So, you want to b e an Innkeeper?

Let me just start by saying looking for a house keeper is not the best part of being an Innkeeper. The job certainly isn’t glamorous, nor does it pay well. You want to find someone that you can trust, is invested in the building, willing to do the job right the first time, take some hassle from me and the guests, while smiling the whole time.

We were extremely lucky when our current housekeeper (KC) walked into The Elms. On our initial tour throughout the B&B she looked around making suggestions, and giving me cleaning tips. She turns out to be way to feminine to be called ‘Mr. Clean” but certainly brings back memories of the TV commercial of the ‘white Tornado’. Don’t believe me? Just check our reviews. When it comes to rating ‘cleanliness’ we across the board get 5 stares!

Have I already stated that I am one lucky SOB? KC will arrive promptly in the morning with a smile, and ready for work. We sit her down and have a cup of coffee with her. We go over what rooms need attention and other details. I don’t think she has figured out yet that not only do we enjoy her company, but we consider this caffeine to be an investment. Maybe she’ll work a little faster with some caffeine in her body. If that’s possible. She clocks up 4.5 miles on her pedometer each day. .We also use the time at this coffee clutch to see what she has in her pocketbook. She is a smuggler. She is smuggling things into the INN. It could be a new cleaning polish, duster, sponge, merical grow or something of the sort.

KC has become part of our happy family. We don’t check the rooms. We have learned to trust her work. Perhaps we should, for we have learned KC has been quite the sneak. Unbenounced to us, she felt that the towels would look better rolled up and place in a basket, vs. just being folded and placed on the dresser. Over the course of last season she had smuggled in, at her own expense, said baskets.

KC is a diplomat. We never hear her say a negative thing about our guest. Not even when they forget to leave a tip. Beyond that, she has learned to mediate different opinions of the owners. She is always the swing vote. Hummmm. Now that I think of it, who is running this place anyway? Yes sometimes she leaves me some laundry to fold, but heck I do the same thing to her all the time.

So, those of you thinking you might want to be an Innkeeper, want to know what my secret in hiring is?

Luck.

So, your think you want to be3 an inkeeper?

For the most part running an Inn becomes a routine.  When things are running smoothly it’s a rewarding experience.  But then again.  When things aren’t, things seem to spin out of control quickly.  Let me tell you about the dreaded E -4.

On a busy weekend we’ll serve about 28 breakfasts.  We seem to have it down pretty well until the appearance of E-4.  The dreaded E-4 is the error message on our Hobart Dishwasher.  So let’s quickly look at the numbers that 28 breakfasts and without counting pot, pans and prep utensils’ our typical table setting contains a dozen pieces.  That’s 388+ plates glasses, saucers etc. that need to be cleaned by hand plus the incidentals.

The worst part is, is its intermittent.   The dishwasher knows when it is the busiest, most inconvenient time to break down.  Somehow it just knows when people are coming down for their morning breakfast.  Well let me tell you, we know it has an evil personality, that it does it on purpose. Well I might not be the brightest bulb in the package, nor have I just fallen off the turnip truck.  I’ve learned the best way to deal with the Dreaded E-4.

As an Innkeeper you need to become ‘one’ with the dishwasher.  Take a Zen approach.  You learn when you need to turn it off in a middle of a cycle then back on again,  When it’s had enough and just needs a rest for an hour or two.  When to curse at it, and when it needs a little encouragement. … Well that’s what I believed.  Of the three operators I seem to have this down better than the others.  I was the go to man and Buddha for getting it working again with my understanding of the needs of the machine.

Well this week I was dethroned.  For $ 300 the Hobart Repair man fixed it permanently…..  Why did it take me three months to find the Supper Buddha?  I feel like a mere mortal again.

So, you want to be an Innkeeper. You think so ha? Well I hope you follow our blog as we share some day to day happenings at The Elms. I’m anticipating telling you the good, bad, and ugly. As time progresses you should have a good feel for this industry and then pursue your dream. Or, thank me later for saving you from a disastrous career and life style move.

That’s right, we’ll be telling you about some of our wonderful guests. Some of their stories of their visit to the Portland area. Their restaurant or activities review summaries and ideas.

We’ll tell you about some of those moments when things just don’t go as planned. Like one that comes from memory is when the fire alarm went off, and the police and fire trucks arrive just because of the plaster dust set off the alarm during a small ceiling repair job. Yup, I can hear that shrieking alarm and feel that embarrassment all over again as I write my first blog.

Well this first blog will be brief. This weekend we had a couple from NY. Great folk. They were here attending an annual ‘whiskey tasting’ their friends hold. No small deal; I hear they expect over 100 people. Well they made breakfast. And this highlights that you can’t be all things to all people. Let’s just say they were starting off the day a little slow.

The husband was all pleased with the breakfast. For at times like these he love carbs. So with waffles, the Maine maple syrup we serve was right up his alley. She on the other hand, at times like this needs grease. (I can relate so I know just where she is coming from.) Being such a polite lady she repeatedly told me ‘this is the best bacon I’ve had in a long time.’ She also LOVED the coffee. LOL sorry Missy, we don’t make it a habit of serving greasy things at The Elms…nope we can’t please all the people all the time.

What a great and good looking couple they were. We talked for 2 hours about whisky, wine, and food. We learn so much from our guests. They are welcomed back anytime …. as most foodies are.