Continuing Education and...

...a break from the routine. It's the time of year for...innkeepers conferences! I'm at the fabulous Crescent Hotel in Eureka Springs, Arkansas with innkeepers from Kansas, Oklahoma, Missouri, and of course AR. (Don't worry, I left the inn in Carol's capable hands for the three days I'll be gone.) What a gorgeous drive we had this morning through the Ozarks; I have to come back here in the autumn. Crescent Hotel

This afternoon I learned lots of stuff about better ways to communicate with you, my dear guests. Tomorrow and Wednesday I'll be learning some new ways to make the Tea Rose Inn a more comfortable place with more of the little amenities b&bers love. My goal, always, is for my guests to want to return again and again. I've made some wonderful friends that way.

And some of the changes I've implemented over the years have come from guests' suggestions. Even after 12 years of innkeeping, I'm always open to new ideas or better ways of doing things.

But back to today's seminar. I'm trying to absorb all the changes with Facebook, Twitter, and Google tools. It can be a bit overwhelming. Innkeepers are jacks-of-all-trades, but I think changing communication technology challenges more of us than anything else.

It's not all work, of course. I had a wonderful dinner tonight in a restaurant loaded with local charm. Here, the hyacinths and daffodils have already pushed their leaves up three inches. As soon as I get home I want to clear away the winter muck and see if my spring bulbs have begun to show themselves yet. I'm so ready for color!