Any innkeeper will tell you that running a bed and breakfast is a 24/7 operation. That and dealing with your partner or spouse on an extended workday -- which becomes an extended work week which becomes an extended year can tax any relationship. With constant demands, how do you save your sanity – and your relationships? Innkeepers have learned that there are some simple ways to put some distance between you and your job.
Debbie Mosimann, who runs the Swiss Woods Inn of Lititz, Pennsylvania with her husband Werner, realized that one key to finding worry-free time for herself was hiring good help who could do check-ins a few of nights a week.
“And over the course of time we’ve tried not taking guests on Sunday, or take a whole day off, or separate days off, any number of things... But we’re not very good with vacations. When we do go, it’s usually separate and that’s more because we end up worrying too much about the inn. So it’s so much easier when one of us stays here when the other is gone.”
For further reading, visit Meet the Innkeepers: Debbi Mosimann
If you’re not ready to forsake your spouse during an entire vacation, consider some other ways to make the most of mental health time…- • Separate Days Off: Sure it’s tough to consider taking a full day off when there are rooms to clean, groceries, to buy, and guests to check in, but everyone needs time to regroup. But if you go with your spouse, you can bet the topic will be the inn. So cut loose alone and enjoy the respite. Get a massage, go to a park, visit a museum. Remember that Franklin Roosevelt died while World War II was still in swing and the world kept turning.
- • Lunch Time: Many innkeepers can’t bear to leave the B&B for even a day. In that case, corral another couple (preferably not fellow innkeepers) for something as simple as a lunch or dinner date. The inn will be fine.
- • For Everything There Is A Season: Some innkeepers like to boast that their location has four seasons of tourism, but I’ve yet to find a destination where occupancy is 100 percent all the time. Some innkeepers schedule their vacations during those extended periods when occupancy is at its lowest, often taking two to three weeks to dissolve pent-up inn anxiety?
- • Cruise Control: By their nature, inns require their owners to be cooks, housekeepers, entertainers, CEOs, CFOs, and more. In order to maintain the business, innkeepers maintain a hectic schedule that becomes second nature. On a cruise, every one of those demands vanishes and the only decision you have to make is if you want a lounge chair or cabana.
It’s amazing how innkeepers make such a demanding profession appear so glamorous, but in truth it’s one of the most time-demanding professions that exists.
And if you’re an innkeeper, you’ve earned the time.
For you.
For further reading, visit Recent Features You Might Have Missed
