Hospitality and Tea - Blog

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

12/26/2017

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
Wishing you all joy as you celebrate the birth of Christ and the coming new year!

I will start off the New Year attending the annual Professional Association of Innkeepers International Conference.in Orlando, Florida. If you are an Innkeeper or are considering becoming one, this is the place to be! I hope to see you there!

Until next time...

St Francis Cottage

10/24/2017

Allow me to introduce you to a brand new Chattanooga, Tennessee area Bed and Breakfast that I toured last week!

St Francis Cottage

Wallace and Nancy Braud, like many innkeepers, dreamed of their bed and breakfast many years before seeing it come to fruition. Construction of St Francis Cottage began in 2016 with great care taken to preserve the 75-100 year old trees while meeting guest needs for accessibility, tranquility and peace.

The spacious back porch is a restful place where you can relax with a book or cup of tea while nature calls out to you from under the trees. Breakfast choices can be served to you at individual tables in the dining area or on the back porch. Don't worry. Alice the goat will be tethered during meal times so she won't try to enjoy your breakfast with you! :)

Speaking of animals, a spacious, pet-friendly room has been provided with it's own outside entrance for those of you who must travel with Rover or Garfield. The outside entrance assists in keeping the house common areas free of pet hair for those who may have allergies.

The Innkeepers have taken special care in providing a ramp from the front parking lot and level flooring to the beautiful first-floor guest rooms for those who may have accessibility issues.

So, next time you are traveling down I-75 and your wife wants to stay near the mall, forget the chain hotels. Call Wallace and Nancy. You can rest your feet on the porch or take a slow walk around the garden while she shops to her hearts content at Hamilton Place!

Until next time...

One of "Those" People

6/6/2017

"No White Flour. No Refined Sugar." said the Doctor.

Just like that, I became one of "those" people. You know, the ones who have special dietary needs and have to ask for special treatment. The ones who hold up the line and the waitress just a little bit longer asking questions about the food to make sure they can eat it. :)

I am happy I am becoming one ot "those" people at a time when it is easier and more accepted to ask for your food another way. Restaurants and Bed and Breakfast are more understanding and accomodating than they used to be. Last month, I had quite a few of "those" people. Some I knew about ahead of time. Some I did not know about until arrival.

As I was at an Inn that offered a sweet treat every day, it seemed like a good time to try out my new favorite Gluten-Free, No-added-Sugar cookie recipe on other Gluten Free people. I explained to each one that the only sweetness came from a bit of honey and some chopped dates. Both are natural, God-created sweetners.

Why did I explain, you ask? Because if the person is Gluten Free but they have not cut sugars back or out of their diet, they will likely waste my cookies. To me, that's not an option because those babies aren't cheap nor the ingredients easy to locate!

It was a blessing to see their faces excited about the cookies and even asking for the recipe! :)

Yum! Yum! All this talk is making me want to go pop a couple in the oven.

Until Next time....

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How to Prepare for an Interim Innkeeper

1/14/2017

January 2016 found me giving my first workshop presentation at the annual PAII (Professional Association of Innkeepers International) Conference. They liked it so well they asked me to do it again.

September 2016 found me giving my first webinar presentation. If you are interested in listening to "How to Prepare for an Interim Innkeeper." just click on the phrase and it will take you to the Youtube link.

Yes. Even without a visible, live audience, I talk with my hands. :) (Photo courtesy of my little sister.)

Until next time...

Polly Claire's Tea Parlor

1/13/2017

Over the Holidays, I was delighted to discover a new tea room in Chattanooga, Tennessee.

Polly Claire's Tea Parlor is located in the historic Dent House on Adamson Circle. It is simply elegant, sophisticated Southern Hospitality.

This year, I have gone from eating "anything I ever wanted to" to "Gluten-Free and No Sugar added". Polly Claire's Chef/Owner could not have been more helpful as she let me know which items on the tantalizing menu met my dietary restriction.

From the beautiful pots of Tea to the Lobster Bisque Soup, the meal and the quiet atmosphere were delightful! However, the experience would not be complete without a trip to the outside gift shop where her daughter can tell you you the story behind all the lovely Royal Albert china you will find there.

Until next time...

Red Velvet Pancakes

10/16/2015

New properties and new ways of doing things offer new opportunities to try new things out on new guests. Got that?

Sometimes, I carry around recipes that sound great but I never seem to have the right opportunity to try them. This Red Velvet Pancake Recipe is one of those. It turned out to be quite delicious topped with fresh Vanilla Whipping Cream! As I tripled the batter for breakfast, I was reminded of one of the many rules of cooking. When you multiply a recipe, not every ingredient should be multiplied evenly. It has something to do with chemistry and I was never very good at science. However, I can tell you that is why these pancakes look brown instead of red.

Until next time...

Making the Blog

9/3/2014

As you all know, it is not often that I get my picture taken while at a B&B...much less with breakfast and a guest! Chris and her husband have retired and are currently traveling throughout the states blogging as they go . We were blessed to have them stay with us in Montgomery for a taste of Alabama.

Their "taste" this particular morning was Scrambled Eggs & Spinach on Croissant with a Garlic Butter Cream Sauce & Asiago Cheese with a little tomato on top for a splash of color. The Garlic Butter Cream Sauce was a new recipe for me. It was a success! It set off the eggs to perfection!

Recipe: half a cup of heavy cream, 1 tsp of garlic & a pat of butter. Put all in a sauce pan on low and simmer until the rest of the food is ready. (~ 20 minutes) Stir occasionally to keep cream from burning. Strain the garlic and serve over the eggs. Top with Asiago Cheese.

Innkeeping for Book Lovers

6/14/2014

Being on-the-go as an Interim Innkeeper doesn't often leave time for reading. For those of you who find what I do interesting as well as love romantic fiction, would do well to add Debbie Macomber's Inn at Rose Harbor and Rose Harbor in Bloom to your summer reading list.

Jo Marie is new to the profession of Innkeeping and comes to it on a whim...which is often true of Innkeepers in real life. She encounters some of the challenges many Innkeepers face as they start in the business or, as in her case, take over an established business.

I look forward to seeing where Mrs. Macomber takes Jo Marie and the Inn from here.
Until next time...

Chattanooga Inn Scavenger Hunt

3/19/2014

Spring is in the air and downtown Chattanooga is beginning to see signs of life again. As the weather warms, everyone is itching to get out of doors. Come one. Come all. Bring your under 12's to Bluff View Inn and Bluff View Art District to participate in our annual Spring Scavenger hunt.

The kids will pick up a Scavenger Hunt Guide at Rembrandt's Coffee Shop. Then they will follow the directions to each building or area indicated. After answering the questions about history, art, architecture and culinary arts, they will return to Rembrandt's for a "Sweet Tasty Treat".

Make your plans now to come down town and enjoy Spring in the District!

What is required for Orientation of an Interim Innkeeper (Innsitter)?

2/28/2014

Plan to have an Interim Innkeeper at your property a minimum of 24 hours in advance for Orientation. Our goal is to run things as closely to the way you do as is humanly possible given that we are different people. To do that best, we need to see how you do things from the time the first light is turned on in the morning until the last light is turned off at night.

If you do not have a property manual, ask the Interim if they have one for you to complete to ensure they have as much information as they might need to run your property while you are away. Yes. You want the Interim to call you if they need to. But, you do not want them calling you over every little thing. The point in your leaving is for you to be AWAY! J

The Interim will need information about the property, maintenance issues, pass codes, pool care, housekeeping, food prep, etc. Some of these things will be hands-on teaching. Others can be covered by simply writing it down in a “manual”.

The Interim may charge less than their full daily rate for Orientation day. A return visit to the property should not require a second orientation unless you have majorly changed things.

Until next time...

Interim Innkeeper