One Thing to Hire Out

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Samster

Well-known member
Joined
May 30, 2008
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Location
South Carolina
If there was only one thing that you could have hired out, what would it be? This doesn't have to be something that you currently hire out, but your preferred task that you'd rather have someone else tackle. And it could be something that might be for you personally, rather than the biz. Just one thing.
For me, it would be the guest laundry.
 
No doubt about it - CLEANING!!!!! I am not kidding when I say my Mother is in her grave on rotate with laughter because I am now in a business where I MUST clean house!
I cooked and did the farm chores. Cleaning was my sister's chore. She could not milk a cow or toss a hay bale, but I could. And I don't notice dust until it makes me sneeze - OK, not quite that bad, but almost.
 
Easy- We have a room manager who cleans and maintains the second story where the rooms are. We cleaned the first year and half so that we could know what is expected and we will clean a room in an emergency, but even then we have a back-up person that can be used. Absolutely no going back on this, so it is THE ONE THING. I think we would close our doors before we started cleaning the rooms again.
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For me, it would be gardening. I love, love, love to garden but I'm not as good at it as I wish I were. A lot of my perennials die no matter how hard I try. I test the soil, enrich the soil, water, fertilize, pick the right plants for sun and wind exposure, weed, etc. If a perennial makes it two years I'm ecstatic! Then I leave it alone and let it flourish. Unfortunately my track record is not great. In my mind I have visions of beautiful gardens covering acres and acres of land. In reality, I have a front garden and a small side garden that are fine, but not like the ones I've visited at other B&B's, or the ones I really crave. So, if I could hire someone to create beautiful gardens, that's what I would do. Then I would be happy maintaining them
regular_smile.gif
and then I would let someone else do the cleaning! I do have window boxes filled with annuals and annuals around the property that are beautiful from May to October so they always look nice. But in my mind...oh, the gardens I would grow...maybe this year.
 
For me, it would be gardening. I love, love, love to garden but I'm not as good at it as I wish I were. A lot of my perennials die no matter how hard I try. I test the soil, enrich the soil, water, fertilize, pick the right plants for sun and wind exposure, weed, etc. If a perennial makes it two years I'm ecstatic! Then I leave it alone and let it flourish. Unfortunately my track record is not great. In my mind I have visions of beautiful gardens covering acres and acres of land. In reality, I have a front garden and a small side garden that are fine, but not like the ones I've visited at other B&B's, or the ones I really crave. So, if I could hire someone to create beautiful gardens, that's what I would do. Then I would be happy maintaining them
regular_smile.gif
and then I would let someone else do the cleaning! I do have window boxes filled with annuals and annuals around the property that are beautiful from May to October so they always look nice. But in my mind...oh, the gardens I would grow...maybe this year..
Country Girl said:
For me, it would be gardening. I love, love, love to garden but I'm not as good at it as I wish I were. A lot of my perennials die no matter how hard I try. I test the soil, enrich the soil, water, fertilize, pick the right plants for sun and wind exposure, weed, etc. If a perennial makes it two years I'm ecstatic! Then I leave it alone and let it flourish. Unfortunately my track record is not great. In my mind I have visions of beautiful gardens covering acres and acres of land. In reality, I have a front garden and a small side garden that are fine, but not like the ones I've visited at other B&B's, or the ones I really crave. So, if I could hire someone to create beautiful gardens, that's what I would do. Then I would be happy maintaining them
regular_smile.gif
and then I would let someone else do the cleaning! I do have window boxes filled with annuals and annuals around the property that are beautiful from May to October so they always look nice. But in my mind...oh, the gardens I would grow...maybe this year.
I don't want to stay at an inn that has hired out their gardens. (sorry to hijack the thread - sorta). I want to stay at a B&B that is owned and operated by the owners themselves.
Cleaning a toilet is neither here nor there, there is nothing about it one way or the other in the laboring.
But when it comes to decorating, food and gardening I want to see the owners hand in it. I had stayed at a place that had a hired cook for breakfast, it totally threw me. We sat at a large round table and when someone asked her a question she acted hot and bothered and quickly told the guest that she just cooks there. We quickly felt we were in a restaurant. That is the big diff in B&B's and hotels or larger inns run like hotels.
 
For me, it would be gardening. I love, love, love to garden but I'm not as good at it as I wish I were. A lot of my perennials die no matter how hard I try. I test the soil, enrich the soil, water, fertilize, pick the right plants for sun and wind exposure, weed, etc. If a perennial makes it two years I'm ecstatic! Then I leave it alone and let it flourish. Unfortunately my track record is not great. In my mind I have visions of beautiful gardens covering acres and acres of land. In reality, I have a front garden and a small side garden that are fine, but not like the ones I've visited at other B&B's, or the ones I really crave. So, if I could hire someone to create beautiful gardens, that's what I would do. Then I would be happy maintaining them
regular_smile.gif
and then I would let someone else do the cleaning! I do have window boxes filled with annuals and annuals around the property that are beautiful from May to October so they always look nice. But in my mind...oh, the gardens I would grow...maybe this year..
Country Girl said:
For me, it would be gardening. I love, love, love to garden but I'm not as good at it as I wish I were. A lot of my perennials die no matter how hard I try. I test the soil, enrich the soil, water, fertilize, pick the right plants for sun and wind exposure, weed, etc. If a perennial makes it two years I'm ecstatic! Then I leave it alone and let it flourish. Unfortunately my track record is not great. In my mind I have visions of beautiful gardens covering acres and acres of land. In reality, I have a front garden and a small side garden that are fine, but not like the ones I've visited at other B&B's, or the ones I really crave. So, if I could hire someone to create beautiful gardens, that's what I would do. Then I would be happy maintaining them
regular_smile.gif
and then I would let someone else do the cleaning! I do have window boxes filled with annuals and annuals around the property that are beautiful from May to October so they always look nice. But in my mind...oh, the gardens I would grow...maybe this year.
I don't want to stay at an inn that has hired out their gardens. (sorry to hijack the thread - sorta). I want to stay at a B&B that is owned and operated by the owners themselves.
Cleaning a toilet is neither here nor there, there is nothing about it one way or the other in the laboring.
But when it comes to decorating, food and gardening I want to see the owners hand in it. I had stayed at a place that had a hired cook for breakfast, it totally threw me. We sat at a large round table and when someone asked her a question she acted hot and bothered and quickly told the guest that she just cooks there. We quickly felt we were in a restaurant. That is the big diff in B&B's and hotels or larger inns run like hotels.
.
You're the kind of person that I want at my B&B!! Someone who appreciates the effort, not necessarily the results! What I lack in gardening forte I make up for in amazing cooking and meticulous cleaning. And, I am getting better at gardening,
confused_smile.gif
sort of. You've inspired me to keep trying!
 
Wow, I'm the only one who picked laundry.....
Actually, our laundry is 80% included in the room manager's routine. We do the last of it that hasn't finished by the time she is done with the suites.
 
Laundry!! I love everything Else, Cleaning Gardening, Cooking, Decorating and some Home repairs. The laundry with 3 houses is overwhelming at times. Though I do have 2 Staff members, I pitch in along with Reservations and Check ins.
Question is what is the "Favorite thing we like most about Innkeeping?
Gardening, Meeting Guests and Having a day off occasionally....LOL
 
Wow, I'm the only one who picked laundry.....
I am torn between cleaning, laundry and the garden (sorry, JBJ, but my sciatica doesn't allow me to do much of the garden work myself). The best thing for me to hire out is the garden - because that's where my skills are weakest - but the thing I like to do least on a regular basis is the cleaning.
 
Wow, I'm the only one who picked laundry.....
Samster said:
Wow, I'm the only one who picked laundry....
I don't iron anymore and hubs does the towels, so it's not too bad keeping up with the sheets. Amazingly enough, my guess is that we will be doing all of the work ourselves again this summer. No matter how bad the economy, it's not bad enough yet for people to want to do cleaning to make money. I've already had one 'would love to run your front desk, meet the guests and help them find things to do' call. Yeah, that's the part we ALL like to do. When I mentioned housekeeping she told me she wasn't much of a cleaner, thanks.
 
Wow, I'm the only one who picked laundry.....
Samster said:
Wow, I'm the only one who picked laundry....
I don't iron anymore and hubs does the towels, so it's not too bad keeping up with the sheets. Amazingly enough, my guess is that we will be doing all of the work ourselves again this summer. No matter how bad the economy, it's not bad enough yet for people to want to do cleaning to make money. I've already had one 'would love to run your front desk, meet the guests and help them find things to do' call. Yeah, that's the part we ALL like to do. When I mentioned housekeeping she told me she wasn't much of a cleaner, thanks.
.
Bree said:
Samster said:
Wow, I'm the only one who picked laundry....
I don't iron anymore and hubs does the towels, so it's not too bad keeping up with the sheets. Amazingly enough, my guess is that we will be doing all of the work ourselves again this summer. No matter how bad the economy, it's not bad enough yet for people to want to do cleaning to make money. I've already had one 'would love to run your front desk, meet the guests and help them find things to do' call. Yeah, that's the part we ALL like to do. When I mentioned housekeeping she told me she wasn't much of a cleaner, thanks.
Your part of the country is so diff from mine. I can't imagine placing a help wanted ad right now.
 
Wow, I'm the only one who picked laundry.....
Samster said:
Wow, I'm the only one who picked laundry....
I don't iron anymore and hubs does the towels, so it's not too bad keeping up with the sheets. Amazingly enough, my guess is that we will be doing all of the work ourselves again this summer. No matter how bad the economy, it's not bad enough yet for people to want to do cleaning to make money. I've already had one 'would love to run your front desk, meet the guests and help them find things to do' call. Yeah, that's the part we ALL like to do. When I mentioned housekeeping she told me she wasn't much of a cleaner, thanks.
.
Bree said:
Samster said:
Wow, I'm the only one who picked laundry....
I don't iron anymore and hubs does the towels, so it's not too bad keeping up with the sheets. Amazingly enough, my guess is that we will be doing all of the work ourselves again this summer. No matter how bad the economy, it's not bad enough yet for people to want to do cleaning to make money. I've already had one 'would love to run your front desk, meet the guests and help them find things to do' call. Yeah, that's the part we ALL like to do. When I mentioned housekeeping she told me she wasn't much of a cleaner, thanks.
Your part of the country is so diff from mine. I can't imagine placing a help wanted ad right now.
.
JunieBJones (JBJ) said:
Bree said:
Samster said:
Wow, I'm the only one who picked laundry....
I don't iron anymore and hubs does the towels, so it's not too bad keeping up with the sheets. Amazingly enough, my guess is that we will be doing all of the work ourselves again this summer. No matter how bad the economy, it's not bad enough yet for people to want to do cleaning to make money. I've already had one 'would love to run your front desk, meet the guests and help them find things to do' call. Yeah, that's the part we ALL like to do. When I mentioned housekeeping she told me she wasn't much of a cleaner, thanks.
Your part of the country is so diff from mine. I can't imagine placing a help wanted ad right now.
If I placed an ad I'd get plenty of responses, and probably even some people who would show up and work. And, come to think of it, a few people have already expressed an interest. But we're just not that big.
=)
Kk.
 
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