News for October 2010

Bed and Breakfats Cooking

Would you cook an omelet without the egg?  Would you offer morning coffee without cream and sugar to your guests?  You could do the above things, but it just wouldn’t work as well, would it?  The same can be said for trying to run a state, provincial or local B&B association, or even PAII, without input and involvement from the membership.  There is a disturbing pattern at many B&B associations, from what I observe – a critically few members do all of the work to keep the organization going, and these folks are getting burned out.  This causes a bit of a “vicious cycle” to occur –association members complain they’re not getting enough out of their association and might not renew (or non-members will say the same about not joining) > association tries to involve members in regional meetings, state meetings, board meetings, ANY meeting to discuss how to improve the work and value of the association > the same few people attend everything > the same few people end up DOING everything > the association tends to lack progress they need or desire > same uninvolved association members complain or stay silent > same burned out association volunteers try again.  I believe strongly in the value of local B&B associations – I’d love to see all of them succeed, be progressive and have strong membership bases.  

More and more, association members view their involvement in associations simply as consumers – I will pay dues only if you can clearly show me a financial return.  The problem is … associations (especially those run exclusively or mostly be volunteer members) are not like retail shops or typical corporations.  If an association doesn’t have legions of staff to do all the work and stimulate necessary progress and innovation, then the responsibility falls to the membership and volunteers.  Customers don’t volunteer to help keep a retail operation alive.  Your own B&B guests don’t convene to determine ways to make sure you stay in business.  But when associations are prescribed to change leadership every few years, there is a need for people to rotate into those leadership positions to make sure the organization stays on course.   

I apologize for the negative bent of this article, but oftentimes peers tend to be overly polite with each other and may not draw attention to the fact that their friends and colleagues aren’t helping to carry the water of the organization.  My hope for all B&B associations is for more members to get involved and answer the call when volunteers are needed…to support the organization through your dues even if every dollar can’t always be traced back to a reservation…to encourage other innkeepers to belong to the association.  Remember – the whole point of having an association is to accomplish in a collective way what you cannot accomplish as an individual.  The operative word in that sentence is “collective.”  You cannot have a collective effort when only four or five are doing everything…every year.   

The same formula is true for PAII, but with larger numbers.  It’s possible to run a very effective state organization with 100 or 200 members (depending on the size of your market).  For an organization like PAII, it takes thousands.  Membership in PAII is up double digits over last year, which is fantastic.  A lot of that success has to do with the fact that you can now join PAII for as low as $89.  We can be a more effective advocate for the B&B industry with folks like TripAdvisor if we have 8,000 members instead of 2,000 or 3,000.  Encourage your peers who are NOT members of PAII to go to www.innkeeping.org to sign up and be part of the growing movement of innkeepers coming under the PAII tent.  

To carry the numbers message further, conferences for innkeepers are more effective when you have more innkeepers in attendance.  The natural idea-sharing and problem-solving both in the classroom and in the hallways is greater when the numbers are greater.  To that end, I invite you to come to any of these events for just a couple of days to recharge your batteries and pick up all kinds of knowledge to make you a better innkeeper.

Edited: October 29th, 2010

Leeds outlet mall to open near Treasure Island Bed and Breakfast

The latest major addition to Alabama’s retail scene will open its doors Thursday, as Birmingham-based developer Daniel Corp. cuts the ribbon on a new upscale outlet center in Leeds and counts on shoppers to flock there despite tough economic times. 
 
  The Shops of Grand River, with a total project value of $127 million, has a prime spot on busy Interstate 20 near Barber Motorsports Park and Bass Pro Shops, two developments that already are attracting tourists and shoppers from across the metro area, as well as far-flung locales. 
 
  And while the center is making its debut in time for the retail industry’s all-important holiday shopping season, it’s also arriving as many merchants and consumers are struggling to regain their financial footing after two years of strife. 
 
  Industry trends are on its side, however, as statistics show outlet stores have held their own during the downturn, while traditional retailers have reported steep sales slides. 
 
  ”In this economy, a lot of people began making a trip to check out outlet centers because they didn’t want to give up quality, but they did want a better price,” said Linda Humphers, editor-in-chief of Value Retail News, a publication of the International Council of Shopping Centers. 
 

Edited: October 26th, 2010

Alabama Tourism department kicks off “Year of Alabama Music”

The Alabama Tourism Department today unveiled “Alabama Jamma,” a customized guitar that will be the official symbol of its 2011 The Year of Alabama Music campaign.

Birmingham musician John Kulinich played the guitar, shaped like the state of Alabama, during a noon press conference today at the Rogue Tavern in the 2300 block of Second Avenue North in downtown Birmingham.

Grey Brennan, marketing director of the Alabama Tourism Department, said the Year of Alabama Music campaign will highlight hundreds of venues like Rogue Tavern, museums like the Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame in Birmingham and music festivals statewide. The goal is to promote Alabama’s music legacy that produced such artists as The Commodores and American Idols Ruben Studdard and Taylor Hicks, and the role music can play in the state’s $9 billion tourism industry, Brennan said.

Ed Mizzell of Birmingham advertising firm Luckie & Co. said the “Alabama Jamma” design was derived by the agency’s Rich Albright and Bob Harrison. Luckie is overseeing the state tourism department’s Year of Music campaign.

Come stay at an Alabama Bed and Breakfast like Treasure Island Bed and Breakfast www.treasureislandbedandbreakfast.com and enjoy the music.

Edited: October 23rd, 2010

Birmingham Museum of Art sculpture garden one of the nation’s Great Public Spaces

From the article “BMA Sculpture Garden a ‘Great Place’ in America” by Michael Huebner in The Birmingham News:

Visitors to the Birmingham Museum of Art already know that the Ireland Sculpture Garden is a great place, but now it’s official. The American Planning Association has named the museum’s outdoor garden one of 10 Great Public Spaces for 2010. Part of its Great Places in America program, it is the first such designation for Alabama. The Chicago and Washington, D.C.-based organization based the award on the garden’s plan and design that meld art with the natural landscape. It also cited its accommodation of all types of visitors, including the visually impaired. The garden’s overhanging trees, Valerie Jaudon-designed blue pool and benches and surrounding sculptures by well-known artists such as Auguste Rodin, Fernando Botero, Sol LeWitt, Alexander Archipenko and Salvador Dali make it an idyllic spot for museum visitors. “It’s a space that can be meditative and a space that can be highly charged and social,” said BMA Executive Director Gail Andrews on Tuesday. “To be recognized nationally is very meaningful for us.”

APA Chief Executive Officer Paul Farmer mentioned the garden’s design, sculpture collection and inviting approach. In a statement, he called it a “truly special place. This public space has really broken the mold, if you will, of what museums can be.” Birmingham Mayor William Bell said the garden is a downtown oasis, “one of several designed green spaces, including our newly dedicated Railroad Park, which we feel really draw people into our city center and make them want to linger and return.” Containing three distinct spaces, the 30,000 square foot space was designed by architect Edward Larrabee Barnes and sculptor Elyn Zimmerman and created as part of a $21 million renovation of the museum in 1993. Andrews hoped the award will remind people to take advantage of the garden. “If they’re not in the habit of sitting in our garden, this is the perfect season to come and just sit,” she said. “Barnes didn’t want you to be stopped. Make it a circuit as part of your travel through the museum.”

Edited: October 14th, 2010

Barber Motorsports to hold Vintage Event

The sixth annual Barber Vintage Festival will be held this weekend, October 8 – 10 at Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham, AL. The nation’s fastest growing celebration of vintage bikes will offer on- and off-track racing, as well as many other activities dedicated to the history and preservation of motorcycles.

The Barber Vintage Festival’s racing centerpiece will highlight several classes of the American Historic Racing Motorcycle Association (AHRMA) competing throughout the weekend, including Road Racing, Trials, Cross-Country and Motocross. Each of these divisions will be featured in its own unique venue at the Barber Motorsports Park.

In addition to the racing aspect, spectators will have plenty of off-track activities to enjoy, including:

• World Famous Barber Swap Meet

• VJMC Pancake Breakfast (Saturday only)

• AMCA and VJMC Motorcycle Show

• Motorcycle Classics Magazine Bike Show

• Vintage Motorcycle Auction

• The Great American Wall of Death Thrill Show

• Southern Vintage Fire Apparatus Association Show

• Aeroshell Aerobatic Team Air Show

• Motorcycle Parade Laps

• Technical Seminars

A complete listing of weekend events can be found at www.barbervintagefestival.org/event-schedule.php. Please note that some activities and attractions may require the purchase of an additional ticket.

Advance tickets start as low as $15, and ticket prices will increase at the gate. Tickets, parade laps, camping reservations, and more for the sixth annual Barber Vintage Festival can be purchased at www.barbermotorsports.com or by calling 800-240-2300. Children 12 and under are admitted free with a ticketed adult.

Also returning this year is “Motorcycles by Moonlight”, a fundraiser dinner benefiting the Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum, which will be held on Friday, October 8. This year’s honored guest will be Sir John Surtees, the only man to win a world championship on both two and four wheels. Cocktails will begin at 6:00 p.m. with dinner and a live auction at 7:00 p.m. An evening with John Surtees and host Alain de Cadenet will begin at 8:00 p.m. Tickets to “Motorcycle by Moonlight” may be purchased by calling 205-699-7275.

Edited: October 9th, 2010

Iron bowl Near Alabama Bed and Breakfast

In the Southeast’s biggest college football rivalry, two SEC powerhouses — The University of Alabama and Auburn University — battle for the next year’s bragging rights. This year’s game will be held at Bryant-Denny Stadium on the UA campus. Tuscaloosa will be the battleground this year on Nov 26. There is an Alabama Bed and Breakfast located near this event to make it even more of a special experience. Treasure Island Bed and Breakfast is not far away as well as many others. www.treasureislandbedandbreakfast.com

Edited: October 9th, 2010

Treasure Island Bed and Breakfast now has a vacancy for Talladega race

Treasure Island Bed and Breakfast has a vacancy for the Oct. Talladega race, due to a cancelation. If you are searching for lodging only 15 miles from the Talladega Superspeedway with restful setting on the lake shore, contact us immediately. The Anniversary Suite may be booked by going to www.treasureislandbedandbreakfast.com After a long day at the track you will appreciate the home atmosphere not to mention the wonderful breakfast at the Alabama bed and breakfast.

Edited: October 8th, 2010

Chronicles of Narnia exhibit opens at the U.S. Space & Rocket Center

The Chronicles of Narnia exhibit at the U.S. Space & Rocket Center in Huntsville opened Saturday in time for fall break. The official opening will be Oct. 9.  From the article “Chronicles of Narnia exhibit opens at Huntsville’s Space & Rocket Center” by Brian Lawson in The Huntsville Times:

Isabella and Brook Bridges passed through a wardrobe into Narnia Saturday morning, as a warm fall day in Huntsville gave way to chilly air and falling snow in the realm of the White Witch. The Bridges girls, unlike the heroes of the film and beloved novel, “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe,” journeyed through Narnia with their parents, Avery and Marilyn Bridges. The family made a special trip from Memphis to experience “The Chronicles of Narnia” exhibit which opened Saturday at the U.S. Space & Rocket Center. Geoff Abrams, director of special exhibit operations for the Space & Rocket Center, said they were able to get the exhibit a week earlier than expected, just in time for fall break. Abrams said they hope to get 15,000 to 20,000 visitors to the exhibit, which runs through January. “It’s the perfect time of year for it,” he said. “With Halloween and Christmas and winter.” The official grand opening is Saturday, Oct. 9 and will include sword fighters and face painters from the Renaissance Festival and a large inflatable lion, reminiscent of Aslan, the story’s mighty lion king. The exhibit also includes items from the “Chronicles” third film, “The Voyage of the Dawn Treader” which opens in December.

Visitors to the exhibit start as the story does, with a pass through the wardrobe into an icy Narnia. Along the way, the story’s characters including Lucy’s loyal friend, the faun Mr. Tumnus and the fearsome sword-wielding mouse Reepicheep, are on display, along with an ice wall from the witch’s palace, swords and battle costumes, lighted maps and videos from the filmmakers about how Narnia was brought to life.  There are number of interactive features and the exhibit offers a painless series of science lessons, from the effects of severe climate change – the witch has frozen Narnia for 100 years – to turning wood to stone, animal communication and the flinging of boulders via catapult, which visitors can launch.  Judging by the wonder on the girls faces as they stopped to look at the minotaurs and lift broadswords, the Bridges’ made the right call with Saturday’s visit. Avery Bridges said he read the girls each of the seven books in C.S. Lewis’ series and they became big fans of the films, including “Prince Caspian,” which followed “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.” The girls are big space fans as well, Bridges said, so the chance to combine the rocket center and Narnia was irresistible.  ”We visited a Narnia exhibit at Disney World, but this is even better,” Bridges said.

Edited: October 6th, 2010

Small towns Alabama being featured

Southeastern Group Tour magazine features Year of Small Towns & Downtowns
From the article “Small Wonders- The Year of Alabama Small Towns & Downtowns celebrates the places and passions that make Alabama a sweet home” in Southeastern Group Tour magazine:

It’s The Year of Alabama Small Towns & Downtowns, and the Great Alabama Homecoming events that will continue through mid-December are a key part of the Alabama Tourism Department promotion. Gov. Bob Riley said communities are welcoming former residents and visitors to participate in food, crafts, and music events that celebrate each town’s unique characteristics. Also, historic markers written by local historians and provided by the Alabama Tourism Department are being unveiled. The department launched a Facebook fan page for the 215 cities participating in The Year of Alabama Small Towns and Downtowns. Riley kicked off the tourism campaign in March. “As someone who grew up in a small town in Alabama, I know there’s something special about them. They have a unique character and charm. But in Alabama, even our bigger cities have a small town feel. As Alabamians, we’re truly fortunate that many of our hometowns really are like Mayberry,” he said, referring to the fictitious small town that was the setting of the Andy Griffith Show on TV.

The 2010 promotion is the seventh yearlong tourism campaign during the Riley administration to focus on specific themes. Programs on arts and food captured national awards. Gardens, outdoors, sports, and history were in the spotlight during other years.

One such town is home to Treasure Island Bed and Breakfast in Cropwell, Alabama. www.treasureislandbedandbreakfast.com

Edited: October 6th, 2010