House of Payne

As a teen in the '90s, the American hip-hop group House of Pain was very popular with my generation. Now, with our new acquisition of the Payne House, I can't help but affectionately think of it as The House of Payne :)

The Payne House sits to the left of the Gristmill parking lot along the Warm Springs Run.  It appears to date back as far as the early 1800s when Warm Springs was a bustling village with a large hotel, spa scene, and stagecoach traffic on their way to the western territory.  I think a visit to our local historical society is much needed to gather more facts and information!

In any event, we are excited to unveil this new addition to our property.  The Payne House will offer another guest suite, a redesigned office/guest registration space, and more event space for special dinners, cooking classes, and wine tastings.  It is a great complement to our property will enhance the guest experience.

We hope to relocate the office to that space within the next month, and have the guest room open for booking by the end of July.  Please stay tuned for details on the Payne House as they unfold.  

Now Jump Around!

Inn-Spired

As you will note from the date/time stamp, it's been a while since my last blog posted.  I often find myself wanting to share, but private person that I am, I tend to keep things in, worrying that what I post won't be relevant, and thinking that no one wants to read what this innkeeper has to say anyway.

I recently sat down with a fellow innkeeper and had am amazing one on one conversation where I could really ask anything I wanted and share my experience.  It was so nice to speak to someone who has been in the business and can empathize and relate to our inn-keeping hits and misses.  During that conversation we got on the topic of blogging, and I relayed to her how impressed I was with her consistent blog posts and the sheer ability of being able to come up with things to discuss.  It was at that time she encouraged me to continue blogging and, ultimately, sharing.  

So, with that bit of sage advice, I am inspired, and ready to give it another go.  

It is been a full 5 years of inn-keeping this month.  In 2011 we jumped in with both feet and no plans to look back.  I'd say that in those 5 years we've kept our eyes forward with only a few "what have we done" conversations.  As I reflect on the past 5 years, I'd say we have mostly had the good fortune of incredible experiences as innkeepers.  We have made some great guest friends along the way, worked with amazingly talented individuals, and have found a peacefulness among the stresses of running a business.

I'll leave you with a fun quote and a silly photo of us this winter  enjoying a moment together on an afternoon off.  It seems appropriate at this moment.  

"The future's so bright, I gotta wear shades" -Timbuck3

Thank you for reading :)