If you own and operate a bed and breakfast inn and want to get away for a few days, you have few options. You can shut the place down, but that’s not very sensible from a business standpoint. You could conscript friends or relatives to fill in temporarily. Or you could hire an inn sitter.
For an innkeeper, these trained professionals can be the ideal solution to one of a B & B’s thorniest problems. For would-be travelers, inn-sitting can be the gateway to a little-known world of travel opportunity, even a brand new career.
“Some innkeepers think no one can take care of their guests like they can,” says Anne Struble, a professional inn sitter from Maryland. “They’re the ones who just shut the doors.
“Think about it: Restaurants and retail stores have managers. The owners don’t work 24/7. But many B & B owners actually live on the premises. So it’s harder for them to make the separation.”
Anne Struble inn sits with her sister, Sue Kalis. I caught up with Anne at her home in Annapolis, and judging from what she told me, I was lucky to catch her. “Since I started sitting full time in February of 2008, my schedule has been entirely full – except for two weeks I took off for my daughter’s wedding.
“Actually Sue started inn sitting as a business about five years ago after taking a class. I helped her here and there as I could while I was still working. I like to cook, and Sue loves to socialize with guests so we make a good team.”
Although Anne and Sue are very familiar with the mechanics of inn operation, they have never owned one. “We thought about owning an inn and have actually looked into buying one on occasion. But we love to travel, and it’s much more fun to visit lots of inns in different places instead of being tied to one,” she says.
The sisters have had inquiries from as far away as Hawaii and Montana, and they have served inns in New York, the Carolinas, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Michigan. In fact, Anne will be watching over a B & B near Petoskey from mid-June through the end of September, 2009. She was there last year for an even longer stay.
According to Anne, there is a good deal of repeat business once you have done a good job for an owner. But the sisters are eager to explore new areas as well. “We would go pretty much anywhere in the U.S.,” she admits.
Given the thousands of B & Bs throughout the world and the millions of bored and adventurous younger folks as well as retired or semi-retired people with time on their hands, inn-sitting would seem to be a travel option full of promise. But Anne Struble says look before you leap: “This can be very hard work.
“It depends on the location, the season and the specifics of a given inn. If you are really interested, find a local B & B that needs help. Ask them if you can lend a hand on a volunteer basis. Very quickly, you will get an idea of whether this is for you or not. We love it and have so much fun, but it is not for everyone.”
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