The Real Estate Hospitality Hybrid
The Art of Innkeeping
The belief that the tradition of hospitality should be carried out by those willing to share their personal style with others.
It’s about welcoming guests into your beautifully decorated and well cared for property. It’s about the art of providing, caretaking, entertainment, concierge and inviting others to share your passions during their short stay. Innkeeping entails cooking, entertaining, marketing, concierge, etc. and involve the personal innkeeper’s passions. But most importantly, it involves providing for each guest individually. Not all guests need or want the same from the innkeeper. Paying attention to guests’ needs and putting them before yours as the innkeeper is imperative to an inn’s success. And a hired innkeeper can have all of the passion for the hospitality business that an inn owner may have and are just as important to an inn’s success.
Although the job of innkeeping is hard work, it’s easy on the mind and your days are filled with numerous pleasantries, gratification and appreciation of your efforts to make your guests feel welcomed.
Whether you’re looking to purchase an inn, bed and breakfast, boutique motel or hotel, pride of the innkeeping tradition remains.
A Home Based Business
Innkeeping is about providing a home away from home for your guests. And although you may live there, it is their home when they are staying with you and conveying this message is paramount. You’ve created a warm and welcoming atmosphere for them. When your attention to detail shows, your guests feel it.
Not all inns are homes. Many are boutique inns, hotels and motels and are just as welcoming.
A Lifestyle
The atmosphere you create for your guests has to start from within. You share your lifestyle with your guests. Your love of the area and love of what you are doing enable your guests to unwind. You get away for a hike or a walk when time permits. You try a new restaurant in town when all guests have checked in for the day. If you have staff, you are able to get away more frequently. Your experiences help guide your guests. They are on vacation to get away from the stress of their everyday lives and are seeking guidance and relaxation. Your act of being a provider while hosting their stay makes your guests happy and in turn is very gratifying to you as an innkeeper; what goes around comes around.
An Investment
The investment aspect of your home is very important. It will either follow the real estate market or it will hold its own based on the business value you create. Sometimes the business value of your property will exceed the residential value which may not necessarily be affected by the volatility of the real estate market. Other times your business has not yet reached its potential and may be valued more for its residential value. And most often there are hybrid situations. There are many factors to give serious consideration to when looking to purchase a lodging property as an investment. Regardless of your expectations return on investment, you hope to grow the business to make a profit in the future. And it can be done, you just have to select the property carefully based on your financial and personal needs.
A Job
An innkeeper’s job is comprised of many different things: host, concierge, planner, coordinator, chef, cook, baker, dishwasher, bookkeeper, marketer, housekeeper, tourism and maintenance guru. And let’s not forget the imperative people-reader. It’s all busy work, more work for the body, less work for the mind.
There’s no desk full of endless unresolved issues; each day is finite. Of course you will experience an occasional blip, but not on a regular basis. It’s much easier to enjoy each day when you experience less mental stress. And everything you are doing is being appreciated by your guests. The percentage of jobs dealing with happy people on vacation is probably a very small number. Innkeeping is full of smiles.
Whether you’re looking for a traditional bed and breakfast inn, full service inn with food service or a full restaurant, a boutique hotel, motel or housekeeping cottages, I know the industry and I know Maine hospitality properties.
I’d love to help you find what’s right for you.
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I have a passion for the Hospitality and Tourism Industry and I hope it shows…
