Every innkeeper needs a break now and then. Thankfully, as bed and breakfasts grew in popularity so did an ancillary business: Interim Innkeeping. Arriving at a bed and breakfast with years – or even decades – of experience, innsitters step into the role to offer owners something they hadn’t experienced for awhile: Rest. To understand what they do and what they offer your business, this ongoing column will introduce you to innsitters from across America. In this feature you’ll meet Jeannie Simmons of Staunton, Virginia, who, with husband Walt Miller, operate Intermezzo Innsitting.
Did you and Walt own your own bed and breakfast before becoming innsitters?
We never did own a B&B, although we had considered buying one. Walter worked in finance – customer service for American Express and Discover – and my training came when I worked with the Five Gables Inn and Spa as an assistant innkeeper. After that I worked with the Frederick House in Staunton which had hired innsitters to run the inn. We saw that and we decided that’s what we would do.
How long ago did you decide to become innsitters – or, as they’re called now – interim innkeepers?
This is the start of our fourth year. When we began, we sent out letters describing our services to inns throughout Virginia. As a result, we were fortunate enough to find our first few inns. In addition to occasional clients, we have five inns that we work with on a regular basis – four in Virginia and one in Williamston, North Carolina. It’s a perfect job for us. It’s like owning five inns, but not owning them.
Is there a typical ‘innsitting’ situation? Can you predict the type of work you’ll be doing?
We’ve found that each inn is different. The majority of the time the work stems from innkeepers taking a planned vacation or having to get away to handle a family emergency.
How it usually works is that they’ll contact us and we'll do a phone interview. Then we’ll visit the inn just to see if it’s going to be a good fit for both of us. If it is, then we start to get familiar with procedures and pretty soon we’re ready to watch the inn for a weekend or up to two weeks.
Having run our own B&B for ten years, I’d imagine it has to be tough learning all of the little nuances each innkeeper has established at their inn…
Oh, we’re very happy when they’ve created a notebook that details everything they do and how they want it done. Some innkeepers have an itemized menu of the procedures they’ve developed and will even have photos of how they have their table set and would like the meals displayed. That’s a great help. We want to run their inn exactly the way they run it, every policy and procedure, so we take very good notes.
Does it make you nervous?
Oh, yes! We’re extremely nervous the first time which is why we take such thorough notes and get as many details and information as we can. We’re very cognizant that this is the person’s livelihood.
Is hiring an innsitter cost effective? I mean, if someone only has two rooms isn’t it better that they just close their doors while they’re away?
Even so, if there’s an innsitter there you can fill your rooms. There’s someone there to take future reservations and answer questions which makes it more comfortable for the guests who are there. Plus, we do pets, too, so you don’t need to hire a petsitter. And all innkeepers know that sometimes you need to get away and get recharged. You need that downtime to rest up. Hiring an innsitter is an excellent way to keep your business open and book more reservations and really have the opportunity to disconnect from the daily pressures of running an inn.
As far as cost, it’s based on the number of rooms and any extra services we’re asked to provide. But it starts at only $100 per night and even if we have to turn the rooms, our highest rate is $150. Aside from that, we charge mileage to get there – but only one way. We pay for the return trip. Obviously we’re not in it for the money. We do this because we’re always looking for something new and different. We’ve worked for some amazing inns and have become really good friends with innkeepers and met some of the nicest guests. Last year we spent four months innsitting and this year will be more than that.
When you and Walter arrive at the inn, what’s the biggest challenge?
Ooohhhhh… Not screwing up! We prefer to have repeat engagements so our goal is always to do things to the best of our ability. That’s why we visit the inn first and take notes and really get to understand the innkeepers’ approach and reason for doing things a certain way as well as to get a feel for the atmosphere of the inn.
The fact that you get to enjoy the lifestyle of an innkeeper without being one sounds pretty appealing. In fact, it sounds like good training for aspiring innkeepers.
I think anyone who is considering buying a bed and breakfast should start as an innkeeper. They’ll learn what’s really involved in a B&B and that it’s not just a 9 to 5 job the way some people see it. Before you get into the business, you think innkeepers just check people in and then have the rest of the day to themselves. It’s not that way at all. Innsitting is a good way to see what’s involved in running a B&B.
To learn more about Jeannie Simmons and Walter Miller, call (540) 886-5336 or visit Intermezzo Innsitting Services. And to learn more about the advantages and options that Interim Innsitting provides, be sure to check the Interim Innkeepers Network.
