The joy of Inn Keeping- Part 3

Part 3 of my joy of inn keeping posts is -How in the WORLD did we survive and thrive 14 years in this inn keeping business?????

Hard to believe- Byron and I have been inn keeping for 14 years. The old saying that as we get older time flies much faster, and I certainly feel that way about our time on Cape Cod. For those that do not know us, we purchased Brewster by the Sea in September 2003 and the Captain Freeman Inn in January 2011. For 6 years we ran both together ( I would not recommend doing that) and last November, we sold Brewster by the Sea to Amy Chesnut.

Our lives are much different now as we have more comfortable living quarters, are working together again and just have a much slower pace of life- thankfully!

Onto the subject of this post- How did we survive and thrive for the past 14 years of inn keeping? Our thoughts are noted below:

1. Always remember to laugh-  Byron, while having a serious side, also has a joyful sense of humor. He can be just down right crazy! I think each one of our employees can tell a crazy Byron story- one of my favorites is shown above when he decided to make a protective hat for a “tin foil conspiracy”  He also loves to share music with everyone. Early on- he started playing “Can’t roller skate in a Buffalo Herd” by Rodger Miller in our Brewster by the Sea kitchen on mornings when we were all a little tired or overwhelmed-it put a smile on all of our faces. Crazy Byron- I sure do love this guy! 
2. Family first! This has been our rule ever since we started and if any of our kids or family needed us we were there no matter what! Over the years,  Byron and I can remember when one was left to the run the inns by ourselves as the other traveled to be with family. It always worked out in the end. We also close down for Christmas as this is the one holiday our family gathers on Cape Cod.  As an added benefit to owning a bed and breakfast, we always have plenty of bed and baths for everyone to be comfortable:)
3. Pay attention to the DETAILS…..DETAILS……DETAILS.  I am naturally an organized, detailed person as I use to be a furniture buyer and this discipline has really helped me over the years . It’s important to pay attention to the smallest detail as that’s what our guests notice, whether it be to remember to change the water in our flower vases or the dust on a blind- guests notice!

   

4. Stay organized. Every time I am feeling a bit disheveled or unconfident, I realize it’s because, in most cases, I have not kept myself organized. A good example was this past month when I stopped planning out our breakfasts a week in advance. I just thought- we have slowed down, I like to see what’s fresh and in season so why not plan day to day. In my case that was a really bad idea as it left me with a fear I would not have everything I needed in the morning. The picture above is a fun place to gather our lists. I saw the idea on Pinterest and we both love to keep ourselves organized on this board.
5. Watch ones alcohol consumption – Whenever we go out I love a good Tanqueray Gin and Tonic. I always find it refreshing and just the right amount of alcohol to relax and later enjoy my meal. On the rare occasion of having 2, I can always feel the repercussions the next morning. At home, Byron and I love a good glass of red wine with our dinner. We have enjoyed joining the Wall Street Journal Wine Club where we can sample different varieties. If I have more then 2 glasses of wine, the next day is grueling and not very productive:(
6. Change is good! I love to decorate and change things up. I think our guests enjoy seeing the improvements and updates we make every year at the inn.

   

7. The importance of taking a vacation at least once a year. For many years, when we were building Brewster by the Sea, we put every single extra penny into building the business. Very little funds were left for pleasure. That came at an expense of putting a lot more stress on ourselves and our marriage. If I had to do it over again I would place more importance on getting away.

   

8. On especially hard days when I am summer tired, I always tell myself that things will look up in the morning. And you know, it always seems better in the morning:) 
9. A good friend of ours has a saying- “It’s always better to have fewer goals that you can do really well rather then doing many not so well” Those words of wisdom have served us well over the years when we think of grand new ideas i.e. offering breakfast in bed,  golf cart rides to the beach, lobster dinner etc.
10. Find the things in life that make you happy. For me it’s yoga, knitting and gardening. For Byron it’s books and photography. Life is just too short not to do the things we enjoy.
11. I love to surround myself and our guests with fresh flowers- year round! It just makes me happy. We are lucky to work with floral designer Deborah McCauley-Buck from Moonshell Design. She has exquisite taste and her signature floral designs can be seen around the inn.
12. Don’t be afraid to try new things. For me, it’s trying new recipes and getting adventuresome with new colors and decorating in the rooms. It just adds a little spice to life. The picture shown above is our new tea room.  I was a little hesitant of the colors but now am so pleased with the results.
13. Lastly, and probably most importantly, stay healthy and eat well. My mother always said you are what you eat! We try to eat a good balanced meal every evening and a protein fruit drink for breakfast. Byron and I both agree that we feel so much better when we eat well.

For those thinking about becoming an inn keeper we would whole heartily recommend this career. The blessings are plentiful! Check out two previous blogs that talk about what we like best and what we like least about inn keeping on Cape Cod.