Nauset Beach Club Restaurant Hosting Italian Wine Dinner Specials

During the next few months, the Nauset Beach Club, an Orleans eatery specializing in Northern Italian cuisine will be hosting regional Italian wine dinners. The first dinner will be held at 6:30 on Friday January, 29th and will focus on Puglia, a region located in the very south-east part of Italy. Cost per person is a very reasonable $45.00 excluding tax and gratuity, but inclusive of wine. The four course menu is enticing:

Antipasti

Marinated Mixed Olives and Pickled Baby Eggplant with Homemade Sun-dried Tomato Focaccia

Zuppa

Chickpea Soup with Short Pasta Tubes

Secondi

Individually Rolled Stuffed Veal, with Italian Parsley, Pecorino Cheese and Roasted Garlic, Apulia Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Roasted Fingerling Potato, Sautéed Broccoli Rabe

or

Marinated Grilled Lamb Sirloin, Salentino Rosso Wine Sauce, Fava Bean Puree, Wilted Farmed Dandelion and Preserved Lemon Rind

Dolce

Pecorino Romano Cheese, Crenshaw Melon with Drizzled Reduced Negroamaro Rosso, Almond Biscotti

Wine Selections

2008, Cantele, Chardonnay, Lecce
2004, Salice Salentino Riserva, Lecce

2003, Tormaresca, Negroamaro/Cabernet, Bari

As future dinners are announced, we will keep the blog updated. In the meantime, if your plans include a visit to the Captains House Inn to include January 29th, consider having us make you a reservation for this authentica Italian feast!

Cape Cod Gift Ideas Part II

For those of you following us on Twitter, we now have posted twenty great Cape Cod gift ideas to help you with your holiday shopping. Over the next ten days, we will post ten more. You can learn about them on Twitter every day at noon, or we will post them here in ten days.

Idea # 11 - A sand snowflake ornament from your favorite Cape Cod Beach.
Idea #12 - A carved house number sign from the Chatham Sign Shop.
Idea #13 - A glass plate (or bowl) from Sydenstrickers.
Idea #14 - Gourmet oil and vinegar from Gustare - one of our favorites is the Cinnamon Pear Balsamic.
Idea # 15 - A Captain's House Inn robe.
Idea # 16 - A gift certifcate to Buca's - one of our favorite year round restaurants.
Idea #17 - A Cape Cod photograph from Jon Vaughan - the Peaked Hills is one of our favorites.
Idea # 18 - A subscription to Cape Cod Life Magazine.
Idea #19 - A "Dogs of Cape Cod" 2010 calendar.
Idea #20 - A Cape Cod doormat.

Cape Cod Fall Specials

With the off-season approaching, this is a perfect time to visit the Cape for some excellent deals. We are now officially in our winter rates and for extra value, offer a mid-week special starting in November.

Cape Sea Grille - Harwich - Has a $25 3 course special, which they are offering Thursday, Friday and Sunday all night and Saturdays between 5 and 545 pm.

DelMar Bistro - Chatham - Offering a $18 three course dinner Sunday through Thursdays. Jill had the pan roasted salmon which was delicous.

Ocean House - Dennis - Enjoy water views and a three course prix fixe menu for $26 Wednesday through Sunday evenings.

Wild Goose Tavern - Chatham - Thursday night is ladies night with 1/2 price apps from 3 till close.

November is an ideal time to visit the Captains House Inn and Cape Cod - with these great deals, a luxurious, romantic getaway is easy on the wallet and a much needed reprieve from the hustle and bustle of your daily routine.

Cape Cod Vacation Itinerary Day Two

Wake up on the first full day of your Cape Cod vacation to a tray of tea, coffee and juice delivered to your room. Linger over your morning caffeine fix outside on one of our private terraces in the summer or in front of your fireplace in the winter. Then, make your way to our dining room, or spoil yourself and order breakfast to your room - either way, enjoy a two course gourmet breakfast and an extensive buffet while reading the local paper and chatting with the interns and innkeepers about your plans for the day.

After breakfast, head North toward Provincetown, the tip of the Cape. Along the way, don't miss stopping off at the Fort Hill area in Eastham where you can stroll along the trails on the marshy shoreline, the National Seashore beaches such as Coast Guard Beach and Marconi Beach, the many lighthouses dotting the shoreline, and the artist's town of Wellfleet known not just for oysters, but for its many galleries. For lunch in the summer, you may wish to stop at Arnold's, famous for fried seafood and "the best onion rings around," or the Beachcomber at Cahoon Hollow Beach with a hopping scene overlooking the beach. In the winter, save your appetite for Napi's in Provincetown, a landmark featuring a varied menu with something for everyone.

Provincetown offers a myriad of options, depending on the season and your preferences. From April through October, enjoy a whalewatch with the Dolphin Fleet where year after year, tourists can view whales frolicking in the water just beside the boat. Another popular choice is taking a four wheel tour of the Dunes with Art's Dune tours where you can see "the other Provincetown." Don't miss strolling along Commercial Street, Provincetown's main drag where the people watching alone is worth a trip. On the return trip to Chatham, stop off at Truro Vineyards if time allows. There, you can enjoy a tasting of their wines under a tent and learn about their winemaking process.

Finally, head back to the inn to unwind before heading out to dinner. To complete your day of seaside fun, head to the Cape Sea Grille in Harwich Port for some of the best food around. There is a nice variety of seafood on the menu in addition to several land options - no matter what you order, you can't go wrong. Finish the evening with a plate of homemade cookies and hot tea or coffee from our open kitchen before resting up for another fun filled day tomorrow.

Bicycling Cape Cod's Rail Trail

After the long, cold winter and before the heat makes us want to do nothing but lounge on one of Cape Cod’s many beautiful beaches, travelers can take advantage of the perfect weather for biking along Cape Cod’s scenic rail trail. The trail follows 22 miles of former railroad from Dennis to Wellfleet and with paved paths, few hills, and wide shoulders, it is an ideal route for a leisurely cycle through Cape Cod.

Along the trail, cyclists will find several opportunities to pull off for a bite to eat or relax on a beach. Popular stopping points are Coast Guard Beach in Eastham and Nickerson State Park in Brewster. Travelers can rent bikes at a number of shops dotted along the trail including Chatham Cycle, just down the street from the Captains House Inn or at Brewster Bike in Brewster. While the scenery and exhilaration of biking make a day of cycling along the rail trail worthwhile, the icing on the cake is returning to the Captains House Inn for cream tea, knowing that every calorie consumed is already burned off!

Captains House Inn Receives 23rd Consecutive AAA Four Diamond Award

We are pleased to announce that for the 23rd consecutive year, the Captains House Inn in Chatham, Massachusetts received the AAA four diamond award. Each year, 65 full time tourism editors evaluate over 58,000 hotels and restaurants. Of those, only about 3% are awarded the coveted four diamond award.

We are anonymously inspected annually, and must meet certain criteria in order to maintain our four diamond status which includes the entire booking process straight through to the guest’s check-out. For example, the phone must be answered in less than three rings and we must use the guest’s name with frequency. On check-in, assistance with luggage must be provided, and throughout the guest’s stay, excellent service must be adhered to at all times. Finally, the inspector evaluates the cleanliness, general comfort level, and maintenance of the inn. We believe the reason we continue to receive the award year after year is that we treat every guest as if he or she was a AAA inspector. This way, when the actual inspector reveals his identity, we are not caught off guard and wondering if we did everything properly – we are always confident that we did.

To experience our four diamond facilities and service for yourself, click here to book online now.

New H2O Line of Bath Amenities!

Like many aspects of innkeeping, selecting an amenity product line isn’t as straightforward and fun as one might envision. Sure, there are endless samples to test, fragrances to sniff, and new products to ponder. But after accumulating a lifetime supply of travel size shampoos and bath gels, and months of inhaling everything from green tea vanilla to cherry blossom freesia, we still hadn’t hit upon “the one.” See, it’s not just about finding a high end product with a pleasant scent that we, personally like. Our criteria were threefold:

1. Packaging – As a four diamond inn, we obviously look for a sleek, high end presentation and many product lines offer the look we’re after. However, it is important to us that the product not only look nice, but is functional. I’m sure we’ve all had the experience of struggling to squeeze a dollop of shampoo from a too-small bottle opening despite the fact that there is plenty of shampoo congealed to the bottom of the container. The problem with many travel size products is that they sit up-right and offer no “squeezability.” So we specifically look for squeeze tubes that sit upside down on the cap – after all, our guests are here on vacation – we want to offer a relaxing shower as opposed to one in which they emerge with little rings embedded into the palms of their hands from smacking the bottle against them repeatedly.

2. Fragrance – Granted, most women love to smell like a rose garden all day. But we fear this might be a tad emasculating for our male guests. Trying to find a gender-neutral, yet pleasant scent is not as easy as one might imagine!

3. Theme – Since we are located on Cape Cod near dozens of beaches, we wanted our amenity line to reflect the seaside feel of the inn. We fell in love with a wonderful pomegranate product which we almost ordered, but felt it was more appropriate for a property in, say, Hawaii. Also, a plus for us, based on several comment cards we have received, is that the line we select be manufactured in America. So our search continued….

Finally, after much deliberation, the winner was selected – H2O Plus’s Spa Line known for their unique combinations of nourishing marine ingredients and advanced technology, a perfect harmony of nature and science. Ingredients include seaweed extracts, sea fennel, sea lettuce, Wakame and green tea. Most importantly, though, the product is luxurious, easy to squeeze from the container, beautifully fragranced (though for all you men, you won’t smell like a flower), Cape Cod appropriate, and manufactured right here in the States. We hope our guests enjoy the new line – it’s been quite a process!

Tea Termonology 101

It generally takes about a year after purchasing an inn to find your own management style and to feel comfortable with day to day operations. I remember for the first few months after buying the Captains House, wondering if I would ever feel in charge of the day – would I ever be proactive instead of reactive? Eventually, though, we fell into a groove, but it took a lot of effort. While we had owned an inn before, and were familiar with selling rooms, serving breakfast and chatting with guests, one tradition we inherited with which we were not familiar was the daily spread of English tea for which the inn was renowned. Locals and visitors alike would book advance reservations and eagerly await the tiers of authentic homemade tea delicacies our chef, Kevin, prepared.

Aside from the fact that my dad hails from England, we knew little about English tea and wondered if we could successfully continue the service without allowing our inexperience to reflect in the quality. Ultimately, we decided to learn as much as possible and continue the Captains House Inn’s celebrated tea tradition. Over time, we discovered that there are endless details to ascertain when it comes to properly offering tea service. We learned the correct placement of cutlery, how to make mouth watering scones, recipes for countless dainty tea cookies and sandwiches, and most interesting of all – the difference between cream tea, afternoon tea, and high tea.

Turns out, Americans typically throw around the term “high tea” erroneously. What we often refer to as “high tea” is actually more like dinner to the English and consists of heavier, meatier fare as opposed to dainty pastries and sandwiches. When we think of tiers of elegant, almost regal cuisine including selections like cucumber sandwiches, scones, and mushroom pasties, we should really be describing this as “afternoon tea.” Sometimes, “afternoon tea” is also referred to as “low tea” because folks would enjoy their meal seated on comfortable couches with their food and tea on low coffee tables. Finally, the term “cream tea” consists mostly of tea cookies and cakes and scones with jam and cream.

While we still inaccurately label our tea “high tea,” we do so only because this term is so common and seems to be the clearest way to paint a picture in guest’s minds of our tea presentation. To clarify our offerings, cream tea is served daily to in-house guests between 3:00 and 5:00 and is included in our room rate. High tea (or afternoon tea if you prefer to use the correct terminology) is open to both in-house and outside guests and is also served daily from 3:00 to 5:00. For in-house guests, the price/person is $7.50 and for outside guests, it is $18.00/person. We do require reservations and if you choose to indulge, you will understand why – the time and artistry that goes into preparing all those miniature delicacies entails a lot of care and planning. We hope you will join us and share what we have not only learned a lot about, but what we now consider a pastime close to our hearts.

Clancy's Restaurant - Another New Restaurant Discovery for Us!

Once again, we have stepped out of our comfort zone and ventured off to a new restaurant. And once again, we have found a winner. Clancy’s Restaurant in Dennis Port is the epitome of an old school Cape Cod eatery complete with Prime Rib night on Fridays and Saturdays and renowned fresh fish n’ chips. Clancy’s is a favorite amongst locals, but also packs in the visitors in the summer months – and with good reason. The food is fresh and plentiful and the prices are very reasonable. Pair that with friendly service and views of the Swan River, and there’s no question why Clancy’s has been the recipient of Reader’s Choice and Zagat awards for years on end.

We visited on a Wednesday night in February. Despite gloomy weather and tourist season being months away, the restaurant was generating pretty decent business. We started with fried oysters which happen to be my personal favorite and, of which I am a pretty ruthless critic. For an appetizer portion, the serving was plentiful – in fact, I could have had that for my meal and been satisfied. They were honestly some of the best fried oysters I’ve had – cooked perfectly and not over-battered which is a giant pet peeve of mine. Next, we both opted for burgers – half pound Angus ones with our choice of fixings. Yum! Granted, it’s hard to screw up a burger, but when we ask for it to be cooked rare and it actually comes out nice and pink (a request many chefs tend to over-do, perhaps out of fear of mad cow disease or something), we know we’ve found a kitchen where quality food is produced. I think the only burgers around that perhaps rival Clancy’s are those at the Red Nun, a local watering hole with exceptional pub food.

Will we return to Clancy’s? Absolutely – probably for Prime Rib night. And we will certainly recommend it to guests – particularly those seeking a casual venue with great food, service, and best of all, that old Cape Cod atmosphere, which, with newer more sophisticated restaurants sprouting up, is a rarity. As an added bonus, Clancy’s is open seven nights a week year round – who says there’s not much open on Cape Cod in the winter?

The Logic Behind Inn Policies Part Three

Policy Explanation #3: Hindsight is 20/20 When It Comes to Group Reservations

I’ll never forget one of my biggest rookie mistakes in this business. We were preparing for our first summer season at our original bed and breakfast, the Carriage House, and the bookings were starting to pour in. Every time we filled another week, we did a victory dance and celebrated with a fairly cheap bottle of champagne (we had just blown all our money on the inn). So when we got a call from a family who wanted us to host their family reunion for a week in July meaning they would book all six rooms, we were ecstatic. In fact, I think I offered them something like a 15% discount and waived all third person in the room fees to ensure they would book with us. At first glance, this may seem like a fantastic booking – it did to me. But as a veteran of the business, I can now admit that taking this booking was actually a mistake. A big one.

Don’t get me wrong – the family was pleasant enough. But when booking a group who’s going to reserve the entire inn, the business logistics are a nightmare. First off, all six rooms are going to check in and out on the same day. This means that in order to maximize occupancy, we needed to find six guests who would all be checking out on the group’s check-in day and another six guests who were looking to check in on the group’s check out day. Not only is it highly unlikely that this will happen, but if it does, think of the housekeeping involved. With six guestrooms, we employed one housekeeper who would single-handedly have to flip all six rooms between the hours of check out and check in (a four hour window). At an hour a room, this is mathematically impossible and the end result is an unhappy guest on my doorstep at 3:00 expecting his room to be ready and it’s not. Also, consider breakfast – a group booking typically implies group activities, which means everyone meets up for breakfast at 8:30 before heading off to Nantucket for the day. So, instead of six rooms coming in at staggered times during our breakfast window, we had all six rooms sitting down at once while I frantically raced around fetching drinks and taking orders and James tried to cook 30 flapjacks on a griddle the size of a Monopoly box and refrained from cursing too loudly.

That said, if the group had wanted to book a week in say, March, one of our slowest months, I’d break out a bottle of champagne (a slightly higher end one these days) and celebrate the booking. But in the height of the busy season, when rooms can be filled with individual reservations that are staggered, my advice to all you aspiring innkeepers out there is – go that route.

A New (But Old) Restaurant Discovery

As innkeepers, one of the hardest parts of the job is testing out all the restaurants in the area to determine the best to recommend. I’m being sarcastic, of course. There’s nothing we love more than to put our food critic hats on and see how eateries in the area stack up. After living here for five years, we certainly have our favorites and, as creatures of habit, rarely venture off our old stand-bys in search of something new. But after hearing the rave review from our trusted cohorts in the dining analysis practice (my in-laws), we abandoned our comfort zone and booked a table at the Old Yarmouth Inn.

I have to admit, my expectations weren’t high. As much as I trust my in-laws on restaurant advice, I felt like if I hadn’t yet discovered this landmark, which, according to their website has been around since pre-Revolutionary War days, it couldn’t possibly be anything to write home about. I was wrong. Set in a sprawling historic inn, the restaurant’s many smaller dining rooms feel cozy despite the 200 seats actually there. With wood paneled walls and a roaring fireplace, the tavern was our pick on the cold winter night we dined. Our waitress was friendly and helpful, yet unobtrusive and the menu was extensive, yet not overwhelming, allowing us to select from tavern or dining room fare. Also unexpected was an impressive wine list which has received the Wine Spectator Award of Excellence for seven years running and offers more than 18 wines by the glass and 115 from the wine cellar.

To start, we enjoyed carpaccio of beef with shaved Asiago and capers. While not the best we’ve ever had, it was certainly tasty and about what we expected from a casual, traditional eatery. For our entrees, I decided on honey mustard glazed salmon with cucumber, caper, and mango compote. I asked for the salmon cooked rare, as is my preference, and the chef delivered (often, I find this request gets overlooked). James opted for a braised short rib beef stew which was served piping hot and was out of this world – he went so far as to claim that it was the most tender beef he had ever had. For James, this was a bold statement. While we were too full for a third course, the dessert menu was tempting as was the three course $19.95 prix fixe menu offered in the winter at lunch daily, all night Sunday through Thursday, and 4:30-6:00pm on Friday and Saturday.

While a bit of a drive from the inn (30 minutes without traffic), we didn’t hesitate to add it to our recommendations list – especially since it is open 364 days a year and exuded a Cape Cod ambiance unrivaled by many other local spots.

The Many Hats an Innkeeper Wears

If the following story sounds like something that might happen to you, you might be cut out for the innkeeping profession: I was in college. One night, I was chatting on the phone with my cousin, Rachel, who was also attending university. She lived in an off-campus apartment and had just welcomed a new roommate. I’ll call her Kristen. Kristen and Rachel weren’t exactly hitting it off. “For starters,” Rachel complained, “she insists that we color code our sink sponges – yellow for dishes and orange for countertops….she says it’s gross to wipe down the counters with a sponge you’re going to clean dishes with.” I feigned horror at such a proposition, but was really thinking what a brilliant idea Kristen had come up with and was adding “colored sponges” to my grocery list. Who knows what happened to Kristen, but it wouldn’t surprise me if she joined the ranks of obsessive compulsive innkeepers like me. I knew that becoming an innkeeper would only encourage this behavior. What I didn’t realize were the many other hats I’d wind up wearing – here are just a few:

Traffic Analyst – I may look like I can predict the future, but trust me, nobody, not even Sky Chopper 4 News guy can tell you exactly what time to leave to avoid any traffic. As much as I try to sidestep this question, guests always counter my “leaving in the morning is probably your best bet,” with, “so should I leave at 10:00 or are you saying I should wake up really early and leave at 8:00?” The truth is, I have no idea when accidents will happen, exactly what time construction is going on, or when every other person in the area will decide to hit the road and head home.

Handyman – Guess what? Innkeepers don’t typically have plumbers, electricians or IT consultants on their payroll. I’ve plunged many a toilet in the last five years and have even learned how to use a snake (don’t ask). I can relight the pilot on gas fireplaces, solve a lot of computer problems, and even fix the occasional broken table leg. Despite being a true “girly girl,” I now know the difference between a Phillips head and flat head screwdriver. Usually, though, I hunt James down for the maintenance issues.

Weather Forecaster – I’m happy to advise guests about typical weather patterns and temperatures during different seasons. Please bear in mind, however, that even professional weather forecasters can be completely wrong two days ahead, let alone months in advance. If I could guarantee the weather, trust me, I wouldn’t be an innkeeper.

Exterminator – One of the first investments we made after buying our second inn was a screen for the top of the chimney. If you’re serious about innkeeping, you better not be too squeamish about “nature” because you’re not going to have time to call in the pros when a raccoon finds its way down the chimney and a guest is due to check into the room any minute.

Locksmith – What happens when a lock jams on a guest’s door and you want to avoid calling in a locksmith on a Sunday when you’ll have to pay time and half? You climb through the window in a dress and fix it yourself.

Detective – I’ll be the first to admit, I’ve left items behind at hotels, in taxi cabs, and at restaurants. I’ve locked keys in my trunk, looked high and low for my watch which is on my wrist, and left the oven on overnight. I attribute being a little scatterbrained to the fact that I am running a busy inn while trying to raise a family coupled with the fact that I didn’t have the greatest short-term memory to begin with. So I am very sympathetic when a guest calls and asks me to hunt down a missing item – once I even unearthed a diamond ring from our vacuum cleaner!

Psychologist/Marriage Counselor/Referee – I really can’t divulge too much about the stories behind these hats I’ve worn. Just trust me – innkeepers are a lot like hairdressers – we listen, advise, and save marriages.

Myths About Innkeepers

I'll never forget the morning when I was serving breakfast at the Carriage House Inn and a guest asked me what my plans were for the day. Before I could recite the list of chores I had lined up, she chirped, “It’s so beautiful out. Are you heading to the beach?” It took every fiber of my being to refrain from telling her about the previous night when, after a twelve hour day, James had surprised me by shucking some oysters and opening a bottle of bubbly for no reason, in particular. I was just about to slurp up a plump one when the phone rang – a guest’s heat was on the fritz and James headed over to determine that the thermostat needed replacing. So, on a Saturday night, we paid time and a half to have the problem fixed, the champagne went flat and the oysters went bad. But, I bit my tongue and reminded myself that the good days really do outweigh the bad.

In addition to the misconception about our “lounge by the pool” lifestyle, another myth about innkeepers is that we live in pristine homes with organized, labeled spice racks, homemade cleaning products, and sock drawers sorted by color. In reality, we have cabinets full of mismatched, chipped reject mugs from the inn, stained sheets and towels which were unacceptable for guest rooms, but a shame to throw away, and odd pieces of furniture which needed replacing at the inn, but again, were in decent enough shape to relocate to our house.

You will also never find a new bottle of shampoo or a full roll of toilet paper in an innkeeper’s home. You know how when you check into a hotel whose rating is anything above that of, say a motel that has five deadbolts and bullet proof glass, and there is a practically full roll of toilet paper in the bathroom? What do you think happens to all the quarter rolls that are too skimpy to leave for the next guest? That’s right – they find their way into the housekeeper or innkeeper’s giant basket of dinky toilet paper ends. Same with leftover shampoo – I have a permanent siphoning system set up in my bathroom where the little travel shampoos are funneled into my economy size Suave bottle. Also, my floor hasn’t seen a vacuum in weeks. Despite my anal retentive tendencies, I use all my vigor to clean at the inn. I mean, really, do chefs come home after cooking dinner for 200 people and decide to fix themselves a gourmet meal?

Yes, the life of an innkeeper is different from what most envision and this blog will continue to take you behind the schenes to showcase that life. You may also wish to visit PAII (Professional Association of Innkeepers International) which is a fantastic resource for both aspiring and seasoned innkeepers and also provides networking opportunities.

Marketing 101

I was a marketing and entrepreneurial studies major in college. You would think I would have had a clue as to how to design a winning marketing plan. I didn’t. Instead, James and I put our heads together and decided common sense was the way to go. We had three months until we closed on the Carriage House – I used any free time I could steal to research website designers, internet marketing avenues, learn about Google rankings and Pay Per Click advertising, and design brochures and rate cards. Ultimately, our marketing plan was: KISS (keep it simple stupid). We decided the key was to get people in the door, deliver a high quality and memorable experience, and entice them back again and again. Basically, we did four things:

1. While the guest rooms were in little need of cosmetic improvement, they were in need of modernization. We perused the circulars in the paper for deals on TV’s, DVD players, a computer for the common area, coffee makers, hair dryers, and ironing boards and when we found good deals we bought six of everything. In addition, we dropped our rates slightly thereby enhancing our product and creating value.

2. We spent the bulk of our advertising dollars on creating a user friendly website. We paid for professional photographs of the guestrooms and implemented an invaluable online booking tool Basically, for way less money than print advertising, we were reaching potential guests all over the world at any time of day and saving man hours by allowing them to book online or at the very least educating guests before they call.

3. An informative website is great but it's useless if nobody can find it. We educated ourselves on internet marketing and took a three prong approach: creating a pay per click campaign, having our web designer properly design our site to rank high in organic searches, and joining pay per inclusion websites like bedandbreakfast, bbonline, lanierbb, and virtualcapecod where you basically pay to be part of their site and then they do the marketing for you. Over the years, we have found Acorn Internet Services to be a particularly good marketing resource for innkeepers.

4. We designed a $20 coupon mailer and distributed it to our guest list. The coupon was good for a $20 discount per night to be used by a certain date. It didn't work and was the last mass mailing we ever did. Aside from a handful of publications, we rarely do print advertising as our internet plan has paid for itself over and over.

While we did not rely on a professional consultant to help with our marketing and financial plan, there are professionals out there who specialize in helping aspiring and new innkeepers get up and running. With my marketing education, and James' years spent in the hotel business, we didn't outsource in this area, but for anyone starting from scratch, it might not be a bad investment.

In 2.5 years at the Carriage House, we tripled the occupancy rate but not without some struggles, lessons, and of course, laughs along the way…

Finding My Passion

Let’s rewind five years to the summer of 2003. I, like so many of the guests who envy my lifestyle, was working in corporate America. I was in administration at a consulting firm in downtown Boston, the latest of several jobs I had held over the last five years or so out of college. I should digress a moment and point out that we are young innkeepers. That’s why you will see phrases on this blog like, “I came home after a rough day at work and pounded down a bottle of Chardonnay,” as opposed to, “I decided to blow off some steam after a long day by finishing the sweater I’ve been knitting my grandson.”

Anyway, I couldn’t stand working for someone else and hopped from company to company hoping to find a job I felt passionate about. Finally, one particularly depressing day when I was feeling restless once again, I made my way down the elevator of the high rise office complex where I worked to the Barnes and Noble below. Impulsively, I bought a copy of Running a Bed and Breakfast for Dummies. I distinctly remember the cashier asking if I owned a B&B to which I responded, “not yet.” I flipped through the book in the confines of my cubicle and noted a website the authors had created – http://www.bedandbreakfast.com/. Perfect…I could pretend to do work while perusing the site. I found a link on the site to “inns for sale” and immediately did a search for properties on Cape Cod. My husband, James, who worked at a prestigious downtown Boston hotel, and I had fantasized about owning a B&B in Chatham - where he had vacationed as a kid - when we retired thirty years down the road. But we had never even broached the idea of doing it any sooner. My search generated a list of three B&B’s on the Cape, one of which – the Carriage House Inn - looked just like the dream inn we had envisioned. I spontaneously emailed the link to James at work and got back to alphabetizing files or whatever I was supposed to be doing.

For the next three days or so, I put my little fantasy out of my mind. I didn’t even mention it to James at home and completely forgot that I had emailed him the listing. Then, on a Friday afternoon, a response from James appeared in my inbox. As is typical of my fiscally responsible husband, his reply was a preliminary hypothetical profit and loss statement based on current interest rates, a rough estimate on occupancy rates, and the average daily rate provided on the sales specs. His analysis? Maybe this could work! Now, I should point out that in our relationship, I am the idealist and James is the realist. The fact that James was fueling my enthusiasm meant something here. We had plans to spend the weekend with his parents at their vacation home on the Cape that weekend so I printed the listing and stuffed it in my suitcase.

Turned out, my enthusiasm was contagious. Over dinner that night, we showed the listing to James’ parents who encouraged us to call the realtor. To me, this was even more huge than James’ optimistic spreadsheet. His parents are conservative by nature. For them to encourage even the possibility of us uprooting our stable (though in my case, fickle) careers, complete with health insurance and 401k plans to embark on a business that could sink or swim, was the push we needed to call the realtor. I was already deciding what coffee to serve for breakfasts at the inn as I dialed the number, but my bubble burst when I was informed that there was a bid on the inn which had been accepted. Other offers were being entertained, though, as there was a home sale contingency on the contract and the sellers were eager to sell. We set up an appointment to view the property, but with an overwhelming sense that we were wasting the realtor’s time – the likelihood of being able to counter the offer if we even liked the property was slim.

The cards were in our favor though. The inn was in fantastic condition cosmetically with six well appointed rooms and a comfortable apartment for the innkeepers. What was lacking were the essentials of a viable business – occupancy numbers were low, the website was practically non-existent, and it was the middle of summer. We wouldn’t be able to close on the property until fall at the earliest and there were no reservations on the books after mid-October. It would be a rough winter of eating Ramen noodles and leftovers, but we were game. After all, there is a certain romance about scrimping and saving to fulfill your lifelong dream, right?

To make a long and fairly boring story short, we were able to put together a business plan and get backing from a bank to move forward with the sale and outbid the previous offer. This all happened fairly quickly and while we knew we had the business sense and personalities to be innkeepers, those talents couldn’t be put to the test unless we had guests. We would need to figure out a marketing plan – and fast!

Behind the Scenes with Jill

If I had a dollar for every time a guest told me that I have her dream job, I could retire and spend the rest of my days sipping Chianti and eating too much pasta on a remote island off the coast of Sicily. I suppose that to the outsider’s eye, my job is pretty cushy. They see me working the breakfast room chatting easily about restaurants and beaches with people from all over the world. They see the gorgeous property where I have the great fortune to live, and the lavish displays of tea cakes and pastries that emerge from my kitchen day in and day out. What they don’t see is everything that goes into running, what I aim to be a seamless operation. So, in answer to the question, “what is it really like?” I will attempt through this blog to bring you behind the scenes and let you decide if my job is, indeed, your dream.

I remember years ago posing this very question to the owner of an inn where I was staying. My question was met with a patronizing chuckle and an extremely negative description of the innkeeping profession. In hindsight, I can understand his reaction. Imagine several times a week people telling you that they want your career and you know they probably have no concept of exactly how hard your daily life is. Nobody really knows what is involved in innkeeping until they do it – I know I didn’t. So, it’s tempting to share with aspiring innkeepers the story about the overflowing toilet you dealt with the night before or the last minute cancellation that is unlikely to fill. But despite all that, I love my job and wouldn’t trade it for anything. I certainly wouldn’t talk anyone out of leaving a secure job to pursue their dream, but perhaps following this blog for awhile will shed some light on what it’s really like.

I should mention, before continuing, that I cannot in good faith bare all in this blog. Perhaps someday I will publish an anonymous book with all the sordid details of certain guests’ visits. And to be honest, 95% of the guests we host are very pleasant and we would welcome back time and time again. The 5% who fuel our comical repertoire of dinner party conversation, I’ll save for a more appropriate venue.

In the meantime, this blog will share our background, our smart moves and not so smart moves, and our day to day anecdotes which make our jobs both fun and trying. I am happy to answer any questions you may have along the way, so please feel free to comment. In addition to the dialogue on this blog, about.com has a wealth of information for aspiring innkeepers on their site.

English Holiday Afternoon Tea at the Captain's House Inn

With the holidays just around the corner, we look forward to serving our annual holiday afternoon tea menu soon. Relax in our decorated tea room and get in the holiday spirit. The menu features cucumber cups with smoked salmon pate, traditional Branston pickle with cheddar, mushroom pasties, mini English Triffle and a selection of desserts and scones (click here for the full menu). This menu is available every day from 3 to 5 pm, November 29th to December 29th, 2008 for $18.00 per person. For groups of six to 25, this festive menu is also available as a private luncheon, perfect for a holiday party. As always, year round luncheons are available every day, starting at 12:15pm, at $22.00 per person and reservations are required. Please visit our website or call us at 800.315.0728 with any questions or to make your reservation. Happy Holidays!

The word is out

If you are reading our blog, you may have already stayed with us and experienced the Captain's House Inn. Along with our article in the Boston Globe in June, we have just been mentioned as one of the places to stay in Chatham Mass. by the Wall Street Journal (see article here) and the August issue of Travel and Leisure (see article here).

If you usually book year after year, book early. Remember we do not take deposits until January, so it can't hurt to in advance.

Captain's House Inn, Chatham, MA

The Captain's House Inn was recently highlighted in an article in the Boston Globe. Click here to read the full review.

Impudent Oyster Chowder

The Impudent Oyster is a landmark in Chatham – the ambiance is bustling and the tables are always full and hard to come by in the summer. The reason? Certainly people aren’t flocking here for the décor which is minimal and somewhat rustic. They come for the food which is consistently outstanding and draws customers back, sometimes multiple times during their vacation. With this in mind, we decided a sample of their chowder, or, as they call it “Yesterday’s Quahog Chowder,” was a must. We were surprised to find that while certainly tasty, this was not at the top of our list. The clams and potatoes were plentiful and the consistency was a bit on the creamier side, but we felt it was lacking a bit in the flavor department. With a bit of doctoring up with some salt and pepper, we did enjoy the chowder and do recommend it, particularly since the atmosphere lends itself to the chowder and beer image we all have in our minds.

Chatham Bars Inn Chowder

While one typically envisions their clam chowder dining experience as casually slurping down a bowl with a pint of beer and perhaps the Red Sox game broadcasting on the bar’s TV, we couldn’t complain about the water views and fine china that accompanied our bowl of chowder at the Chatham Bars Inn. This was certainly the most different chowder we have sampled so far. Rather than spoonfuls of chunky potatoes and tender clams, the Chatham Bars Inn version was more of a purée than chowder. Though far from what we expected, the flavors were fantastic while perhaps a bit salty for some. Sometimes, it’s best not to mess with a classic, but we think the Chatham Bars Inn did a fine job of putting a gourmet spin on a New England tradition.

Roo Bar Chowder

One might think that with a new baby our search for the perfect chowder would be put on the back burner. However, we are trying to expose Abigail to our favorite pastime of dining out well before she is actually able to enjoy anything off the menu. So, while she downed a few ounces of formula, we downed a couple cups of chowder. The Roo Bar's version is on the creamier side, but not "stick to your spoon (and ultimately your gut)" thick. While we would have preferred a few more clams, the ones that were there were cooked well and there were plenty of potatoes for a those who prefer a heartier bisque. Overall, we enjoyed the flavors, but personally prefer our chowder a little less creamy and a little more clammy!

Captain Linnell House chowder

For those of you who do not know us that well, the Captain Linnell House in Orleans, MA, is a special place for us. We were married there back in 2001 and go every year for our anniversary. This year when I opened the menu, at the top was Clam Chowder and the menu claimed it was the best. Upon arrival of their clam chowder, I received a wonderful aroma. It was nicely presented, with chives on top. No oyster crackers, but with their rolls, one does not need crackers. The chowder had a great consistency, not too thick, just the perfect creaminess. It tasted great and I was truly impressed. My biggest complaint would be the amount of clams. I would have been looking for more, but other than that, this may be the best (it is only our second entry, but it was good). The Captain Linnell House is not the type of place to go just for a bowl of chowder as it is a romantic sea captain's home, but if you are looking for good chowder and a nice meal, it is a great choice.

In Search of the Best Clam Chowder

Here in Chatham, Massachusetts, it's pronounced "chowdah," but however you pronounce it, one thing is for sure - tourists and locals alike are constantly on the prowl for the best bowl around. Join us as we embark on our own mission to find the tastiest- then go try for yourself when you visit us on your next Cape Cod vacation.

Our first stop...the infamous Chatham Squire. A favorite New England eatery and bar, those seeking comfort food in a casual setting will find it here. Chock full of clams and tender potatoes, the Squire's chowdah recipe didn't disappoint. The pepper flavor, while not too strong, was distinct, and the clams were cooked to perfection. Our only complaint? Perhaps it could have been a bit thicker in consistency, but for those who don't like their chowdah too creamy, this could be the chowdah for you.