The Innkeeping Blog

The PAII Staff at our holiday party. Can you tell we have a lot of fun?

2009 was a big year for many of us – PAII included.  Our year was laced with many changes.   As I write this all the year-end  lists are showing up on the internet and television, i.e. the year’s most interesting stories, the year’s top ten celebrity embarrassments, etc..  In that spirit, I offer the top five changes and occurrences at PAII in 2009.  At the end of this article, I offer some thoughts for you and your businesses.

1.  The launch of www.innkeeping.org. We spent many months building this new “home base” for the innkeeping industry, which includes some really great social networking and content features.  The shopping cart and event registration process is a lot easier now…the social networking options allow innkeepers to share with each other by adding images, sharing files, creating/joining groups, etc…members can subscribe to an emailed, daily digest of the forum’s discussions (for those who don’t have time to log on every day)…the personal profiles allow innkeepers to add personal touches to their records, allowing others to “know” them…and much more.  Take a few minutes to explore it all.

2. Moving into a “virtual office” environment. Most of you likely don’t know that this past summer, the staff at PAII transitioned into home offices.  We decided to save the rent money and work from home, which turned out to be a fantastic thing.  Aside from a few new phone system hiccups in July, the transition has been smooth and seamless.  And now we’re actually spending more hours during the days (and nights) serving members and advancing the mission of PAII.  Moving into a “virtual” scenario is no sign of trouble – in fact, it’s a sign of progress.  Many of my association peers are jealous when they hear what we have going on at PAII.  The PAII staff members love being closer to home (no commutes, quick and easy access to family).  We still meet once a week as a full staff, and often have one-on-one meetings throughout the week.  Technology allows us to get our jobs done, but we still look forward to our staff get-togethers.

3. Implementing a new membership model. We took a long hard look at member and non-member feedback about PAII, as well as our offering of services and programs, and reshuffled the deck when it came to dues and benefits.  Now innkeepers can join PAII for under $100 (Silver Memberships fo $89), hopefully making it an affordable and obvious choice for any innkeeper at any budget.  Members asked that the monthly webinars be included with the dues, and they now come with Gold and Platinum level memberships.  The fact is PAII needs more members under our tent if we’re going to be an effective voice for you.  So, we removed the roadblocks to membership.  You can learn more about it here.

4. Launching the New England Innkeeping Conference & Trade Show. What a great idea this was!  We had 250 innkeepers and aspiring innkeepers in attendance last month in Nashua, NH, as well as nearly 50 exhibiting companies.  TripAdvisor’s CEO, Steve Kaufer, joined me for an interesting, 75-minute Q&A.  The state tourism directors from all 6 New England states were in attendance.  The education was second-to-none.  We had a fantastic time, and as a result the PAII board of directors is taking a look at more potential regional conferences in the next few years.  We know not all of you can make the larger Innkeeping Show each year or have yet to attend, so bringing more education closer to you might be a good thing.  Stay tuned!

5.  Announcing PAII’s new “Key Value” program. PAII invited our Vendor Members to participate in this new program by offering some deals, discounts and added-values for PAII’s innkeeping members.  Over 50 vendors stepped up to the plate, and now innkeepers have a host of offers to investigate and choose from.  Check it out here.

So much is changing in the world of innkeeping – from how to operate your B&B to your guests’ expectations.  I contend that if you’re not changing at least 5 things about your business every year to stay ahead and remain relevant and successful, you might either remain in the same place or fall behind.  You should now set some goals for positive change and calculated risk-taking in 2010.  What were some of your big changes in 2009?  What do you plan to change in 2010?  Are you going to make your rooms more “business traveler friendly”?  Are you going to try your hand at allowing pets in a certain room?  Are you going to build a new web site or give your current one a facelift?  Are you going to try some new packages, like babymoons and elopement specials?  Are you going to redecorate your rooms to appeal to more Gen X and Millennial travelers?

No doubt, you can expect more changes from PAII in 2010.  As always, I welcome your comments on my blog.  Here’s hoping that 2010 is a great year for you (I’m virtually raising my glass to you).

Jay