InnSitting

March 14, 2008 6:36 AM

Has anyone ever done any innsitting - either formally, through a service, or informally by personal arrangement? How'd you get into it? What would you recommend if I'd like to try it?
posted by Miko to travel & transportation (3 comments total)

Miko, my parents inn-sit regularly. I'd be happy to put you in contact with my very talkative father about it. Email me.

They basically got into it by going to this inn a lot, and striking up a relationship with the proprietor. They now regularly sub when the owners need to go out of town, sometimes for weeks at a time. They started doing a night here or there, but they've been doing it probably ten years now. They enjoy it quite a lot, but I do get the impression that it disabused them of the desire to own an inn of their own.
posted by OmieWise at 6:47 AM on March 14

My aunt and uncle got into this the same way that OmieWise's parents did. They developed a really close relationship with the owner, after staying there a few times. They did inn-sitting several times over the course of a couple of years, including creating special weekend events like breadbaking lessons. They were under the impression that they might eventually want their own B&B. But this experience cured them of that. It was much more work that they realized (especially for my aunt who did most of the day to day cleaning and basic food prep). In fact, they were relieved when the owner sold the inn, so they wouldn't have to tell her "no" the next time she asked them to inn-sit.
posted by kimdog at 7:29 AM on March 14

Thanks to you both. I don't think I ever want to own an inn of my own; I understand it's nonstop hard work (and interpersonally demanding as well). But I would like to have the skills to manage one for a season while taking a career break, and also to experience being somewhere different, of course. I have an insanely hardworking nature so that part isn't daunting; I'm just unsure how to establish credentials that might help later on down the road. OmieWise, I'll email you.
posted by Miko at 12:51 PM on March 14