I attended the Michigan Lake to Lake Bed and Breakfast Association annual conference in Chelsea. It was a three day event at the Comfort Inn and Conference Center of Chelsea. Day one was a workshop that helped innkeepers get up to speed on social media. A half day of information exclusively about blogging, facebook, and twitter techniques left a few heads spinning, reassured many that they were on the right track, and lead everyone down the road to improvement.
A business meeting regarding the status of the Michigan Bed and Breakfast Association provided results of the previous year’s effort and a plan for the future. A new state association website had been the main focus of the board’s attention for most of the past 12 months. Upon completion, the site that was developed is the kind of website that most B&B associations can only dream about. Our committee selected the best of what we had seen across the U.S. and developed additional functions that has put our directory at the state of the art.
Several seminars regarding marketing, inspiration, and more marketing was the main focus of the gathering. A representative of the Pure Michigan state tourism advertising group reviewed their past successes and laid out the future plans, pending state budget approval, that will keep Michigan a major Midwest tourist destination..
A very interesting and enlightening seminar on bed bugs was most informative. We were happy to discover that the bed and breakfast industry was one of the groups least affected by the growing concern over bed bugs as reported in the media. The changeover of bed sheets multiple times per week by innkeepers was enumerated as a top reason for B&Bs to not be experiencing the problems that are growing in apartment buildings and other facilities where people sleep. Innkeepers are aware that clutter is a major hiding spot for the creatures who mostly come out at night to feed on human blood. A neat and well-kept bedroom with special attention given to the cleanliness of mattress covers and pillow cases help to identify and treat a concern long before it becomes a problem. Our inspected inns are aware of the public’s apprehension towards this matter and have taken steps to keep our rooms fresh, clean, and orderly.
Mike Venturini
Jonesville Michigan Bed and Breakfast Innkeeper
“Life is good in Jonesville”