Thursday 16 February 2017

Business in the off Season at a Bed & Breakfast

We're back in business at Spoiled Rotten.  The phone has started to ring again;  I stared at it while a funny noise came out and suddenly I realized, I was receiving a call, for business, no less!  Until Valentine's Day, it is the quiet season for most of the B&Bs in Canada and I'm pretty sure I have seen  tumbleweeds rolling around in my living room and families of dust bunnies having potlucks under the beds. Wait, that last reference doesn't relate to the lack of business,  just that I need to clean better.  "Jury will disregard that last statement".  

I ended last season with the busiest October ever.  I traveled figuring who travels to Ottawa in November?  I knew it would be quiet because two years earlier, when I first opened the doors, I only had 3 guests in November but I had only been open a couple of months.  I've always assumed every November would be the same.  Google analytics proved me wrong, Very Wrong, HORRIBLY WRONG!!  My "quiet" month generated 1200 hits in November.  OMG!!!!! I will never travel again at that time. 

Christmas was surprisingly and blissfully quiet and I have really really really enjoyed the silence and done two months of paperwork, month-ends, year-ends and marketing.   For the longest time, I lived on high alert that the phone would ring, and  guest will say they are just pulling in the driveway.   Except for the odd booking at New Years and the Romance packages, I have now relaxed into it.  I have become so relaxed that I fear the worst... the phone will ring and I will have a disaster in my house and need to do tornado cleaning.  

Things are getting done around the house; cleaning, organizing, some painting.  I did rent out my romance suite to a man in transition and he was the perfect house guest but never again will I tie up that room for a longer rental.    Having someone stay longer in the house means I can no longer rent the entire house.  Having someone in the high end Romance rooms means all the high rollers will no longer have Romance or a private ensuite soaker tub at their disposal. A lesson well learned.   

It's interesting what you discover about yourself when you haven't lived with anyone for 6 years and suddenly, there they are...parked behind you in the morning so you can't sneak away to the gym, (or is that a pro?) parked in front of the tv when you are used to have your favorite shows on in the background, talking when you are used to working alone.  I had no idea how much I took my privacy and solitude for granted until it was taken away.  The rental was such a blessing and even more so that it came to an end.  

February, being my month for lovers, sent me some of the best ever guests.  You know you've won pay dirt when the 5 star reviews start coming in before they have even left.  That's when things get comical and the stoopid stuff starts to happen; you know, you forget to give them silverware or press start for the coffee but hey, doesn't matter.  They already sent in the review and I can rest on my laurels.  

March might be another quiet month before the season blows up.  I did see what Ottawa is doing for the Red Bull Crashed Ice raceway and it's going to be spectacular, altho it's hard to imagine now.  

This is the construction of Red Bull off the famous Chateau Laurier.

 Now with that said, I sure hope families get off their duffs to make their bookings and come to Ottawa for Winterlude before it's over with Feb 20th.  You're late to our birthday party of 150 years...ok, not technically late but we celebrate for the entire year!  Come to Ottawa to get Spoiled Rotten.


www.spoiledrottenbnb.ca 





Thursday 9 February 2017

150 Reasons to visit Ottawa in 2017- especially for Family Day at Spoiled Rotten B&B

There are so many reasons to visit Ottawa this year and I'm hoping to enjoy the benefits of filling accommodations at Spoiled Rotten B&B when this city gets crazy with tourists.  I'm mildly amused that my sister on warm Vancouver Island is shoveling day and night with a continuous snowstorm.  That shouldn't fill me with chuckles but I kept up with the snow this year by myself and briefly overlooked a snow drift.  The freezing rain came and I am now the proud owner of a snow kingdom of my own, not so unlike the one you will find at Winterlude's Jacques Cartier Park.  They celebrate the cold and I'm ashamed to say, I curse it, just a little. I must chip it away before the guest come tomorrow.

Since Australia, I only leave the house when absolutely necessary.  It catches fire?  You might find me in the shower, which is a cold wet spot indoors while I hold my fire extinguisher to avoid getting dressed up for the cold.  I run out of food, don't you worry about me.  I have lots of canned and questionable stuff I can re-create into something I would feed my kids.  (what, me eat it? No way!!).  I need gas for the car.  Nope.  It'll be cheaper in the spring.  I only have about 6 more weeks to hibernate.  Move over bears; there's one more to share your cave.

I even bought cross country skies a couple of years ago and joined a ski group but I have yet to get out.  I did buy snowshoes and made it out once with a bunch of young bucks racing like wild fire was after them at midnight in Gatineau.  Not so much fun especially when you are always the oldest one in the group. If they had any respect for seniors, they would revere me and maybe even carry me if I lagged behind but they don't.  Rotten whippersnappers.

Now where was I.  Oh ya, call me and make a booking for your family to stay with me.  I'm such a nice person that I will even take your family members you don't want to have stay with you.  Even better, why not rent the whole place so you can all hang together for Family Day long weekend.  Before you even ask, yes, I do live here; my insurance company requires since I'm a real bed and breakfast in case you decide to do the proverbial bus pulling up to the house full of partiers for yet another Airbnb party.  Once!  It happened once and I hear about it all the time and now I have to be here because of those darned party goers.

Don't worry, you won't have to see me if you don't want to.  All you have to do is ask, "so what time are you leaving here to go home" and I can take the hint but if I duck out, who is going to give you the massage when you return home battered and worn after your snow activities.  Who is going to tell you how to run the bubble bath so the jets don't run a muck?  You want me there and I promise to keep you in stitches.

So click on these links and see when you want to come to Ottawa and have a pampering stay here or even a romance package.  If you are spontaneous, this link might lure you for Winterlude this weekend.

 https://www.ottawatourism.ca/ottawa-insider/things-to-do-in-ottawa-this-weekend/   or https://www.tourismeottawa.ca/les-coulisses-dottawa/quoi-faire-ce-weekend-a-ottawa/


http://www.ottawa2017.ca/150-reasons-to-visit-ottawa-in-2017/



http://www.ottawa2017.ca/events/signature-events/  Ignite 150

Make sure you bookmark these links when you are coming here and I'll see you soon.