The Innkeeping Blog

• Stay away snow! Supposed to meet with board of Preferred Inns of NJ tomorrow and TripAdvisor exec in Manhattan for dinner. Got work to do! #
• Great meeting w Preferred Inns of NJ board. In Manhattan to have dinner with VJ Kelley of TripAdvisor. Thumbs up public transportation. #

• RT @AcornInternet: Google's Super Bowl Ad – have you seen it? Great walk through on how surfers use the web today. http://bit.ly/cIf8aq #

I can’t believe Valentine’s Day is this Sunday.  That means the Innkeeping Conference & Trade Show is less than a month away.  “Tempus fugit,” as my high school Latin teacher would say.  She would also say “Semper ubi sub ubi,” but that’s beside the point. (Look it up, if you’re interested).  With regard to your thinking about coming to Austin in early March, I’ll bet most of you are in one of these camps:

• I don’t care what it costs, I love it, I need it, and I’m going…
• I have to carefully consider the cost (it ain’t cheap), but I know it’s worth it, so I’m going…
• I have to carefully consider the cost (it ain’t cheap), and I bet it’s worth it, but I just can’t spend the money this year…
• It’s too expensive.  Period.

And of course, I have a response and two cents for each camp.

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So, it’s no secret that innkeepers get accused (fairly and unfairly) for posting too many little signs all over the B&B.  Guests don’t necessarily like being told what to do and what not to do when they’re at a B&B, and yet innkeepers sometimes feel they need to leave not-so-subtle reminders about certain particulars.  I totally get both sides of this reality.  Some possible examples of little signs I’ve seen:
•    Don’t put your luggage on this couch.
•    Please don’t sit on the bed spread.
•    Only flush appropriate items down the toilet (some signs have been more explicit about what not to flush).
•    Please do not adjust the thermostat.
•    Keep TV volume as low as possible, so you don’t disturb other guests.

In fact, one of the top five reasons people DON’T stay at B&Bs is that they perceive they’ll encounter too many rules and policies.  With this in mind, I had a nice little chuckle the other day when I was sitting in a coffee shop in Haddonfield, NJ.  I went to the restroom and noticed this little sign.  Since the picture I took isn’t too clear, I’ll transcribe what it says (note – this was a unisex bathroom, in case you were wondering why I encountered such a sign):

FOR HEALTH & SAFETY REASONS, PLEASE DISPOSE OF FEMININE PRODUCTS IN THE BIN BELOW.  THANK YOU!
P.S. If you flush your feminine products, we will be able to identify what time you left the bathroom and what time the bathroom flooded as a result of your inability to follow these instructions, and we’ll all know it was YOU.  Your picture will be displayed on the “Bad Girl Wall of Shame” and you will no longer be permitted to go in this bathroom without supervision.

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