Hospitality Industry 101: How to Efficiently Become an Innkeeping Professional

It’s the start of a new year. It often marks a time where people wonder if they should make changes in their life including their career. Are you already working in the hospitality industry or have you thought about joining it? While becoming an innkeeper can be challenging, this blog will help make your preparations easier if joining the hospitality industry is something you are interested in pursuing. Whether you want to break into the hospitality industry or if you are already in the industry, this blog recommend some start-up items that will get you started and keep you going in the hospitality industry. There is a wide range of products that will be needed to satisfy your guests. This can include food and beverages, entertainment, and linens such as bedding, towels, and napkins.Continue reading →

5 Important Tips to Prepare Your Bed and Breakfast for Holiday Guests

We all know Thanksgiving is a busy travel time, but this year’s Thanksgiving might be the busiest ever. As a result, it could get busy at your bed and breakfast. The federal Transportation Security Administration says it expects to screen nearly 3 million people a day in the stretch between November 16 and November 25. That’s to say nothing of all the people who will travel by car this holiday. It might be a stressful few weeks, but it’s also an ideal time to impress your guests and keep them coming back.Continue reading →

10 Useful Hotel Amenities for Property Guests

The next time you’re visiting New York, check into the Ty Warner Penthouse at the Four Seasons Hotel.

Guests in this suite can enjoy a 360-degree view of the Manhattan skyline, and sleep in a king-sized bed that features a 22-karat gold bedspread.

The tradeoff to all of this luxury is a high cost. Although, most guests do not need this much luxury to have an enjoyable stay at your property and are just looking to make a great memory with reasonable accommodations.Continue reading →

Which Offers More Comfort: A Hotel, B&B or a Vacation Rental?

When the first economy hotels opened years ago, they catered to people whose top priority was price not comfort.

Their clientele were families on a budget, or business travelers moving from town to town and needing little more than a clean bed and bath.

But as time went on, these hotels began to upgrade. They provided free breakfast, bought better bath towels and duvets and – when the time came – began offering free WiFi. That’s why today’s traveler is expecting more, and often getting more for their money.

And it’s not just hotels. InnStyle has been advising their bed and breakfast customers for years that they must step up their game to compete.

B&B and country inn properties have always offered amenities, clean and well-put-together rooms, terrific breakfasts, and concierge services. (Innkeepers are very knowledgeable about their towns).

But as time has passed, hotels have also begun to offer breakfast and some amenities. (Although InnStyle has noticed this doesn’t always extend to bath amenities other then soap & shampoo, unless you ask for them specifically).

So if hotels are offering some of the same comfort amenities as bed and breakfasts, what’s the difference between a hotel and a B&B?

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How to Make the Perfect Hospitality Bed

Whether you’re running a three-room bed and breakfast from your quaint seaside cottage or a bustling 50-room boutique hotel in a trendy urban locale, making the perfect bed is one of your most important tasks.

Large hotels understand the importance most travelers place on getting a good night’s rest in a comfortable and luxurious bed, so much so that hotel chains have spent millions of dollars in recent years in what industry insiders have dubbed “the bed wars”.

Thanks to research conducted by large hotel chains, we know that, in general, guests tend to associate white bedding with comfort, luxury, and calm. Do remember, though, that such a simple color palette need not be boring. You can really let your creativity shine by layering and mixing textures and accessorizing with tasteful pops of color.

Here, we’ll show you not only how to protect one of your most important investments, your mattresses, but also how to make your hospitality bed in a manner that will be most appealing to your guests.

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Join InnStyle and Sealy Mattress Company at the PAII Innkeeping Conference & Trade Show

With the new year just around the corner, are you ready to start it off on a high note?

All of us here at InnStyle are busy preparing to attend the PAII Innkeeping Conference & Trade Show, which will be held at the Hilton Riverside Hotel in New Orleans, La., from January 5 – 8, 2015.

So, Why Should You Attend this Conference?

Not only does the conference showcase current industry trends and best practices — it also gives you the opportunity to build new relationships with vendors and other innkeepers alike. Come join us in the Big Easy for special events, mixers, and a wide breadth of educational sessions from aspiring to master innkeepers.

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Protect Your Mattresses Using Encasements and Luggage Racks

All this month, InnStyle is having a sale on both Sealy and Stearns & Foster mattresses. The mattresses we offer from these well-known manufacturers of hospitality mattresses are of the very highest quality.

I mention this as our prices on these mattresses are always excellent … and with the November sale, they’re even better!

When selling a mattress, we always recommend purchasing mattress and box spring encasements (preferably with protection against bed-bugs).

Along with the encasements — which should be zippered and should fully encase your mattress and box spring — we advise our customers to protect their mattresses by purchasing and using luggage racks in each guest room.

Placing luggage racks in each guest room is important for any number of reasons. For starters, they protect your mattress, bedspread, coverlet or duvet against regular wear and tear. They also protect the bed itself from any dirt, grease or bedbugs that guests may have unknowingly picked up during their travels.

We offer an especially wide range of different luggage rack styles on our website.

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Which Amenities are Most Important?

We have been asked by many Innkeepers which amenities are most important to have available for their guests.

Below is a list of basic items which most guests would expect to have in their guest room.

Soap at the sink and in the shower
Shampoo
Conditioner
Body Wash (optional) some people prefer to soap
Hair Dryer
Robes
Slippers
WiFi availability (free is preferred-if not in room-available in a common area)

Continue reading →

InnStyle Representative to Attend 2013 Innkeeping Leadership Week

The Professional Association of Innkeepers International (PAII), the group dedicated to the education, information, networking, advocacy, business opportunities and research relating to the innkeeping industry, will be hosting “Innkeeping Leadership Week” on
April 15 – 18, 2013, in Charleston, South Carolina.

PAII provides continuing education programs in many formats, the largest being the annual Innkeeping Conference & Tradeshow, where experienced innkeepers are challenged and new innkeepers brought up to speed at events featuring dozens of workshops, nationally known experts, and the industry’s largest trade show.

But learning extends far beyond the annual conference and include such opportunities as interactive Webinars; weekly and monthly e-newsletters; Innkeeping Quarterly (IQ) (the industry’s only magazine exclusively serving the needs of the professional innkeeping community); and a variety of areas on the Website (http://www.innkeeping.org/), most notably the Online Forums, which bring an invaluable interactive exchange that benefits both posters and readers alike.

2013 Innkeeping Leadership Week is another of the many and varied learning opportunities for innkeepers. The agenda of this event includes:

Monday, April 15th: 9:00am – 5:00pm – Key Leaders Retreat and Innkeeping Leadership Banquet – “Getting B&B Associations on the Right Track” – Workshop Facilitated by Bob Harris, 6:00pm – 7:00pm – Cocktail Hour, 7:00pm – 8:30pm - Innkeeping Leadership Banquet.
Tuesday April 16th: 9:00am – 5:00pm – Advisory Council Meeting (includes PAII board members), 6:30pm – Advisory Council and PAII Board Dinner
Wednesday April 17th: 9:00am – 12:00 pm – Advisory Council Meeting, 12:00pm – 5:00pm – PAII Board of Directors Meeting, 7:00pm+ – PAII Board Dinner
Thursday April 18th: 9:00am – 12:00pm - PAII Board of Directors Meeting

For information or to register visit http://www.innkeeping.org/event/leaders or contact Michele McVay at Michele@paii.org.

As part of the Advisory Council, InnStyle will be attending this event. InnStyle has been the source for innkeeper supplies and linens at wholesale pricing since 1952. Offering a wide variety of inn supplies including sheets, towels, blankets and much more.

Contact InnStyle for your fine linens and Personal Service at Wholesale Pricing. Or call 1-800-877-INNS (4667).