Staying Ahead of the Blues!

by Johannes Tromp

Not all days are great at the Inn. You recognize that sinking feeling, when happy and satisfied guests depart in the morning and there are no reservations booked for that night. You did all you could to make last night’s guests feel comfortable, wanted and happy. You received them with open arms, gave them the “tour”, and spend time with them to make them feel welcome and at home. Late last night, after a long day, you did the security check and dimmed the lights before going to bed. This morning you got up with the birds to make the early coffee and prepare that special breakfast. You brightly greeted your guests to a new day, served the breakfast with a genuine smile and socialized with them over a cup of coffee.

Then, your guests settled their bills and departed and you set to work. You bussed the breakfast tables, tidied up the parlor & dining room, did the breakfast dishes, cleaned the kitchen, gathered and did (the hopefully make-up free) laundry, checked your emails, cleaned the guest rooms and bath rooms (where “HAIR”, your arch enemy, daily challenges your enthusiasm), made the beds, checked the mail, made shopping lists, dealt with the yard man and the occasional maintenance person, answered the phones, vacuumed the entire interior, swept the piazzas and brick walks, removed fingerprints from glass surfaces, looked at the pile of unopened mail laying on top of all the previously unfinished administrative projects, and answered the doorbell to welcome yet another prospective bride, who wanted to show your premises to yet another interested family member. You did your shopping, dropped off the dry-cleaning, responded to emails, paid bills and answered more calls. Suddenly, it is 10 pm and you are exhausted, with no guests to show for all your work. Sound familiar?

Innkeepers are happiest when they have a full house of paying guests. It is nice to see money dripping in rather than flowing out. We are “people” people; nothing is too much as long as our guests are happily settled in. With all the energy and enthusiasm we put into our work, why can’t we be fully booked every day? If anyone had an answer to that question, we’d all be driving Rolls-Royces. In spite of all our efforts, overall occupancy rates in B&B’s remain low and wanting. Increasing our business is a challenge we face every day.

How do we innkeepers cope? Some of us are perfectly disciplined and schedule personal time. Doing this is, of course, easier if you have a partner or staff, however it is difficult for single operators to schedule such “free” time. After all, the phone has to be answered, weeds need to be pulled and emails need to be returned in a timely fashion. Some innkeepers close their B&B at the spur of the moment; others close one or two days each week, but most of us “need” the business and can’t afford to be closed.

The truth is, however that a tired Innkeeper does not make a great host or entrepreneur. He or she might think that they are doing a great job, but unbeknownst to them, the guests do take notice. As a result the guests may not experience the comfort and relaxation for which they have come in the first place. They might sympathize, but may be reluctant to return because, in truth, they did not get the hospitality they deserved and expected.

To keep up our enthusiasm and energy, we innkeepers have to make time to get away, without the umbilical cord of a cell phone or lap top computer. It is really okay for the answering machine to take messages and for emails to be answered a little later. It is okay to take an hour to read or just do nothing. It is okay to maintain a social life and accept an occasional dinner invitation. With the long hours we put in every day, it is also perfectly okay to take a nap without feeling guilty.

Just remember; a relaxed and enthusiastic host is your most valuable business asset!

Johannes hails from Holland, where he was trained in the classical European manner to be a chef. He immigrated to the USA in 1973, where he started his own catering business. After moving to New York City in 1979 he was director of Catering at the Rainbow Room on top of Rockefeller Center and later became General Manager of the Windows on the World restaurant complex on top the World Trade Center. He settled in Lancaster, South Carolina in 1998 to oversee the restoration of Kilburnie.