure in mind that you and your hubby have agreed on,before signing anything.I had to sit down,make a list of our bills,and see what the bare minumum was,that we could afford,to live on.
And for all of you that have been posting,that you would NEVER hire an innkeeper that had NO experience.I will respectfully disagree with you.
Both my hubby and I have NO experience running a B&B,however we have just signed a contract,running a beautiful B&B in the city of our dreams.The reason why we got the job,over all the experienced innkeepers?
Because we clicked with the owners,we have the same vision in mind for the B&B.They have told us that when they interviewed the experienced innkeepers,that they felt like they (the owners) were being told by the innkeepers on how to run their B&B.They liked the fact that we had no experience.
Now granted,both hubby and I are smart,intelligent people.When we did our 2 week training period,after a day of training,we were running the B&B by ourselves,and the owners were able to go to their "day jobs" and felt very comfortable leaving us alone (granted,we did call them a couple of times,when the computer system crashed!)we cleaned,organized and even got a 5 star review from a guest on a well known travel web site.....
I am not saying it is an easy job,its bloody hard work,but if you really love what you do,have an open mind,and are happy....well....why not take a chance on people who have no experience....?
 
My wife and I have been an inn owners and innkeepers for 6 years. Our first inn keeping job in a highly desirable tourist town paid $42k plus we about $6k in tips and we when we did dinners we made additional income. We are currently interviewing for a job that will pay $65k. The couple that preceded us went to a job that paid $60k along with a 3 bedroom hosue. It's all a matter of looking around and waiting for the right inn, in the right place at the right price to come along. It really bothers me that inn owners figure they can get innkeepers who will do housekeeping for less than what housekeepers are paid. One inn with 19 rooms wanted a menu breakfast prepared, all the housekeeping and laundry, yard work, maintenance, and then hustle back to do the wine and cheese. He offered a very generous $25k. He did find someone.
 
We opened in August of last year. I am one of four owners. We have a great relationship and have had zero issues when it comes to making decisions. However, the first innkeeper we hired ( which I will say I was not for, but we were disparate) started off ok, then it went to hell in a hand basket. We didn't trust her and had to go behind her and wouldn't even leave her to serve 1 guest breakfast without one of us being there. She had no experience. So fast forward to innkeeper #2. WE LOVE HER. She had no experience in innkeeping, but she treats our place like it's hers. We trust her 100%.
Good Luck to you guys!
 
We opened in August of last year. I am one of four owners. We have a great relationship and have had zero issues when it comes to making decisions. However, the first innkeeper we hired ( which I will say I was not for, but we were disparate) started off ok, then it went to hell in a hand basket. We didn't trust her and had to go behind her and wouldn't even leave her to serve 1 guest breakfast without one of us being there. She had no experience. So fast forward to innkeeper #2. WE LOVE HER. She had no experience in innkeeping, but she treats our place like it's hers. We trust her 100%.
Good Luck to you guys!.
A few years have passed. Made me wonder how it went. Maybe it came up during my long absence.
 
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