The Story of Garnet Hill Lodge : The Dog Days of August

Yes, it's time to write another entry in the blog. And in this one I won't use a lot of pictures although a few might be in order. I have been urged to write more blog entries by some of the guests that I've talked to over the summer. They tend to like the earlier ones where I was more descriptive of what happens behind the scenes in a lodge like this. I'm not sure how good an idea that is but it would be good for me to be able to share some of the problems as well as successes that we've experienced over the last several months. So I'm just going to write what comes to mind without much editing and at some point, if you're reading this now, I will have pushed the Publish button.
One thing I've been doing is watching some of the 'reality' TV shows that have been on where hotels are taken from being on the verge of closing back to complete success in a matter of hours or days. So that's a point of interest and contrast that I can use as a guide for how we're doing I guess.
Overall things have gone very well for us over the course of this first winter and summer, which is not to say that it has been easy or highly profitable or anything of that sort. But we have a good solid flow of guests, some new, and some old, who are invariably very pleased with the natural beauty and peacefulness of the lodge. It just never gets old to hear guests compliment us on what we've done so far and how much it means to them. It's like a shot of adrenaline to my system that makes me feel like everything is going to be ok.
So when I watch the show Hotel Impossible or the new one now called Hotel Hell, I can identify with the state of mind of the innkeepers. Even though we're nowhere near a failing business, it's still a struggle to pay all the employees and all the bills every week. The condition of the buildings and grounds and the deterioration of the guest return loyalty has been greater than expected, so though I feel we are moving in the right direction and business will improve, we have started from a place not far from where the innkeepers on these shows are at. But, as I said, we're moving in a good direction and on the positive side, we don't share many, or any of the negative traits and characteristics of the people and properties involved. We have a good team of employees, a location that is unmatched, buildings that are one of a kind and in good condition, and a lot of energy and drive to make this place a success for us, our guests, the town of Johnsburg and the Adirondack region in general.

The summer has been very busy, for both the lodge and restaurant. The screen porch is doing well. Guests like to sit there on the high tables with laptops and iPads as well as to eat from the pub menu.
We've had a crew of two maintenance guys with us since the beginning of July. Dale and Mark have been hard at work cutting trees and brush, fixing machinery, going through rooms to fix and improve the bathrooms, doors, windows, closets and anything else that needs it. They'll be continuing all that for the next 6 months at least.
We have Felicia and Gabriel working hard at the front desk under lodge manager Pat Connor to help guests out with their day trips and activities. They will be active at the Adventure Center come winter with the ski programs and lessons as well.
I've been doing a lot of work on the trails to get them ready for the ski season, mainly cutting the grass and brush, removing stones and in the case of Logger's Loop, Raven Run and Lower Trapper, using my tractor to make them passable again after the heavy logging that took place on that property a few years ago.
Today I ordered a commercial carpet cleaner to use to thoroughly clean all the carpets on the property. This will take quite a bit of time to accomplish but buying the machine will save a lot of money in the long run.
We're also going to be investing in a Point Of Sale system for our kitchen and wait staff. So the next time you're in the restaurant you may have your order entered on a hand held device. That should all be in place well before the winter season gets underway.
That's all for now. I'll go and push the Publish button now.