Forgive me Blog Readers...

...for I have sinned. When I should have been updating last night, I confess: I was playing Donkey Kong.

I know, "For shame!" I should be tar and feathered, drawn and quartered, or worse, made to eat fresh gooseberries. But I believe I have a valuable gift that I want to give to you in exchange for your forgiveness.

You see, before becoming an innkeeper I fancied myself a pretty wise traveler. When Dan and I first vacationed to Massachusetts, we left NY with 6 pages of places to visit, food to eat, and events to attend. I had a page for each city, and each establishment was categorized and itemized to provide a name, description, address, phone number, and rating system. We were ready to attack anything those cities could throw at us!

Of course, I didn't come up with these lists telepathically. I had a bouquet of resources that I scoured for days in advance so that I could find easy to overlook events and local haunts. Very few places we hit were misses, and we experienced the true joy of a great vacation: five days feels like three months when you're having a great time.

And so, to make recompense for my sins against you I've decided to start a series of my favorite traveler's resources. Today's lesson is a quick one so that I'm not confining you to your chair, forcing you to read my words for another day and a half (I'm full of wind today!). So, without further adieu:

Brande's Favorite Traveler's Resource #1:
-GOOG 411-

When I first got my cell phone I hated that it cost $1.25 to use 411. I mean really. It's an automated service. Is such a steep charge really necessary?? Then one day, I discovered this incredibly useful marvel of Google engineering. Let's say you're in Lenox, Ma and you're dying for a good cup of coffee.

Here's what you do:
-Dial 1-800-466-4411 (1-800-GOOG-411).
-An automated voice will ask you for the business** and city and state that you're inquiring about. Say "coffee, Lenox Massachusetts"
-The voice will speak back to you what it heard (which is occasionally something hilarious like, "hair cut, Hartford, Connecticut". If it's wrong say, "Go back" and this time say just the City and State.
(Personal Tip: I usually just say the City and State at the beginning and it tends to work better that way. If you do this, you'll be prompted to say the business afterwards.)

After this point, GOOG 411 is so easy that I will make it seem terribly complicated if I further explain. In short, just follow the prompts to either be connected to your destination. Or you can say the number of the listing (i.e. "Number 1") and then say "text message" to automatically receive a test message with the name, phone, number, and address of the business.

And it's FREE! How great is that?

But it gets better.
If you're a traveler, presumably, you're unfamiliar with the Village of Lenox. So when you choose "Lenox Coffee" on "52 Main St" you probably don't know how to get there. Google comes to the rescue again!

..But you'll have to wait until my next installment of Traveler's Resources to find out how.

Until then have fun GOOG-ing!
~Brande N.


**If you know the name of the specific business you're looking for, you can say that instead of a category. For example, saying "Fin Sushi, Lenox Massachusetts" is just as effective if not more effective than "Sushi, Lenox Massachusetts" Also, if you'd like to watch a handy-dandy video of how to operate GOOG 411, click here.

A Secret, Shhh!

This week revealed to me a secret that I only wish I had known before becoming an Innkeeper.

It’s not a secret that for nearly all Inns, the busy season is summer. The weather is beautiful; theatre, art, and music abound; swimming pools beckon; and all manner of outdoor fun is in its prime.

Winter is the ugly stepsister of Summer. No one wants to travel on icy, snowy roads; it’s cold outside; the kids have school; and influenza is lurking in the shadows, waiting for you to let down your guard and catch just the slightest chill so it can pounce on you like some vicious jungle cat and spend the next 4 weeks eating you alive (graphic, I know, but influenza is mean like that).

Reasons like that are why Dan and I spent the last 5 days with only one guest in house. The first three were spent with a nice young couple, and the next two with a couple of ladies enjoying a bit of time away from family and home. And while these folks may have had to brave the risk of vicious viruses and damp, chilly, yucky weather, they certainly didn’t have any issues with getting a reservation to any of the restaurants in town. Nor did they have to worry about any loud, boisterous guests in the room next door. There was no fear of having their TVs too loud or any guilt for parking in the best spots in our lot.

On top of that, being the only guest gives you the opportunity to ask for a personalized breakfast. Now, don’t get me wrong, we have an amazing breakfast to start with. But there’s something great about being able to say, “You know, I don’t really like granola and I’m just not feeling like an omelet today. Can you make me oatmeal instead?” And Dan and I can say, “Sure, why not?” because we’ve got time now to whip that up. With all 17 rooms filled, that’s quite a bit more difficult. It lets Dan and I get a bit creative and the guest gets to eat a breakfast that is exactly what they wanted.

Not to mention the fact that room rates are lowest during the winter. And if you can manage to avoid weekends and come on a weekday, they’re even lower.

I’ve learned now that every day comes with a handful of lessons. And every week comes with a car and several suitcases full of them. This week, the lesson is: when going on vacation, it’s worth the oatmeal to risk the influenza.


With Love,
~Brande N.