What's new for 2015?
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Morticia
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We've changed our deposit policy to save money on cc processing fees.
I AM going to organize the recipes to avoid the constant annoying conversation about what's for breakfast.
New recipes coming up.
A new plan to post more on the website than on Facebook. A mini blog if you will.
Still trying to come up with a plan to keep myself sane and on track when the season starts back up.
We're keeping one thing that worked - the innkeepers get a real vacation.
I AM going to organize the recipes to avoid the constant annoying conversation about what's for breakfast.
New recipes coming up.
A new plan to post more on the website than on Facebook. A mini blog if you will.
Still trying to come up with a plan to keep myself sane and on track when the season starts back up.
We're keeping one thing that worked - the innkeepers get a real vacation.
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I have the king bed in "best room" and queens in both of the others. I have raised my rates a tad and posted the 3rd night special price for 2015 ($40 + tax). I am stocking a variety of k-cups (just a few reg coffee & cappuccino) for any coffee after breakfast. Nothing too drastic.
Have dropped the Wedding mag and the horse mag with ads. Leaning to the motorcycles this year. Keeping the online listings for the horses.
Have dropped the Wedding mag and the horse mag with ads. Leaning to the motorcycles this year. Keeping the online listings for the horses.
Arks
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Planning to make some new photos. Every time I look at my website, I see things that have changed since the photos were made. I just needed a nudge to get on the stick and make some new ones.
But will wait for spring or summer to make new outdoor shots.Right now it's pretty depressing outdoors!
But will wait for spring or summer to make new outdoor shots.Right now it's pretty depressing outdoors!
happykeeper
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Changed to a more restrictive cancellation policy. Currently being implemented.
Raised the age limit to 12. Currently being implemented.
Raised the rates and dinner prices. Currently being implemented.
Will hire a temporary innkeeper for the first time. Someone we know and trust. Is already agreed to. Implement later this year.
OH.. The Five Year Plan is on the new website. Love that we put that out to the world. Big step.
Reduced the number guests that can sleep in two of our rooms.
We will be back into the wedding market and will enter into the event market.
Raised the age limit to 12. Currently being implemented.
Raised the rates and dinner prices. Currently being implemented.
Will hire a temporary innkeeper for the first time. Someone we know and trust. Is already agreed to. Implement later this year.
OH.. The Five Year Plan is on the new website. Love that we put that out to the world. Big step.
Reduced the number guests that can sleep in two of our rooms.
We will be back into the wedding market and will enter into the event market.
Enter the wedding market.
Change out the double bed suite upstairs to a king bed suite.
Add weekday hummingbird specials when the migration hits in August and September.
Build a pier on the pond.
Now to inform Mac about the last one! LOL!
Change out the double bed suite upstairs to a king bed suite.
Add weekday hummingbird specials when the migration hits in August and September.
Build a pier on the pond.
Now to inform Mac about the last one! LOL!
TheBeachHouse
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Added a group policy.
Lowered the rates on two rooms that sold slowly last year and raised the rates on our two 'cheap' rooms that booked constantly last year.
Switched the bo oking dot com rooms to the slower movers.
Updating room pictures on bo oking and our web site.
Added a microwave in the common dining area. Had planned to add a small refrigerator, but decided against it.
Upgraded all the TVs. (and they look awesome!)
Lowered the rates on two rooms that sold slowly last year and raised the rates on our two 'cheap' rooms that booked constantly last year.
Switched the bo oking dot com rooms to the slower movers.
Updating room pictures on bo oking and our web site.
Added a microwave in the common dining area. Had planned to add a small refrigerator, but decided against it.
Upgraded all the TVs. (and they look awesome!)
Joey Camb
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do you want a list?
(1) Was sell rental house - did this in 5 days! could not believe it
(2) buy next door property - in the works, mortgage people come out monday to hopefully tie up final details! wish me luck
(3) do massive refurb on next door and start letting bedrooms
(4) finish the extension on the back here - should be 2 weeks to go.
(5) try and keep my sanity?
(1) Was sell rental house - did this in 5 days! could not believe it
(2) buy next door property - in the works, mortgage people come out monday to hopefully tie up final details! wish me luck
(3) do massive refurb on next door and start letting bedrooms
(4) finish the extension on the back here - should be 2 weeks to go.
(5) try and keep my sanity?
Last year in mid-August we had a rare leucistic (partially albino) hummingbird show up at the beginning of their migration. A couple of pictures of it are at http://beautyofbirds.com/albinohummingbirdstexas.html. We're hoping she shows up again. We get upwards to 200 hummingbirds at a time in our front and back yards. They've brought us a couple of booking - after the migration was over. But migration coincided with the start of football season last year, our busiest time, so we weren't looking for more bookings. Just trying to handle what we had. This year football for us will start later, which is why I thought of the special.
By the way, down here in Texas we're advised to keep our feeders out year around for those hummers unable to make the trip. Haven't seen any of those guys though.
I think our wild deer herd brings us more free publicity than the hummers. You can see photos of both on our FB page, https://www.facebook.com/countrystarbedandbreakfast?ref=hl.
Thanks for your interest.
2cat_lady
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Tweaked the rates a bit to reflect room sizes.
Change up some pictures to show off the locale and the views. Got the .jpeg labels off MOST of the pictures. Still need to nudge our webpage designer to raise the bar on the page.
I like the mini blog idea. I don't know if I can put in the effort to do a full blown one like some of you do but I try and Facebook and Twitter regularly.
Change up some pictures to show off the locale and the views. Got the .jpeg labels off MOST of the pictures. Still need to nudge our webpage designer to raise the bar on the page.
I like the mini blog idea. I don't know if I can put in the effort to do a full blown one like some of you do but I try and Facebook and Twitter regularly.
Madeleine
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Good marketing on the price changes!
Add the fridge. If you don't have a fridge for guests to use, add the fridge. Get one with a freezer so you can have ice. Add the fridge. Seriously. Add the fridge. It's probably the most important appliance we have in the guest common space, other than a corkscrew. Gets used everyday, unlike the microwave.
TheBeachHouse
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I should have mentioned - each room has a refrigerator - most of them are new. I wanted one in the common room just for coffee cream. Decided it wouldn't fit.Madeleine said:
And there is a corkscrew in every room too!
happykeeper
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I just loved your list! Why? Because it doesn't take much to keep your finger on your marketing and patterns and this is proof that just a few tweaks can make all the difference. We are heading into a year where we may be following a similar pattern of adjustment after a big year of upgrades, redesign, and repositioning. I hope aspiring innkeepers see your list.
Mac and You
I love "Angel" what an incredible photo!
This is what I speak of, even though it may not bring guests at that particular time, you will have people who love that sort of thing who want to go and may come in the off season even. I would. Someone may find it and add it to a book, photo or otherwise. (if they have not already)
We put the hummer feeders away as we don't want them to try to stick around.
Okay now I need to ask you a qwekshun Mac and You... I only now liked your FB page because I never saw it on your website, no link to it. You have so much going on via amazing photos on FB.
Do you know the best way to tie it all in together and allow you space to share all those photos with your url and B&B name (that google will find)? BLOG.
I didn't see one, if you don't have one, I implore you... you are on the cusp of it, you just don't know it yet.
I would LOVE to see all those photos. Heck you could do a photo blog only, with a link to your place. You won't even have to type anything other than that! Whatdya say Mac and You?
I love "Angel" what an incredible photo!
This is what I speak of, even though it may not bring guests at that particular time, you will have people who love that sort of thing who want to go and may come in the off season even. I would. Someone may find it and add it to a book, photo or otherwise. (if they have not already)
We put the hummer feeders away as we don't want them to try to stick around.
Okay now I need to ask you a qwekshun Mac and You... I only now liked your FB page because I never saw it on your website, no link to it. You have so much going on via amazing photos on FB.
Do you know the best way to tie it all in together and allow you space to share all those photos with your url and B&B name (that google will find)? BLOG.
I didn't see one, if you don't have one, I implore you... you are on the cusp of it, you just don't know it yet.
I would LOVE to see all those photos. Heck you could do a photo blog only, with a link to your place. You won't even have to type anything other than that! Whatdya say Mac and You?
I know you're right yet I resist.
I have/had a blog: http://thetexaswoman.blogspot.com/. Haven't worked it in a couple of years and followers have fallen off. It sort of turned into a cancer blog and although cancer victims told me it was inspiring and helpful, it got to be depressing to me, a chore, an obligation. A constant reminder of my disease. And then my sister died of cancer. Thud! That was the bottom dropping out of my blogging life!
But a photo blog for the B&B is a horse of a different color! Have any sample photo blogs up your sleeve?
P.S. http://thetexaswoman.blogspot.com/2009/09/photo-album-of-chemo-cut.html This post still gets me emails. Think I need another Mohawk haircut!
Love those!
All of them, even the mohawk!
Socks don't mate for life, that is so cool
I instinctively knew you were a blogger, I knew that about you. You had to be. Your creative output.
There is another decorating afficionado who began as an innkeeper and went far...speaking of pinterest and such.
His name was Michael, he began here with us and then was whisked away by the crafting and home decorating kings... let me find his blog. Oh here is an older article in the Huffpost about him, before he closed his B&B and took up the other full time.
FOUR MILLION followers on Pinterest
Here is Michael's blog
This is our 10th year and it's gonna be a biggie, with lots of changes (and probably lots of stress):
1. Build our own house next to the B&B and move in later this year - all plans in the works now.
2. Turn our bedroom here into the ultimate guest room which will include breakfast delivered to the room, jacuzzi tub looking at mountains, cool wall mounted fireplace & his/her bathrooms (yep, 2 bathrooms)
3. New responsive website which of course will require new photos from Jumping Rocks
4. Updates to patio area with new umbrellas for two best rooms and a flower dividing wall to give each more privacy
5. If we're not dead by end of year, hubby is going to build a star gazing deck in the woods
I think that's enough for two years so I'm stopping there!
1. Build our own house next to the B&B and move in later this year - all plans in the works now.
2. Turn our bedroom here into the ultimate guest room which will include breakfast delivered to the room, jacuzzi tub looking at mountains, cool wall mounted fireplace & his/her bathrooms (yep, 2 bathrooms)
3. New responsive website which of course will require new photos from Jumping Rocks
4. Updates to patio area with new umbrellas for two best rooms and a flower dividing wall to give each more privacy
5. If we're not dead by end of year, hubby is going to build a star gazing deck in the woods
I think that's enough for two years so I'm stopping there!
