by Steve Short | Feb 6, 2019 | Frictionless Innkeeper Podcasts
For episode #10 of the Frictionless Innkeeper podcast series, we speak with Kenni Ball, the hired innkeeper for the Wallingford Victorian Inn in Wallingford, CT, who discusses her love for hospitality and what it’s like to be an outsourced innkeeper.
While we assume that all innkeepers own and operate their properties, there are B&Bs out there that rely on outsourced talent to manage the day-to-day work.
This is the case with the Wallingford Victorian Inn, which is a property that is taking advantage of a talented young professional who has a deep passion for hospitality and pleasing guests.
For the past two years, Kenni (who is currently 25 years-old) has managed the property for the owners, but she is not your run-of-the-mill employee. Since the age of 13, she has worked in the B&B arena, and officially became an innkeeper at the ripe old age of 19. She also did a brief stint at a larger hotel, but found the B&B lifestyle more suited to her personality and work style.
As a result, she enjoys interacting and helping Wallingford Victorian Inn guests to build great memories from their stays, and be the face of the property.
She also believes that her real world experience – as opposed to studying hospitality in a university setting – has allowed her to better advance her career. In terms of growth, she ultimately wants to own and operate her own B&B.
In this podcast, Kenni shares her innkeeper story:
- Kenni’s background and how she got into the hospitality arena. (:52)
- Why Kenni finds herself to be more suited for B&Bs, as opposed to larger hotel chains. (2:20)
- How she learned how to be an innkeeper through hands-on experience. (4:33)
- The challenges and opportunities she has as a 25-year-old innkeeper. (6:42)
- What drew Kenni to the Wallingford Victorian Inn and the dynamics of her day-to-day work. (8:42)
- Kenni’s longer-term goal of owning her own B&B. (13:20)
- Kenni’s suggestions for what innkeepers should look for when outsourcing talent like her. (18:22)
We would like to thank Kenni for sharing her innkeeper story. You can learn more about the Wallingford Victorian Inn by visiting their website.
by Steve Short | Dec 20, 2018 | Frictionless Innkeeper Podcasts
For Episode #8 of the Frictionless Innkeeper podcast series, we speak with Linda Smith, Owner and Operator of Rachael’s Dowry Bed & Breakfast in Baltimore, Maryland, who discusses her innkeeper story, important new legislation happening in Baltimore with regards to Airbnb, and her perspective on OTAs.
Innkeepers often come from diverse backgrounds and Linda Smith is a prime example of a professional who underwent the transformation to becoming an innkeeper, bringing with her a high level of business savvy. As a former telecommunications executive, her previous experience provides her with the skills to effectively market and manage her property, as well as to help influence legislation to positively impact her industry.
She has been involved with the recent legislation in Baltimore that requires hosts using short-term rental platforms to register with city authorities and pay the equivalent of a hotel tax on Airbnb-style stays.
Linda notes that the main goal of the legislation is to prevent investors from offering a large number of properties on Airbnb, HomeAway and other websites. As we highlighted in a former podcast interview, these types of home-stay offerings can damage communities – with South Haven, Michigan, being a prime example.
She also discusses the realities of using OTAs to bring new guests to her property while working toward getting return guests to book directly.
In this podcast, Linda shares her candid insights into Baltimore’s new legislation and how she uses OTAs to her best advantage:
- Linda’s background and how she came to be an innkeeper. (1:00)
- Details about the Rachael’s Dowry Bed & Breakfast property. (3:00)
- Linda’s involvement and perspective on the new Airbnb legislation in Baltimore. (9:53)
- How the legislation compares to the way that other cities have dealt with investor-driven short-term stay issues. (14:23)
- The impact of Airbnb on innkeepers like Linda. (18:06)
- How Linda utilizes OTAs for driving new bookings. (27:01)
- Linda’s post-stay marketing and relationship-building efforts to enhance guest loyalty. (30:24)
We would like to thank Linda for sharing her story about the new legislation in Baltimore regarding Airbnb and her insights into using OTAs. You can learn more about Rachael’s Dowry Bed & Breakfast by visiting her website.
