Welcome to Innkeeping 101!

If you are an innkeeper and would like to join the conversation, please consider subscribing to this blog.

Saturday, February 6, 2010

To Introduce Yourself, Comment On This Blog

Welcome to Innkeeping 101! We thought it would be good to exchange greetings and introductions, as if we were meeting for the first time over coffee. You can do this by using the Comment feature below this entry.
 
Tell us who you are, the name of your bed and breakfast, its size and where it's located, and anything else you'd like us to know. 

Signing up and commenting here at Innkeeping101 is another way of putting the URL for your Inn out there on the internet. This may help to raise your search engine results, helping guests find your inn easier.  Here's how you might do that:
  1. Subscribe to the blog and to the comments so you are allowed to participate. You may also join as a "Follower" although this is a separate step and not really required to make Comments.
  2. Underneath the article you will see the word "Comments." You need to click on that to open the Comments dialogue area, if it's not already visible.  
  3. Below the "Post a Comment" area beneath the articles, you will see a drop-down menu called "Comment as:" The ID you used to "sign in" to the blog will be the default Commenter. But if you choose the  "Name/URL" option, you can type in your B&B's name manually and then type in your inn's homepage URL. Then, when your Comment posts to the blog, your B&B's web page link will appear with your name, so that when people click on your B&B's name, they will be directed to your website.
  4. It may take a day or two to appear, as the blog moderator needs to approve subscribers and comments in order to spare us all from spammers.

Tuesday, February 2, 2010

Water Conservation

Our B&B network sponsored a forum on water conservation. The speaker was Robbin Pearce, a water conservation analyst and inspector for the city of Ashland, Oregon. She had many suggestions for water conservation for both homeowners and innkeepers. Among those are:
1. rainwater harvesting
2. regular audits by a water analyst
3. the use of aerators on faucets
4. low-flow toilets that feature both 1.2 and 1.6 gallon flushes
5. high-efficiency washing machines
6. on-demand hot water heating

These were the tips Ms. Pearce offered the innkeepers of Ashland. Have you tried any of these conservation solutions and did they work for you? What is your community doing to solve the water conservation problem? What can we as innkeepers do to conserve more water?
Please offer your suggestions below in the Comments form, or feel free to ask questions.