The Innkeeping Blog

So, yesterday morning I thought it happened. I thought that some innkeeper got to Joyce and convinced her to play a practical joke on me. It might have been her interim innkeeper, who suggested that I experience an electrical blackout at some inopportune time, like just before fifteen guests are coming downstairs for breakfast. I was ironing my shirt around 6:30 a.m., when the electricity in my room went out. I’m thinking there is no way we’re going to be able to fire up the oven and serve a hot breakfast. Here is the curveball innkeepers around the country were hoping Joyce would throw. Did she really get up early and kill the electricity, just so I’d face a real challenge? Would she do that to the guests in her house? No way, I thought.

And I thought correctly. When I looked outside my quarters, I noticed the rest of the house was well lit. Something in my room must have tripped the breaker. Thank goodness! But, the effect worked well on me – thoughts raced through my mind about how we would have to improvise to take care of the guests. What was the lesson? Have a back-up plan for breakfast. Had the electricity REALLY been out, we would have scrambled to get something on the table. Possibly fruit salad, granola, etc.

Breakfast went smoothly. For our guests we served a tropical fruit salad, homemade granola and stuffed French toast with orange syrup. One guest requested to come a bit early at 7:45 a.m. to grab her meal for an early departure. She showed up a bit earlier than the appointed time, and we’d forgotten she was coming early. So we had to break our momentum to make sure one of the hot breakfast entrees was ready in a few minutes. It worked out fine. Just another example of the frenetic flow of things.

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A good second day at the Chambered Nautlius B&B in Seattle, Washington. I was able to cover more territory with my mentor innkeeper, Joyce Schulte. It was a nice mixture of getting my hands dirty and discussing strategic issues Joyce gets to contemplate in her “free time.” Click here to read about the “Hire PAII’s CEO” contest and here to read about Day One.

The day started for me with a 6:15 a.m. rise, phone call to my wife and daughter on the east coast, quick shower and shave and then walking ten feet to the inn’s kitchen to get ready for the 8:00 a.m. breakfast. Since Joyce tells guests that breakfast is served between 8 and 9, we get some folks downstairs at 7:55 a.m. and others roll up to the table at 8:50 a.m. I find that it’s not that bad, if you do a good job prepping and picking the right menu items. In addition to a choice of coffees, teas and orange/banana juice, we served “Heavenly Bananas” (fresh bananas covered in an orange sour cream sauce), homemade granola and a “crab, artichoke heart egg puff” with Hollandaise sauce and asparagus tips on top. Oh, and some roasted rosemary pototoes. We served sixteen guests, spread out over three different rooms. Joyce did the cooking, and Rhea and I served all the guests, poured the beverages and made sure all the guests were happy. Since we prepped the potatoes and sour cream sauce the night before, as well as set the dining room table, we were able to roll pretty well in the morning. It was amazing to watch how quickly the dirty dishes piled up in the kitchen.

I really enjoyed chatting with the guests, and I found myself trying to figure out where the line was between being engaging and being a pest. I discovered one of the guests has a daughter that actually graduated from my high school back in Georgia – the same year as me! Another guest lived in Collingswood, New Jersey, which is three miles away from the PAII headquarters. It was a fun morning. I enjoyed interacting with the guests. To see how much they were enjoying themselves, and knowing that I was playing a part in that experience was very satisfying. I had an “ah-ha” moment. THIS is why innkeepers love innkeeping! Oh, and because of the food too. Joyce made a few extra crab dishes, and it was delectable. So was her granola and coffee. I’m somewhat of a foodie – like most innkeepers – so that is definitely a plus to being in this industry. Seeing and being part of all the preparation and work that goes into serving a wonderful meal in a handsome setting made me feel sorry for the guests who don’t take advantage of the meal. One of the business travelers had to miss the breakfast (like I sometimes do when staying at inns while traveling for PAII), and I felt she didn’t really get the experience.

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In my seven short months on board as your CEO, I’ve come to learn a great deal about the challenging, yet often times rewarding, profession and life of innkeeping. I am approached by members and industry leaders in all corners of the continent about what PAII should be doing. It is important for you to know what we have decided to focus on in the coming months and years. One of the most important achievements our board and staff have accomplished recently is the adoption of a clear vision for PAII. In my column in the recent Winter edition of Innkeeping Quarterly (IQ), I share PAII’s new “Vision Statement.” It is a firm belief of mine to have in front of us and wear on our sleeves a vision of the organization we will always strive to be for our members and the industry. You can read the statement here. This statement is an over-arching philosophy for the organization. We also needed a clear set of priorities and objectives for the coming months and years. The PAII Board of Directors, along with the PAII Advisory Council and other at-large members, helped to shape the most relevant priorities of the organization. These priorities, which we consider our organizational goals, are listed below. All of the work of the staff and board are shaped and motivated by these priorities.

I hope you agree with what we have chosen to focus and spend association time and resources on. We recognize that we cannot be all things to all people, and at the same time be successful. A successful association is helping its members be more successful. In order for PAII to thrive, we must have the support and involvement of our members. To maximize your investment in PAII, we urge you to participate in PAII surveys, read PAII communications, go to PAII meetings, support PAII vendor members, participate in the PAII forum, buy books and research published by PAII, and continue to support PAII through your membership. With your help, we can accomplish the goals below.

As always, I welcome your thoughts and comments at jay@paii.org.

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