My Life as a Maine Innkeeper: We Have the Top Three!

Wednesday, February 8, 2012

We Have the Top Three!

During these quiet months I get some time to catch up on my sleeping and reading and I recently looked at Trip Advisors' survey on U.S. lodging trends. The survey found that the top three amenities that travelers look for are (1) WiFi access (2) Breakfast included with the booking and (3) Guest loyalty points. Here at the Benjamin F. Packard House we offer all three! WiFi is available throughout the property and is free of charge. Breakfast is, of course, included as we are a bed and breakfast and we also offer complimentary afternoon tea. Our breakfast also go above and beyond the standard fare at the chain hotel buffet with homemade pasteries and breads, made to order entrees that are not cooked until you come downstairs at the time you have chosen and request for special dietary needs honored and accomodated without fuss. For the Guest Loyalty Points - we don't give you a card to punch or require a certain amount of stays, we make it easy and always offer our returning guests 10% off their room rate. Just let us know you previously stayed with us and we will adjust your bill accordingly. It is always nice to know that what we offer is what travelers are looking for and I am sure in the next survey that a great greeting from a handsome Italian sheepdog will be the top trend that guests are looking for in their lodging choice!

No comments:

Post a Comment

Our Journey to Bath

Before Amy and Mark ever even thought about making me a part of their family, they were thinking about being innkeepers. About a year and a half after they adopted me, they left me in Erie, PA and took a trip to explore possible towns in New England to open their new business. While I patiently waited at home with a dog sitter, they journeyed to Bath ME, their first stop on the trip. It was December of 2004 so it was cold and raining in Maine but they fell in love with the town and the people they met. Driving to the next town in New Hampshire in a snow storm, they knew in their hearts that Bath was going to be our new home. They went ahead and looked at the other places as planned, but Bath was it. In February of 2005, they left me once again to look at a house on the market in Bath. It had been a B&B but had gone to a private home for the past couple years. Well, lucky us, they loved the house and put in a bid. It was so exciting when the realtor called us in Erie to say the Benjamin F. Packard House was ours! Things started moving quickly then. Packing up the house in Erie, making long distance arrangements for licenses, sprinkler systems and all the things that go with opening a new business. On May 14th, they packed the car and this time took me along too. We closed on the house on May 16th and in six hectic weeks, opened the new Benjamin F. Packard House B&B! My life as a bed and breakfast dog had begun.