Why Green?

Okay, another innkeeper discussion, another stubborn issue.

And, yet again, an issue that, at least on the surface, doesn't seem like one that there would inspire too much controversy.

Here's the sitch.

Innkeeper is a salt-of-the-earth woman with a salt-of-the-earth inn. Flag on the porch. Discounts for military and police. Rural, conservative community.

So why would she think going green was a scam and, worse yet, a scam that cost her a bunch of money?

How could that be?

Unfortunately, it all comes down to the reasons innkeepers go green.

She, it turns out, was disappointed that she only got a few guests from the green websites her inn was on. All that certification work for 3 new guests.

For the vast majority of green inns, though, the decision to go green was a simple one that mirrored what they do in their personal lives. Reduce. Reuse. Recycle. Eliminate waste. Eliminate toxic exposures. Use less energy.

All in all, a generally easy task for most.

Recycle bins in guest rooms and common areas don't cost much and instantly get guests to participate.

Dispensers in guest rooms are inexpensive and open the door to allowing the inn to use much higher quality amenities at lower costs. And a sign letting guests know the impact they're having, once again, inspires participation.

Towel reuse programs have become commonplace now. The fact that they save hotels 25% in water usage makes them instantly popular to managers who can see instant savings in labor and energy costs.

Compost bins in suites with kitchens - and a composter onsite that creates a rich mix for next year's garden - again invite the guests to feel good about the part they play.

Really, it's just that simple.

Sure the list can go on and on. Energy star appliances. Changing out those old light bulbs with CFLs. Printing brochures on recycled paper. Using recycled paper for guest room paper products, including bath tissue and facial tissue. Organic cotton sheets and towels. Organic mattresses. Zero-VOC paints.

So as simple as it is to start on the green road, it's just as easy to see how expensive it can be if one were to try to do it all at once.

Many innkeepers, including the salt-of-the-earth innkeeper who inspired this post, go green for reasons completely unrelated to the environment.

They went green for the promise of new guests and new revenue streams, expecting that if they went all out and got certified, all those green guests would come.

In some places, that may be true. But spending lots of money to make changes at an inn without considering the demographics of the guests it currently draws is a recipe for waste.

And as much as guests appreciate and say they seek out green lodging choices, not all that many of them are finding them through green travel sites. They're finding the information on the inn's website instead. In other words, if they weren't going to find that inn to begin with, they probably wouldn't find it now just because it's green.

So why go green?

New guests and new revenue streams may be attractive for an innkeeper considering the switch.

But, to me, the best reasons to go green at the inn are the same reasons folks are doing it at home. It's the right thing to do. For the environment. For the community. For the family's health. It saves money.

All of those same reasons come into play at work, too. And who doesn't want good health, a good environment, and a good community.

But here's the best end-result of a good family green plan - it saves money and time.

Put that same result to play at an inn and the dividends are multiplied.

Eliminate all those plastic bottles from landfills and save money while giving guests better quality shampoo and shower gel.

Make sure bottles and cans make it to the recycle bin by putting the recycle bin right where it's needed.

How simple is that?

The truth is, going green doesn't have to cost an inn anything. That's right. It doesn't have to cost a thing.

Sensible and progressive changes in buying amenities, cleaning products, linens, furniture and appliances all can be made in their own good time. And each change should, in my book, pay for itself.

It's about not being wasteful, after all.

All those guests looking for green lodging? Oh, they're out there. And they appreciate each little change.

One organic improvement at a time.

It's About the Balance

In a recent discussion with some fellow innkeepers, the age-old issue of whether B&Bs should follow the path of hotels and always focus on profitability came up.

It's an issue that comes up a lot, in fact, among innkeepers at small inns of all kinds.

After all, most innkeepers came into this profession fairly late in their careers. They made a dream come true.

Sure, it's not the same dream for all innkeepers. For some, it's a dream of a small town life where home is work and every day is an adventure in entertaining. For others, it's an urban inn where hospitality and old-world charm are still in big demand.

In other words, it's all about quality of life. They didn't choose this profession to become rich. They chose this profession to enjoy a gracious and hospitable life, connected deeply to the community around them.

So to get those folks thinking in terms of profit/occupancy/ROI/ADR and the such, well, it's not always easy.

The key, in my mind, is in making the connection that without focus on all those old boring hotel-like stats and issues, there will be no quality of life. Once the innkeeper has, essentially, put all the family eggs into this one grand dame of a basket, the profitability becomes just as important as the hospitality.

So how to achieve both a gracious life and maintain a profitability that will sustain the inn?

Hard work, of course.

But innkeepers, as a lot, certainly aren't afraid of hard work. Their lives, in fact, are all about hard work. Long hours, constantly being on. Early perkiness for breakfast. Late evening patience for late arrivals. Endless time spent arranging days and evenings for perfect getaways for guests young and old.

But to achieve profitability and sustain the inn longterm - without burning out the innkeeper in the process - well, that requires diligence to a plan. A plan to improve occupancy for some. A plan to attract a whole new segment of guests for others. A plan to control expenses without eliminating the amenities guests have grown to expect.

And, perhaps most importantly, a plan for innkeepers to have breaks.

More revenue means more money for staff. Part-time innkeepers during the week perhaps. More breaks with innsitters taking the helm for a few days or weeks.

Or, for some, just closing up a few days here and there and taking a deep and quiet breath.

There is no right answer for the question of occupancy. Some small inns have successfully reached an ADR that allows them to make a good living at 30% occupancy. Why would they want more if that's working?

But for others, especially those who may be significantly leveraged, lower occupancy may mean something has to give. Amenities perhaps. Or not enough left for staff. Maintenance may get deferred, eventually leading to lower quality stays for guests and difficulty maintaining room rates or occupancy. Clearly, for those inns, developing and sticking to a plan that will achieve profitability is key to keeping the dream alive.

To me, the best answer is always to find the balance. An inn that is not profitable will become a strain on the entire family of the innkeeper who will never find the gracious lifestyle he or she is seeking. An inn that focuses only on the bottom line and begins to eliminate freebies, staff, or maintenance will soon lose track of its most important commodity: gracious and generous hospitality.

Hospitality, after all, is not about stinginess. And burned out innkeepers can't possibly provide the gracious hosting necessary to create unforgettable getaways for guests.

The challege for smaller inns is to find that balance without sacrificing value for guests or time for themselves.

And to trust that the world won't stop spinning if a break is needed. However the innkeeper decides to get that break.

Big Birds Soar

It's raining today here in Marin County, so the birds who usually provide us with wonder and entertainment are all in hiding. We know they're out there somewhere but all we see are rain and cloud cover. Even the bay, usually visible from my office window, has disappeared.

Last night, though, as we were dragging the week's accumulation of garbage to the curb, we were blessed with the sight of 2 huge owls at the top of our neighbor's tree. They hooted at us and scooted each other off of their wobbly perches but kept going back, again and again.

Never has taking out the trash been so much fun.

Earlier in the day, we'd seen a huge flock of unfamiliar birds in our own backyard, so it was a day of total amazement at our feathered friends, from morning to night.

So today, reading that Rachel Carson's message has had such a powerful impact on our local birds, well, it feels like a celebration. Even in the rain.

Editorial: Big birds soar off the endangered list - Sacramento Opinion - Sacramento Editorial | Sacramento Bee

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Compostable Chair!

I love finding new ways to go green. Seems there's always something new out there.

But this one's pretty amazing. Great little modern chair made completely of recycled material.

The best part? It composts in 80 days.

For inns who need to refurnish every few years, what a fab new green dimension to add. Guests will love it and so will the roses!

A Week of Blessings

It's been a week of blessings.

We're settling into our new home. Like most folks, I'm not crazy about packing up to move although I do get into a zen-like state about it at a certain point.

But unpacking? What a treat. I know in each box I'm going to be reunited with some memento that links me to some place or some person that I love. Even though I just packed those same things up a few weeks earlier, it still feels a little like magic every time I discover that, yes, I did keep that after all.

A week of countless tiny reunions going on in the kitchen

And with fall in the air, it's also been a week of keeping leaves out of the pool. It's a never ending task it seems.

But sitting there in the morning, watching the newly fallen leaves settle into the water, I'm reminded of myself settling in. I'm probably not ending up exactly where some people thought I would and yet I'm settling there all the same. Just another troublesome leaf determined to land in a safe spot.

Just another blessing that I seem to have found it.

Santa Barbara Blues

Just back from one of my favorite California cities.

Some folks go there for the weather. And it's true, the weather is generally just about perfect.

Some like the beaches and I have to admit they're pretty sweet, although I've grown accustomed to the more windswept beaches to the North and their endless solitude. But that's just me.

Sure the architecture's lovely and so are the gardens. Flowers everywhere it seems.

But to me, the thing that I like the most about Santa Barbara - besides all of the above - is its walkability. And that's rare in America.

Santa Barbara just seems to invite strolling. Day or night. The downtown area's just compact enough to make a walk to the next spot make much more sense than driving. And it's just sprawling enough to make it all interesting.

Shopping? Restaurants? Clubs? All there. All great. And the best part is, once you've finished with one, you can just stroll right on over to the next.

Along the way, it's just amazing how frequently you'll run into someone you know.

Like I said, one of my favorite American cities. All around.