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Featured Article
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| BC Travel Guide Agreement |
In order to increase the exposure of the Guild and our individual properties, your Board has entered into an agreement whereby BC Travel Guide will provide a Guild advertisement on each of its regional pages with a link to the Guild website. They will also provide individual listings for all Guild properties with links back to their sites. This will be COMPLIMENTARY for the first three months. Commencing Nov. 1 each Guild member B&B will have the opportunity to continue its involvement with this site for the remarkably reasonable price of $25 per year. This is a 70 per cent saving over the normal rates. The Board is of the opinion that this will be a very beneficial move for all of us individually and, equally important, will bring much needed exposure to the Guild logo, website and aims.
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| Miscellany
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SMILE
OF THE DAY: The new recruit to the monastery is assigned his task to
copy the old manuscripts by hand from previous copies. He suggests to
the Abbot that this is a very dangerous practice as mistakes could be
carried forward forever. The Abbot mulls this over and goes down to the
vault to obtain the original manuscript in order to check for the
veracity of the ones they are dutifully copying. He does not return but
on hearing cries of anguish the young trainee goes to see what the
problem is. He discovers the Abbot beating his head on the wall and
repeating over and over, "We forgot the 'R' -- we forgot the 'R' -- the
correct word was celebRate!"
B&B DELUXE: The next time you
are visiting West Wales, Llandovery to be precise, make sure that
Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall are away so you can put your
head down at a very special B&B named Llwynywermod. They own the
joint and parts of it will be open to the public for a "nosh up and a
short kip." Thanks to Rex at Thistledown for this vital piece of trivia.
FROM
THE GROCERY CART: Thanks also to the Vancouver Sun, which brought to my
attention that, for you, diligent scanners of your grocery bill, there
is HELP when you are charged more than the published price. A little
known piece of legislation known as the "Scanner Price Accuracy
Voluntary Code of the Canadian Council of Grocery Distributors" -- deep
breath -- states that, "If the scanned price of a non-price ticketed
item is higher than the shelf price or any other displayed price, the
customer is entitled to receive the item FREE up to a maximum of $10."
Stores such as IGA, London Drugs and Safeway have all signed accepting
this concept. Please let me know how you fare in collecting what
legally is yours!
LAME NAMES: Again thanks to the Vancouver Sun,
which brought to my attention that a judge in New Zealand had ordered
parents to change their selected name for their benighted child from
'Talula Does the Hula from Hawaii' to something else that would cause
their daughter less abuse and ridicule. During the parents' divorce
proceedings there was no mention of a more suitable name, though the
same judge struck down the name "16 bus shelter".
What ever happened to Tom, Dick, Harry, Mary, Jane ... or even Greyham?!
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| A Fond Farewell to Good Friends |
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As many of us know, Keith and Marsha Brown will be making their way Down Under in a few weeks, returning
to Keith's home-land where he will spend his final days.
Their trip will be much easier financially, thanks to the extraordinary generosity of many of our Guild members and others in the B&B community.
Together we have raised an incredible $9,650, so on behalf of Keith and Marsha, I offer a heartfelt thanks.
Keith's battle with cancer is a reminder to us all that life is fleeting and that we must make the most of each day.
Donors
Carberry Gardens
Pepper Muffin
WilpGybu
Anne's Oceanfront
Cloud 9
Binners'
Abbeymoore
Durlacher Hof
Dashwood
Auberge Du Pre
Miners
Beacon B&B
Dream Weaver
Amethyst Inn
Garden Ridge
Oceanfront
Greystone
Hycroft
Belle Vue
Mead Manor
Pacific Spirit
Accounting for Taste
Gazebo
Cobble House
Copper Kettle
Anchor Point
Harbour Lights
Haddon House
Abbaes
Marie Lauze-Innsitter
Hillcrest House
Race View
Hammond Bayside
Cougars Crag
Caps on Cadder
Pine & Picket
River Run Cottages
Willow Beach
Ada Westphal-Innsitter
John & Pauline Brigdens
Abbott on the Lake
A Place by the Sea
Hemingway's
Birds of a Feather
Arbor B&B
Markham House
Kidds
CanadaBBHosts-J&R
Camelot Inn
ThistleDown House
Greenwood
Susie's on the Shore
Alexis Farley &
Michelle Mosher
(Abbeymoore Staff)
Cottage Pirouette
Ocean Wilderness
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August, 2008
www.BCsBestBnBs.com
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Editor's Musings
 By Graham Laxton
This edition of INNFormation is different in that there will be only two main articles and a couple of lesser items. We are combining a late Summer version of INNFormation with a Table Talk. I particularly need your attention to the article on the AGM/Members Meeting and for you to take the time to fill out and return the attached survey on these meetings ASAP. My thanks again to Peter Driver of Pacific Spirit Guest House and more particularly to his wife Bernie, who allows him away from other chores so he can edit and make the newsletters readable.
-- Graham, Greystone B&B, Vancouver
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President's Message
 By Jack Reynolds
Dear members:
I sincerely hope you all are having an exciting B&B season, not working too hard and enjoying all the marvellous guests who visit your B&B.
My message will be short, in keeping with our editor's model of "less is more."
First of all, I encourage each and every one of you to make a concerted effort to attend the Members Meeting and AGM in Prince George. This is your opportunity to have your input on the direction you would like to see the Guild move and of course to elect your Board of Directors for the ensuing year. As always, we are looking for people to step up and serve on the Board or various committees.
In conjunction with the Members Meeting/AGM, there are of course two very distinguished awards to be presented.
The Moyra Turner Hospitality Award
The intent of this award is to identify and recognize the member innkeeper who best exhibits hospitality among both guests and members of the Guild and who best promotes the concept of hospitality.
Please consider any fellow innkeeper whom you feel fits the above criteria and forward a nomination along with supporting comments to Mr. Edward Davidson, Binners' B&B, chair of the selection committee. Please submit your nomination by Sept. 30.
President's Award
The intent of this award is to identify and recognize the member or members who best exhibit dedication to the Guild, its members, its purpose and its goals, and to the bed and breakfast segment of the hospitality industry in general, in the year for which the award is made. A member may receive the award more than once. There may be more than one recipient in an award year.
Please send your nomination to Jack Reynolds, Garden Ridge B&B by Sept. 30 along with supporting comments.
The committees for both these awards reserve the right to choose the winners each year.
See you all in Prince George!
-- Jack, Garden Ridge B&B, Westbank |
AGM and Members Meeting
This year's meeting is to be held in Prince George on Oct. 20 and 21. Your Board chose Prince George as the venue in order to continue the work that has been started in enlarging our membership in the North. Every Guild B&B should have at least one member attend these sessions. They provide an opportunity for you to give advice and suggestions to the Board on the direction and actions to which you feel the Guild should be concentrating.
We want the meetings to be as "green" as possible and to that end are offering a number of bus options to reach Prince George, rather than everyone driving their own vehicle. We realize the constraints of time and money so we have tightened the time frame and hopefully reduced your outlay of funds.
Before we proceed any further and commit money, we need your input on the following travel choices. At this point it is only your preferences you are providing, there is no commitment. Once we have analyzed the returns to the questionnaire we will be offering you the opportunity to commit to a travel plan and to attend the Meetings.
OPTION A: Make own travel arrangements.
OPTION B: Coach 1. Tsawwassen-Vancouver-Prince George, Oct. 19, return Oct. 21, cost $110-125.*
OPTION C: Coach 2. Kelowna-Kamloops-Prince George, Oct. 19, return Oct. 21, cost $105-125.*
OPTION D: Westjet. Leave early on 20th, depart p.m. 21st, cost $375 YVR-YXS-YVR
OPTION E: Cannot attend this year.
The hotel is the Coast Inn of the North. Daily rate: $120 plus taxes.
Meeting costs, including one breakfast, one coffee break, one lunch and one dinner with entertainment: $120-150.*
*Costs are approximate only and dependent on numbers attending. Before we ask you to commit, we will have more accurate prices.
The preliminary schedule of events is as follows:
Oct. 19 9:30 p.m. buses arrive.
Oct. 20 10 a.m. coffee and cookies, 10:45 a.m.-2:45 p.m. Members Meeting including lunch, 3-5 p.m. B&B and city tour, 6-7 p.m. happy hour with prospective members,
7-10 p.m. dinner and entertainment.
Oct. 21 7:30-8 a.m. continental breakfast, 8-10 a.m. AGM, 10:15 a.m. buses leave.
QUESTIONNAIRE
Please copy the questions below, paste them on to an e-mail to Graham Laxton, and type in your answers below each question.
My preference is (please pick one):
OPTION A, B, C, D or E?
If you chose OPTION E, please tell us why.
Other issues: Would you prefer that we spread the meetings over three days rather than the two?
Have you considered volunteering for the Board or a Committee?
Have you brought a new member on Board this year?
What can we (the Board) do to ensure that you attend the meetings?
Other comments:
NAME:
B&B:
Thank you for your speedy return of this survey.
The deadline is Aug. 14.
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The mountain pine beetle is destroying a good part of the northern forest but is also adding some colour to the landscape.
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 Membership Matters
A big welcome to the newest members of the Guild. Please include them in your referrals this summer.
Acorn House Salt Spring Island
Innkeeper: Charlotte Roughsedge
Cottage Al Sole Roberts Creek (Sunshine Coast)
Innkeepers: Renee Switzer and Renato Guarino
Garden Gate Grindrod (near Enderby)
Innkeepers: Wilf and Laura Courtemanche
Long Lake Waterfront Nanaimo
Innkeepers: Gordie & Janice Robinson
Sahhali Pender Island
Innkeepers: Frank & Michelle Hiebert
The Hopeless Romantic Kelowna
Innkeeper: Leagh Anderson
MD Agencies, Corporate Associate Member
and manufacturers' rep for furniture and mattresses
e-mail
REMINDER
We are about one month away from membership renewal time. In order to renew your membership you MUST have the Guild logo on your website, as this is a requirement of membership. You will be asked to indicate on your renewal where we can find the logo on your site, so if you have still not done this, this is your last opportunity to do so. Logos may be downloaded here http://bcsbestbnbs.com/logodownloads.php
Renewal time is also a great time to bring new members on board, as we'll also be getting ready to start work on the 2009-10 brochure. With the Olympics coming in 2010, this brochure will still be in print when the Games are on, and during all the activities leading up to the Games. I'm sure we all know at least one quality B&B that is Tourism BC approved, so please encourage them to join us!
-- Ingrid, Cobble House B&B, Cobble Hill
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Marketing Matters  By Ian MacPhee
E-mail -- what did we do without it? How do we make the most of it?
If you are anything like me, e-mail has become a daily part of your existence. Sometimes this is good -- we have a quick and inexpensive way to communicate around the globe with friends and clients. Other times it's a nuisance, akin to the junk-mail flyers that used to be so prolific. Regardless of which way you view e-mail, it's here to stay and you need to make the most of it in order for your B&B to be successful.
Here are a few e-mail tips to consider:
1) If you have your own domain make sure your e-mail address reflects that. By now, almost all B&Bs own their own domain, i.e. www.bobsbnb.com, yet many of us still use the e-mail addresses that relate to your Internet Service Provider (ISP), i.e. bobsbnb@shaw.ca. If you own your own domain you can setup your own e-mail addresses like reservations@
bobsbnb.com. To do so, contact your web-hosting company and they will help you.
2) Help your guests by ensuring that your e-mail"From" name relates to your B&B. The "From" name is the one that a recipient sees as the sender of the e-mail. So many of us send out e-mails using our first name as the "From" name, thinking perhaps that this is a friendly thing to do when in reality it fails to identify your e-mail as coming from your property. Prospective guests who have requested information on your property may simply delete an e-mail from "John & Peggy," whereas an e-mail from "Peggy's B&B" will get noticed. If you are unsure how your e-mail program is set up just send yourself an e-mail!
3) Spam Spam Spam Spam -- It's a hilarious Monty Python musical and an annoying fact of life. Today spam is such a problem that we, and our ISPs, install various levels of spam filters hoping to weed out the garbage. While this can be helpful, it is also a tremendous danger, as many times an e-mail that is not spam gets classified that way. If you want to make sure you haven't missed any important e-mails it is critical to check your Deleted and Spam boxes daily to make sure that your ISP isn't blocking e-mails you need. There are at least half a dozen Guild members who we cannot contact via e-mail due to their overzealous Spam filters. Of course if you are reading this e-mail you know you are not one of them.
-- Ian, Abbeymore B&B, Victoria | |
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