Yes, we'll admit it. March and April were mud season. But it is glorious outside this week. Warm and Springlike, the lawns are now completely green and bulbs are starting to open all over our yard. Suddenly, a thought entered our mind which seemed unthinkable even last week: Call the guy to open our pool! Well, not so fast. Almost. At Hampton Terrace Bed and Breakfast in Lenox, we still have availability each of the next weekends between now and late June. Take advantage of our off-season weekend rates of $189/night, which includes full breakfast and a $30 Gift Certificate to the wine/gourmet food shop in town with a 2 night stay or more. CLICK HERE

We just returned from an innkeeper's conference in California where the glory of the Internet seemed to permeate virtually every innkeeping topic. When we first took over Hampton Terrace in 1999, many inns did not have websites…but we recognized that a good website was the key to instant world-wide exposure. At that time, innkeeping journals were touting that up to 10% of your future business might come via the Web. But keep buying those magazine ads and printing those brochures! Three years ago, we attended an inn convention in Providence, where I specifically remembered speakers talking about the 50% of future guests who would find us on the Internet. And if we do not provide real-time, on-line reservations, we would miss up to 20% of our potential bookings. Still, they said, most people want to talk with a live person before booking at your inn. Well, in California we heard that more than 80% of the travelling public now find inns on the Web….and over 50% are booking directly through the website…with a very large percentag of those bookings occuring after 10 pm at night. This is our experience as well. So to book on-line at Hampton Terrace in Lenox, CLICK HERE

With the dollar at such a disadvantage to other world currencies, this is the best possible time for Europeans to travel to America. We had an American guest this morning at breakfast who works in Europe and commutes constantly. He said that already summer airline tickets are scarce. But it was his opinion that many Europeans are heading to the big cities and icon-type tourist destinations like the Grand Canyon or Disneyworld. I would not expect that most Europeans would

consider the Berkshires a destination

in itself….but that is only because of a lack of knowledge. In fact, we have had many European guests who stay with us for a week or more, and then complain at check-out that they just could not get everything in. So if you are from Europe…and you want an authentic American experience….not one staged for a flat park entrance fee…then take a couple of minutes and look at the Berkshire Visitors Bureau website…..and stay at Hampton Terrace. CLICK HERE

At Hampton Terrace in Lenox, summer reservations are coming in sooner than in past years. A couple of factors seem to be responsible. For the second year, the Boston Symphony announced their summer schedule in November instead of February and public sale of tickets occurred in February instead of April. Last year it did not seem to make that much difference in summer reservations as I think many people were caught off-guard and followed their old habit of not looking for the Tanglewood schedule until after New Year's. Possibly those people were surprised to find many seats already sold by the time they became aware that tickets were already on sale. This year we had a rush of calls in November. The other reason for a good summer has to do with the value of the dollar, the hassle of air travel and the cost of gas. Visitors to the Berkshires are generally affluent…people who regularly travel to Europe, the Carribean or to the west coast. This year, for the reasons mentioned above, they are committing a tank of gas instead and planning a long weekend in the Berkshires. We don't mind. CLICK HERE.

Located about one mile down the street, one of the world's largest and most important Yoga centers, Kripalu, offers hundreds of Yoga and wellness programs throughout the year. Many thousands of people, from Yoga instructors seeking higher certifications, to novices of all ages looking for a life-style change, visit the center. Kripalu offers several housing options, the vast majority of which involve dormitory-style rooms with bathrooms at the end of the hall. Most of their private and double rooms also do not have private baths. We have a credentialed Yoga instructor staying at Hampton Terrace now (4 nights) who reconfirmed for me what we have been told dozens of times: that our prices are LESS per night for a king/queen room with fireplace and Jacuzzi and full breakfast, than one of Kripalu's dormitory rooms where you can share your experience with a dozen strangers. Please call Hampton Terrace for a "personal rate quote" for a multiple-night stay while attending your courses at Kripalu. Many have. CLICK HERE.