Letter from the President
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March is here and I’m late again with the InnStep. There are so many things I need to get done before the business buries us again this summer! Fortunately, WBBG is here to help with improvements to the website – we will drive more business to your site because of all the excellent work Dave Petro (Ravenscroft) is doing to add a mobile site and improve Search Engine Optimization for wbbg.com.
Deanne Fielding (Cameo Heights) and Julie McAferty (Greenlake Guest House) have planned a slate of Regional meetings which you can see below. There are at least five opportunities for you to get some insights into our business while enjoying the fellowship of other innkeepers.
Many members have been asking me about the WBBG stats that we send out each month. I know that these are confusing and that they are made more confusing for the inns that see more clicks than visits to their page on wbbg.com. It is an artifact of the autonomous software engines that troll the internet. Many call these devices bots – from robots. They are 100% virtual. There is no physical device clicking on a mouse, but these are as real as customers to our counting software. So, if the bots take a particular interest, they can click more times to your site than they actually have your short listing served. This results in a click through percentage over 100%. It generally won’t happen to the same inn more than one month in a row, but even that can happen. If you find yourself with numbers over 100%, it was the bots. Don’t get too happy about that high number, they never rent rooms. It is wiser to look at how your numbers run relative to the average, not the maximum.
One last reminder: Until the end of April, you can join the Washington Lodging Association at a special rate of $75 for the first year. WBBG is working with WLA to lobby the state government to treat AirBNB properties as B&B’s and to regulate and tax them equivalently. You can find the application on the Member resources tab of the Members only section of wbbg.com.
Bob Spencer
President, WBBG
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Join Our Spring Regional Meetings
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WBBG is going back on the road! Register today for one of the Regional Workshops in April. Join your fellow innkeepers for an afternoon of education, networking, and lunch. Hear a successful innkeeper share some of his tools and techniques for increasing revenue; get an update on your state B&B association; and spend time comparing notes with colleagues.
Feel free to bring a guest – perhaps an innkeeper who has not yet taken advantage of WBBG membership. Most meetings are free for members and available for a small fee for non-members.
 Questions? Contact the workshop organizer Deanne Fielding at fieldingmama@yahoo.com,or Julie McAferty,vpmembership@wbbg.com.You may also contact the hosting inn directly.
WBBG Spring Meeting Schedule
When: April 1, 12:30pm-2:30pm
Where: Orcas Hotel, Orcas Island (hosted by Sue and Carl Silvernail of Otter's Pond B&B)
Topic: "Your Ticket to Success: Four Pillars to Putting Heads in Beds"
Speaker: Alan Fielding, Cameo Heights Mansion
Register: https://orcasislandworkshopwbbg.eventbrite.com
When: April 14, 12:00pm-2:00pm
Where: Enchanted River Inn, Leavenworth
Topic: "Leveraging Your Strengths in the Shared Economy"
Speaker: Bob Spencer, Meritage Meadows Inn and Cinq Cellars, Redmond
Register: https://leavenworthworkshopwbbg.eventbrite.com
When: April 20, 12:00pm-2:00pm
Where: Sea Cliff Gardens Bed and Breakfast, Port Angeles
Topic: "Marketing to Generation X-The Future of the Bed and Breakfast Industry"
Speaker: Dave Petro, Ravenscroft Inn, Port Townsend
Register: https://portangelesworkshopwbbg.eventbrite.com
When: April 21, 12:00pm-2:00pm
Where: Inn at Mallard Cove, Olympia
Topic: "Leveraging Your Strengths in the Shared Economy"
Speaker: Bob Spencer, Meritage Meadows Inn and Cinq Cellars, Redmond
Register: https://olympiaworkshopwbbg.eventbrite.com
When: April 28, 12:00pm-2:00pm
Where: Inn at the Lake, Newport
Topic: "Your Ticket to Success: Four Pillars to Putting Heads in Beds"
Speaker: Alan Fielding, Cameo Heights Mansion, Touchet
Register: https://newportworkshopwbbg.eventbrite.com
About the Meetings...
"Leveraging Your Strengths in the Share Economy"
Like it or not, the share economy is real and it’s growing. And it’s way bigger than just AirBnB. It encompasses cars, dining, tools, pet care…you name it. Younger consumers – the ones innkeepers need to stay in business down the road – are driving it, but middle-aged consumers are getting on board too. Learn what exactly the share economy is, its implications for innkeepers, and how to leverage your strengths to participate successfully.
The featured speaker will be Bob Spencer. He and his wife Karen have owned and operated Meritage Meadows Inn in Redmond for the past five years. Bob also operates Cinq Cellars Winery on the same property. Prior to innkeeping, Bob was a serial entrepreneur, starting several companies – a few of which, he says, were successful. Bob also has served as the president of the WBBG for the past three and a half years and he hasn’t been impeached – yet. For this workshop, Bob will be channeling David Britt, the original author of the presentation.
"Marketing to Generation X - The Future of the Bed and Breakfast Industry"
Dave Petro will be the featured speaker. Dave recently said goodbye to a career in high technology to pursue his artistic passions by opening the Ravenscroft Inn in Port Townsend in 2013. The Inn quickly garnered acclaim for daring to be different in a Victorian town. Ravenscroft Inn incorporates design and hospitality cues influenced by first-class accommodations around the world, and is especially popular with Gen-X guests. Let Dave show you how he took his first innkeeping adventure to #1 on Trip Advisor in just seven weeks. Leave with tips on how to market to the new generation of bed and breakfast guests and how to get your inn on their “favorites” list.
"Your Ticket to Success: Four Pillars to Putting Heads in Beds" This presentation will focus on these four topics:
• Yield management through data tracking
• Social media as serious business
• The good news about guest reviews
• Impulse marketing
The presenter is Alan Fielding, innkeeper at the award-winning Cameo Heights Mansion. In 2005 Alan and his wife Deanne began converting a beautiful, if unfinished, family residence into a bed and breakfast. Though they had never stayed in a B&B, Deanne’s research led them to conceptualize a luxury destination quite remote from any large population center. Cameo Heights Mansion opened in October 2007 with one room while construction continued throughout the rest of the mansion. Since then, occupancy has grown from 34% to 71% and revenue increases an average 22% per year. Cameo Heights received national and international recognition as one of a Top Ten Romantic Places in the World award from Bedandbreakfast.com. Alan and Deanne have learned a lot from
their experiences and Alan will share some of the ideas that they feel drive their success.
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Still Time to Host the Red Chair
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The Red Chair is coming to WA as we announced in last month’s InnStep Newsletter. There is still time for you to play host of this famous and photogenic little chair. We have 10 member Inn’s interested in participation so far. I would love to have at least twice that many involved.
he Red Chair’s Travels create a great marketing opportunity for WBBG members. Imagine your Inn, your region and the beauty of Washington highlighted on a national media stage. We will try to select multiple member inns from each of our WBBG regions. Let your imagination run wild and have fun with this little red chair!
We need more Inn’s from all WBBG regions, especially the North Cascades and Eastern WA. If you are willing to post your Red Chair visit on social media and get the story out in the local press we would love to feature your Inn in the Red Chair Travels.
Contact Dave Petro, VP of Marketing for WBBG to participate
Read about the Red Chair on Facebook. "Like" them to see updates on the Red Chair Travels!
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Walla Walla Here We Come
WBBG Annual Meeting November 2-3, 2015
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Before the summer rush overwhelms your calendar, save the dates of November 2 and 3, 2015 for the  WBBG Annual Meeting and Conference in Walla Walla.
The conference always promises workshops on topics that innkeepers need to hear about, as well as tips that help us manage our businesses and make money. The annual meeting is an informative and truly necessary event that keeps you abreast of -- and asks that you have a say in -- your state association's activities. These two reasons should make any professional innkeeper want to attend. But there's a third reason: WALLA WALLA!
Give yourself a break and spend a few days in Washington wine country. Whether you imbibe or not, and whether you live near or far, why not say goodbye to a busy summer season in style at the Marcus Whitman Hotel, sharing ideas and stories with colleagues from around the state? We've got a great deal on room rates: $109 per night plus tax for a king room; $119 for a double queen; $139 for an executive
tower king.
The planning committee is finalizing the program now; stay tuned for more details right here each month, and continue to check out WBBG.com
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It is time to bid a fond farewell to a long time member, Chambered Nautilus in Seattle. After a number of very successful years managing this popular 10 room inn located in the University District, Joyce Schulte has chosen to close up and move on to other endeavors. As a long time innkeeper she was an active member of PAII and part of 8 Broads in the Kitchen, a group of innkeepers who shared their expertise in the kitchen in a fun and informative way. Joyce, from all of us, you will be missed. Thank you for your many contributions to innkeeping.
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Congratulations to Sleeping Bulldog B&B, Seattle. They were listed as one of the Top 25 Bed and Breakfasts in the US by TripAdvisor. Great job Korby, Randal, Mojo and Monti.
Next, Cameo Heights Mansion and The Vine were one of only two properties added to the prestigious Four Diamond List for AAA. The Vine was the only restaurant added in Washington this year. Congratulations to Alan and Deanne.
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Welcome Our Newest Member
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Please welcome our newest member, The George Washington Inn. Located on a bluff,
overlooking the Strait of Juan de Fuca, this elegant inn is a replica of Mount Vernon, the home of Martha and George Washington. Learn more here.
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Visit the WBBG Member Forum, our private group on Facebook. The Member Forum is a great place to ask questions and get support from other members. If you want to be a participate and did not receive your invitation, please contact Jill Britt at qa@wbbg.com, or Julie McAferty at vpmembership@wbbg.com.
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Support our Associate Members
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Bed Voyage
Eco-luxury bamboo bedding
Sharon Stuart and Val Thorkildsen
sharon@bedvoyage.com
425-949-8216
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Heart N Soul Innsitting
Interim Innkeeping
gizlar3@w-link.net
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February Issue
