Innkeepers:Sallie & Welling Clark
1102 W. Pikes Peak Avenue
Colorado Springs, Colorado 80904
(719) 471-3980
(888) 565-3980
Fax: (719)471-4740
Email | Website
1. How long have you been in the B&B and/or hospitality business? 20 years-established in 1986
2. What is your favourite part of the job? Meeting and entertaining guests from all over the world.
3. What is your least favourite part of the job? Keeping an immaculate house all the time, but something that’s necessary to keep them coming back again and again.
4. What is your best marketing tip? Internet is crucial as is a printed brochure. Being responsive to media requests and constantly working to get your name out through the media and through local community networking.
5. Do you have a staff or do everything yourself? I have staff that helps me.
6. What type of marketing do you find most effective? Internet
7. Do you attend seminars? Buy B&B Guides? Yes to both
8. Which recipe do you always get rave reviews for? Chocolate covered peanut truffles
9. Do you work with other Innkeepers in your area or consider them competition? My husband and I founded the Bed & Breakfast Innkeepers of Colorado state association. We also work with other B&Bs in the area to refer guests when we’re full and vice versa. While they are somewhat competition, we work together to pool our marketing sources.
10. Tell us about your most memorable guest? Guests who adopted a cute little stray manx kitty after their three night stay. The temperatures were below freezing and they felt sorry that she didn’t have a home and was huddled in our window well. They named her Silver because she was gray and they were staying in the Silverton suite and took her home with them.
11. Do you have any horror stories from past guests? A foreign visitor who overflowed the sink in one of our bathrooms when he used the stopper and placed a beer can in the water to cool it off-then left the room while the water was still running. Needless to say, we found an excellent use for our large collection of old retired bath towels!
12. What do you think the biggest misconception is about staying at a B&B? That you won’t have a private bath. I would say that at least 95% of the industry has private baths these days, if not more.
13. What would you like to change about the industry? More understanding from guests about check-in time so it allows innkeepers to have some time to relax, finish chores and get the inn prepared for check-ins.
14. Do you have any time saving tips or marketing treasures that you would like to share? Provide refrigerators in the rooms so your guests don’t have to use your personal refrigerator to store their items. Give guests amenities such as coffee/tea/cookies available at anytime and consider afternoon wine and snacks (if your local authority permits a liquor license). Make sure your brand carries through in all of your marketing materials. Don’t just copy someone else’s slogan-find your own niche and name of inn. Don’t name it after yourself (in case you sell the property) because longevity of a name should be able to transfer to a new owner. Start your name with the beginning of the alphabet since most directories sort by A-Z.
15. What makes your B&B unique? The level of service and amenities. There are many B&Bs who offer similar decor, but it’s the personality that sets it aside. We also offer a breakfast en suite for an additional charge and most B&Bs do not allow that. Since we cater to romantic getaways, it’s definately a selling point.
Innkeepers: Darlene & Daniel Gonzales
85 Easy Street
Pagosa Springs, CO 81147
(970) 264-9166
Cell Phone: (661) 400-2893
Email | Website
1. How long have you been in the B&B and/or hospitality business? Our small 3-guest Suite establishement opened Dec 2005.
2. What is your favourite part of the job? Having Independence and running our B&B exactly the way we want to.
3. What is your least favourite part of the job? I Love my job. But if I have to answer, it would be, cleaning bathrooms.
4. What is your best marketing tip? Promoting on the web & staying in tune with other lodging facilities
5. Do you have a staff or do everything yourself? I do everything myself.
6. What type of marketing do you find most effective? Web
7. Do you attend seminars? Buy B&B Guides? No
8. Which recipe do you always get rave reviews for? Eggs benedict, Amaretto French Toast
9. Do you work with other Innkeepers in your area or consider them competition? All of the B&B’s in the area have their own market niche. No real competition.
10. Tell us about your most memorable guest? I enjoy the guests that express their joy and appreciation for all of the little details that we do to improve satisfaction.
11. Do you have any horror stories from past guests? Our B&B caters to the higher end adults that are looking for Luxury accomodations. Thus far, their hasn’t been any guests that we would turn away.
12. What do you think the biggest misconception is about staying at a B&B? That all B&B’s are alike. Some people prefer not to mingle. You don’t have to.
13. What would you like to change about the industry? Nothing.
14. Do you have any time saving tips or marketing treasures that you would like to share? No…….but I wouldn’t find receiving some tips.
15. What makes your B&B unique? I personalized each suite before guests arrive. We are the only B&B in town that hosts complimentary wine & appetizers to our guests. The comments I have heard from guests is that we have a noticeable interest in deal, we treat our guests like family and it makes them feel right at home.
