Interim Innkeepers

[lspiegel]

I am not an innkeeper at a large inn, but I am a "real innkeeper" and that's what you asked for. I hope this info is useful to you.
While coming into this profession with NO experience whatsoever, I did watch friends and family run their inns up close and personal for a few years before jumping into it ourselves. We try to run the kind of inn WE like to stay at in order to attract people like us. So far it has worked well, with the usual bumps and learning curves you would expect with any new profession.
My friends and family that have had inns, (all bigger than mine), have also used innsitters and interim innkeepers. Their biggest beef with sitters is the inability to completey grasp the reservation systems. They each say that they wind up with bookings they don't know about and double bookings. We also had some experienced retired innkeepers that joined our organization, were hired by some inns, and while they worked well at one or two, they were disasterous to others, drinking heavily, stealing food and offending guests. OUCH! They came with recommendations.
If this is what you really want to do, go for it and learn as much as you can, where ever you can, but be sure to get the oppinions from innkeepers to see if they would even use your services. Their may not be enough inns out there to work with..

They each say that they wind up with bookings they don't know about and double bookings. We also had some experienced retired innkeepers that joined our organization, were hired by some inns, and while they worked well at one or two, they were disasterous to others, drinking heavily, stealing food and offending guests. OUCH!

OUCH is right!!! That's just about the worst nightmare one could imagine with an innsitter!
The thing about references is they're all relative. New innsitters who've been to a class usually come with references: 1 from the teacher of the class and 1 from an inn they interned at. And by interning, they usually mean working a few hours over 1 or 2 days. Not really enough to know about problems like the ones you're describing which just sound absolutely dreadful in every way.
So when hiring certified innsitters, I think it's always a good idea to know whether those references were from real innsitting work, ie. they were left in-charge of an actual inn for more than 1 day, or from a few hours of interning related to a certification class. In my book, there's a very, very big difference but it's not always easy to see that difference clearly from the references given.
.

I have learned a lot today from those of you who took the time to guide me in a caring manner. This is obviously just a "starting off research" kind of thing for us, but if my husband and I do consider doing this in the future (actually in the WAY DISTANT future), I think we will take lots of courses, visit lots of Inns, volunteer LOTS and LOTS of free time to Inns during their peak seasons for free (just to clarify...Inns that do really need free help. We don't want to be a hinderance) and would use those Inns as references. Heck, we may just go into volunteering for a few years anyway!!!! Great way to meet nice people and travel! Thanks all!

 

[lspiegel]

What are you considering to be a 'larger' inn? I think there may only be one or two innkeepers on here who have over 10 rooms. We're more 'B&B's' on here than 'inns.' With the definition for 'inn' to be more than 10 rooms, serving multiple meals and having staff to do the work..

Yes m'am. I think that's what I was looking for in my responses. I wasn't sure what kind of Innkeepers there were on this forum. I knew there would be all different types but since the name of the organization is "INNspiring.com" I assumed it would be more INNs than B&B's. Unfortunately, I've gone and upset some people who didn't really understand what I was looking for...so thanks for asking for clarification. LOVE the picture by the way!
.

I think the reason people are upset is that you're telling folks who are taking the time to respond that you don't really want to hear from them.
Some folks will gather from that, as you've noticed, that you're not of the temperament to be an innkeeper who needs to be open and gracious to all guests, not just to those they personally prefer.
This forum is not only open to all, its members are rather outspoken and are also very generous with both their time and responses. All most want back in return is an appreciation of that fact.
So, again, best of luck to both of you.
But when you come to this forum in the future, my advice would be to not reject out-of-hand the information innkeepers provide to you, no matter what their status (current/former/retired/whatever). They are all innkeepers to us - and we love them all equally.
.

I completely understand and have taken responsiblity for my actions and apologized to those people that I have offended in my last posting.I got off to a wrong start by taking offense from someone who didn't really even read my request thouroughly and the ones after that. Maybe my post was too long to read and understand. As far as temperment and graciousness goes...I got that back from the professionals like yourself....but to the others isn't that the pot calling the kettle black? Yes, you are all very outspoken and generous with your replies...but am I not allowed to be outspoken when someone yells "TAKE IT OR LEAVE IT?" (then delete it from the post) and tell me
[FONT= &quot]"On a more personal note, if you have never run a B & B, then I would be leary about hiring you as an innsitter. I would not be paying you to train to be an innkeeper with my guests in my house. Yes you have some hospitality experience, but to me, it is just not the same thing."[/FONT]
[FONT= &quot][/FONT]That wasn't even a request and I would never except that from any Innkeeper or B & B! Are Innkeepers the only ones allowed on the site to be tempermental and outspoken? Please nice Innkeeper To Go person, without taking even more exception, enlighten me.

 

[Innkeeper To Go]

What are you considering to be a 'larger' inn? I think there may only be one or two innkeepers on here who have over 10 rooms. We're more 'B&B's' on here than 'inns.' With the definition for 'inn' to be more than 10 rooms, serving multiple meals and having staff to do the work..

Yes m'am. I think that's what I was looking for in my responses. I wasn't sure what kind of Innkeepers there were on this forum. I knew there would be all different types but since the name of the organization is "INNspiring.com" I assumed it would be more INNs than B&B's. Unfortunately, I've gone and upset some people who didn't really understand what I was looking for...so thanks for asking for clarification. LOVE the picture by the way!
.

I think the reason people are upset is that you're telling folks who are taking the time to respond that you don't really want to hear from them.
Some folks will gather from that, as you've noticed, that you're not of the temperament to be an innkeeper who needs to be open and gracious to all guests, not just to those they personally prefer.
This forum is not only open to all, its members are rather outspoken and are also very generous with both their time and responses. All most want back in return is an appreciation of that fact.
So, again, best of luck to both of you.
But when you come to this forum in the future, my advice would be to not reject out-of-hand the information innkeepers provide to you, no matter what their status (current/former/retired/whatever). They are all innkeepers to us - and we love them all equally.
.

I completely understand and have taken responsiblity for my actions and apologized to those people that I have offended in my last posting.I got off to a wrong start by taking offense from someone who didn't really even read my request thouroughly and the ones after that. Maybe my post was too long to read and understand. As far as temperment and graciousness goes...I got that back from the professionals like yourself....but to the others isn't that the pot calling the kettle black? Yes, you are all very outspoken and generous with your replies...but am I not allowed to be outspoken when someone yells "TAKE IT OR LEAVE IT?" (then delete it from the post) and tell me
[FONT= &quot]"On a more personal note, if you have never run a B & B, then I would be leary about hiring you as an innsitter. I would not be paying you to train to be an innkeeper with my guests in my house. Yes you have some hospitality experience, but to me, it is just not the same thing."[/FONT]
[FONT= &quot][/FONT]That wasn't even a request and I would never except that from any Innkeeper or B & B! Are Innkeepers the only ones allowed on the site to be tempermental and outspoken? Please nice Innkeeper To Go person, without taking even more exception, enlighten me.
.

Here's the thing. The innkeeper who said she wouldn't hire you is telling you the absolute truth. It may not be what you want to hear but it is the truth. And many many innkeepers feel the same way.
Clearly, as an innsitter myself, I'm not one of them. But I understand how they feel. It is not easy to find a good innsitter, one who has the skills, the experience, the temperament, and who can contribute to the inn's unique ambiance. It's a risk that many many innkeepers are just not willing to take. I don't take that as an insult myself and I happen to be a really good and experienced innsitter. It's okay that we're all different; that's the nature of the business.
In this forum, you'll hear a wide variety of responses because each innkeeper has a different perspective. Each of those perspectives, even the ones you don't like, are valuable.
You ask those who don't fit within your parameters not to respond. I'm just saying that this is not the place for those sorts of parameters. Everyone who has an opinion on the topic may respond. It's up to you to decide which of those pieces of advice are workable for you and what you want to do with that. If you don't like what someone is telling you, ignore it. And by all means, stand up for yourself. We all have to from time to time and that's okay.
But implying another innkeeper is dishonest or that their former status makes them less-worthy, well, as you say, that's getting off to the wrong start. It's great that you've accepted responsibility because I think you'll find that many of those same innkeepers may become valuable resources for you over time.
Don't know if that's enlightening or not. But it's my opinion, for what it's worth.

 

[Morticia]

What are you considering to be a 'larger' inn? I think there may only be one or two innkeepers on here who have over 10 rooms. We're more 'B&B's' on here than 'inns.' With the definition for 'inn' to be more than 10 rooms, serving multiple meals and having staff to do the work..

Yes m'am. I think that's what I was looking for in my responses. I wasn't sure what kind of Innkeepers there were on this forum. I knew there would be all different types but since the name of the organization is "INNspiring.com" I assumed it would be more INNs than B&B's. Unfortunately, I've gone and upset some people who didn't really understand what I was looking for...so thanks for asking for clarification. LOVE the picture by the way!
.

I think the reason people are upset is that you're telling folks who are taking the time to respond that you don't really want to hear from them.
Some folks will gather from that, as you've noticed, that you're not of the temperament to be an innkeeper who needs to be open and gracious to all guests, not just to those they personally prefer.
This forum is not only open to all, its members are rather outspoken and are also very generous with both their time and responses. All most want back in return is an appreciation of that fact.
So, again, best of luck to both of you.
But when you come to this forum in the future, my advice would be to not reject out-of-hand the information innkeepers provide to you, no matter what their status (current/former/retired/whatever). They are all innkeepers to us - and we love them all equally.
.

I completely understand and have taken responsiblity for my actions and apologized to those people that I have offended in my last posting.I got off to a wrong start by taking offense from someone who didn't really even read my request thouroughly and the ones after that. Maybe my post was too long to read and understand. As far as temperment and graciousness goes...I got that back from the professionals like yourself....but to the others isn't that the pot calling the kettle black? Yes, you are all very outspoken and generous with your replies...but am I not allowed to be outspoken when someone yells "TAKE IT OR LEAVE IT?" (then delete it from the post) and tell me
[FONT= &quot]"On a more personal note, if you have never run a B & B, then I would be leary about hiring you as an innsitter. I would not be paying you to train to be an innkeeper with my guests in my house. Yes you have some hospitality experience, but to me, it is just not the same thing."[/FONT]
[FONT= &quot][/FONT]That wasn't even a request and I would never except that from any Innkeeper or B & B! Are Innkeepers the only ones allowed on the site to be tempermental and outspoken? Please nice Innkeeper To Go person, without taking even more exception, enlighten me.
.

[FONT= &quot][/FONT]That wasn't even a request and I would never except that from any Innkeeper or B & B! Are Innkeepers the only ones allowed on the site to be tempermental and outspoken? Please nice Innkeeper To Go person, without taking even more exception, enlighten me.

I have a way I like to explain what just happened here...
You are an 'outsider' and you just walked into the 'local' bar and asked a question with a set requirement in your mind for what the answer was/had to be, but not letting the locals in on what you really wanted to hear for an answer. When the locals offered their suggestions, good, bad, off the mark or on, you pissed in their beer and called them yokels. And then you fawned on certain locals while continuing to piss in their best friend's beer.

 

[lspiegel]

What are you considering to be a 'larger' inn? I think there may only be one or two innkeepers on here who have over 10 rooms. We're more 'B&B's' on here than 'inns.' With the definition for 'inn' to be more than 10 rooms, serving multiple meals and having staff to do the work..

Yes m'am. I think that's what I was looking for in my responses. I wasn't sure what kind of Innkeepers there were on this forum. I knew there would be all different types but since the name of the organization is "INNspiring.com" I assumed it would be more INNs than B&B's. Unfortunately, I've gone and upset some people who didn't really understand what I was looking for...so thanks for asking for clarification. LOVE the picture by the way!
.

I think the reason people are upset is that you're telling folks who are taking the time to respond that you don't really want to hear from them.
Some folks will gather from that, as you've noticed, that you're not of the temperament to be an innkeeper who needs to be open and gracious to all guests, not just to those they personally prefer.
This forum is not only open to all, its members are rather outspoken and are also very generous with both their time and responses. All most want back in return is an appreciation of that fact.
So, again, best of luck to both of you.
But when you come to this forum in the future, my advice would be to not reject out-of-hand the information innkeepers provide to you, no matter what their status (current/former/retired/whatever). They are all innkeepers to us - and we love them all equally.
.

I completely understand and have taken responsiblity for my actions and apologized to those people that I have offended in my last posting.I got off to a wrong start by taking offense from someone who didn't really even read my request thouroughly and the ones after that. Maybe my post was too long to read and understand. As far as temperment and graciousness goes...I got that back from the professionals like yourself....but to the others isn't that the pot calling the kettle black? Yes, you are all very outspoken and generous with your replies...but am I not allowed to be outspoken when someone yells "TAKE IT OR LEAVE IT?" (then delete it from the post) and tell me
[FONT= &quot]"On a more personal note, if you have never run a B & B, then I would be leary about hiring you as an innsitter. I would not be paying you to train to be an innkeeper with my guests in my house. Yes you have some hospitality experience, but to me, it is just not the same thing."[/FONT]
[FONT= &quot][/FONT]That wasn't even a request and I would never except that from any Innkeeper or B & B! Are Innkeepers the only ones allowed on the site to be tempermental and outspoken? Please nice Innkeeper To Go person, without taking even more exception, enlighten me.
.

Here's the thing. The innkeeper who said she wouldn't hire you is telling you the absolute truth. It may not be what you want to hear but it is the truth. And many many innkeepers feel the same way.
Clearly, as an innsitter myself, I'm not one of them. But I understand how they feel. It is not easy to find a good innsitter, one who has the skills, the experience, the temperament, and who can contribute to the inn's unique ambiance. It's a risk that many many innkeepers are just not willing to take. I don't take that as an insult myself and I happen to be a really good and experienced innsitter. It's okay that we're all different; that's the nature of the business.
In this forum, you'll hear a wide variety of responses because each innkeeper has a different perspective. Each of those perspectives, even the ones you don't like, are valuable.
You ask those who don't fit within your parameters not to respond. I'm just saying that this is not the place for those sorts of parameters. Everyone who has an opinion on the topic may respond. It's up to you to decide which of those pieces of advice are workable for you and what you want to do with that. If you don't like what someone is telling you, ignore it. And by all means, stand up for yourself. We all have to from time to time and that's okay.
But implying another innkeeper is dishonest or that their former status makes them less-worthy, well, as you say, that's getting off to the wrong start. It's great that you've accepted responsibility because I think you'll find that many of those same innkeepers may become valuable resources for you over time.
Don't know if that's enlightening or not. But it's my opinion, for what it's worth.
.

Yes, that was enlightening. Thank you. This complete day has been enlightening. I put the parameters in so not to waste time of the the Innkeepers that don't have valuable time to waste in responding. I wouldn't think this would be offensive. Boy was I wrong! Thanks again for everything.

 

[Innkeeper To Go]

What are you considering to be a 'larger' inn? I think there may only be one or two innkeepers on here who have over 10 rooms. We're more 'B&B's' on here than 'inns.' With the definition for 'inn' to be more than 10 rooms, serving multiple meals and having staff to do the work..

Yes m'am. I think that's what I was looking for in my responses. I wasn't sure what kind of Innkeepers there were on this forum. I knew there would be all different types but since the name of the organization is "INNspiring.com" I assumed it would be more INNs than B&B's. Unfortunately, I've gone and upset some people who didn't really understand what I was looking for...so thanks for asking for clarification. LOVE the picture by the way!
.

I think the reason people are upset is that you're telling folks who are taking the time to respond that you don't really want to hear from them.
Some folks will gather from that, as you've noticed, that you're not of the temperament to be an innkeeper who needs to be open and gracious to all guests, not just to those they personally prefer.
This forum is not only open to all, its members are rather outspoken and are also very generous with both their time and responses. All most want back in return is an appreciation of that fact.
So, again, best of luck to both of you.
But when you come to this forum in the future, my advice would be to not reject out-of-hand the information innkeepers provide to you, no matter what their status (current/former/retired/whatever). They are all innkeepers to us - and we love them all equally.
.

I completely understand and have taken responsiblity for my actions and apologized to those people that I have offended in my last posting.I got off to a wrong start by taking offense from someone who didn't really even read my request thouroughly and the ones after that. Maybe my post was too long to read and understand. As far as temperment and graciousness goes...I got that back from the professionals like yourself....but to the others isn't that the pot calling the kettle black? Yes, you are all very outspoken and generous with your replies...but am I not allowed to be outspoken when someone yells "TAKE IT OR LEAVE IT?" (then delete it from the post) and tell me
[FONT= &quot]"On a more personal note, if you have never run a B & B, then I would be leary about hiring you as an innsitter. I would not be paying you to train to be an innkeeper with my guests in my house. Yes you have some hospitality experience, but to me, it is just not the same thing."[/FONT]
[FONT= &quot][/FONT]That wasn't even a request and I would never except that from any Innkeeper or B & B! Are Innkeepers the only ones allowed on the site to be tempermental and outspoken? Please nice Innkeeper To Go person, without taking even more exception, enlighten me.
.

[FONT= &quot][/FONT]That wasn't even a request and I would never except that from any Innkeeper or B & B! Are Innkeepers the only ones allowed on the site to be tempermental and outspoken? Please nice Innkeeper To Go person, without taking even more exception, enlighten me.

I have a way I like to explain what just happened here...
You are an 'outsider' and you just walked into the 'local' bar and asked a question with a set requirement in your mind for what the answer was/had to be, but not letting the locals in on what you really wanted to hear for an answer. When the locals offered their suggestions, good, bad, off the mark or on, you pissed in their beer and called them yokels. And then you fawned on certain locals while continuing to piss in their best friend's beer.
.

Bree you are really cracking me up today!

 

[lspiegel]

What are you considering to be a 'larger' inn? I think there may only be one or two innkeepers on here who have over 10 rooms. We're more 'B&B's' on here than 'inns.' With the definition for 'inn' to be more than 10 rooms, serving multiple meals and having staff to do the work..

Yes m'am. I think that's what I was looking for in my responses. I wasn't sure what kind of Innkeepers there were on this forum. I knew there would be all different types but since the name of the organization is "INNspiring.com" I assumed it would be more INNs than B&B's. Unfortunately, I've gone and upset some people who didn't really understand what I was looking for...so thanks for asking for clarification. LOVE the picture by the way!
.

I think the reason people are upset is that you're telling folks who are taking the time to respond that you don't really want to hear from them.
Some folks will gather from that, as you've noticed, that you're not of the temperament to be an innkeeper who needs to be open and gracious to all guests, not just to those they personally prefer.
This forum is not only open to all, its members are rather outspoken and are also very generous with both their time and responses. All most want back in return is an appreciation of that fact.
So, again, best of luck to both of you.
But when you come to this forum in the future, my advice would be to not reject out-of-hand the information innkeepers provide to you, no matter what their status (current/former/retired/whatever). They are all innkeepers to us - and we love them all equally.
.

I completely understand and have taken responsiblity for my actions and apologized to those people that I have offended in my last posting.I got off to a wrong start by taking offense from someone who didn't really even read my request thouroughly and the ones after that. Maybe my post was too long to read and understand. As far as temperment and graciousness goes...I got that back from the professionals like yourself....but to the others isn't that the pot calling the kettle black? Yes, you are all very outspoken and generous with your replies...but am I not allowed to be outspoken when someone yells "TAKE IT OR LEAVE IT?" (then delete it from the post) and tell me
[FONT= &quot]"On a more personal note, if you have never run a B & B, then I would be leary about hiring you as an innsitter. I would not be paying you to train to be an innkeeper with my guests in my house. Yes you have some hospitality experience, but to me, it is just not the same thing."[/FONT]
[FONT= &quot][/FONT]That wasn't even a request and I would never except that from any Innkeeper or B & B! Are Innkeepers the only ones allowed on the site to be tempermental and outspoken? Please nice Innkeeper To Go person, without taking even more exception, enlighten me.
.

[FONT= &quot][/FONT]That wasn't even a request and I would never except that from any Innkeeper or B & B! Are Innkeepers the only ones allowed on the site to be tempermental and outspoken? Please nice Innkeeper To Go person, without taking even more exception, enlighten me.

I have a way I like to explain what just happened here...
You are an 'outsider' and you just walked into the 'local' bar and asked a question with a set requirement in your mind for what the answer was/had to be, but not letting the locals in on what you really wanted to hear for an answer. When the locals offered their suggestions, good, bad, off the mark or on, you pissed in their beer and called them yokels. And then you fawned on certain locals while continuing to piss in their best friend's beer.
.

If I walked into a bar to ask you local yokels where a good seafood restaruant was I wouldn't want to know where to get a good hamburger. But I certainly wouldn't piss in their beer or their friends beer, I would aplogize for them misunderstanding that I wanted seafood and ask again. If 3 people told me there's no good seafood, then I would say GREAT lets go for a hamburger! What's wrong with being specific?

 

[bbinnsitters]

I am not an innkeeper at a large inn, but I am a "real innkeeper" and that's what you asked for. I hope this info is useful to you.
While coming into this profession with NO experience whatsoever, I did watch friends and family run their inns up close and personal for a few years before jumping into it ourselves. We try to run the kind of inn WE like to stay at in order to attract people like us. So far it has worked well, with the usual bumps and learning curves you would expect with any new profession.
My friends and family that have had inns, (all bigger than mine), have also used innsitters and interim innkeepers. Their biggest beef with sitters is the inability to completey grasp the reservation systems. They each say that they wind up with bookings they don't know about and double bookings. We also had some experienced retired innkeepers that joined our organization, were hired by some inns, and while they worked well at one or two, they were disasterous to others, drinking heavily, stealing food and offending guests. OUCH! They came with recommendations.
If this is what you really want to do, go for it and learn as much as you can, where ever you can, but be sure to get the oppinions from innkeepers to see if they would even use your services. Their may not be enough inns out there to work with..

They each say that they wind up with bookings they don't know about and double bookings. We also had some experienced retired innkeepers that joined our organization, were hired by some inns, and while they worked well at one or two, they were disasterous to others, drinking heavily, stealing food and offending guests. OUCH!

OUCH is right!!! That's just about the worst nightmare one could imagine with an innsitter!
The thing about references is they're all relative. New innsitters who've been to a class usually come with references: 1 from the teacher of the class and 1 from an inn they interned at. And by interning, they usually mean working a few hours over 1 or 2 days. Not really enough to know about problems like the ones you're describing which just sound absolutely dreadful in every way.
So when hiring certified innsitters, I think it's always a good idea to know whether those references were from real innsitting work, ie. they were left in-charge of an actual inn for more than 1 day, or from a few hours of interning related to a certification class. In my book, there's a very, very big difference but it's not always easy to see that difference clearly from the references given.
.

I have learned a lot today from those of you who took the time to guide me in a caring manner. This is obviously just a "starting off research" kind of thing for us, but if my husband and I do consider doing this in the future (actually in the WAY DISTANT future), I think we will take lots of courses, visit lots of Inns, volunteer LOTS and LOTS of free time to Inns during their peak seasons for free (just to clarify...Inns that do really need free help. We don't want to be a hinderance) and would use those Inns as references. Heck, we may just go into volunteering for a few years anyway!!!! Great way to meet nice people and travel! Thanks all!
.

In what part of the country are you? I am an Inn-sitter and am having to turn down jobs (which I hate to do)! If you want to start sooner rather than later let me know and I may be able to hook you up.

 

[lspiegel]

I am not an innkeeper at a large inn, but I am a "real innkeeper" and that's what you asked for. I hope this info is useful to you.
While coming into this profession with NO experience whatsoever, I did watch friends and family run their inns up close and personal for a few years before jumping into it ourselves. We try to run the kind of inn WE like to stay at in order to attract people like us. So far it has worked well, with the usual bumps and learning curves you would expect with any new profession.
My friends and family that have had inns, (all bigger than mine), have also used innsitters and interim innkeepers. Their biggest beef with sitters is the inability to completey grasp the reservation systems. They each say that they wind up with bookings they don't know about and double bookings. We also had some experienced retired innkeepers that joined our organization, were hired by some inns, and while they worked well at one or two, they were disasterous to others, drinking heavily, stealing food and offending guests. OUCH! They came with recommendations.
If this is what you really want to do, go for it and learn as much as you can, where ever you can, but be sure to get the oppinions from innkeepers to see if they would even use your services. Their may not be enough inns out there to work with..

They each say that they wind up with bookings they don't know about and double bookings. We also had some experienced retired innkeepers that joined our organization, were hired by some inns, and while they worked well at one or two, they were disasterous to others, drinking heavily, stealing food and offending guests. OUCH!

OUCH is right!!! That's just about the worst nightmare one could imagine with an innsitter!
The thing about references is they're all relative. New innsitters who've been to a class usually come with references: 1 from the teacher of the class and 1 from an inn they interned at. And by interning, they usually mean working a few hours over 1 or 2 days. Not really enough to know about problems like the ones you're describing which just sound absolutely dreadful in every way.
So when hiring certified innsitters, I think it's always a good idea to know whether those references were from real innsitting work, ie. they were left in-charge of an actual inn for more than 1 day, or from a few hours of interning related to a certification class. In my book, there's a very, very big difference but it's not always easy to see that difference clearly from the references given.
.

I have learned a lot today from those of you who took the time to guide me in a caring manner. This is obviously just a "starting off research" kind of thing for us, but if my husband and I do consider doing this in the future (actually in the WAY DISTANT future), I think we will take lots of courses, visit lots of Inns, volunteer LOTS and LOTS of free time to Inns during their peak seasons for free (just to clarify...Inns that do really need free help. We don't want to be a hinderance) and would use those Inns as references. Heck, we may just go into volunteering for a few years anyway!!!! Great way to meet nice people and travel! Thanks all!
.

In what part of the country are you? I am an Inn-sitter and am having to turn down jobs (which I hate to do)! If you want to start sooner rather than later let me know and I may be able to hook you up.
.

First of all thank you for your gracious and thoughtful reply and I don't mean to be wierd but>>>>
Are you serious? Have you read my post and replies today? I'm practically getting banished from the Innkeepers Association just for asking how to get in? I'm not going to say what part of the country because I think there's a bounty for my head, but if you email me and tell me where you are and give me some hints, I would love to hear from you! Thanks!

 

[Morticia]

I am not an innkeeper at a large inn, but I am a "real innkeeper" and that's what you asked for. I hope this info is useful to you.
While coming into this profession with NO experience whatsoever, I did watch friends and family run their inns up close and personal for a few years before jumping into it ourselves. We try to run the kind of inn WE like to stay at in order to attract people like us. So far it has worked well, with the usual bumps and learning curves you would expect with any new profession.
My friends and family that have had inns, (all bigger than mine), have also used innsitters and interim innkeepers. Their biggest beef with sitters is the inability to completey grasp the reservation systems. They each say that they wind up with bookings they don't know about and double bookings. We also had some experienced retired innkeepers that joined our organization, were hired by some inns, and while they worked well at one or two, they were disasterous to others, drinking heavily, stealing food and offending guests. OUCH! They came with recommendations.
If this is what you really want to do, go for it and learn as much as you can, where ever you can, but be sure to get the oppinions from innkeepers to see if they would even use your services. Their may not be enough inns out there to work with..

They each say that they wind up with bookings they don't know about and double bookings. We also had some experienced retired innkeepers that joined our organization, were hired by some inns, and while they worked well at one or two, they were disasterous to others, drinking heavily, stealing food and offending guests. OUCH!

OUCH is right!!! That's just about the worst nightmare one could imagine with an innsitter!
The thing about references is they're all relative. New innsitters who've been to a class usually come with references: 1 from the teacher of the class and 1 from an inn they interned at. And by interning, they usually mean working a few hours over 1 or 2 days. Not really enough to know about problems like the ones you're describing which just sound absolutely dreadful in every way.
So when hiring certified innsitters, I think it's always a good idea to know whether those references were from real innsitting work, ie. they were left in-charge of an actual inn for more than 1 day, or from a few hours of interning related to a certification class. In my book, there's a very, very big difference but it's not always easy to see that difference clearly from the references given.
.

I have learned a lot today from those of you who took the time to guide me in a caring manner. This is obviously just a "starting off research" kind of thing for us, but if my husband and I do consider doing this in the future (actually in the WAY DISTANT future), I think we will take lots of courses, visit lots of Inns, volunteer LOTS and LOTS of free time to Inns during their peak seasons for free (just to clarify...Inns that do really need free help. We don't want to be a hinderance) and would use those Inns as references. Heck, we may just go into volunteering for a few years anyway!!!! Great way to meet nice people and travel! Thanks all!
.

In what part of the country are you? I am an Inn-sitter and am having to turn down jobs (which I hate to do)! If you want to start sooner rather than later let me know and I may be able to hook you up.
.

First of all thank you for your gracious and thoughtful reply and I don't mean to be wierd but>>>>
Are you serious? Have you read my post and replies today? I'm practically getting banished from the Innkeepers Association just for asking how to get in? I'm not going to say what part of the country because I think there's a bounty for my head, but if you email me and tell me where you are and give me some hints, I would love to hear from you! Thanks!
.

I'm not going to say what part of the country because I think there's a bounty for my head,

Yeah, that's the local yokel coming out...
I hope with all the extensive reading you've already done here that you get that we're not an 'Innkeepers' Association' just a bunch of 'innkeepers' who hang out and try to problem-solve.

 

[aieechihuahua]

I am not an innkeeper at a large inn, but I am a "real innkeeper" and that's what you asked for. I hope this info is useful to you.
While coming into this profession with NO experience whatsoever, I did watch friends and family run their inns up close and personal for a few years before jumping into it ourselves. We try to run the kind of inn WE like to stay at in order to attract people like us. So far it has worked well, with the usual bumps and learning curves you would expect with any new profession.
My friends and family that have had inns, (all bigger than mine), have also used innsitters and interim innkeepers. Their biggest beef with sitters is the inability to completey grasp the reservation systems. They each say that they wind up with bookings they don't know about and double bookings. We also had some experienced retired innkeepers that joined our organization, were hired by some inns, and while they worked well at one or two, they were disasterous to others, drinking heavily, stealing food and offending guests. OUCH! They came with recommendations.
If this is what you really want to do, go for it and learn as much as you can, where ever you can, but be sure to get the oppinions from innkeepers to see if they would even use your services. Their may not be enough inns out there to work with..

They each say that they wind up with bookings they don't know about and double bookings. We also had some experienced retired innkeepers that joined our organization, were hired by some inns, and while they worked well at one or two, they were disasterous to others, drinking heavily, stealing food and offending guests. OUCH!

OUCH is right!!! That's just about the worst nightmare one could imagine with an innsitter!
The thing about references is they're all relative. New innsitters who've been to a class usually come with references: 1 from the teacher of the class and 1 from an inn they interned at. And by interning, they usually mean working a few hours over 1 or 2 days. Not really enough to know about problems like the ones you're describing which just sound absolutely dreadful in every way.
So when hiring certified innsitters, I think it's always a good idea to know whether those references were from real innsitting work, ie. they were left in-charge of an actual inn for more than 1 day, or from a few hours of interning related to a certification class. In my book, there's a very, very big difference but it's not always easy to see that difference clearly from the references given.
.

I have learned a lot today from those of you who took the time to guide me in a caring manner. This is obviously just a "starting off research" kind of thing for us, but if my husband and I do consider doing this in the future (actually in the WAY DISTANT future), I think we will take lots of courses, visit lots of Inns, volunteer LOTS and LOTS of free time to Inns during their peak seasons for free (just to clarify...Inns that do really need free help. We don't want to be a hinderance) and would use those Inns as references. Heck, we may just go into volunteering for a few years anyway!!!! Great way to meet nice people and travel! Thanks all!
.

In what part of the country are you? I am an Inn-sitter and am having to turn down jobs (which I hate to do)! If you want to start sooner rather than later let me know and I may be able to hook you up.
.

First of all thank you for your gracious and thoughtful reply and I don't mean to be wierd but>>>>
Are you serious? Have you read my post and replies today? I'm practically getting banished from the Innkeepers Association just for asking how to get in? I'm not going to say what part of the country because I think there's a bounty for my head, but if you email me and tell me where you are and give me some hints, I would love to hear from you! Thanks!
.

I'm not going to say what part of the country because I think there's a bounty for my head,

Yeah, that's the local yokel coming out...
I hope with all the extensive reading you've already done here that you get that we're not an 'Innkeepers' Association' just a bunch of 'innkeepers' who hang out and try to problem-solve.
.

Yup - a bunch of innkeepers with big opinions, egos, ideas, burnout, enthusiasm, enlightenment, bravado, angst, attitude, and tired old asses...do I need to go on? (Personally, I've missed you all in the last month or two. Been busy writting.)
Don't let the Cat scratch fever scare you off, lspiegle. This is a well worthwhile place to hang out. Cat Lady has a quality in her comments that can leave one feeling a bit low or offended, but there is a lot of good there too.
Basically, take what feeds you and leave the rest behind.

 

[bbinnsitters]

I am not an innkeeper at a large inn, but I am a "real innkeeper" and that's what you asked for. I hope this info is useful to you.
While coming into this profession with NO experience whatsoever, I did watch friends and family run their inns up close and personal for a few years before jumping into it ourselves. We try to run the kind of inn WE like to stay at in order to attract people like us. So far it has worked well, with the usual bumps and learning curves you would expect with any new profession.
My friends and family that have had inns, (all bigger than mine), have also used innsitters and interim innkeepers. Their biggest beef with sitters is the inability to completey grasp the reservation systems. They each say that they wind up with bookings they don't know about and double bookings. We also had some experienced retired innkeepers that joined our organization, were hired by some inns, and while they worked well at one or two, they were disasterous to others, drinking heavily, stealing food and offending guests. OUCH! They came with recommendations.
If this is what you really want to do, go for it and learn as much as you can, where ever you can, but be sure to get the oppinions from innkeepers to see if they would even use your services. Their may not be enough inns out there to work with..

They each say that they wind up with bookings they don't know about and double bookings. We also had some experienced retired innkeepers that joined our organization, were hired by some inns, and while they worked well at one or two, they were disasterous to others, drinking heavily, stealing food and offending guests. OUCH!

OUCH is right!!! That's just about the worst nightmare one could imagine with an innsitter!
The thing about references is they're all relative. New innsitters who've been to a class usually come with references: 1 from the teacher of the class and 1 from an inn they interned at. And by interning, they usually mean working a few hours over 1 or 2 days. Not really enough to know about problems like the ones you're describing which just sound absolutely dreadful in every way.
So when hiring certified innsitters, I think it's always a good idea to know whether those references were from real innsitting work, ie. they were left in-charge of an actual inn for more than 1 day, or from a few hours of interning related to a certification class. In my book, there's a very, very big difference but it's not always easy to see that difference clearly from the references given.
.

I have learned a lot today from those of you who took the time to guide me in a caring manner. This is obviously just a "starting off research" kind of thing for us, but if my husband and I do consider doing this in the future (actually in the WAY DISTANT future), I think we will take lots of courses, visit lots of Inns, volunteer LOTS and LOTS of free time to Inns during their peak seasons for free (just to clarify...Inns that do really need free help. We don't want to be a hinderance) and would use those Inns as references. Heck, we may just go into volunteering for a few years anyway!!!! Great way to meet nice people and travel! Thanks all!
.

In what part of the country are you? I am an Inn-sitter and am having to turn down jobs (which I hate to do)! If you want to start sooner rather than later let me know and I may be able to hook you up.
.

First of all thank you for your gracious and thoughtful reply and I don't mean to be wierd but>>>>
Are you serious? Have you read my post and replies today? I'm practically getting banished from the Innkeepers Association just for asking how to get in? I'm not going to say what part of the country because I think there's a bounty for my head, but if you email me and tell me where you are and give me some hints, I would love to hear from you! Thanks!
.

I sent you an e-mail off forum - let me know if you didn't get it.

 

[lspiegel]

Thank you for the advice! I appreciate your sweetness and honesty...harsh is an understatement!

 

[swirt]

I am also a small inn and when we travel - we close. I feel the personal relationship between innkeeper and guest is too precious to leave to someone else because no matter what their credentials, they are NOT us. I know bigger inns can't afford to close like we do, and I believe they will be your target audience. However - there are a lot of retired innkeepers out there doing what you are thinking of doing, and they have experience. It would seem they would make it difficult to break into this market with no experience running an inn, and I would not find it useful to me that you had taken a class or attended a seminar on innsitting or interim innkeeping, as every inn is very, very different. As different as all the innkeepers using this forum, or more so..

chihauhaua person,
I do hope to hear ONLY from larger Inns. It seems like you all had to start somewhere unless you grew up in a B & B right? Just looking for advice. By the way, my husband has run an Inn. It's just been a while and we are looking at our options and doing research. Where does one start? That's all I'm looking for at this point...not really for the small Innkeeper (or retired ones) responses. Thanks for you insight.
.

SOrry but you asked for responses and you are getting them. You didn't preface it that you only wanted to hear from large inns or whatever.
We are only trying to be helpful by each of us sharing our own personal opinions and ideas. What's wrong with an active retired innkeeper sharing her expertise...gheez! Happy New Year to you too.
.

Sorry catlady, I am asking for responses for people who have owned and STILL operate Inns for a longer length of time than 6 or 7 years..you know...real veterans of the business. A former Innkeeper for a small Inn personally doesn't have the expertise to discourage me! The way your first post sounds you make it sound like you are still in the business. I think that you are not very honest and that gives you no credibility in my honest opinion. I asked for responses for help.....not post that would discourage me or anyone else from trying to get more information. I've read some of your post to other people and you just don't sound like someone who likes to help people. There's no need for yelling

. I will TAKE information from people who have run Inns for a LONG time and still are running Inns. That's what wrong with you posting!!!! I don't find you credible at all and I will LEAVE your dishonest advise alone.
But thanks anyway for the New Year wishes...sending best wishes to you too.

.

Sorry catlady, I am asking for responses for people who have owned and STILL operate Inns for a longer length of time than 6 or 7 years..you know...real veterans of the business. A former Innkeeper for a small Inn personally doesn't have the expertise to discourage me! The way your first post sounds you make it sound like you are still in the business. I think that you are not very honest and that gives you no credibility in my honest opinion. I asked for responses for help.....not post that would discourage me or anyone else from trying to get more information. I've read some of your post to other people and you just don't sound like someone who likes to help people. There's no need for yelling

. I will TAKE information from people who have run Inns for a LONG time and still are running Inns. That's what wrong with you posting!!!! I don't find you credible at all and I will LEAVE your dishonest advise alone.
But thanks anyway for the New Year wishes...sending best wishes to you too.

In this and the previous exchanges, you are the only one yelling (using all caps).
Catlady neglected to mention she was retired, you neglected to mention your husband worked in a B&B for a year ... let it go. As an official warning if you persist with calling her dishonest, you will find yourself unable to access this forum in the future.
The average career span for an innkeeper is 7 years....so if you are looking for responses from people in it for longer than that, you are looking for those that are above average and excluding feedback from more than half of your potential clients.
If you are looking for information from only those who will tell you what you want to hear, you are in the wrong place.
As the current owner and operator of a B&B with only three rooms, I would not hire an innsitter to cover while I was on vacation. In the event of an emergency (death in the family or something big like that) I might use an innsitter.
I would look for someone who had their own at one point in time. You pointed out that we weren't born into innkeeping. That is true. To my knowledge none of us were born into it, but most of use started with own places and created them while we put in all the hard work and all the risk. I'd be looking for someone that truly understood that... someone that had lived it successfully. Trusting an innsitter means not only trusting them with my home, but trusting them with my business and all the hard work (well most of it anyway) that I've put into it.

 

[lspiegel]

I am not an innkeeper at a large inn, but I am a "real innkeeper" and that's what you asked for. I hope this info is useful to you.
While coming into this profession with NO experience whatsoever, I did watch friends and family run their inns up close and personal for a few years before jumping into it ourselves. We try to run the kind of inn WE like to stay at in order to attract people like us. So far it has worked well, with the usual bumps and learning curves you would expect with any new profession.
My friends and family that have had inns, (all bigger than mine), have also used innsitters and interim innkeepers. Their biggest beef with sitters is the inability to completey grasp the reservation systems. They each say that they wind up with bookings they don't know about and double bookings. We also had some experienced retired innkeepers that joined our organization, were hired by some inns, and while they worked well at one or two, they were disasterous to others, drinking heavily, stealing food and offending guests. OUCH! They came with recommendations.
If this is what you really want to do, go for it and learn as much as you can, where ever you can, but be sure to get the oppinions from innkeepers to see if they would even use your services. Their may not be enough inns out there to work with..

They each say that they wind up with bookings they don't know about and double bookings. We also had some experienced retired innkeepers that joined our organization, were hired by some inns, and while they worked well at one or two, they were disasterous to others, drinking heavily, stealing food and offending guests. OUCH!

OUCH is right!!! That's just about the worst nightmare one could imagine with an innsitter!
The thing about references is they're all relative. New innsitters who've been to a class usually come with references: 1 from the teacher of the class and 1 from an inn they interned at. And by interning, they usually mean working a few hours over 1 or 2 days. Not really enough to know about problems like the ones you're describing which just sound absolutely dreadful in every way.
So when hiring certified innsitters, I think it's always a good idea to know whether those references were from real innsitting work, ie. they were left in-charge of an actual inn for more than 1 day, or from a few hours of interning related to a certification class. In my book, there's a very, very big difference but it's not always easy to see that difference clearly from the references given.
.

I have learned a lot today from those of you who took the time to guide me in a caring manner. This is obviously just a "starting off research" kind of thing for us, but if my husband and I do consider doing this in the future (actually in the WAY DISTANT future), I think we will take lots of courses, visit lots of Inns, volunteer LOTS and LOTS of free time to Inns during their peak seasons for free (just to clarify...Inns that do really need free help. We don't want to be a hinderance) and would use those Inns as references. Heck, we may just go into volunteering for a few years anyway!!!! Great way to meet nice people and travel! Thanks all!
.

In what part of the country are you? I am an Inn-sitter and am having to turn down jobs (which I hate to do)! If you want to start sooner rather than later let me know and I may be able to hook you up.
.

First of all thank you for your gracious and thoughtful reply and I don't mean to be wierd but>>>>
Are you serious? Have you read my post and replies today? I'm practically getting banished from the Innkeepers Association just for asking how to get in? I'm not going to say what part of the country because I think there's a bounty for my head, but if you email me and tell me where you are and give me some hints, I would love to hear from you! Thanks!
.

I'm not going to say what part of the country because I think there's a bounty for my head,

Yeah, that's the local yokel coming out...
I hope with all the extensive reading you've already done here that you get that we're not an 'Innkeepers' Association' just a bunch of 'innkeepers' who hang out and try to problem-solve.
.

Morticia,
Is that smoke coming from your seat or.....?

 

[lspiegel]

I am not an innkeeper at a large inn, but I am a "real innkeeper" and that's what you asked for. I hope this info is useful to you.
While coming into this profession with NO experience whatsoever, I did watch friends and family run their inns up close and personal for a few years before jumping into it ourselves. We try to run the kind of inn WE like to stay at in order to attract people like us. So far it has worked well, with the usual bumps and learning curves you would expect with any new profession.
My friends and family that have had inns, (all bigger than mine), have also used innsitters and interim innkeepers. Their biggest beef with sitters is the inability to completey grasp the reservation systems. They each say that they wind up with bookings they don't know about and double bookings. We also had some experienced retired innkeepers that joined our organization, were hired by some inns, and while they worked well at one or two, they were disasterous to others, drinking heavily, stealing food and offending guests. OUCH! They came with recommendations.
If this is what you really want to do, go for it and learn as much as you can, where ever you can, but be sure to get the oppinions from innkeepers to see if they would even use your services. Their may not be enough inns out there to work with..

They each say that they wind up with bookings they don't know about and double bookings. We also had some experienced retired innkeepers that joined our organization, were hired by some inns, and while they worked well at one or two, they were disasterous to others, drinking heavily, stealing food and offending guests. OUCH!

OUCH is right!!! That's just about the worst nightmare one could imagine with an innsitter!
The thing about references is they're all relative. New innsitters who've been to a class usually come with references: 1 from the teacher of the class and 1 from an inn they interned at. And by interning, they usually mean working a few hours over 1 or 2 days. Not really enough to know about problems like the ones you're describing which just sound absolutely dreadful in every way.
So when hiring certified innsitters, I think it's always a good idea to know whether those references were from real innsitting work, ie. they were left in-charge of an actual inn for more than 1 day, or from a few hours of interning related to a certification class. In my book, there's a very, very big difference but it's not always easy to see that difference clearly from the references given.
.

I have learned a lot today from those of you who took the time to guide me in a caring manner. This is obviously just a "starting off research" kind of thing for us, but if my husband and I do consider doing this in the future (actually in the WAY DISTANT future), I think we will take lots of courses, visit lots of Inns, volunteer LOTS and LOTS of free time to Inns during their peak seasons for free (just to clarify...Inns that do really need free help. We don't want to be a hinderance) and would use those Inns as references. Heck, we may just go into volunteering for a few years anyway!!!! Great way to meet nice people and travel! Thanks all!
.

In what part of the country are you? I am an Inn-sitter and am having to turn down jobs (which I hate to do)! If you want to start sooner rather than later let me know and I may be able to hook you up.
.

First of all thank you for your gracious and thoughtful reply and I don't mean to be wierd but>>>>
Are you serious? Have you read my post and replies today? I'm practically getting banished from the Innkeepers Association just for asking how to get in? I'm not going to say what part of the country because I think there's a bounty for my head, but if you email me and tell me where you are and give me some hints, I would love to hear from you! Thanks!
.

I'm not going to say what part of the country because I think there's a bounty for my head,

Yeah, that's the local yokel coming out...
I hope with all the extensive reading you've already done here that you get that we're not an 'Innkeepers' Association' just a bunch of 'innkeepers' who hang out and try to problem-solve.
.

Yup - a bunch of innkeepers with big opinions, egos, ideas, burnout, enthusiasm, enlightenment, bravado, angst, attitude, and tired old asses...do I need to go on? (Personally, I've missed you all in the last month or two. Been busy writting.)
Don't let the Cat scratch fever scare you off, lspiegle. This is a well worthwhile place to hang out. Cat Lady has a quality in her comments that can leave one feeling a bit low or offended, but there is a lot of good there too.
Basically, take what feeds you and leave the rest behind.
.

I love you chihuahua lady!

 

[lspiegel]

I am also a small inn and when we travel - we close. I feel the personal relationship between innkeeper and guest is too precious to leave to someone else because no matter what their credentials, they are NOT us. I know bigger inns can't afford to close like we do, and I believe they will be your target audience. However - there are a lot of retired innkeepers out there doing what you are thinking of doing, and they have experience. It would seem they would make it difficult to break into this market with no experience running an inn, and I would not find it useful to me that you had taken a class or attended a seminar on innsitting or interim innkeeping, as every inn is very, very different. As different as all the innkeepers using this forum, or more so..

chihauhaua person,
I do hope to hear ONLY from larger Inns. It seems like you all had to start somewhere unless you grew up in a B & B right? Just looking for advice. By the way, my husband has run an Inn. It's just been a while and we are looking at our options and doing research. Where does one start? That's all I'm looking for at this point...not really for the small Innkeeper (or retired ones) responses. Thanks for you insight.
.

SOrry but you asked for responses and you are getting them. You didn't preface it that you only wanted to hear from large inns or whatever.
We are only trying to be helpful by each of us sharing our own personal opinions and ideas. What's wrong with an active retired innkeeper sharing her expertise...gheez! Happy New Year to you too.
.

Sorry catlady, I am asking for responses for people who have owned and STILL operate Inns for a longer length of time than 6 or 7 years..you know...real veterans of the business. A former Innkeeper for a small Inn personally doesn't have the expertise to discourage me! The way your first post sounds you make it sound like you are still in the business. I think that you are not very honest and that gives you no credibility in my honest opinion. I asked for responses for help.....not post that would discourage me or anyone else from trying to get more information. I've read some of your post to other people and you just don't sound like someone who likes to help people. There's no need for yelling

. I will TAKE information from people who have run Inns for a LONG time and still are running Inns. That's what wrong with you posting!!!! I don't find you credible at all and I will LEAVE your dishonest advise alone.
But thanks anyway for the New Year wishes...sending best wishes to you too.

.

Sorry catlady, I am asking for responses for people who have owned and STILL operate Inns for a longer length of time than 6 or 7 years..you know...real veterans of the business. A former Innkeeper for a small Inn personally doesn't have the expertise to discourage me! The way your first post sounds you make it sound like you are still in the business. I think that you are not very honest and that gives you no credibility in my honest opinion. I asked for responses for help.....not post that would discourage me or anyone else from trying to get more information. I've read some of your post to other people and you just don't sound like someone who likes to help people. There's no need for yelling

. I will TAKE information from people who have run Inns for a LONG time and still are running Inns. That's what wrong with you posting!!!! I don't find you credible at all and I will LEAVE your dishonest advise alone.
But thanks anyway for the New Year wishes...sending best wishes to you too.

In this and the previous exchanges, you are the only one yelling (using all caps).
Catlady neglected to mention she was retired, you neglected to mention your husband worked in a B&B for a year ... let it go. As an official warning if you persist with calling her dishonest, you will find yourself unable to access this forum in the future.
The average career span for an innkeeper is 7 years....so if you are looking for responses from people in it for longer than that, you are looking for those that are above average and excluding feedback from more than half of your potential clients.
If you are looking for information from only those who will tell you what you want to hear, you are in the wrong place.
As the current owner and operator of a B&B with only three rooms, I would not hire an innsitter to cover while I was on vacation. In the event of an emergency (death in the family or something big like that) I might use an innsitter.
I would look for someone who had their own at one point in time. You pointed out that we weren't born into innkeeping. That is true. To my knowledge none of us were born into it, but most of use started with own places and created them while we put in all the hard work and all the risk. I'd be looking for someone that truly understood that... someone that had lived it successfully. Trusting an innsitter means not only trusting them with my home, but trusting them with my business and all the hard work (well most of it anyway) that I've put into it.
.

[FONT= &quot]Thank you for your reply, Swirt. Yes, I was wrong at my complete approach at asking a simple question of what innkeeper would look for in an interim innkeeper without being more specific in a more tactful way. However, at this point, I am tired of defending myself. It doesn’t seem to make a difference anyway. [/FONT]I spent a majority of my time last night reading through many of the posts and felt like it was a tight, caring community. I did, however, read some very harsh responses to other newcomers (from the same person..go figure) and would request that you review(as the owner of this website) some of the older post from such people. However, I jumped in any way with a request that didn’t seem to be an unreasonable request – just vague. I wanted the truth. I wanted to hear from your members that have had to leave their properties in another’s hands to get the real truth on of how to help them out on a business level. Is it too much to ask from someone that has actually had to go through this experience? I have taken responsibility for my actions and apologized over and over again. However, I am a woman of principles and when I am insulted personally as I was by Catlady (before she deleted her all caps message- by the way, emailing you offline the original “yelling text” from her), then I am going to respond personally. I have been insulted, judged unfairly (at least get to know me first!) and threatened on the post and through my personal email all day because of this woman’s offensive comments to me that were conveniently deleted. Yet, I’m the bad guy. Something is just so wrong with this picture. I just don’t understand how it’s OK for your members to insult and judge me personally and not get the same warning email you sent me. I was informed earlier in the day by other members of your forum through my personal email to discount her because she was rude, unprofessional and deceptive and that will be between me and them forever! As a matter of fact, I heard this from several of your members. So obviously, I’m not the only one who feels this way….just the only one that has the stupidity to post it to the innkeeper world. I call a spade a spade. I can take the truth, but the truth was not shown in her comments to me, therefore deceptive (notice I did not say dishonest). I completely understand how hard it would be to let an outsider take over your home and business, but I was under the impression that one could be certified somehow and with the proper training and references be able to help out on occasion. I was looking for people that had currernt experience with using interim innkeeper. Once again, I didn’t make this clear. My bad. I will not post replies to her again or even bring this issue up again.

 

[EmptyNest]

I am not an innkeeper at a large inn, but I am a "real innkeeper" and that's what you asked for. I hope this info is useful to you.
While coming into this profession with NO experience whatsoever, I did watch friends and family run their inns up close and personal for a few years before jumping into it ourselves. We try to run the kind of inn WE like to stay at in order to attract people like us. So far it has worked well, with the usual bumps and learning curves you would expect with any new profession.
My friends and family that have had inns, (all bigger than mine), have also used innsitters and interim innkeepers. Their biggest beef with sitters is the inability to completey grasp the reservation systems. They each say that they wind up with bookings they don't know about and double bookings. We also had some experienced retired innkeepers that joined our organization, were hired by some inns, and while they worked well at one or two, they were disasterous to others, drinking heavily, stealing food and offending guests. OUCH! They came with recommendations.
If this is what you really want to do, go for it and learn as much as you can, where ever you can, but be sure to get the oppinions from innkeepers to see if they would even use your services. Their may not be enough inns out there to work with..

They each say that they wind up with bookings they don't know about and double bookings. We also had some experienced retired innkeepers that joined our organization, were hired by some inns, and while they worked well at one or two, they were disasterous to others, drinking heavily, stealing food and offending guests. OUCH!

OUCH is right!!! That's just about the worst nightmare one could imagine with an innsitter!
The thing about references is they're all relative. New innsitters who've been to a class usually come with references: 1 from the teacher of the class and 1 from an inn they interned at. And by interning, they usually mean working a few hours over 1 or 2 days. Not really enough to know about problems like the ones you're describing which just sound absolutely dreadful in every way.
So when hiring certified innsitters, I think it's always a good idea to know whether those references were from real innsitting work, ie. they were left in-charge of an actual inn for more than 1 day, or from a few hours of interning related to a certification class. In my book, there's a very, very big difference but it's not always easy to see that difference clearly from the references given.
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I have learned a lot today from those of you who took the time to guide me in a caring manner. This is obviously just a "starting off research" kind of thing for us, but if my husband and I do consider doing this in the future (actually in the WAY DISTANT future), I think we will take lots of courses, visit lots of Inns, volunteer LOTS and LOTS of free time to Inns during their peak seasons for free (just to clarify...Inns that do really need free help. We don't want to be a hinderance) and would use those Inns as references. Heck, we may just go into volunteering for a few years anyway!!!! Great way to meet nice people and travel! Thanks all!
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In what part of the country are you? I am an Inn-sitter and am having to turn down jobs (which I hate to do)! If you want to start sooner rather than later let me know and I may be able to hook you up.
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First of all thank you for your gracious and thoughtful reply and I don't mean to be wierd but>>>>
Are you serious? Have you read my post and replies today? I'm practically getting banished from the Innkeepers Association just for asking how to get in? I'm not going to say what part of the country because I think there's a bounty for my head, but if you email me and tell me where you are and give me some hints, I would love to hear from you! Thanks!
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I'm not going to say what part of the country because I think there's a bounty for my head,

Yeah, that's the local yokel coming out...
I hope with all the extensive reading you've already done here that you get that we're not an 'Innkeepers' Association' just a bunch of 'innkeepers' who hang out and try to problem-solve.
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Yup - a bunch of innkeepers with big opinions, egos, ideas, burnout, enthusiasm, enlightenment, bravado, angst, attitude, and tired old asses...do I need to go on? (Personally, I've missed you all in the last month or two. Been busy writting.)
Don't let the Cat scratch fever scare you off, lspiegle. This is a well worthwhile place to hang out. Cat Lady has a quality in her comments that can leave one feeling a bit low or offended, but there is a lot of good there too.
Basically, take what feeds you and leave the rest behind.
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I love you chihuahua lady!
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FYI. I flagged your message as OFFENSIVE which is why it disappeared. I find that you have taken just about everything I have said out of context. If you find my answers offensive then so be it. They were not meant to be and that is all I have to say on this situation.

 

[egoodell]

We use Innsitters often. We have only two rooms, but also a Borzoi hound that we don't like to kennel unless we have to. We also run wine tours and use them to "babysit" the inn while we are still out touring to greet and check in our guests and answer questions until we get back. Sometimes while we are out touring they also flip rooms for check ins that day.
I would find out what the Insurance Companies want you to have - ours is Markel - and get that. I think you'll have to register your business and get some kind of insurance. Our innsitters are out of Staunton and are even used by innkeepers who are not going anywhere but just need a break - they have run inns while the owners were there!
There are many of us out here that could not survive without you!
Edited to add: Our experience is great because we are having the luxury of using our innsitters for spans of 2 - 5 hours at a time, which gives them time to learn our inn, and us time to check them out. This kind of offering of service (starting wtih small pieces of time) may get you into some local inns since they can get to know you. I also have been making a book for my innsitters with photos of where things are, what our beds look like made and such so they don't have to wonder and hunt.
Another thing is to read the forums and read the problems we encounter and how everyone advised handling it. This will give you the questions to ask your inn, "if such and such happens, what is your policy?"
As far as bookings, I don't know if I am ready to hand that over. I'd probably handle that from wherever we are. The innkeeper could take phone requests and email them to me if calls came by phone.
And as far as guests arriving to find out that we are not here but the innsitter, I'd have the innsitter respond to questions and bookings along with me via email so the guest will know I'm not going to be there, but also feel like they already know my innsitters when they come.
But like I said, I have the wonderful fortune of having a very personable couple available to me only 45 minutes away!!
RIki

 

[lspiegel]

Little Blue...my name is Lisa not Linda. Thank you for your gracious time and energy to answer my post. I, Lisa, appreciate you taking time from your Innkeeping duties to respond to this post.