KEYSTONE INNKEEPERS ASSEMBLY - NOV 1-3, 2016
KEYNOTE SPEAKER - Andy Master, MA, CSP
Andy Masters is an award-winning author and international speaker who has presented hundreds of programs across North America, including as keynote speaker for many travel and hospitality events. Andy has earned the prestigious CSP award of the National Speakers Association, the highest international recognition for professional speakers, achieved by less than 10% of the 5,000+ speakers worldwide. Andy has written five books and earned four degrees, including an M.A. in Human Resources Development and an M.A. in Marketing from Webster University, Missouri. He is the author of the award-winning book "Kiss Your Customer: 77 Reasons Why Sales & Service Are Just Like Dating & Relationships. Andy has been featured on the LifeTime Television network, Investor's Business Daily, and Corporate & Incentive Travel magazine. His website is www.Andy-Masters.com.
TECHNOLGY
Cindy Bachmann, Innkeeper’s Advantage
Innkeeper’s Advantage is a company that offers a complete suite of Internet technology, design and marketing for B&B's. Bed and breakfasts throughout the United States and Canada rely on her company for unique and branded Web design, online reservation system and marketing advice. Prior to starting her company, Cindy was a Senior Manager and Business consultant at Access Data Corp where she successfully helped many high profile corporations to refine business processes, manage costs and increase market share through technology. Ms. Bachmann is a member of the Search Engine Marketing Professional Organization (SEMPO) and a Google Engage Agency Partner.
Contact Cindy at cbachmann@innkeepersadvantage.com, 724-933-3330
Richard Aday, ThinkReservations
Richard Aday is the CEO and Principal Engineer behind ThinkReservations, a property management system and online booking engine. After working with hundreds of lodging businesses, Richard has a keen perspective on the needs of the industry. His experience as a Software Engineer at companies like Amazon.com, Microsoft, and IBM gives him the ability to provide a fresh perspective on processes currently being used in the Lodging Industry and grow them into the next level.
Contact Richard at Richard.Aday@thinkreservations.com, 877-736-4195
Benjamin Joseph, RezOvation by HomeAway
Benjamin Joseph is the National Sales Manager for RezOvation which is owned by HomeAway, Inc. HomeAway’s world headquarters is in Austin, TX where Benjamin currently calls home. Benjamin was born and raised in Bloomsburg, PA and loves that every property he speaks with daily is unique in its own way. He is eager to find solutions that are unique to each Inn and to help them obtain their business objectives.
SOCIAL MEDIA & MARKETING
Janet Santostefano, Centre Daily Times
Janet Santostefano is the President and Publisher of the Centre Daily Times. Prior to joining the CDT Janet worked in sales for both Newell Rubbermaid and ADP. While at ADP, she developed a passion for working closely with small businesses, which led her to join the CDT in 2006 as an account executive. Her strong sales background and keen understanding of the digital and print advertising landscape led to her being asked to oversee the CDT’s advertising department in 2011. Janet has a passion for her field and community. She volunteers on the marketing committee for the Centre County Convention and Visitors Bureau, is a member of the Downtown State College Rotary Club and a graduate of Leadership Centre County. She graduated from Penn State with a degree in marketing and resides with her husband and two kids in Pleasant Gap.
Vishal Savani, Savara Properties Inc.
Vishal Savani is Director of Savara Properties, a Virginia-based hospitality investment, management and consulting firm. In this capacity, Vishal oversees sales, marketing, revenue management, and operations for a small portfolio of hotels including the award-winning Linden Row Inn (Richmond, Virginia). Vishal brings over 15 years of experience as an investor and consultant to large and small businesses (including many hotels and inns) across the United States, Europe, Asia, and Africa. Previously, Mr. Savani was a Director at a cross-border private equity firm and a Director at a World Bank education technology spin-off. Prior to that, Mr. Savani was a strategy consultant with Oliver Wyman (formerly Mercer Management Consulting). Mr. Savani began his career as a member of the Financial Advisory Services practice at PricewaterhouseCoopers.
Mr. Savani holds a BA in Political Science and Diplomatic History from the University of Pennsylvania and an MBA from Columbia Business School.
Contact Vishal at vishal@savaraproperties.com, 703-310-6857.
Greg O’Loughlin, SWELL
SWELL is a Philadelphia-based marketing strategy, branding, and advertising firm. A proud University of Pittsburgh graduate, Greg has 13+ years of brand strategy experience. He cut his teeth at Saatchi & Saatchi NYC on global brands like Reynolds Consumer Products and General Mills. He then spent three years navigating the ever-changing energy landscape on marketing and advertising for Exelon Corporation at Tierney Communications. He took the helm on Pennsylvania tourism & economic development marketing at Red Tettemer O'Connell + Partners, leading a brand campaign to change the narrative on his home state. Greg started SWELL in 2011 while completing his MBA at St. Joseph's University. So far, SWELL has worked with more than 25 organizations and companies throughout the mid-Atlantic region, including numerous PA-based tourism and hospitality organizations, such as the PA Winery Association, PA Recreation & Park Society, HeritagePA, Peddler's Village of Bucks County, Valley Forge Tourism & Convention Board of Montgomery County, and Mazza Vineyards on the shores of Lake Erie.
Contact Greg at greg@swellstart.com, 215-966-6067.
Robin Sommer, Mid Atlantic Inn Photography
Maryland professional photographers Robin Sommer and Bill Rettberg Jr. are the owners and artists behind Mid Atlantic Inn Photography. Robin, a professional photographer for 20 years, works with spouse and 45 year professional photographer, Bill Rettberg, to photograph inns from New York to Virginia with technical excellence and artistry. A self-proclaimed computer "geek", Robin understands the computer challenges innkeepers might experience after they have invested in professional photography of their property! She has taught Photoshop to photographers and artists over the years and will now present an entry level, nuts and bolts approach to manipulating and using your photography in meaningful ways to support your marketing plan.
Contact Robin at robinsommer@comcast.net, 410-893-3620
Christian Giannelli, Christian Giannelli Photography
Christian's focus is on Interior, Exterior and Food Photography. He aims for clean, bold lines characteristic of his architectural influences while trying to evoke a mood and a sense of life in his work. While Christian learned the technical aspects of art in photography school, he attributes his style to years of assisting his mentors -- a NYC lifestyle photographer and a Philadelphia-based architectural photographer. The experience of supporting two different photographers, each with their individual focus, prepared him for his current role of photographing the hospitality industry. He has now photographed Inns and B&Bs across the country for the past 10 years.
Contact Christian at christiangiannelli@me.com, 267-221-7719
Janice Hurley, BedandBreakfast.com
Janice is a 12-year veteran of the B&B industry. She started with BedandBreakfast.com in 2002 and was part of the team that moved the company to Austin Texas. She has worked with thousands of properties around the world helping them market their properties through BedandBreakfast.com and their own websites. She opened the first international office for the company in Marseille France and worked in growing the international exposure for the industry. For the last two years she managed a 12-room inn and event center in Central Vermont and it is her passion for the industry that brought her back to BedandBreakfast.com.
Contact Janice at Janice@bedandbreakfast.com, 512-505-1457
OPERATIONS & BUSINESS STRATEGY
Eliot Dalton, Inn Broker & Consultant
Eliot has specialized in the brokerage of unique business properties, including historic inns and vineyards for the past eight years. As the owner and operator of a successful full-service, 17 room Country Inn for 15 years, he understands the demands and rewards of the hospitality industry intimately. Clients benefit from his inside experience as an operator of an historic inn, years of affiliation with regional and national innkeeping trade organizations such as Select Registry, and successful transfers of Bed and Breakfast Inns. His practical working knowledge of the hospitality field combined with skills as a professional licensed agent and Realtor® make him uniquely qualified to represent both sellers and buyers in the specialized area of hospitality real estate in the Mid-Atlantic Region for consultation, valuation and brokerage. Eliot is an affiliate of the B&B Team® and a licensed Realtor® in five states.
Contact Eliot at eliot@eliotdalton.com, 610-717-8083.
Scott Bushnell, Bushnell and Bushnell Services
Scott and Marilyn Bushnell, currently own
Bushnell & Bushnell Services, a real estate and consulting company dedicated to helping aspiring and current innkeepers achieve their goals. After owning and operating The Lafayette Inn, an 18 guest room Select Registry inn located in Easton, PA, the Bushnell’s sold the inn in 2005 and moved to Oakland, MD., but could not leave the B & B industry they love. They specialize in property transfer services for aspiring and current innkeepers, conduct “A Better Way to Buy an Inn
®” seminars to aspiring innkeepers, and offer optimization services for financial performance, marketing, and inn operations, as well as valuations and feasibility studies. They both are frequent presenters at the national, state, and association levels of the industry associations.
Contact Scott at scott@bbteam.com, 410-422-5083.
Scott Merrick, Signature Worldwide
As a Signature Training Account Manager, Scott Merrick motivates Signature clients to increase sales and service levels by helping their staff to create legendary customer experiences. His region includes upstate New York, and parts of New Jersey and Pennsylvania. Prior to joining Signature, Merrick held various positions with companies such as Adecco Worldwide, Nekeyone Inc., Disney Inc. and Glenora Inc. Merrick has 13 years experience in hotel management, events planning and customer service training. He has held such titles as director of events, assistant general manager and general manager. Merrick considers one of his greatest accomplishments to be when he worked for a year in France. Out of 250,000 applicants, he was one of the 250 college students accepted to roll out the Disney Fast Track Program for Euro Disney. Merrick first experienced the Signature program as the director of events for the Aurora Inn, Aurora, New York. He remembers sitting through a training class and thinking, “Why isn’t every hotel on this program?” More importantly, Merrick thought, “I could be a trainer for this company.” Because of his variety of experience, Merrick makes a great trainer and is able to relate to the daily challenges that Signature clients face. He knows first hand how to use the Signature program. While he understands that changing habits is difficult, he advises clients to embrace the Magic Formula because it can make their lives easier.
Contact Scott at scottmerrick@signatureworldwide.com, 800-398-0518.
Linda Hayes, ijkPartners
Linda has been creating experiences for others for over 35 years. Schooled as an interior designer, her career includes working in corporate America as a designer, a facility manager and a market sales manager in southern Florida and the Caribbean. She and her husband created a successful lodging experience for guests with the Inn at Riverbend, a seven room Select Registry bed and breakfast located in southwest Virginia, that they designed, constructed, owned and operated for over seven years and transferred to new owners, successfully completing their business plan. Connecting the dots between dreams and realities is now a focus for Linda with her consulting business, ijk Partners. Her clients include the publishers of a new magazine, The Comphy Co., various lodging properties, her county tourism department and the B&B Team. Linda is a regular speaker at national, regional and state innkeeping conferences.
Contact Linda at LH@ijkPartners.com or call 540-599-6400.
FOOD & FLUFF
Melody Landis, Gilchrist & Soames
Hospitality has always been a passion of Melody’s – from playing hotel when she was a kid to taking Hospitality and Tourism Management courses at Purdue University. Having now spent the last 4 ½ years with Gilchrist & Soames, she feels privileged to be a part of this industry and enjoys continuing to learn from innkeepers who know their craft so well.
Contact Melody at mlandis@gilchristsoames.com, 317-781-5743.
Kathryn White, Deb Mosimann, Danielle Hanscom, Eight Broads
The Eight Broads in the Kitchen are eight dynamic innkeepers from across the US who combined their skills and passions several years ago to create an innovative blog to share their recipes and cooking tips with others. All eight run small inns where breakfast, desserts, and dinners are all part of what they do. Their inn recipes define them and are eclectic, practical, and just downright fun. They each strive to make the travel experience truly memorable, highlighted by the tempting creations coming from their kitchens, the signature of what they do.
Danielle Hanscom
Brampton Inn
Chestertown, Maryland
410.778.1860
A former Swissair flight attendant, Danielle has been an innkeeper since 1987. One of National Geographic’s 100 Best Places to Stay, Brampton Inn on Maryland’s eastern shore has been deemed Most Romantic Inn by bedandbreakfast.com and ILoveInns.com, among numerous other awards.
Debrah Mosimann
Swiss Woods Bed & Breakfast Inn
Lititz, Pennsylvania
717.627.3358
Formerly in home economics education, Debbie has been innkeeping since 1985, during which time she was named the Hardy-Bell Award Winner by the Professional Association of Innkeepers International. Debbie’s inn is tucked away along the back roads of Lancaster County, where she grew up in a Pennsylvania Dutch family with deep roots in the area. Her parents ran a smoked meats and cheese store with an in-store bakery. She also spent time in Austria, Germany and Switzerland. Debbie’s baking – yeast dough being her specialty and passion -- and her kitchen are greatly influenced by her experiences and is reflected in much of what she cooks.
Kathryn White
The Beechmont Inn Bed and Breakfast (closed 12/31/14)
Hanover, Pennsylvania
717.965.5197
Innkeeping since 2000 after a career in arts management and marketing, Kathryn was awarded Pennsylvania’s Spirit of Hospitality Innkeeper of the Year in 2009. Since closing her inn Kathryn has focused on cooking classes, consulting within the innkeeping industry, and is serving as education chairman of the Association of Independent Hospitality Professionals, a national association she also helped to create.
ADVOCACY
Melissa Bova
Director of Government Affairs
Pennsylvania Restaurant & Lodging Association
In 2011, Melissa Bova joined the Pennsylvania Restaurant & Lodging Association (PRLA) as its director of government affairs. She works closely with PRLA’s members and leadership to identify the association’s legislative priorities at the local, state and federal levels, as well as advocate on behalf of PRLA’s members and the hospitality industry. Her recent legislative successes for the industry include hotel tax reform (Act 18 of 2016) and the first comprehensive alcohol reform bill in decades (Act 39 of 2016). As PRLA’s in-house expert on legislative and regulatory matters, she responds to member and media inquiries on issues impacting the hospitality and tourism industries. Before joining the PRLA, Melissa was the communications director for the Pennsylvania Beer Alliance, a trade association representing malt and brewed beverage distributors across the Commonwealth. Melissa also previously worked at a statewide lobbying firm that represents more than 60 clients, varying from Fortune 500 corporations to non-profit organizations. Melissa is a 2007 graduate of Gettysburg College with a B.A. in political science.
