Category Archives: Amenities

Gilchrist and Soames

BeeKind Shampoo, 236mlSpa Liquid Soap, 300ml.

Gilchrist and Soames offers luxury and eco-friendly bath amenities such as high-quality shampoos, conditioners, soaps, shower gels, and body lotions.  Gilchrist and Soames is based in Indianapolis, Indiana and Peterborough, London, England.

Their popular BeeKind Collection features honey and certified organic extracts of red clover, calendula, lemon grass, and chamomile.  A portion of the net profits from these products supports honey bee and sustainable pollination research.

Verde Gift Set

Gilchrist and Soames collaborated with master perfumers to capture their Essential Elements Bathe Collection’s distinctive spirit and essence.  The fresh neroli fragrance will keep guests coming back for more, while high-performance antioxidants rejuvenate and nourish people’s skin and hair.

Their English Spa Collection encapsulates their company’s London heritage, infusing refinement and purity in an immaculate blend of English botanicals.  Natural oatmeal, aloe, lemongrass, and seak kelp are classic and timeless.

One of their newest collections is the Reserve Collection.  Innovative ingredients of at least 95% natural origin are expertly blended with high-performance botanical extracts to nourish and pamper.

Gilchrist and Soames is committed to protecting the environment.  Safeguarding their delicate ecology is deeply rooted in their business philosophy.  They pursue new materials and technologies to make their packaging as recyclable/re-usable as possible.  Their products are never tested on animals.

Clean the World | Recycling Soap. Saving Lives.

Gilchrist and Soames supports Clean the World’s Parnership Recycling Program to advance the global hygiene revolution.  Did you know that today in the United States alone we will throw away 1 million bars of soap?

With the donation of your discarded soap and shampoo products to Clean the World, they will be closer to their goal of saving at least one million lives each year.

Donating unused soap as well as plastic bottles:

  • Reduces the spread of illnesses and deaths related to a lack of proper hygiene
  • Reduces waste
  • Minimizes environmental impact
  • Promotes a sustainable future
  • Creates “green” jobs across North America
  • Impacts those suffering domestically and globally

Value to participating hotels and bed and breakfasts:

  • Receive valuable recognition and positive guest perception by working with Clean the World
  • Spread the word with web content, newsletters, articles, and press releases
  • Appeal to the meeting and event planner industry by attracting professionals who are seeking to book with properties adopting sustainability initiatives
  • Reduce waste disposal and recycling fees

Hospitality recycling partners will receive:

  • Clean the World Collection/Shipping bins
  • Transportation of donated items from your property
  • Access to online training materials.
  • A customer service representative for support
  • Quarterly, detailed goods donation reports
  • A framed certificate that can be proudly displayed in the lobby area to inform guests of your bed and breakfast’s participation in their program

Program pricing:

  • Sixty cents per room per month for non-Gilchrist and Soames customers
  • Fifty cents per room per month for Gilchrist and Soames customers
  • $50 minimum monthly fee applies

Gilchrist and Soames not only has excellent products, but they support green initiatives such as soap and bottle recycling, eco-friendly packaging, and no testing done on animals.  Clean the World is an affordable way to positively impact the environment as well as aid people in need of hygiene products.  See the video below for more information.

Hospitality Partner Program from Clean the World on Vimeo

Labor Day Weekend Road Trip

Labor-Day-weekend-road-trip

Some of your bed and breakfast guests will be traveling by car and we hope they have a lovely Labor Day weekend road trip.  First, some fun facts about how the Labor Day holiday got started in the United States.  Did you know the United States workers’ unions chose the first Monday in September because it was halfway between Independence Day and Thanksgiving? The first Labor Day was observed on September 5th, 1882.  

Labor Day was created to rally for the adoption of eight hour work days and other more suitable working conditions.  Labor Day now carries less significance as a celebration of working people and more as a great way to finish the summer. Schools, government offices, and businesses are closed on Labor Day so people can get in one last road trip to the beach or have one last cookout before the weather starts to turn colder.

AAA is a company known in the lodging industry for their AAA diamond rating approval system. Guests can be reassured that those properties have been selected on the basis of merit alone.   Chief Operating Officer Marshall L. Doney explained, “With Labor Day symbolizing the American workers’ contributions to the strength and prosperity of our country, it’s only fitting that millions are choosing to celebrate this positive direction with an all-American road trip.”

AAA offers a Fuel Cost Calculator on their website.  Drivers can select, from about 125 different locations in the United States, the closest starting city and destination location. They can indicate their vehicle’s make, year, and model.  Drivers can select “one-way” or “round trip.” The Fuel Cost Calculator will show you the miles, gallons used, and fuel cost.  The fuel price data is provided by Oil Price Information Service.  You can put a link to this Fuel Cost Calculator from your own website.

We have tremendous respect for innkeepers who consistently get great online reviews from previous guests for their hospitality.  Remember you can team up with complimentary local businesses to set up packages for your guests.  Innkeepers, while entertaining guests:

Remember, when hosting, it is the little details that make a big difference.  Your phone communication is a great way to start the process of building relationships with your guests so that they become repeat guests and refer their friends and family to stay at your B&B. You may even often a frequent stay and referral program to help you gain more business and rewards your guests for returning and referring.

Innkeepers, we know you stay busy.  For those of you who want to focus on innkeeping and give the blogging and social media responsibilities to a knowledgeable and dedicated company, think of Bed and Breakfast Blogging as a great solution.  We can provide fresh blog content the search engines reward with higher rankings as well as an active and positive social media presence so you stay top of mind to potential and returning guests.

 

Image by Marcus Berg of Unique Angles Photography

Cedar Cove’s Thyme and Tide B&B

Read the books (with beautiful Andie MacDowell on the cover!) that inspired the brand new primetime #CedarCoveTV series!Bruce Boxleitner & Barbara Niven co-star as "Bob & Peggy Beldon" owners of the local B in "Debbie Macomber's Cedar Cove." SO CUTE!

The fictional Thyme and Tide Bed and Breakfast is featured in Cedar Cove, the #1 rated Prime time drama of 2013.  This television show airs at Saturdays at 8 pm EST on Hallmark Channel USA.  Season 2 premiered July 19 of 2014.

This program starring Andie MacDowell as “Judge Olivia Lockhart” is based on the Cedar Cove books written by bestselling author Debbie Macomber. Bruce Boxleitner & Barbara Niven co-star as “Bob & Peggy Beldon” the innkeepers of the Thyme and Tide B&B.

Season two of your favorite Hallmark Channel USA summer series, Debbie Macomber's Cedar Cove TV premieres SATURDAY JULY 19 8/7C! Sometimes the smaller the town, the bigger the heart.

Cedar Cove is a small town with endearing characters and a beautiful bed and breakfast.  When Peggy responded to Bob’s question about what was on the menu and detailed for Bob all that she was cooking for their guests, he lovingly spoke into her ear, “this is why you make is so hard for people to go home” as he hugged her. Bob and Peggy Beldon exemplify the many positive traits of innkeepers:

    • Warm, friendly, and showing hospitality
    • Attentive to the needs of their guests
    • Excellent cooks (Peggy grows her own spices)
    • Caretakers of the property (Bob is the handyman)

This popular television program will remind people that bed and breakfasts have the comforts of home and the amenities of hotels. If you are not watching Cedar Cove already, I highly recommend it. You can even have Debbie Macomber’s Cedar Cove books on your book shelves for your guests to read!

For those of you who have see this television show, what do you think of it?  I would love to read your comments!

Hosting Honeymooners

hosting-honeymooners

Did you ever think of putting together a Honeymoon Package for you bed and breakfast? Bed and breakfasts can be very romantic–especially for the newly married.  Depending upon your B&B’s amenities, you could offer any of the following:

  • Beautiful fresh cut flowers in your own room
  • Choice of a chilled bottle of champagne, wine, or sparkling juice.
  • Box of chocolates by their bedside
  • Chocolate covered strawberries
  • Scented candles
  • Two luxurious robes
  • CD’s of romantic music
  • Romantic movies the couple can choose from for viewing in the privacy of their own room
  • Complimentary snack basket
  • Pampering that comes with a “his and her” massage
  • Relax at a spa and enjoy a facial and manicure
  • Private couples mineral bath
  • Gift certificate to local restaurant and/or local shopping
  • 2 tickets to a local popular attraction
  • Dessert served in the dining room by candlelight
  • Rose petal turn-down service (silk rose petals scattered on your bed)
  • A luscious gourmet breakfast served in your suite or the dining room

If you have a Honeymoon Suite or even a private cottage, you can let your guests stay there. You can even make the package “a la carte” and let them decide which services they would like to you to provide.  

When they make an online reservation, have them specify in one of the comments boxes on the confirmation page. Be sure to feature this package on your website, in your blog, and on social media.  You can help make their honeymoon be filled with treasured memories!

 

Image by Marcus Berg of Unique Angles Photography

Are You Media Friendly?

are-you-media-friendly

Are you media friendly?  Why not make it easy for a journalist or reporter to do a story on your bed and breakfast? Have a press kit on your website.  Consider asking, “Are you a journalist working on a story about inns or bed and breakfasts? We would love to help you with your story or article.”

The press kit can include:

  • Media contact‘s name, phone number, e-mail address (owner, innkeeper, public relations person for your B&B)
  • The history of the bed and breakfast: location, year it was built, original owners, type of architecture, date it became a bed and breakfast, etc.
  • Information about the innkeepers/owners: where they are originally from, their career history, their hobbies, pets, kids, etc.
  • Awards you and your B&B have received: from bed and breakfast associations, cooking contests won, your AAA rating, your Better Business Bureau grade, etc.
  • Press coverage: list of and link to articles in newspapers, magazines, online attention
  • High resolution photos of the inside including the rooms as well as the outside of the bed and breakfast as well as the best breakfasts and other food you serve
  • Map of area and nearby attractions
  • Videos made about your B&B or ones that you have had filmed to promote your bed and breakfast
  • Amenities: private hot tub, fireplace, library, spa, garden, etc.
  • Current promotions: such as special packages and upcoming events like weddings
  • Online guest reviews: share positive guest testimonials
  • Your blog

Anything that you think will enhance your reputation as providing exceptional hospitality, this is your opportunity make it accessible for the press to report on it.  Even curious potential guests will be impressed by it when they see it.

If you do not mind members of the press coming to your bed and breakfast to interview you and/or make a video, then be sure to state that on-site tours can be arranged.  There is nothing better than free publicity!

 

Image by Marcus Berg of Unique Angles Photography

Bed and Breakfast Gazebos

bed-and-breakfast-gazebos

As bed and breakfast owners, you know it is the little things that make a big difference.  Did you know that just by adding a gazebo to your property, you are making it more appealing to potential guests?  Attractive landscaping, including bed and breakfast gazebos, enhances the look for your bed and breakfast.

A gazebo is sometimes octagonal or tent shaped and can be free standing or attached to a garden wall.  It is typically built with wood and has standard roofing materials.  It can be open on all sides or have netting to keep out bugs.

Gazebos have a variety of styles and serve a variety of purposes:

  • A quiet place to enjoy the view outdoors
  • Provides shade
  • Shelter from rain
  • Ornamental feature in landscaping lawns
  • In weddings, it is used for exchanging vows and cutting the cake

If you have a gazebo, do you feature it by landscaping around it and by using it for outdoor events?  If you do not have a gazebo, is there room for one and do you know your reasons for adding one?

You don’t have to be a professional builder in order to build one yourself. They can also be purchased from home improvement stores like Lowe’s and Home Depot.  It would be great to feature pictures of your gazebo on your website. You can also talk about its construction in a new blog post.

 

Image by Marcus Berg of Unique Angles Photography

Bed and Breakfast Gardens

bed-and-breakfast-gardens

Bed and breakfasts have been very creative with the way they design and develop their gardens.  There are so many terrific ideas to make it a breathtaking, peaceful, and romantic place for your guests.  Bed and breakfast gardens may have or can include:

  • benches
  • bird baths
  • bicycle or boot used as a planter
  • conifers
  • curving paths
  • fish ponds
  • hosta plants
  • magnolia bushes
  • ornamental grasses
  • perennials
  • pines
  • planters
  • pottery
  • reflecting pond
  • rock garden
  • roses
  • shrubs
  • terraced wall garden
  • tulips
  • waterfall
  • water lilies
  • woods

Your garden will attract the beauty of gorgeous butterflies and hopping bunnies as well as the pleasant chirping of birds and sound of babbling brooks.  You can make it informative by placing little signs throughout to label what you planted.  You can make it as personal as you want by naming your garden and inscribing its benches.  If it is a historical bed and breakfast, you can use the names of former residents.

There is no limit to the joyous possibilities of your ever changing and growing garden.   By planting things that bloom at different times in the year, it can look great all year round.

 

Image by Marcus Berg of Unique Angles Photography

Bed and Breakfast Spas

bed-and-breakfast-spas

Your guests like to receive special treatment.  Bed and Breakfast Spas deliver just that.  If your B&B does not have a spa, an easy alternative involves scheduling massage therapists to visit your guests’ rooms at your bed and breakfast.

Reasons for Spa Services:

  • Beauty treatments
  • Cleansing
  • Detoxification
  • Exfoliation
  • Improve complexion, circulation, and flexibility
  • Relaxation
  • Relieve aches, pains, and tension
  • Youthful appearance

Services:

  • Aromatherapy: relaxing with enjoyable aromas
  • Facials: including masks, exfoliating scrubs, acne treatments, etc.
  • Hair removal: waxing any unwanted hair
  • Manicure: finger nails and hands given royal treatment 
  • Massage: such as deep tissue, Swedish, prenatal, etc.
  • Pedicure: toe nails and feet given ultimate attention
  • Sauna: hot and steamy relaxation
  • Stones: strategically placed stones–hot to relax or cold to heal

Packages include a combination of services done on the same day.  Some B&B’s let their guests decide for half day or whole day treatments.  They can be pampered all day long!  Couples love couples massages.  All guests will love receiving care from the outside in!

 

Image by Marcus Berg of Unique Angles Photography

Bed and Breakfast Tea Rooms

bed-and-breakfast-tea-rooms

There are several bed and breakfast tea rooms in America.  Tea rooms can be open to the public or limited to their own bed and breakfast guests.  Tea rooms are great for small gatherings and often they serve brunch and lunch. Each tea room has their own hours or they serve “by reservation only.”

Menu options can include:

  • Croissants
  • Quiche
  • Salads
  • Sandwiches
  • Scones
  • Soups
  • Sweets (like cookies and cakes)
  • Tea (bottomless usually costs extra)

Hours:

  • Regular year round hours
  • Reservation only
  • Seasonal hours
  • Sunday brunch

Events:

  • Baby shower
  • Birthday party
  • Bridal shower
  • Club meeting
  • Girls’ get together
  • Group meeting
  • Private parties

Some sell items such as:

  • Antiques
  • Jewelry
  • Tea
  • Tea cups
  • Tea pots

Marketing opportunities:

  • Blog: great fresh content for your website
  • E-mail marketing: send out information to those on your e-mail list
  • Photos of your bed and breakfast, tea room, food, and guests (with their permission)
  • Social media: Facebook fan page, Pinterest pins, Twitter updates, etc.
  • Website: you can have one of your main headings labeled “Tea Room”

When thinking of ways to increase your business, if you do not already have a tea room, this could be a great idea. For those who do have tea rooms, are you promoting them online? Kristi Dement of Bed and Breakfast Blogging is happy to help you with this.

 

Image by Marcus Berg of Unique Angles Photography

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