Jeff and Mac's Adventures at the National B&B Conference

Mac and I are traveling this week to the Professional Innkeepers International conference in Austin, Texas to further our professional skills.  We look forward to networking with the best innkeepers and learning the latest tools, as we further our efforts to provide world class service to Maury Place guests.  We split duties-- I will go to workshops covering topics such as food presentation, running a Green Inn, and a session titled "Take Their Breath Away" about customer service. Mac will go to workshops such as "Taking Control of Your Web Analytic Stats" and "Become a Google Grease Monkey".... I am not sure what all of that has to do with inn keeping, but he seems to enjoy the workshops!

We have left Maury Place in good hands this week, with our assistant innkeeper Donna serving our guests, supported by Chris and Herb. The hardest part of traveling is leaving our pups, Inn Dogs Chico and Lucy, who stayed back in Richmond to stay with Chris, Herb, and Donna.  We miss the dogs very much, and are sure they miss us a little... but we suspect they are getting more than their share of treats and cuddling while we are gone!

Monument Avenue 10k Lodging Specials!

Richmond Virginia's 11th annual Ukrops Monument Avenue 10k is less than a month away-- March 27th-- and a record number of runners has already registered for the race.  Through March 1, over 33,500 participants are signed up for the 10k that USA Today called one of the 10 best races in the U.S.

Maury Place at Monument is the perfect accomodation for both runners and spectators of both the Monument Avenue 10k and the Richmond Marathon in the fall.  As shown in the photo to the right, both races pass right in front of our bed and breakfast.  B&B guests can enjoy the race from our large front porch, and guests reserving the Pathfinder Suite can watch from their private balcony overlooking the race.

We have just posted a 10k Race Special online.  If you reserve two or more nights of either the Pathfinder or Fontaine Suite on race weekend (March 26-28), you will enjoy one complimentary in room massage.

Bed and Breakfast Association of Virginia Conference

Mac and I are currently attending the Bed and Breakfast Association of Virginia (or "BBAV") Conference at the Boar's Head Inn in Charlottesville, Virginia. Mac and I took our first Aspiring Innkeepers seminar right here in Charlottesville several years ago (when we were "pups" in the B&B world!), and it was sponsored by BBAV! We now see fellow innkeepers at our state conferences who helped enlighten us to the hospitality business several years ago. We have enjoyed our stay at the Boar's Head Inn--which we had never been to before--and seeing many fellow innkeepers from across Virginia. We always enjoy taking home new ideas for improving the Maury Place experience for our guests. This year, I particularly enjoyed a class on various breakfast recipes while Mac learned about how to improve our website! Next week, we will be attending the conference of the Professional Association of Innkeepers International (or "PAII") in Austin, Texas. Austin has been on our list of cities to visit for a long time, so we are happy to have a reason to visit there. We look forward to learning new ways to improve the Maury Place experience there as well. Mac and I are proud members of both BBAV and PAII, and we appreciate the support and nuggets of wisdom that we have gained from so many members of those organizations. Innkeepers helping innkeepers ultimately benefits all of our guests. I will be sure to post another blog about what we learned in Austin!

Oscar Night is Coming this Sunday!

As readers of this blog and most of my closest friends know, I am a movie FREAK!!  Mac is less so.  Poor Mac.  I have made him sit through Gone With the Wind, Funny Girl, The Wizard of Oz, Casablanca, A Man for All Seasons and many other Hollywood classics because he has never seen them!  Oddly, his Mom and sister both appreciate classic movies, but somehow Mac did not get that gene!  He has been a trouper, however, in permitting me to "educate" him on Hollywood!  Fun factoid:  one of Mac's FAVORITE movies of all time is The Sound of Music!  Now his next favorite is The Rocky Horror Picture Show!  Go figure.  He is also a big Clint Eastwood fan, so he would likely say that Unforgiven is one of his favorite Best Picture winners, but he also has a soft spot for Shakespeare In Love--as do I--because we were both captivated by it on a New Year's Eve several years ago, which happens to be the anniversary of our union ceremony in 1999 and our  marriage in Boston this past New Year's.   I would have to say that my favorite Best Picture winner is probably West Side Story! Now, as for this year's Oscars!  We have seen most--but not all--of the Best Picture nominees.  I think Mac would say his favorite of those we have seen is District 9, which in my humble opinion has little chance of winning.  I would have to say my favorite movie we saw this year was Up In The Air.  We both liked Avatar, which I think will be the likely winner.  The Hurt Locker seems to be coming on strong, but we both thought it was flawed. In any case, cast your vote for your Best Picture winner in our Maury Place poll, which is on our blog page.  As I have mentioned in a previous blog, I LOVED Julie and Julia because it had such heart.  I would love to see Meryl Streep win another Oscar for playing Julia Child.  Oscar memories will be made this Sunday night!  Book a room at Maury Place on Oscar night and take advantage of our Oscar special!  We will declare a winner of our Oscar trivia quiz at breakfast on Monday morning!

And if you really want to enjoy the Oscars... check out our Oscar Night Special and enjoy the Academy Awards in HD in your luxury suite at Maury Place!

Inn Dogs Picture Album Online!

Chico and Lucy, inn dogs at Maury Place on Monument, have posted a picture album online of the cutest pictures they could find!.   View this album on Google's Picasa, or on the Maury Place Video Page.   You can read all about Chico and Lucy on our Inn Dog Page.  Both from animal rescue organizations, Chico and Lucy are delighted to be the inn dogs showing hosipitality to Richmond travelers at Maury Place on Monument!