Innkeepers: Doug and Lucille Olver
Tel: (780) 865-3497
180 McArdell Drive
Hinton, AB T7V 1Z2
Email | Website
1. How long have you been in the B&B and/or hospitality business?
We started our business in the spring of 2006
2. What is your favourite part of the job?
Meeting our guests. We enjoy meeting people from all over the world.
3. What is your least favourite part of the job?
So far we have been enjoying every aspect of running a bed and breakfast.
4. What is your best marketing tip?
We have always gotten comments on how clean our Bed & Breakfast is and what hospitable hosts we are. I think those are the most important things if you want to build a clientele.
5. Do you have a staff or do everything yourself?
We do everything ourselves
6. What type of marketing do you find most effective?
Our Web site
7. Do you attend seminars? Buy B&B Guides?
Not yet.
8. Which recipe do you always get rave reviews for?
Lucille’s favorite recipe is a baked omelet.
9. Do you work with other Innkeepers in your area or consider them competition?
We work with other Bed and Breakfasts. They refer clients to us when they are full and we do the same.
10. Tell us about your most memorable guest?
We had four Chinese ladies and their Husbands stay with us. They are all in North America now but the girls went to school together in China.
11. Do you have any horror stories from past guests?
No not as of yet.
12. What do you think the biggest misconception is about staying at a B&B?
No privacy.
13. Do you have any time saving tips or marketing treasures that you would like to share?
We are still too new at the business but are always looking for ways to improve.
14. What makes your B&B unique?
Lucille’s gift of hospitality and her breakfasts to die for.
Tagged as: alberta bed and breakfast, bed and breakfasts, hinton bed and breakfast
Posted September 18, 2006 by Deb
Posted September 18, 2006 by Deb
by Martin Vernon of the Gazebo Bed and Breakfast.
Thankfully the days are long gone when staying at a bed and breakfast entailed sleeping in someone’s spare room with basic amenities (possibly including a tired shag carpet) and a shared bathroom “down the hall”. Hardly romantic!
In fact, the change is so pronounced that smaller boutique hotels are now incorporating some of the successful qualities of bed and breakfasts into their renovations. The bywords of good quality B&Bs are perfect for those seeking a romantic retreat: intimacy, cosiness, high quality surroundings and a relaxed quiet friendly atmosphere.
According to the Travel Industry of America, over 42 million people in the USA had at least one trip last year for occasions such as a honeymoon or anniversary. This is a market to which bed and breakfasts have responded. Many are in attractive older homes which ooze charm, furnished by antiques set in lovely décor. You can lazily luxuriate in fine linens on a comfortable bed, soak in a two-person bubbling whirlpool bathtub and snuggle up in armchairs to enjoy the ambience of a fireplace - just the place for a romantic break.
At our Victoria bed and breakfast we love to hear the oohs and aahs as our guests first enter their room, beholding the beauty of the surroundings they have chosen for their special time. It is very rewarding. Even more rewarding has been the discovery that some guests have become good personal friends.
Personable hospitality is provided by the innkeepers in whose home you stay. They are not there just for an eight hour shift for a pay cheque twice a month. Their livelihood depends on what they offer and how they offer it, so you will rarely be disappointed.
Planning.
Whilst there can be pleasure in acting spontaneously it is best to take some time in advance to plan your retreat away. Use the internet to research B&B websites in your area of choice to find the right amenities and setting at the right price. Browse through local B&B associations’ websites as well as those of individual establishments. Some will feature romance packages. Perhaps the trip could be a surprise for your partner.
Plan to stay for more than one night to allow time to unwind and enjoy the locality as well as to relax. If the occasion is special it merits paying a little extra to enjoy the finer things of life. Remember that a B&B may be less expensive than an equivalent hotel if only because a full memorable home-cooked breakfast is included in the overnight rate.
Activities v non-activities.
Togetherness in a different environment is wonderful therapy. Mix rest and activity;
perhaps reading in gardens or strolling on a beach and visiting a local attraction or browsing through antique shops. (Leave work behind – no such conversation, no laptop, perhaps no cell phone.)
Bring special treats with you like favourite CDs and DVDs, wine, chocolates, bubble bath etc. Do check if candles and massage oil may be used.
Bed and breakfast hosts are glad to extend genuine helpful hospitality so ask your innkeeper for local recommendations - cosy restaurants, a spa, shopping guidance, activity suggestions and the best places for whatever you are interested in.
If this is your first bed and breakfast experience it will probably not be your last.
About the author: Martin Vernon, and his wife Linda, have operated a Victoria Bed and Breakfast in British Columbia, Canada for nine years. The Gazebo has been selected as one of “Victoria’s Finest Bed and Breakfasts”: see www.gazebo-victoria.com
