From the desk of Editor
Mary Hughes
Mary Hughes
Editor-in-Chief,
the true meaning of innkeeping
2016 marked 20 years of me writing about this industry of innkeeping. Writing about it, living and breathing it have been amazing! I’ve logged over 600 B&B /inn/lodge/resort visits and i'm still excited about the next one.
Every property is different and so are the owners, their personalities, and the way they have set up their property and of course the food.
The travelling public should never get tired of inn travel as I’m told there are approximately 20,000 in the USA and about 5,000 up north here in Canada.
Wow! That says a lot! This industry offers so much and of course the diversity is awesome. The common threads I find are what you the innkeepers offer guests. Mainly innkeepers want a guests stay to be fantastic, as you are all are genuinely hospitable people. They want folks to be comfortable, and see that they have what they need. Innkeepers act like a concierge and give suggestions for dinner, and sightseeing tips the list goes on….. But it’s this time of year the, HOLIDAYS that you innkeepers really come to life. For many destinations it’s a slower time of year but never mind, you decorate to the hilt and go all out with the holiday cheer. For those travellers who choose to go to a B&B/inn for the holidays it is a different Christmas for many reasons but an innkeeper is used to giving up their personal space and plans to ensure others are taken care of and to make their Christmas memorable. So to those of you that stay open, my hat is off to all of you who have always put others first and care about their needs to make their Christmas memorable.
Yes cold turkey and a half eaten plate is the norm on December 25th I am sure. For many of you get interrupted as someone needs something or a staff calls with a question but you get up and get it and hopefully remember where your seat at the table was.
It’s you I will be raising my glass and toasting among a few others, cheers and THANKS for making everyone else’s season bright!