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.

I’ve decided that some aspects of innkeeping really appeal to my sense of organization and standards. The thought occurred to me as I was placing the coffee mugs at the place settings. I was compelled to make sure that the handles were all pointed in the same direction from the vantage point of the seated guest. I liked seeing how Joyce has her recipes organized in a three-ring binder, each enclosed in a plastic protective sheet. I like how there is reasoning behind some decisions I heretofore would have not considered. For example, in some rooms the beds have six pillows, two of which are in shams. By having six pillows, it is more likely the guests will use the four pillows in the pillow cases and not wear out the shams. If there were only four pillows (two in cases, two in shams), then the more expensive shams would likely see more wear and tear. Standards and good organization help with efficiency, but also help with keeping sanity. And, if there is constant turnover of staff and the use of interim innkeepers, training can be a cinch.

I also learned that positive and immediate feedback is the fuel that keeps you going as an innkeeper. One couple stuck their heads into the kitchen to say goodbye to Joyce and tell her how wonderful their stay was. It is richly satisfying to know you had such an impact on someone’s well-being. Because two seconds later, you’re turning your head back to the kitchen, where you see a room full of dirty dishes. With having just heard that feedback, the dishes somehow don’t seem as dirty.

Once the after-breakfast duties were addressed, I was able to take the apron off and get ready for my afternoon meeting with the Bed and Breakfast Association of Seattle. They were having a meeting at the Shafer-Baillie Mansion in the Capitol Hill area of the city, and I was the featured speaker. I rarely turn down an invitation to join a gathering of innkeepers, and so I was looking forward to this event. We were expecting about 40 people. Folks from the Washington B&B Guild were joining the meeting, as well as other innkeepers from outside Seattle.

With Nathan Allen, president of WBBG, and Joyce Schulte, president of the Seattle Bed and Breakfast Association.

I spoke on industry performance and trends in consumer behavior and preferences in the lodging and hospitality industries. As usual, I had too much material and had to run speedily through all of the great stuff happening in our industry that innkeepers need to hear. The feedback from attendees was that the message was on target, which I like to hear. I spend a great deal of time scanning articles and news that could impact innkeepers, and try to glean the most relevant and salient message.

I enjoyed getting to know many of the area innkeepers. Our hosts at the Shafer-Baillie, Ana and Mark, were gracious and warm. I hope we see more of them at some PAII meetings. I met a few aspiring innkeepers, as well as some folks who have been innkeeping for more than 20 years. After the meeting, Joyce and I went over to the Bacon Mansion, where owner/innkeeper Daryl King gave us a tour of the 11-room inn. I really appreciated my time with Daryl, hearing the story of the building, the issues he deals with, how he approaches customer service, etc.

I capped off the day with a wonderful meal with my mentor/host and her husband in a downtown restaurant. The view was amazing!