Tag Archives: bed and breakfasts

Bed and Breakfasts in December

The Queen Victoria at Christmas - Cape May, New Jersey. Bed and Breakfast Inn

The Queen Victoria in Cape May, NJ during Christmas time

Bed and breakfasts, in December, can put on a spectacular display of holiday cheer. This is the best time of year to decorate your B&B. There are so many creative and festive ways to do so. The Queen Victoria in Cape May, New Jersey has exquisite outdoor Christmas lights! I love how they outlined their bed and breakfast to highlight that their inn has three floors and they hung lit garland with red bows on the fence all the way around their property.

#Holidays | A winter welcome at Another Second Penny Inn, Stonington, CT. #bedandbreakfast #travel

Decorative Doorway at Another Second Penny Inn of Stonington, CT

Another Second Penny Inn hung garland and put up a wreath with a red bow on their reflective glass door. The snow falling in Connecticut just adds to the bed and breakfast’s winter look.  They are located on a leafy, scenic road just 3 miles from Mystic and 2 miles north of Stonington Borough.

Their 1710 New England home offers friendly, romantic, and spacious accommodations for their bed and breakfast visitors. Winner of the Best Breakfast in New England, owners Jim and Sandra Wright, offer deluxe five course breakfasts on weekends and holidays and delicious Continental Breakfasts on the other mornings.

Curious about how this inn got its name? They offer this Ancient Persian saying to explain, “If you have two pennies, with the first, buy bread for your stomach and with the second, buy hyacinths for your soul.”
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Morehead Manor Bed and Breakfast of Durham, NC adds to the festivities with this holiday garland draping down our stairs. We welcome you to be our guests! http://www.moreheadmanor.com

Morehead Manor Bed & Breakfast of Durham, NC adds to the festivities with garland & bows decorating the stairway


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Morehead Manor of Durham, North Carolina was recently named the Best Black-Owned Bed and Breakfast in America by Black Enterprise magazine.  Innkeepers Daniel and Monica Edwards decorate their inn festively every year.  The garland and ribbon going down their staircase is but one area of the inn in the Bull City.  Within walking distance for their inn is the Durham Performing Arts Center which has holiday performances including the fortieth year of performances of A Christmas Carol! Durham is also the Tastiest Town of the South so between the delicious gourmet breakfasts at Morehead Manor and award-winning restaurants, your appetite will be more than satisfied!
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Christmas by the fire at York Harbor Inn in Maine

Christmas by the fire at York Harbor Inn of Maine


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The York Harbor Inn family of Inns in Maine is comprised of six separate lodges. The Main Inn offers twenty-two guest rooms. There are also two ocean view restaurants as well as lovely banquet and meeting rooms. Many luxury rooms feature ocean and beach view decks, fireplaces and/or Jacuzzi tubs. The York Harbor inn recognizes that people’s dogs are part of their family and they offer pet friendly rooms in their Harbor Crest building.  The picture of their Christmas tree by the fire is gorgeous.
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Victorian Christmas Getaway: The Empress Bed & Breakfast

Stunning Dining Room of The Empress Bed and Breakfast in Little Rock, AR


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Bob Blair and his wife Sharon Welch-Blair are owners of The Empress of Little Rock, in Arkansas. They have been open for nearly twenty years and they love their guests! “Anyone who loves people, enjoys welcoming them into your home, looks forward to a day of tasks and events of all kinds (everyday a new day), and works with a great crew should become an innkeeper.” Their enthusiasm for entertaining is evident when you look at their multi-award winning AAA four diamond rated bed and breakfast!  Every guest room at the historic inn has its own themed tree to create magic throughout the entire mansion. Bob and Sharon display their mementos and antiques in each room so you feel like you are not only experiencing the past, but are cherished guests of The Royal Family.
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#Holidays | The twinkling lights of the tree at the White Oak Manor, Jefferson, TX. #bedandbreakfast #travel

The twinkling lights of the tree at the White Oak Manor in Jefferson, TX.


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White Oak Manor is an historic bed and breakfast in Jefferson, Texas.  Innkeepers Dave and Tammy invite you to join their warm and friendly atmosphere.  It is especially beautiful to visit them this time of year with their festive holiday decorations.  Jefferson is always filled with love, laughter and friendly faces.
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So how does your bed and breakfast celebrate the holidays? Feel free to make comments about what food you prepare for guests, special ways you decorate your inn, and anything else you do to make this time of year extra special.

Autumn Colors and Fall Foliage

New England Fall Foliage

(photo above courtesy BedandBreakfast.com)

The autumn colors and fall foliage at bed and breakfasts can be remarkably beautiful to take in this time of year.  We would like to feature one B&B known for this season’s splendor, the appropriately named The Maple Leaf Inn of Barnard, Vermont.  They are ten miles north of Woodstock, Vermont on a beautiful lake.  It is an elegant Victorian style farmhouse nestled within sixteen acres of maple and birch trees.

The friendly owners, Nancy and Mike Boyle, welcome you to come anytime of the year since they are open year round.  In fact, four of their bedrooms are named after the four seasons: Autumn Woods, Winter Haven, Spring Hollow, and Summer Retreat.  They have seven guest bedrooms (six are pictured below) that are spacious and luxurious with all of the mattresses recently upgraded to king-size pillow top mattresses.  Five of the rooms have wood-burning fireplaces and four of the rooms have whirlpool tubs.

Autumn Woods Room                                                 Winter Haven Room

Spring Hollow Room                                                   Summer Retreat Room

Country Garden Room                                                 Morning Glory Room

Guests love the special and delicious three-course gourmet breakfasts at The Maple Leaf Inn.

A breakfast pizza on a white plate topped with fresh tomatoes, ham and an egg.Blueberry scones on a white plate with sliced strawberries and small jar of jam.

After enjoying a hearty breakfast each morning, guests can just relax or enjoy a variety of fun activities in their local area:

  • driving tours and hiking tours (especially beautiful in the fall)
  • golfing
  • biking
  • horseback riding
  • fishing
  • boating
  • winter activities like cross country skiing, ice skating, downhill skiing, and snowmobile riding

The anniversary package with yellow roses, chocolates, champagne and flutes.Romance package with red roses, champagne and flutes and Vermont chocolates.

The Maple Leaf Inn offers Special Occasion Packages for romance, birthdays, and anniversaries.  The packages include some of the following:

  • choice of champagne, wine, or sparkling cider in your room upon arrival
  • two Maple Leaf Inn keepsake glasses
  • a single rose bud, a bouquet of fresh flowers in a vase, or long-stemmed roses
  • a box of Vermont chocolates
  • a personalized Maple Leaf Inn birthday cake

Between the two of them, Nancy and Mike speak the following languages: English, Russian, German, and Italian. They enjoy conversations with guests from all over the world. Now is the perfect time to enjoy a fall vacation.  If you need to hire an interim innkeeper for your bed and breakfast, you should.  Nancy and Mike welcome everyone to their lovely and quiet inn set in a scenic area with lots of fun activities.  See them talk about The Maple Leaf Inn in the video below.

Fun Bed and Breakfast Retreats

fun-bed-and-breakfast-retreats

I went online to BnB Finder to search for bed and breakfasts and to my pleasant surprise, I found some fun bed and breakfast retreats.  These retreats include a board game tournament, a night walk, private art classes, and a literary weekend.  Typically, most bed and breakfasts do not offer these kinds of special retreats which makes these bed and breakfasts all the more attractive. Read on for more retreat ideas that you can apply to grow your own B&B business.

In Saugatuck, Michigan (near where I grew up in Holland, Michigan) at Sherwood Forest Bed and Breakfast they offer a Monopoly Tournament from November through April.  If the entire B&B is booked, they promise to organize the “hippest” Monopoly Tournament ever played! The winner receives a complete set of Sherwood Forest Gear.  Lunch will be catered. This offer may expire at the end of this year.  Call for details at 800-838-1246. This reminds me of my Pinterest Board called Bed and Breakfast Games which features different board games and game rooms at various bed and breakfasts.

In the Saratoga Region of New York at Mariaville Lake Bed and Breakfast, they offer a Night Walk for a small extra fee.  This B&B invites guests to take a walk, guided by the innkeeper, to experience the full night sky. Guests will use a night vision scope and will be amazed at what they can see such as beavers working hard at their famous beaver pond. Advance notice is required and subject to availability and weather conditions. The offer may expire at the end of this year.  Contact the innkeeper for more details.

In the Hudson Valley Region of New York, at the Pine Bush House, they offer Stay and Paint private art classes with local artist Lana Privitera.  Originally from Spain, Lana graduated from the Fine Arts School of Zaragoza, where she majored in Fashion Design and Art History. Lana has won numerous art awards.  She is the current Art Curator for the Pine Bush Public Library.  A sampling of her work can be found on her website.

Currently, there are one day and two day Watercolor Workshops (four hours each) available and all tailored to suit individual needs, taste, and ability.  Supplies loaned by the instructor, but guests have the opportunity to purchase.  Guests receive one FREE double white mat and backing piece (plus an acetate sleeve to protect their “masterpiece”).  A list of art material suppliers as well as recommended art books will be provided.

Contact Lana Privitera at lanaprivitera@gmail.com or Barbara at barbara@pinebushhouse.com for detailed pricing! Discounts available if staying two or more nights.  This opportunity is available at least through June 20, 2015.

In lovely Vermont, The Governor’s House in Hyde Park offers Jane Austen Weekends full of literary-inspired diversions.  Quietly slip back into Regency England in a beautiful historic mansion.  Take afternoon tea.  Share your thoughts at a book discussion.  Attend an informal talk over desserts. Test your knowledge at the quiz brunch and possibly take home a prize.

Take a carriage ride or sleigh ride (depending upon the season).  Join every activity or simply spend the weekend watching the movies. Try English country dancing. Dress in whichever century suits you. Jane Austen fans unite!

Examples of bed and breakfast retreats, special packages, and events include:

Innkeepers are only limited by their imagination.  So get creative and think about what you have passion for. What interests, skills, experience, and talents do you have?  Innkeepers do not have to be the instructors.  In the Stay and Paint retreat example, the innkeeper has a professional artist and art curator coming to her inn. Arrangements can be made with the experts hosting the event if they are not the bed and breakfast owners or innkeepers.

If you are a bed and breakfast owner or innkeeper and have been successful with a particular retreat, package, excursion, or other event at your B&B, I would love to know about it.  Write about your successes to Kristi Dement below.  I promise to read every comment and reply when appropriate.

 

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!

Promote Your Local Area to Guests

promote-your-local-area-to-guests

Did you know your guests decide to stay with you in large part due to where you are located? It is in your best interest to promote your local area with website links, menus, guidebooks, maps, and more to tell your guests about your area’s attractions, events, and concerts. Remind them why bed and breakfasts are better than hotels.

Start by having a links web page on your website that refers your guests to local places of interest.  For example, Blue Mountain Bed and Breakfast in Missoula, Montana has an Area Links web page listing that includes the following categories:

  • Recommended Guide and Recreational Services: tours, biking, fishing, hiking, river guides, etc.
  • Animal Boarding: unless you are a pet friendly B&B that allows pets
  • Art and Cultural Activities: theater, museum, symphony, ballet, etc.
  • Area History: historical sites, battlefields, visitors center
  • Fine Dining: you can emphasize your own restaurant if you have one and/or recommend local restaurants
  • Food, Health, Specialty, Leisure Stores and Services: bakery, brewery, tea, herbs, landscaping, food stores, gift shops, spa, etc.
  • Outdoor Recreation, Wildlife Activities, Museums, and Gardens: birding, golf courses, gardens, parks, recreation, wildlife sanctuary
  • Sports Events, Family Activities, Concerts: concert venues, concert tickets, sports arenas, sports tickets, arts and drama

Of course, depending upon your location, you may have different categories.  For example, your bed and breakfast may be on the beach and/or have its own spa.  Emphasize the places you know that your visitors like to see and activities they like to do.  You can also offer specific packages based upon the special occasion or interest.

When your guests arrive at your bed and breakfast, you can have a welcome table set up that features brochures from local attractions and restaurants.  Think about having a guidebook or a basket full of local maps, fliers, and more.  Local Chambers of Commerce and Visitors Centers will have various information for you to display.

You may even arrange with some of these local places (such as local restaurants) to offer your guests a discount if they mention that they are staying with you.  This is great for a number of reasons:

  • You look good for having this arranged ahead of time for your guests
  • The local business owner benefits from the referral
  • Your guests benefit from the discount
  • It is a win-win-win situation!

Thus, you can use your website to post local links, your inn to provide brochures for guests when they arrive, and your connections with local restaurants and other businesses to have deals in place for your guests.  Do not forget the power of video to highlight local attractions near your bed and breakfast and the power of social media to spread your message.  By following this advice, you will take attract more guests to your bed and breakfast as well as position yourself as an expert on your local area.

 

Image by Marcus Berg of Unique Angles Photography

Mike’s Road Trip To B&B’s

Mike's Road TripMike Shubic

Mike Shubic of Mike’s Road Trip is an outgoing man of adventure.  He has been traveling on the road since 2010.  Mike hosts and produces high quality videos for hospitality businesses such as bed and breakfasts, inns, restaurants, and other “hidden gems of the road.”  He has been featured in USA Today Travel, Rand McNally Best of the Road, The Travel Channel, and more.

Check out Mike’s Road Trip’s Intriguing Inns and Beautiful B&B’s videos from YouTube.  I highly recommend him if you would like entertaining and professional videos made to highlight the unique strengths of your bed and breakfast.  From his website, Mike gives several reasons why your bed and breakfast inn should have a video:

  • If a picture is worth a 1000 words, how many is video worth?
  • Video builds trust with your prospects. Trust equals paying guests.
  • Videos attract attention and help set you apart from your competition.
  • Video is important for SEO (search engine optimization). Google is ranking pages with video higher for the same search terms.
  • Video is not a fad. Four billion hours of video are watched each month on YouTube alone.

Mike makes these suggestions to bed and breakfast owners:

  • Have a professional overview video of your B&B/Inn produced.  Be sure to include the owner/innkeeper in front of the camera.  Let prospective guests know what makes your inn special and memorable.
  • Guest testimonial videos can be very powerful.  This allows the viewer to hear what the experience is like from varying viewpoints.  Your guests may talk about things they liked that you never even thought about!
  • Informal videos for your social network can be a great way to showcase area events and/or activities at your inn while keeping in touch with past and future guests.
  • The visual impact of videos gives them a long shelf life.  Trust and interest can be earned as long as the video is live on the Internet.  You can be media friendly and share your videos with local media.

Professional and informal videos can be put on your website as well as shared on social media websites including Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube!  Mike is a well-spoken promoter of bed and breakfasts on his road trips all across America.  I recommend Mike Shubic of Mike’s Road Trip to all my Bed and Breakfast Blogging clients.

The Art of Pinning

the-art-of-pinning

The art of pinning on Pinterest is visual in nature.  This works very well for visually oriented businesses like bed and breakfasts.  People want to know what your inn looks like and what your breakfasts look like.  Seeing your pins helps them to imagine themselves at your bed and breakfast inn.

Pictures:

  • Motivate them to plan a vacation to stay at your inn
  • Each picture is worth 1,000 words
  • Are more appealing and stronger than words
  • Pin only images with strong visual content
  • Brighter colors bring more joy
  • Feature just one idea or product in each pin
  • Use descriptive keywords you want to be known for
  • If you resize an image, make sure it is still clear and easy to see

Social media

  • Builds relationships with guests and potential guests
  • Raises the visibility of your bed and breakfast online
  • Gets you ranked higher on Google
  • Finds you business contacts like fellow innkeepers and associations

Remember:

  • Share your story of how you came to be bed and breakfast owners/innkeepers
  • Share information you are interested in and that your followers will find useful (such as travel tips)
  • Educate your audience on the advantages of staying at a bed and breakfast
  • Pin pictures of your bed and breakfast
  • Pin pictures of you amenities such as pool, garden, spa, etc.
  • Pin pictures of your community to give guests reasons to want to stay in your area

Etiquette or “Netiquette”:

  • If you were not the first to pin it, give credit to the original pinner.
  • Share and repin to show you are interested in other things outside your own B&B

Pinterest users become part of a larger community.  When we promote other people’s pins they are more likely to follow us.  That is one of my secrets to how I grew such a quick following on Pinterest.  You can too!

 

Image by Marcus Berg of Unique Angles Photography

Professional Associations

AAA logo   BBB Logo

Do you know the value of belonging to professional associations?  Many inns and bed and breakfasts are members of professional associations. There are international, national, regional, and local associations, all of which provide services to both their members and the travelling public. Many require their members to meet specific standards of quality, while others simply require a lodging establishment to pay dues. These associations also facilitate marketing of the individual B&Bs and provide a stamp of approval that the business in question is reputable.

While various local governments have regulations and inspect lodging establishments for health and safety issues, membership in a state or national bed and breakfast association can indicate a higher standard of hospitality. Associations sometimes review their members’ properties and tend to have additional standards of care.  Associations may offer informative conferences.

In the US for example, each state has an innkeeping association (usually non-profit) that exists to promote the industry and tourism. Within those state associations, many city and regional bed and breakfast associations can be found. Many state, city and regional associations, have inspection criteria that often exceed government requirements for safety and cleanliness.  We have talked about organizations like AAA, the Better Business Bureau, and the Professional Association of Innkeepers International in previous blog posts.  People find comfort in staying at places that have earned high ratings.  Think about your B&B’s marketing strategy.

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