Aspiring Innkeeper Seminar Dates Announced

October 18-21, 2009

Are you an aspiring innkeeper at heart? Ever said "I'd love to have a B&B one day"?

Come and join us for our Aspiring Innkeeper Workshop October 18-21 at the beautiful Eagle Rock Lodge near Eugene, Oregon.

Being an innkeeper and having your own bed and breakfast is a wonderful, rewarding profession. Find out what life as an innkeeper is really like. Many people right now are in transition. The economy has forced many people to re-evaluate not only your jobs, but maybe even your life goals. Home based business are on the rise, and you can't get any more "home based" than a B&B!

Having a B&B and being successful takes a lot of time and commitment. It's not just being a gracious host/hostess and meeting wonderful people. It's a business, and like any other business you need to have a business plan, financing, marketing, and the education to make it a success.

Join Diane Emineth of Sandlake Country Inn and Debbie Dersham of Eagle Rock Lodge for this important seminar that could just change your life. Some of the topics covered are:

• Pros and cons of purchasing an existing B&B or start one yourself
• How to develop a business plan
• Financing - How much does it take?
• What to look for when buying an inn - profit & loss/future potential
• How to explore financing options
• Once you have your B&B, now what?
• "Build it and they will come"...not anymore! Find out how to get "heads in beds". We emphasize learning about website design, marketing, PR, photography and how to create an internet presence.

To learn more about our seminars, visit our Bed and Breakfast Seminars website

Sandlake Country Inn in the News

Shipwreck-turned-B&B earns green lodging award

Kyle Boggs
Headlight-Herald Staff

SANDLAKE - Sand Lake in south Tillamook County... is not often associated with sustainable tourism.

But the area's Sandlake Country Inn is the only bed and breakfast on the Oregon coast - one of just five statewide - to be recognized with a "green" certificate from the Oregon Bed and Breakfast's Guild.

The inn, located a half-mile from the Sandlake Store down Galloway Road, was built with timbers recovered from an 1890 shipwreck.

On Christmas morning 118 years ago, the ship Struan, carrying a load of bridge timbers from Canada to Australia, washed ashore just south of Cape Lookout.

Local families scrambled to gather some of the million-plus board feet of planks to build homes and farm buildings, said Paul King, grandson of the home's original owner, W.C. King.

The home was converted to a bed and breakfast in 1989 and purchased by its current owners, Diane and Ron Emineth, in 2001.

Diane Emineth said she is pleased that the inn is on the Oregon Historic Registry but even more excited about its environmentally-friendly certification, awarded December 2008.

"Most people don't choose lodging because it's 'green,'" she said, "but they're usually very happy when they find out it is."

Among the steps taken by the couple to ensure environmental friendliness is to recycle everything possible.

Emineth was quick to point out they haven't had trash pick-up for six years. Instead, they compost, feeding leftover oats and grain to neighboring horses and taking garbage to the transfer station about once a month in the busy season.

The glass decanters in the guest rooms that hold shampoo, conditioner and soaps add to the inn's elegance, but more importantly, said Emineth, they substitute for other hotels' plastic mini-bottles that end up in guests' wastebaskets.

Other amenities at the bed and breakfast include a private deck for each of the three rooms (there is also a guest cottage) and a private jacuzzi in each bathroom.

"About 80 percent of our stays are people celebrating either honeymoons, birthdays, anniversaries or some sort of special occasions," said Emineth.

The inn was recognized by Inn Travelers magazine as the publication's "most romantic hideaway" in 2005 and again in 2006.

Emineth said the couple's inn also has been cited in the Best Places to Kiss Northwest travel guide and Best Places to Kiss Cookbook.

Emineth said room reservations are necessary in the summertime and recommended year-round. They can be made by calling (503) 965-6745, toll free at 1-877-726-3525, or online at www.sandlakecountryinn.com.

Emineth is organizing an aspiring-innkeeper seminar April 5-8. Information is available at www.bedandbreakfastseminars.com.

Things I Learned/Relearned This Morning

• Even after 8 years of innkeeping, there is no such thing as "auto pilot"
• Never trust the tv chef's recipes, even when you see them cook it
• Warning, warning, warning when in the title of the recipe it says "Easy"
• There is a reason I don't have a smoke detector in my kitchen
• Hot sugar really burns the skin
• The expensive oven mat liner is worth every penny I paid for it
• Never make sticky buns when on a diet
• They ate every crumb and morsel of breakfast and it was all worth it

For all you aspiring innkeepers out there, this is a lesson that you never stop learning, never think you've got all the answers and always keep a sense of humor!

We're Cooking Now!

The first edition of the Best Places to Kiss Cookbook is out and our Oregon Coast B&B is featured with our very special Sandlake Country Inn Cookies!

If you've ever stayed with us, you know how wonderful these cookies are. The recipe has been handed down from the original innkeeper, Margo Underwood which she originally titled "sleepy time cookies". They have been served at our Oregon bed and breakfast for 20 years now.

I've been looking at some of the other recipes in the book (I just bought the book a few days ago) and there's some interesting recipes in there. Who knows, maybe I'll try out a few on you!

Of course, we have our own special recipes I've developed over the years, but I just love surfing the internet, tv and books for new, fresh ideas. Usually I will make the recipe once, following the recipe, then watch out! I love putting my own twist on things.

If you're an aspiring innkeeper, be sure to pick up this and other B&B cookbooks to test out the recipes on your family and friends. Or better yet, come on over and I'll make it for you.

Aspiring Innkeeper Seminar!

Bed and Breakfast Seminars Aspiring Innkeeper Seminar

Are you an aspiring innkeeper at heart, dreaming about owning your own Bed and Breakfast? Join us October 18-21 2009 for the Northwest's only intensive Aspiring Innkeeper Seminar!

Whether you live in Oregon, Washington, Idaho, California or farther away, join us in the beautiful northwest near Eugene, Oregon for our Aspiring Innkeepers Seminar and Workshops. Your dream of owning a bed and breakfast really can become a reality! Join Diane Emineth & Debbie Dersham at the beautiful Eagle Rock Lodge, near Eugene on the McKenzie River for this intensive 4 day/3 night all inclusive aspiring innkeeper seminar.

Don't be taken by surprise. Learn the pitfalls both financial and personal by experienced innkeepers before you spend your life's savings! Make no mistake, owning a bed and breakfast is a business. With every business you need to have a plan, call to action and resources. By taking our seminar you will have made your first investment towards a successful career.

Learn from experts:

• How To Develop A Business Plan.
• Pros and Cons of Purchasing an Existing B&B or Start Up.
• Financing - How Much Does It Take?
• What To Look For When Buying An Inn - Profit and Loss/Future Potential.
• How To Explore Financing Options.
• Once You Have Your Bed and Breakfast, Now What???
• "Build it and they will come?" Not any more!! After you have your inn, learn what it takes to "get heads in beds". We emphasize learning about website design, marketing, PR, photography and how to create an internet presence.
  
• CLICK HERE to see many more topics in our schedule.

Our Continuing Story of An Aspiring Innkeeper

It's now been 8 weeks since Annette, our aspiring innkeeper intern has been with us. I thought for all you folks who have met Annette or have ever said "I would love to have a B&B when I retire" it's time to catch up with her experiences so far.

This time, I'm going to ask Annette a few questions...here goes!

Q: What is the biggest surprise or misconception you had about what the life of an innkeeper is like?

A: The amount of time spent to cook, serve, and clean for a "full-house" is quite time consuming. I did not think it would take almost all day. We start early in the morning and we finish by around 2:00 p.m. and then we need to prepare with the "check-in" starting at 3:00 p.m. and the "prep" for the breakfast. Somewhere along the way, we need to bake cookies, prepare the special granola we make in-house, go shopping, do the paper work and collapse.

Q: So what time does your day actually finish?

A: I am usually done by around 7:00 p.m., but there are questions and/or issues; phone calls taking reservations; that can keep Diane and Ron busy past 8:00 or 9:00 p.m., especially if there are late arrivals (after 6:00 p.m.).

Q: Now tell us about the parts of your day you enjoy the most and why after all this work you still want to be an innkeeper?

A: I enjoy baking, cooking and communicating with the guests. The interaction is very interesting since we get people from all over, both young and mature. I have developed a good relationship with Diane and Ron and we laugh and have fun together. It would be very difficult to have this kind of schedule if they were just watching me and letting me do all the work and just criticizing. We work together!

Q: Do you have a favorite moments/interaction/experience with a guest?

A: I appreciate the thank-yous we get, particularly if the breakfast was primarily my making.

Q: Any pet peeves that might help future B&B guests?

A: We would like our guests to be comfortable, relaxed and enjoy the pampering. However, we want them to treat our suites with care and consideration and follow our simple instructions.

Q: I know that you've now looked at a couple B&Bs for sale and other properties that might be turned into a B&B. I don't think the general public is aware of how much it actually takes to get into the B&B industry. Since you've now done a lot of research, speaking generally, how much money do you think people would need to have to purchase either an existing B&B or start their own?

A: The commitment to buying or building a B&B was also a surprise to me. The cost is higher than I expected, especially at this time of recession. It is not easy to sell a B&B, so some owners choose to revert to a "house for sale" rather than a "business for sale". I cannot specify the cost since it varies by location, size, whether business (turnkey) or home, and the area of the country. I would say that a range of $1 million to $2 million would be needed for an existing 5 unit place, plus money to convert, add or change to the new owner's liking. In addition, a cushion of $100,000 to be in business for 6 months without worrying about income. Building from scratch will always be much more expensive and the style will not be as eclectic as most people expect in a B&B.