Slow Food for Slow Times

I just started writing/researching my second novel (the first is languishing on an editor’s desk somewhere in New York City). The topic of this new novel is global warming. It is set in 2045, so like my first story, it will be classified as Science Fiction.

This weekend I had a great birthday party where Lorinda and I invited four couples over to brainstorm what the Napa Valley might look like in forty or so years. We invited a couple that is involved in solar energy, one that has an energy-medicine business, one that has a retail photography shop here in town and one that is involved in internet promotions. Unfortunately, Father Mac from our local Episcopal Church was not able to attend.

We had a very lively discussion. The invitees were all across the board when it came to predicting the future problems and solutions we might face. From apocalyptic destruction to brave new worlds of technological amazement, the discussions bounced around the room. The only conclusion we all agreed upon was that our consciousness as consumers needs to include the ‘true cost’ of the foods and other products we consume.

That brings me, this Monday morning, to the topic of this entry. The tomato. Over the last three years the Inn has developed some pretty impressive vegetable and herb gardens. We are mostly growing tomatoes and peppers since I love making salsas for wine service in the afternoon and to slather over the egg dishes the next morning. This time of year I even make a V-8 type juice for breakfast from these vine-ripened fruits and veges that have never even seen a refrigerator. This year we are also harvesting cucumbers, zucchini, melons, pumpkins, mint, and various other herbs.

So, what is the ‘true cost’ of a vine-ripened, organically and locally grown, never refrigerated tomato in comparison to a machine-picked, chemically grown and ripened, refrigerator-stored, tomato that could have been packed and trucked hundreds or thousands of miles? Tastewise there is no comparison. So, being a devout hedonist, that is a huge cost to me. But what of the other costs? Storing and moving the water for corporate farming is a big deal. Manufacturing and transporting pesticides and fertilizers cannot be very pleasant to our world. Building, maintaining and running cultivating and harvesting machinery have similar costs. The processing, packaging and transporting the fruit adds to the impact. What happens to the irrigation water, laden with chemicals as it leaches into the ground? Then there are the nutritional and health costs of the choices we make for our bodies.

Don’t even get me started on the horror stories I have heard about the production of cotton. They make me want to run around naked, screaming.

I certainly don’t have answers to any of these questions, and I am not going to immediately stop shopping at Costco, but as a very small cog in an unbelievably large machine, I am continuing to burrow, looking for a way to leave my children with a better world than I currently envision.

Why not Hotels.com and others

Occasionally a guest will ask me why they were not able to find The Inn or book The Inn on Hotels.com or some similar site. The answer is quite simple. The vast majority of booking sites charge a minimum of 30% commission on the rooms they book. THIRTY PERCENT. Travel Agents only charge 10%.

How can a hotel survive by giving 30% of their Gross Income away? They can't. Our profit margins are just not designed that way.

Or are they? Obviously the hotels using these services are not going out of business. So how do they do it? I don't know exactly, but let me make some educated guesses.

The first hotels to sign up for these services probably did quite nicely. Especially if they were in a highly competitive market and they had no other way to distinguish themselves from their competitors. These booking sites drove ample new business to their doors. Business that they would not have gotten through any other means. Cool! So what happened when their competitor next door started using these new booking sites. The original hotel's share went down, but they were already committed to this new model so they held the course. As more and more hotels joined the fray, everyone's profit margin started to plummet.

As I said earlier, profit margins for a hotel are not designed for a 30% rake off the top. But now everyone was knee-deep in this new system. What would give? In a strong hotel market the answer was quite simple. Now that everyone was in the same boat, it was time to raise rates. If the public was so determined to book hotels in this way, let them pay for it. Everything will even out, the booking sites can have their 30% and we can get our profit margin back.

However, in a weak or even moderate hotel market that may not be an option. The only option these hotels have is to cut costs. The first cost to go is usually preventative maintenance, then staff services, then capital improvements. Though the price doesn't go down, the overall experience for the guest does.

Fortunately the Napa Valley has not yet fallen into this trap. I would much rather spend my time thinking up new, cool things I can do for my guests, what new improvements they will like, what added staffing I can put in to make things run smoother, than trying to figure out where to cut something so the guests won't notice, who to lay off or how to get by two more years with some falling apart air-conditioner or some such.

What do you think? Is booking on Hotels.com that much more fun than picking up a phone and talking to a nice helpful, real person that will help you pick the best room for your needs (oops, did I kinda backload that question with the answer I want you to give me)?

Comfort, the constant quest

This is my first real post. The first one was done by my PR guy to get me off the stick and blogging.
So, let's dive right into it. I am a hedonist. I love comfort and pleasure. So, I guess I am living in one of the perfect spots of the world. The Napa Valley has great weather, great people, great foods, great wines, great beauty... pretty much everything I need for an extremely pleasurable life.
So, why would I travel? The answer is obvious (adventure, new sights, romance) but it leads me to another question. What comforts am I leaving behind when I travel and how can I take comforts with me? The answer is; without eight suitcases, a butler, a maid and a valet, it just isn't going to happen. It turns out traveling is anywhere from a hassle to a major pain.
As a hedonistic Innkeeper, can I change the world? One of the great pleasures I get out of life is providing a comfortable, relaxing, sexy place for couples to reconnect and rejuvenate. My intent is to make this blog (at least in part) a forum for new and creative ways to chip away at the hassles of travel. I would like to talk about subjects as broad as general tips for comfortable travel, down to specific suggestions on what I as an Innkeeper can do at The Wine Country Inn to help you relax and get in the mood to give or receive pleasure (that may sound overly suggestive, but it was not meant to be. I find pleasure can come from the smallest thing if I am in the mood to receive).
What do you think. Anybody out there want to play 'Innkeeper For The Day' and ask questions like: I always wonder why a hotel couldn't...? or Wouldn't it be great if The Wine Country Inn would...? or Why don't the airlines...?

The Wine Country Inn Experience

Oh yes, the Napa Valley at summer…
Daytime temperatures are a blissful 80 to 90 degrees and the blue skies are crystal clear. The vineyards and rolling hillside are equipped with hues of green and yellow, and hints of beige. You spend your day having a spa treatment and your evening eating a delicious meal while tasting wine as you think to yourself, “Can it really get much better than this?”
I am here to tell you that it can. Your experience in the Napa Valley can be made even more spectacular depending on the place you choose to lodge. I believe your trip to Napa should be extraordinary, and that this can only be accomplished by staying at The Wine Country Inn and Gardens. My name is Jim Smith, and I am and have been the Innkeeper of The Wine Country Inn for the last 25 years.
The Wine Country Inn was founded by Ned and Marge Smith, my parents, in 1975. They had a simple vision: to recreate the look and atmosphere of a traditional New England-style bed and breakfast Inn in the heart of the Napa Valley. Now more than 30 years later, their dream remains as vibrant and as strong as ever.
Our family owned and operated Inn holds 24 unique and comfortable rooms, and five luxury cottages; many include fireplaces, jetted two-person tubs, patios or balconies, and vineyards views making this the perfect place for romance and relaxation. In addition, guests receive a complimentary afternoon wine service usually hosted by a local Napa Valley winery, a complimentary shuttle service to nearby restaurants, a gourmet breakfast, afternoon appetizers, and complimentary concierge services offered by the Inn’s knowledgeable and friendly staff.

At The Wine Country Inn, it’s all about SERVICE and COMFORT. Come take advantage of the amenities we have designed to pamper our visitors.

Consisting of, but not limited to:

*Our complimentary restaurant shuttle: http://www.winecountryinn.com/shuttle.htm
*Our expanded Day-Tour service: http://www.winecountryinn.com/inncursions.htm
*Our ‘Learn to be an Innkeeper’ Internship Program: http://www.winecountryinn.com/gradprogram.htm
*Our expanded Pool Service: http://www.winecountryinn.com/pool.htm
*Our new Self-Guided garden tour: http://www.winecountryinn.com/grounds.htm
*Our cool Arrival Gift with lots of Tasting Passes for the nearby wineries
*And don’t for get your 15% Return Guest Thank You

So, where is the road to paradise, you ask? We’ll tell you how to get here.

Call Toll Free: 888-465-4608 or

Email: romance@winecountryinn.com
You can also book your stay online: http://www.winecountryinn.com/