Frictionless Innkeeper Podcast

When people think of innkeepers, an image often comes to mind of a couple leaving the grind of the big city to own, operate and live at their property. While this is often the case, there has recently been a rise of investors/innkeepers that are purchasing and renovating unique properties, some of whom don't live on-site or manage the day-to-day work. For individuals taking this path, many don't c...

Remaining competitive in the innkeeping arena is no small challenge, especially in the face of multiple accommodation offerings, and Airbnb growing in popularity. However, now is actually a great time for innkeepers to adapt to the changing tourism landscape by pursuing new revenue streams. For example, rather than swimming against the tide of short-term rentals, innkeeping consultant Megan Smith...

The Association of Independent Hospitality Professionals (AIHP) is a nonprofit organization that represents, supports, educates, and advocates for independent hospitality professionals to enhance their personal satisfaction and business success. Founded in 2015, AIHP has seen phenomenal growth over the last four years with Rob Fulton as its CEO and continues to gain traction as a key voice for ind...

The southern United States has some of the most interesting and colorful aspects of our nation's history. The Biltmore Greensboro is a prime example of a property that took on many lives – from being an office, apartment building and even a location for making illegal moonshine. In the 1960s, the property underwent a facelift and became the Greenwich Inn with female and male quarters. For every tw...

The Association of Independent Hospitality Professionals (AIHP) is a nonprofit organization that represents, supports, educates, and advocates for independent hospitality professionals to enhance their personal satisfaction and business success. Founded in 2015, AIHP has seen phenomenal growth over the last four years with Rob Fulton as its CEO and continues to gain traction as a key voice for ind...

The secret sauce to being an award-winning B&B often comes down to a wide-range of ingredients. From achieving positive online reviews due to continually pleasing guests to becoming heavily involved in area chambers of commerce to being environmentally friendly, the West Hill House B&B checks off all of the boxes. As a result, the Vermont Chamber of Commerce recently named Peter MacLaren the 2019...

When getting into the B&B business, it's all too easy to get caught up into the romantic vision of being an innkeeper in a bucolic place far away from the hectic pace that dominates life in major urban areas. To be an aspiring innkeeper, the key is understanding if this business model actually works for you, and if so, develop the right strategies for ensuring long-term success. By taking off the...

As with other corporate professionals entering the innkeeper arena, there is much to be drawn from prior work experiences that can help to differentiate a property on many levels. For Wendy Collins and Laura Shaddock, this means fully leveraging technology for both pleasing guests, and effectively running The Mission Inn. After acquiring the property in 2016, Wendy and Laura quickly automated pre-...

While we assume that all innkeepers own and operate their properties, there are B&Bs out there that rely on outsourced talent to manage the day-to-day work. This is the case with the Wallingford Victorian Inn, which is a property that is taking advantage of a talented young professional who has a deep passion for hospitality and pleasing guests. For the past two years, Kenni Ball (who is currently...

In having conversations with other innkeepers, we have learned that property owners can come from a variety of professional backgrounds, and some bring a wide range of business experiences that can be leveraged successfully in the B&B arena. Former marketing communications and financial services executives, Isabelle and Karim Houry are great examples of this. When these professionals decided to le...

Innkeepers often come from diverse backgrounds and Linda Smith is a prime example of a professional who underwent the transformation to becoming an innkeeper, bringing with her a high level of business savvy. As a former telecommunications executive, her previous experience provides her with the skills to effectively market and manage her property, as well as to help influence legislation to posit...

A major component for developing a brand vision for any inn comes down to determining your ideal guest demographic. While it may sound cliché, different generations have personality traits, spending power, and guest preferences when they stay at independent properties. Elaine Herbert finds that Millennial guests at the Yelton Manor Bed & Breakfast are ideal. She feels that these guests are trouble...

The impact of Airbnb on both innkeepers and their communities is not always apparent to most people, since much of the media focuses on how larger hoteliers deal with this competitive landscape. The reality is that Airbnb can negatively affect innkeepers and communities throughout the world. As Elaine highlights in this podcast interview, the home-sharing provider has both challenged her B&B's abi...

For many innkeepers, dealing with OTAs can be both a blessing and a curse. While these channels can help provide more booking opportunities, they often come with a price, which includes high commissions, lack of direct access to guest information, a slow payment cycle, and bookings coming from fraudulent credit cards. On a more positive note, OTAs have the marketing resources and guest search traf...

Innkeepers are often very interesting people, with many having previous careers that make the most exciting of corporate jobs seem mundane. Tom Werman, the owner and operator of Stonover Farm in Lenox, Mass., is a prime example of this type of innkeeper. He is a former A&R record executive – who produced 52 albums – and is associated with some of the biggest names in rock 'n' roll that include Che...

Being named one of the top B&Bs in the U.S. is an accolade that most property owners strive to achieve. The Beall Mansion, an Elegant Bed & Breakfast Inn, is the prime example of a B&B that continually tops these types of annual lists. Recently, HotelsCombined awarded the property the 2018 HotelsCombined Recognition of Excellence, which is based on achieving the highest rankings on customer satisf...

Many innkeepers have backgrounds in the corporate world and make the leap to owning a B&B as a means to finding a more fulfilling way to make a living. The idea behind the 80s hit TV show Newhart follows this very premise. Christine Boeke, the owner of the Westcott House B&B in Hudson, NY, fits this bill perfectly. Coming from a high-profile career in media and marketing with Newsweek and CBS, she...

Living the dream of opening and operating a B&B comes with many exciting challenging and life-changing opportunities – many that are completely unexpected. As the owner of Lamberson Guest House, a bed and breakfast in Galena, Illinois, a historic town with 32 B&Bs and a large Main Street area that has a diverse offering of local restaurants, shops, and other attractions, Michelle Heurung's story i...