We have hosted a lot of people at Hampton Terrace.   I know exactly the number, but it is hard to wrap my mind around a figure so large.   The good news is we can only handle about 28 at a time, and most stay for more than a night.   And they hang around the common room fireplaces, our private bar, or at breakfast.    I attempt to get to know our guests personally…..way beyond a superficial introduction, because I always take the attitude that every guest potentially could begin to treat Hampton Terrace as a home-away-from-home…and many do.

One who did is Mick Quinn.    Easy to know, and sporting a think Irish brogue, Mick’s latest book, "The Uncommon Path" has become the #1 seller on Amazon.com, in the category of consciousness and thought.    Mick does not preach religion, let’s make it clear, his message is one of self fulfillment and personal growth.    I just spent a lot of time clicking around his website, and I have to tell you, I am planning to order this book.   It received a 5 out ot 5 rating from Amazon readers, and earned press incredibly elusive for books serving this niche:   features in the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, CNN, and hundreds of similar articles, radio and television exposures.     Not your average tome spending its life in the spiritual rack at Barnes & Noble.

Mick came back on my radar just this morning when he posted an entry on my Hampton Terrace Facebook wall.    Just asking how things were going.   Said he saw a recent blog of mine, floating out there somewhere, and wanted to say hi.    It is not like we are out of touch.   I get his e-mail newsletters and he gets mine.   He always presses "reply" to see how we are doing.

Mick spent several weeks here at one point while writing one of this books.   He had already been here several times…but out of the blue he contacted me and asked if he could camp in one of our rooms in the back for a period of time to work without distraction.  Of course, I agreed.   Since then, each message from Mick has been from a different locale….New Jersey, Portugal, Spain, Utah….    He married a girl from Spain.

Living in the Berkshires, and knowing many of the people who are associated with Kripalu, I am not unfamiliar with spiritual people or their messages (which are personal, therefore always diverse).   Mick’s message comes from a different background, probably explaining why it is resonating with so many people.    Highly educated (a degree from Columbia), Mick founded two successful technology companies in the 1990s…the kind of companies who are sold to larger enterprises for their intellectual property.    So unlike many people who are seeking a personal identity through spiritual self evaluation, Mick’s identity was quite defined, as was his lifestyle.   But he felt deeply that there should be more to existence than that which he had found.    So gleaning from his reviews, it seems his approach is practical and results-oriented, and his writing style concise.     If the book is as efficient and navigable as his website, it seems clear that Mick wants to make sure that the reader is not wasting valuable time.

I met Mick ten years ago, right at the point when he was transitioning away from daily office duties   Fortunate timing, because his company was located on the 79th floor of the World Trade Center..   We also were in a transition.    My former employer had just left the Berkshires, and I was looking for a reason to stay in the area.   One of my former co-workers had something in the works, which attracted both Mick and me.   Ultimately, that project did not materialize, but a friendship  with Mick did.      He was a witness to our early progress here at Hampton Terrace, and even sent his brother here for a series of stays.

So I chose to write about my friend Mick Quinn, not to laud his success as an author or life teacher, but to offer a toast to his future success.    Good work, Mick.    I am looking forward to seeing you again.

We have so many interesting guests here at Hampton Terrace that it occurred to me that it might be fun to share some stories here in my blog.   Of course, everyone is special in his or her own way…..but let’s limit this to those you might want to read about.

Several weeks ago Debra and Fred Zeller stayed over a weekend.    My background includes music promotion and the subject of music came up at breakfast..   It turns out that Fred has been a sound engineer at NBC, 30 Rock, for almost 30 years….about 10 as the sound engineer for Conan, and the last year doing the same for Late Night with Jimmy Fallon.   Over the years he has met and worked  with virtually every celebrity and musical guest on the planet.    We talked about Macon, GA, my hometown, and the Allman Brothers, Marshall Tucker Band, etc.    I produced an Allman Brothers reunion in 1986 which turned out to be pivotal in reuniting the band after a 10-year break.

I get an e-mail a week later from Fred saying that The Allman Brothers were playing the Fallon Show on March 9th and he would hold tickets for me.  So Susan, my sister-in-law, my daughter and I went to New York to spend the day with Fred.    Fred got me in about 11 am for equipment set-up and sound check.   I was able to spend a couple of hours backstage and reconnect with some of the Allmans:   Jaimoe and Butch Trucks, the drummers.   Derek Trucks and Warren Haynes, guitarists.     Fred was old friends with some of their tech guys so we spent considerable time listening to road stories.   It was great.     I watched the band do a couple of noon run-throughs….and even though the technical crew at the Fallon Show had seen just about every act there is….they applauded the sound check.   This band has remained vibrant, fresh and tight, in spite of a 40-year career.  Their line-up changes have been careful and deliberate.

While Susan, Lynn and Lauren sat in the live studio audience, I got to sit in the sound production room with Fred.  The layout is not too much different than the cockpit of the space shuttle.    This guy is the ultimate multi-tasker.   His hands fly all over the board, flipping switches, pushing slides, punching buttons.   His chair rolls around his work space methodically as he moves from panel to panel.    I am hearing the director cueing cameras, sound augments, props.     Although I had seen an earlier run-through for the show (with a Fallon stand-in), it turns out the live production is pretty much like Saturday Night Live….theater on the fly.    They know that a really bad screw-up can be edited out before the evening show, but much is left in.   A spontaneous-looking performance is the goal.

And screw up this show did.   A national headlines-type screw up.   Jimmy had challenged guest Chelsea Handler to a martini making contest.   The goal was to make 3 martinis, grab them and race around the audience, return to the stage and dump them in a container to see who could spill the least over the contest.    Chelsea got back first, but the mess they both made had soaked the stage.   As Jimmy was running back to the  table his feet went straight up the in the air and he crashed on his back, breaking all three glasses.    When he got up, he was bleeding profusely from his hands.    It turned out not to be serious…. but it was terribly funny because with his Saturday Night Live experience, Jimmy was not stymied by the moment…and Chelsea Handler was so quick that she had two great one-liners within seconds.   The perfect guest for the moment.

I had the extra thrill of hearing and seeing the way the production booth handled the mishap.    Close-ups.   Slow motions.   A running gag for the rest of the show.    The injury turned out to be just minor cuts and Jimmy had the hand wrapped for the rest of the show.    It was not wrapped the next  night.

The Allmans, meanwhile, were fabulous.    I cannot thank Fred Zeller enough for giving us this unforgettable experience at 30 Rock.    Owning an inn has many types of rewards.

If you think this is the only guest story I’ve got….just wait.

We are very proud at Hampton Terrace of our loyal customer base.   There are more than 4,000 couples who remain on our newsletter list, even though opting out is one click away.    We are equally proud that our summers fill each year with more than 50% repeat visitation.

We are careful about sending out our e-mail newsletters, knowing that an abuse of our valuable e-mail list will result in more opt-outs.  So we limit our newsletters to about three per year….two of them pertaining to important dates involving Tanglewood.   The third features off-season specials.

So we see Facebook as a terrific opportunity for those guests who want to hear more from us to voluntarily do so.    Through Facebook we will be offering last-minute specials, discounts and values….and as importantly….we will keep you in touch with interesting Berkshire activities….for example…last night was the inaugural lighting of the new Westinghouse Street Lights in the village.    A little known fact:   Lenox was among the first towns in America to have electrically lit streets, due to the fact that George Westinghouse’s wife did not like the dark ride from her summer home into the village.   He was in  the process of installing street lights in downtown Niagra Falls, so she leaned on him to  throw a few around Lenox.    Now, 100 years later, there are still a few of the original (although non-working) lights around town, which served the role of allowing us to make exact replicas for the newly restored Lenox streetscape.   

The town leaders turned out last night, dressed in full turn-of-the-century formality, to flip on the new lights.   You could have been here.    Future Facebook fans of Hampton Terrace will hear about such fun opportunities.  CLICK HERE!

Thursday night is New Year’s Eve, and to celebrate the rare three-day weekend, we are offering all our rooms at our off-season rates.    That includes extras:   champagne at midnight in our private bar, and full brunch on New Year’s Day in place of our normal breakfast.   Also, our guests receive the following list of New Year’s Eve Events around us:

La Terraza Restaurant at Gateways Inn, 51 Walker St., (3 buildings down) will host its annual gala dinner dance, featuring a six-course menu, champagne, favors and entertainment for $100 per person. Festivities start at 8:30 p.m.  413-637-2532. http://www.gatewaysinn.com/

As we wind into the final days before Christmas, we are all falling into the trap I just encountered.   My wife wanted something specific, and I went to the web.   At Amazon,  for an $89 item, I accepted a $29.00 two-day-delivery fee to make sure it got here in time.   Normal shipping and handling was $5.95.

But the $23.00 diffrence was STILL better than driving to the mall and checking six stores to see if I could find one on the shelf.
 

Imagine a couple of nights in a historic inn.   Fireplaces. Jacuzzis.   Full breakfast buffet.    Call or e-mail Hampton Terrace, and I will send a Gift Certificate right back that you can print yourself.    I also send a photo-quality brochure that prints on 8 1/2 x 11 photo paper and adds pizzazz to your gift.   You may purchase a number of nights….or….just pick an affordable amount, even $50, and we’ll print it up.    We will personalize your Gift Certificate to say exactly what you want.

Hampton Terrace is located in the Berkshires, the #7 travel destination in the world, according to National Geographic Traveler.    We are less than a three hour drive from most points in New England or New York.    Our phone # is 800-203-0656.   

Worried about the perfect gift?   DONE!

Last week, Hampton Terrace and Lenox MA were featured by USA Today in a centerpiece story about the bed and breakfast industry.

A stay by Travel Editor Laura Bly was predicated by a Professional Association of Innkeeper’s Survey which indicated that in spite of the current economic environment, inns and b&bs nationally were not only surviving, but bucking trends that were causing the lodging industry in general to be down almost 30% in 2009.    Most inns are showing flat to slightly negative trends….and some, including Hampton Terrace, are demonstrating significantly higher revenues as more travelers take vacations within driving distance of their homes.

Ms. Bly contacted BedandBreakfast.com, the largest on-line inn directory, to inquire what US destination might best exemplify this trend, and they recommended Lenox, Massachusetts as one of the best concentrations of upscale inns in the country.   They went on to single out Hampton Terrace, sharing that our 2009 numbers through June were 60% above comparable 2008 dates.    Our summer also continued this trend, with revenue up almost 20%, in spite of the fact that we did  not raise our rates, and it is hard to squeeze more room nights in when you are already almost sold out.

To see the actual article, CLICK HERE.

We credit our success at Hampton Terrace to many factors, not the least of which is our loyal base of returning guests…..friends who consider us a "home away from home."   As a matter of fact, Sandra Aplin of Boca Raton, Florida said exactly that  in the USA Today article.    Another factor is our attention to guest reviews, especially on Trip  Advisor.    Before check-in, we e-mail every guest to let them know that they should alert us of any issues or improvements to their stay WHILE THEY ARE HERE, so that we can address them.   Then immediately upon their departure they get another e-mail from us asking how things went.    This is important because most negative Trip Advisor reviews result from unaddressed guest issues….and we do not want there to be any at all.   So we have spent most of the last two  years sitting at the top of the Trip Advisor rankings for Lenox..    With more than two dozen inns, that is an important accomplishment.

Finally, to distinguish ourselves from a plain vanilla hotel stay, we make  sure we communicate that staying at Hampton Terrace is an EXPERIENCE.    A chance to "Turn Back the Clock to the Gilded Age."   And we price our rooms to make people feel they have received a good VALUE.    Ms. Bly wanted to know how much we were discounting in order to maintain our revenues this  year.   Our answer is that we have not  had to discount at all….other than our normal price breaks for off-season and mid-week.   That is contrary to the deep discounting trends that are haunting the lodging industry in general.  

When your hotel room looks the same in Tulsa as San Diego, and when a traveler has the option of getting off Interstate Exit 89 or 90, then price does play a role.    An experience at Hampton Terrace?    Priceless.    Well, not really, but you understand the concept.

I was struck this past weekend at how many couples were here for reasons beyond just "getting away."    We had two honeymoons, a 5th anniversary, a 20th anniversary, and a guest who popped the question right in one of our king suites! 

I was thinking, why do people choose us for special occasion weekends?   It could be because virtually all of our rooms have fireplaces and Jacuzzis.   For everyone who stays at least two weekend nights during the off-season we give them a $30 gift certificate to the local wine/gourmet food shop in town to buy their own nice bottle of wine or champagne.   We provide glasses, plates, etc. at our private BYOB heirloom bar.   We also help our couples pre-plan their stay by providing a list of the best restaurants in the area, and lists of activities such as hikes, historic house tours, museums, night-life, theaters, spas…   Speaking of spas, we have a selected list of places to go for massages and spa services…or it is possible to have a massage right in your room.   During warm months we have an outdoor heated pool (always at 87 degrees) and six outdoor porches and decks.   Our breakfast consists of comfort food choices by candlelight, and we have two living rooms consisting of overstuffed or leather couches and chairs…..  During the winter months there are four public roaring fireplaces…. 

I guess I have answered my own question.   For our last anniversary, we stayed on the property and enjoyed one of our own king suites!

I know more are coming.   I received an e-mail from someone a few minutes ago who said friends were coming this Thursday for their 20th anniversary and she wanted to arrange chilled wine waiting in the room.   Happy to oblige.

 We know that from time to time, everyone needs the perfect place for a meeting, holiday party, family gathering or even a special celebration.  Chances are you’d rather not worry about having it in your home.

We’d like to suggest you consider holding your next gathering at Lenox’s Hampton Terrace, in the grand setting of an original Gilded Age Berkshires cottage. We are debuting our beautifully appointed public spaces, available for the first time, for your private parties, receptions, holiday gatherings, meetings, showers…you name the occasion, and we have the space.

Hampton Terrace, built in 1897, has been one of Lenox’s premier inns since 1937.   Guest experiences here have been so positive, that we are rated #1 on Trip Advisor from over thirty Lenox inns. Combined with  fourteen plush guest rooms, we also can host family celebrations or reunions, business retreats or extended stays for your visiting business associates.  Because we are open year-round and hosting guests, Hampton Terrace is always beautifully decorated for each season. You may use your own caterer, or, we will provide a list. Feel free to contact us for more information on planning your party here by calling us, or sending an e-mail to info@hamptonterrace.com.

When a future guest books at Hampton Terrace Bed and Breakfast in Lenox, we send out an immediate e-mail confirmation which contains every bit of information we feel that a guest might want to know about our inn: directions, room description, policies, etc. But equally important, as travellers ourselves, we know how important it is to pre-plan a trip. Just last month, we did not. On the evening of our arrival we took 20 brochures from the hotel rack and tried to plan our week…and it just did not go that well. So in addition to the above, we put two well-researched lists as attachments to our confirmation. The first is called "A List to Help You Plan Your Stay" which covers everything from spas, historic house tours, museums, live music and theater to hikes, golf and nightlife. The second list is very warmly received: it is our list of "Recommended Places to Dine." We eat out WAY too often…but more importantly, we have sent literally 15,000 people out our front door to dinner and we ALWAYS hear about their experience at breakfast the next morning. There are several restaurants which ALWAYS get a positive review. One of those is Rouge in West Stockbridge. Other than the fact that it is small and they do not take reservations (so there usually a line at the bar and sometimes out the door) we just do not hear anything negative. Especially about their food, which is classically French. The chef/owner is from France and studied at the French Cullinary Institute. His wife is American (speaks French and met her husband while travelling in France) and she runs the front of the house. Honestly, we cannot get enough of this food. Everything on the menu is to die for. That does not mean that there are not other restaurants that do as good a job. There are…and they are on our list. So please consider Hampton Terrace when planning a trip to the Berkshires, or Lenox in particular, and let us help you plan your stay. CLICK HERE.