Wednesday, July 13, 2011

Toot-toot-a-loo

My daughter Kelley does this cute little thing of tooting an imaginary horn while trilling a series of notes that sounds like, "Toot-toot-a-loo" any time she's proud of her own accomplishment. Well we have some horn-tooting of our own to do.
The wine business is really hopping. Our Creekside Wine Club has grown to over 300 members and we truly appreciate many of you sending your friends our way. The consensus seems to be the latest wine releases are even better than the previous vintages. The new Zinfandel is a big hit, ZinG is more popular than ever and all the wines we entered in Central Coast Wine Competition and the Orange County Wine Society contest medaled. We are especially thrilled our 2010 Tres Blanc won the honors of Best of Class for the second year in a row at the CCWC and the 2009 Confluent received a coveted Gold Medal from the OCWS competition. Yay!

We are equally happy that business at the inn has really picked up recently. There has been a noticeable increase in the mid-week bookings. That may be due to the professional video our very talented friend Whit produced for the inn. Here's another toot on the horn for the talents of William Whitney I think it illustrates the wonderful features of the Creekside Bed and Breakfast as compared to still photos. There is a great segue of the sky from vivid blue to starry night that is amazing!

One interesting statistic I have read is that 79% of travelers are strongly considering opting for a bed and breakfast experience. This is up sharply from past surveys and I think it is because the average American is seeking a more meaningful vacation in these troubled times. The poll implied that there is a real need to replenish the soul of people who are working harder than ever and feeling more disillusion with their future. The opinion was that innkeepers of B and B's work hard to establish a sincere connection with their guests and while disposable income is tighter than ever, the concept of value is more respected than in the past. I know Dave and I strive to deliver an experience that is exceeds the expectations. We have wonderful guests who seem to really appreciate the services we offer but we concerned by the rising costs we face for food, utilities and labor. Yikes! (Don't worry, we aren't raising prices.)

Fortunately, the wonderful guests who visit make it all worthwhile. Rebecca and Steven checked into the Creekside B and B today and I may never want them to leave. They are a fun couple from someplace called Monarch Beach who are big oenophiles celebrating their 5th wedding anniversary. After offering a Per Cazo Cellars' wine tasting and sharing stories, they went up to their room and brought down a great bottle of wine to share with me. If you get a chance to sample the 2008 Tablas Creek Panoplie, a gorgeous GSM from Paso Robles, you should. Our new Epi Telos stacked up well comparably (and it's about $60 less expensive.)

Our other B and B guests are also celebrating an anniversary. They come back every 5 years. They honeymooned here 10 years ago, revisited with the previous owner 5 years ago and returned this week to rekindle their romance. They were a bit of concerned that the place might have changed when they learned of the new ownership. They were pleased to find everything very similar to what they remembered and were happy with some of the new improvements. Andy and Stephanie were especially happy to see the IPOD dock in the room so they could listen to their favorite music. I can't wait for their next visit in 5 years from now.

Dave and I are really excited about the addition of our latest pets. Many of you may have heard we traded a case of wine for two adorable French Alpine goats from one of our frequent wine tour operator. Meet Heidi and Templeton. They are a big hit with our visitors and will gladly perform on their balance beam for a handful of Cherrios. They arrived on Mother's Day and are thriving on the pastureland at Creekside.

On a sad note, many of our guests took a particular interest in Dice, the black and white tuxedo cat who wandered here a couple of years ago. She was a favorite to many (myself included) and she passed away a few weeks ago. RIP Dicey, you will be missed.

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