Steven A. Shaw - Turning the Tables - Book Review

This is billed as the insiders guide to eating out and an in depth look at the back of house activities which as a customer you don't see in the restaurant world. To be fair Mr Shaw does follows the course of food from the purchasing in the market, the cultivation of oysters to the table which I am sure many people do not consider at all. As well he goes through how to get a reservation in highly sought after places, how and why to tip and how to behave which as a person in customer service is something I think many would benefit from being taught - aggressive bad behaviour should not be rewarded.

It is a light read but for myself would not say it was excessively informative or instructive however on the plus side it does leave the restaurant industry in a positive light where professionals are struggling to produce high quality food in a tough environment and is not one of these often touted industry exposes full of scandal.

Thinking about feet!

This may for any newbies out there seem a very odd point of conversation - however for a Bed and Breakfast owner there is only one thing more important than your feet and thats your back!

so point 1 look after your feet, wear sensible shoes at least some of the time and if you get corns etc then make sure you take the time to go to the choropodist and have them seen to. Believe me you will thank him/her for it.

2 - remember you only get 1 back! dont shake out duvets in an extended position as this is the absolute worst thing you can do. Also what does me in is hanging over the dishwasher!

Waiter Rant by Steve Dublanica - Book Review

Bought this as a bit of light reading packaged as a behind the scenes look at being a waiter in New York. To be frank its what it is, simply a bit of light reading with a tiny bit of kiss and tell thrown in. Perhaps I am cynical as have done my years in the trenches as a waitress during my uni years surrounded by drunk conventioneers who think the wait staff come as part of the package. If you have ever read Hotel Babylon it is written in a similar style though set over a period of time from when the author is made redundant and becomes a waiter to manage and never leaves.

So all in all a light read but in my opinion not a gripping page turner.

Looking after No1!

You may initially think this is your customers which to a certain extent is true however what is as important and quite often over looked is you have to look after yourself! - I hear gasps of horror in the back ground but a grouchy tired innkeeper is no good to their customers. Now before you start running your bed and breakfast you may go to bed at 11pm every day that is up to you - but don't fool yourself that this will carry on once you are started. This will sound obvious but if you are tired then GO TO BED! I am usually in bed by 9.30 and have been in bed at 8pm before now, eat your veg and take your vitamins as when you work for yourself there is very little chance of a day off for illness. As I am writing this I am on day 14 of having a cold with 4 days of being quite ill and the rest trying to shake off a stubborn cough! Guests will expect their beds to be made and breakfast to be served no matter what.

Also if you have what is known as a Season make sure before and after you schedule at least 2 days of down time where you just sleep and rest both mentally and physically. Try no matter where your B&B is to have the occasional night off, go out to dinner, go to the cinema or have a day trip!

All this will probably seem like common sense but when you hit the ground running and it is very tempting especially with a huge mortgage to just keep on plugging - which I am not advising against however with careful planning ie next week I have 12 rooms arriving Sunday for 4 nights - once they have arrived on the Sunday I pretty much have my evenings free. If you have a busy season can you put on a 3 night minimum? If you have particularly busy event can there be a 2/3 night minimum?

Also it is very easy - (and believe me I get roped into it)- to allow late check in's, I won't advise not doing this at all but there are ways round this ie coming for a wedding? check in, in advance ie early check in is better than late, lock boxes and instructions? door locks that operate with a combination that could be texted with instructions to the guest? Ive had more than one guest roll up at 3am - "oh should I have called?" you think? and believe me its hard to smile at them during breakfast! Or the ones that do call "Ill be there about midnight, is that ok?" So though its not always possible try and limit those late check in's with explicit check in and check out times on yours and your partners web sites.

And last but not least - don't be afraid of having an afternoon nap!

Book Review - How to be a Hotel Receptionist by Matt Shiells-Jones

I saw this book advertised in The Caterer Magazine and for £3 figured it is worth a whirl. For a Bed and Breakfast owner the poem introduction is hilarious and what we deal with every day, the other most useful section is complaint handling which I also found informative and useful. I am going to quote the intro section for you hear as I laughed out loud as I used to be a receptionist in a large hotel and dealt with situations like this on a daily basis -

"I have advanced degrees in Accounting, Public Relations, Marketing, Business, Computer Science, Civil Engineering, and Swahili. I can also read minds.

Of course I have the reservation that you booked six years ago even through you don't have the confirmation number and you think it was made under a name that starts with "S".

It is completely my fault that the blizzard shut down the airport and you have to sleep in a warm king-sized bed while 5000 of your co-travellers are sleeping in benches at the airport, I am sorry.
It is not a problem for me to give you seven connecting, non-smoking, poolside suites with two king size beds in each, four rollaways, 3 cribs, and yes I can install a wet bar. I know it is my fault that we do not have a helicopter landing pad.

I am a Front Desk Agent. I am expected to speak all languages fluently. It is obvious to me that when you booked your reservation for Friday on the weekend we're sold out that you really meant Saturday. My company has entrusted me with all financial information and decisions, and yes, I am lying to you when I say we have no more rooms available. It is not a problem for me to quickly construct several more guest rooms. THIS time I will not forget the helicopter landing pad. And it is my fault that everyone wanted to stay here. I should have known you were coming, after all, you stay at our brand of hotel all the time, 300 nights a year, and this is only the first time you've ever been to our city.

I am a front desk agent. I am quite capable of checking three people in, two people out, taking five reservations, answering 15 incoming calls, delivering 6 bath towels to room 625, plunging the toilet in room 101, and restocking the supply of pool towels, all at the same time. Yes, I will be glad to call the van driver and tell him to drive over all the cars stuck in traffic because you've been waiting at the airport for 15 minutes and you've got jet lag.

I am a front desk agent, an operator, a bellhop, houseman, guest service representative, housekeeper, sales coordinator, information specialist, entertainment critic, restaurateur, stock broker, referee, janitor, computer technician, plumber, ice-breaker, postman, babysitter,dispatcher, laundry cleaner, lifeguard, electrician, ambassador, personal fitness trainer, fax expert, human jukebox, domestic abuse councillor, and verbal punching bag. Yes I know room 112 is not answering their phone. And of course I have their travel itinerary so I know exactly where they went when they left here 9 hours ago, and what their mobile phone number is.

I always know where to find the best vegetarian-kosher-Mongolian-barbecue restaurants. I know exactly what to see and do in this city in fifteen minutes without spending any money and without getting caught in traffic. I take personal blame for airline food, traffic jams, rental car flat tires, and the nation's economy.

I realise that you meant to book your reservation here. People often confuse us with the Galaxy Delight Motel, Antarctica. Of course I can "fit you in" and yes, you may have the special £1 rate because you are affiliated with the Hoboken Accounting and Bagel Club.

I am expected to smile, empathise, sympathise, console, condole, upsell, downsell (and know when to do which), perform, sing, dance, fix the printer, and tell your friends that you're here. And I know exactly where 613 Possum Trot Lane is in the Way Our There subdivision that they just built last week.

After all, I AM a Front Desk Agent!

Hotel Success Handbook by Caroline Cooper & Lucy Whittington - Book Review

This book despite its name is aimed at small hotels, B&B's, guest houses/accommodation and to a certain extent self catering accommodation. This is a handy volume which explains concepts such as google addwords which is something I have struggled with understanding. For example Hotel Harrogate to buy that phrase which would then show your add every time someone searched for hotel harrogate will obviously be very popular and therefore expensive - however hotel harrogate near the conference centre is very specific and therefore cheaper. The phrase google add words is to a certain extent misleading as it can mean bidding on a specific word but it can also mean a phrase such as hotel by the sea or hotel with a sea view. The book also comes with a supporting web site www.hotelsuccesshandbook.com which comes with helpful forms and updates which helps keep Internet marketing which is a fast moving concept up to date. However it does not cover in any way shape or form using agents such as Laterooms or Booking.com which I personally think is something in reality is here to stay and a big part of most people's marketing strategy. I also think there should have been some discussion of Property Management systems and what features you should be looking for etc which again was skimmed over in about a paragraph. It is a useful volume and covers more in relation to Internet bandb marketing than any other I have found, I just feel if they brought out a second edition this would be something I would like to see added.

Setting the Table by Danny Meyer - Book Review

Bought this book on the basis it was recommended to my by Amazon based on my other purchases so I figured for £0.01 it was worth a look. I will say however the first 60 or so pages I was thinking what on earth are people on about? but then it becomes interesting. The first section in my opinion which is less interesting is mainly about Danny growing up, his family and his student days travelling round Europe eating things. For me this is not something that particularly interests me but builds up to the point where he is deciding what to do with his life and his uncle says - well you love eating and food why not a restaurant? It follows how they started by picking the location but the developed problems with the infrastructure and so on which they learned from in their second restaurant. (ie coat room wasn't big enough for everyones coats and the kitchen was small and tight. He also states that a lot of his business decisions are about the opportunities you don't take as well as the ones you do take. He also points out the problems they had with human resources and issues as they grew and put into place round tables and staff consultations to try and head off issues before they became a majour problem. I would however say this book is more aimed at a business with staff ie a larger B&B or small hotel or perhaps as a learning tool for someone who intends on expanding their business to several properties. Therefore I would recommend this as an interesting read as well as a useful tool for someone heading in that direction. ISBN 9780462099255