The Lull Before the Storm

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Generic

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This week is the lull before the storm... I have empty rooms, rooms that haven't been empty for two days in a row since the end of May. But I know that the rush is starting (I'm sure Maddy is also seeing it, but maybe a few days behind us.)
And then after the rush, the quieter time of the year starts. I can finally put the new furniture into place. I can look at paint touch-ups and the such. I can breathe fresh and relax a bit. I can see it coming down the pipeline... I can see November....
 
I, too, can see November! We're not as busy as we usually are for Oct, but we do get a lot of walk-ins. Last night we only had 2 rooms, tonight we have 6. It's just wacky. Next week we're practically empty. That will hopefully change.
 
I, too, can see November! We're not as busy as we usually are for Oct, but we do get a lot of walk-ins. Last night we only had 2 rooms, tonight we have 6. It's just wacky. Next week we're practically empty. That will hopefully change..
I have two rooms tonight and three this weekend, next week, most of the week we are full.... Maybe you are a week behind us?
 
I, too, can see November! We're not as busy as we usually are for Oct, but we do get a lot of walk-ins. Last night we only had 2 rooms, tonight we have 6. It's just wacky. Next week we're practically empty. That will hopefully change..
I have two rooms tonight and three this weekend, next week, most of the week we are full.... Maybe you are a week behind us?
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Color wise we are, but reservation wise we're usually 80% full up until the end of Oct. However, this has been an odd year. 5-6 rooms very common. Full? Not so common at all. But, it's easier to do 5-6 rooms with 1 or 2 empty than it is to do full on weekends and only 3 rooms midweek.
Last year we had a great write up in a newspaper in our target area so that helped a lot.
 
This will be my first busy season as an innkeeper. We've been taking October reservations since we took over in February. Almost all our Oct weekends are booked solid already - we have 8 rooms. I'm slightly nervous about how much work it's going to be and already looking forward to November when we can exhale...
 
This will be my first busy season as an innkeeper. We've been taking October reservations since we took over in February. Almost all our Oct weekends are booked solid already - we have 8 rooms. I'm slightly nervous about how much work it's going to be and already looking forward to November when we can exhale....
If you're still quiet now, take a look at the dietary issues that may come up and plan your meals in advance. It will make you more relaxed if you know you've got one thing under control.
What I worry about right now? No housekeeping help and someone making a colossal mess in the room. There is just NO time for cleaning up a big mess. But this is when guests break the blinds, spill wine on the bedding, dump coffee on the carpet.
 
This will be my first busy season as an innkeeper. We've been taking October reservations since we took over in February. Almost all our Oct weekends are booked solid already - we have 8 rooms. I'm slightly nervous about how much work it's going to be and already looking forward to November when we can exhale....
If you're still quiet now, take a look at the dietary issues that may come up and plan your meals in advance. It will make you more relaxed if you know you've got one thing under control.
What I worry about right now? No housekeeping help and someone making a colossal mess in the room. There is just NO time for cleaning up a big mess. But this is when guests break the blinds, spill wine on the bedding, dump coffee on the carpet.
.
Planning meals in advance is a great idea - one we should definitely already be doing but aren't. For instance - we decided on our menu for yesterday the night before. Went to the store at 10pm and did prep work until 11:30pm. Not the ideal situation. Newbies for sure! The other innkeeper keeps wanting to do the same ol' menus and I'm the one that wants to venture out and try new recipes. Makes for a stressful morning, but the result is happy, full guests. It's all worth it really. But, some planning would help for sure!
 
We had two walk-ins last night - very unusual for a Thursday. And a guest called wanting one night on the 6th, but we have a 2-night minimum all month. She said no one else has any rooms, so she's paying for two nights and only staying one.
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This will be my first busy season as an innkeeper. We've been taking October reservations since we took over in February. Almost all our Oct weekends are booked solid already - we have 8 rooms. I'm slightly nervous about how much work it's going to be and already looking forward to November when we can exhale....
If you're still quiet now, take a look at the dietary issues that may come up and plan your meals in advance. It will make you more relaxed if you know you've got one thing under control.
What I worry about right now? No housekeeping help and someone making a colossal mess in the room. There is just NO time for cleaning up a big mess. But this is when guests break the blinds, spill wine on the bedding, dump coffee on the carpet.
.
Planning meals in advance is a great idea - one we should definitely already be doing but aren't. For instance - we decided on our menu for yesterday the night before. Went to the store at 10pm and did prep work until 11:30pm. Not the ideal situation. Newbies for sure! The other innkeeper keeps wanting to do the same ol' menus and I'm the one that wants to venture out and try new recipes. Makes for a stressful morning, but the result is happy, full guests. It's all worth it really. But, some planning would help for sure!
.
Do both so everyone is happy. Have a standard 4-5 meals that you can make with your eyes shut. Then, once/week throw in something new to keep you happy. You can cycle out one of the 4-5 and then cycle it back in later on. Keeps you fresh. We're looking at a period coming up where we need 7 different breakfasts. I will look ahead to see what restrictions there are across the board and start planning around those.
As far as prepping at 11:30. Bad. We shop everyday but DH (the other innkeeper in this case) goes out around 2 PM to hunt and gather. He does his prep work at 6 AM. It gives him some quiet time with no one else around and he's fresh, not tired.
*I* do prep work at night because I'm a night owl. So, tomorrow we're having pumpkin panna cotta for starters. I will make that tonight and pop it into the fridge to set up. He will pull it out in the morning and get it ready for serving.
OTOH, it is absolutely NOT cost effective to shop everyday. You can plan your spontaneous offerings in advance and buy in bulk. We do it the way we do because DH MUST get out of the house everyday or he goes wonky.
 
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