Feb 2016 Newsletter

INNterviews
MAINE INNKEEPERS ASSOCIATION
Representing Maine’s Bed & Breakfasts, Camps, Cottages, Hotels, Inns, Motels & Resorts
Volume 595
February 2016
HOSPITALITY FOR HABITAT 2016
The Maine Innkeepers Association is
pleased and proud to announce that it will
be sponsoring the 13th Annual Hospitality
for Habitat promotion. The program, started
in 2004, is designed to raise money for
Habitat for Humanity by selling shoulder
season rooms at a discount. Between April
18 and May 26, 2016, participating member
properties will be asked to offer a designated
number of their rooms at half the regular
rate, in exchange for a $35 check payable
to Habitat for Humanity. This check is for
the length of stay. Member properties can
participate for all 6 weeks or whenever they
choose!
Once again proceeds from this year’s program
will be given to local chapters of Habitat for
Humanity. All local chapters have agreed to
participate so not only will funds go to local
Habitat projects, the chapters themselves will
help us to promote this great event. Last year’s
check was presented to Habitat for Humanity
of York County and they made sure that the
funds were allocated appropriately among
the chapters. This undertaking has received
a tremendous amount of well-deserved
press. Our hope is to inundate print media
with public relations and press releases from
the Association, individual properties and
local chapters. We will be available to assist
properties and chapters in creating media
pieces at no charge to the property or the
chapter. In both cases templates have been
created to facilitate this effort.
Habitat for Humanity International is a
Christian ministry dedicated to eliminating
poverty housing. Founded in 1976 by Millard
Fuller, along with his wife Linda, Habitat for
Humanity International and its affiliates in
more than 3,000 communities in 92 nations
continued on page 3
OPTIMIZING REVENUE STRATEGIES
FOR THE BOTTOM LINE
The Maine Innkeepers Association, in
conjunction with the Education Committee of
the Association, is pleased to announce the first
of our annual series of educational seminars
for 2016, “Optimizing Revenue Strategies for
the Bottom Line.” This event will be held on
Thursday, February 25, 2016 at the Fireside Inn
& Suites in Portland. This is an all day seminar
and currently is scheduled to run from 10:00 am
until 3:00 pm and includes lunch. The cost for
the seminar is $69 per person. The Fireside Inn &
Suites has extended a fabulous room rate of $79
for the night of the 24th and 25th. Ask for the
Maine Innkeepers rate.
The seminar will provide an array of effective
and applicable tips, tricks, and techniques on
how to generate business during low demand
periods as well as maximize revenue during
continued on page 5
O u r s e r v i c e d o e s n ’t e n d w h e n
o u r t r u c k l e a v e s y o u r d o o r.
Hospitality For Habitat 2016.............. 1
Optimizing Revenue Strategies........... 1
Legislative Happenings...................... 4
Members In The News................. Insert
20 Dalton Road • Augusta, Maine
www.NorthCenter.com 1-877-564-8081
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1
Wednesday
March 30
10 am - 4 pm
Cross Insurance Arena
PORTLAND, ME
mainerestaurant.com
Get your free passes!
Members* of the Maine Innkeepers Association may register for two free passes to the Expo.
Register at mainerestaurant.com/page/expo_attend and enter Promo Code: MEIA2016 at
check-out. Or, if you prefer, call 207.623.2178 to tell us who’ll be attending the Expo from your
property. Either way, we’ll mail your passes to you in advance of the event allowing you expedited admittance to the Expo. Additional tickets may be purchased in advance for $10 each.
(*Only lodging members, not allied members are eligible for free passes. Allied members are
encouraged to exhibit at the event and are only allowed admittance to the show if exhibiting.)
Expo Sponsors!
For more information about the Expo visit mainerestaurant.com or email [email protected].
Follow the Expo on Twitter @MaineExpo and like us on Facebook at facebook.com/maineexpo.
Maine Innkeepers Association 2
(Continued from 1)
have built or renovated more than 800,000
homes around the world. Their website is
www.habitat.org.
Reservations must be made in advance, and
the contribution to Habitat for Humanity
must be in the form of a check. In 2015 we
collected over $23,000! We hope to annually
increase the amount given to this worthy
cause. In total, since 2004, we have raised over
$157,000 for Habitat.
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Wason Associates
One New Hampshire Ave, Suite 125
Portsmouth, NH 03801
603-766-4982
Wason’s Hotel Evaluation Program offers:
• Financial & physical property analysis
• Performance comparison to the marketplace
• Equity analysis for net sales proceeds
• Assessment of alternative means of disposition
• The selling and negotiation process
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3
LEGISLATIVE HAPPENINGS- LOCAL,
STATEWIDE AND NATIONAL
The Portland Green Party’s $15 referendum
question was sent to the voters in the
November election. We are pleased to report
that through unbelievable efforts by the
Maine Innkeepers Association, the Maine
Restaurant Association, Retail Association
of Maine and their Portland members, along
with incredible support and leadership by the
Portland Regional Chamber, that the question
was defeated. Financial and moral support
from the National Restaurant Association,
American Hotel & Lodging Association and
the International Franchise Association was
also provided. As a team, this group was not
only able to defeat this referendum question,
but it was without question, punctuated with
a 16 point margin of victory. We applaud the
voters of the City of Portland for seeing what
damage a $15 minimum wage and $11.25
tipped wage would do to the tourism industry
and greater economy of the state’s largest city.
Portland’s new minimum wage ordinance,
which raises the wage to $10.10 went into
effect on January 1, 2016.
This coalition, with a few additions, will now
jump into action on the statewide minimum
wage referendum initiative scheduled to be
on the November 8, 2016 ballot. The Maine
Peoples’ Alliance has collected approximately
90,000 signatures exceeding the requirement
of just over 60,000 to qualify. These signatures
are currently being verified by local polling
officials. This statewide question, if passed,
would raise the minimum wage to $9.00 in
2017, $10.00 in 2018, $11.00 in 2019 and
$12.00 in 2020. It would also eliminate the
tip credit and create a tipped wage at $5.00
per hour in 2017 and that wage would increase
by $1.00 per year until the regular minimum
wage and the tipped wage would be the same.
In both cases the wage would be adjusted by
the Consumer Price Index (CPI) thereafter.
The association will be working with other
business leaders to find a way to defeat this
onerous referendum, up to and including
lobbying for a competing measure that would
raise the wage less quickly and dangerously
and keep the tip credit intact in Maine statute.
In Bangor, Councilor Joseph Baldacci,
brother of the former Maine Governor, had
With Sprague, now you can!
introduced a proposed ordinance to create a
minimum wage in the City of Bangor, which
would be $8.25 on January 1, 2016, $9.00 on
January 1 of the following year and ending with
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an increase to $9.75 in 2018. This ordinance
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would also be tied to CPI, thereafter. A vote
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versions on the table, but ultimately the
ordinance proposed by Baldacci was selected.
Changes from his original ordinance included
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had also exempted tipped workers and those
workers under 18 and those two exemptions
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minimum wage or $4.13 the first year.
Locking In Today’s Low Energy Rates is a Bright Idea
At the State Legislature, LD 1254 was
carried over from last year’s long session. This
SAVE MONEY ON WATER HEATING
continued on page 5
Introducing the Energy Efficient
Geyser Heat Pump Water Heater.
Provides enough hot water for even the
largest Hotels/Motels
NO FOSSIL FUELS NEEDED
“smart investment and a
purchase that protects the
environment”
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Made in Maine
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Maine Innkeepers Association The most efficient way to heat water
Cools and dehumidifies surrounding air,
offsetting air conditioning costs
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Inn Consultants and Brokers
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4
(Continued from 1)
high occupancy periods. In addition, we will
take a deep dive into online travel agencies (i.e.
Expedia, Priceline, Google, etc.) to assess their
inner workings and how hotel operators can
fully utilize these industry giants to their
advantage. Attendees will be left with the latest and
greatest knowhow in revenue management that
can be easily implemented into daily operations.
Raveen Shah is President of Cascade Revenue
Management (CRM,) a hospitality consulting
firm located in Chicago, IL. Shah is a graduate
of Loyola University Chicago and Cornell
University, where he received an MBA and
CHRM, respectively.
On-Premise Drying Tumblers
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L AU N D R Y E Q U I P M E N T
While pursuing his MBA, Raveen worked in
the financial industry providing marketing and
sales support for various brokerage companies.
That eventually led him to a position working as
the head of marketing for a derivatives startup. It
was in this capacity that the opportunity to assume
ownership of Cascade Revenue Management
[CRM] presented itself.
With a passion for analytics and a good vision
for the company, Shah became owner of CRM.
In the last three
years, CRM has grown to a portfolio of over
50 properties within the USA and Canada. In
addition, CRM has expanded its service line towards
providing front desk training, group sales support,
inventory and pricing management, SEO, social
media management, and several other back office
support services. Born and raised in southeastern
Wisconsin, Shah enjoys kayaking, skiing, and
cheering on the Packers in his free time. With
his experience in hospitality, CRM has become
a deep passion for Shah as it has allowed him to
support owners/operators on a large scale while still
maintaining a close one-on-one relationship.
A registration form has been mailed to you,
so mark your calendars, save the date and if you
have any questions please call Jennifer or Greg at
the Maine Innkeepers Office at (207) 213-2060
or send us an e-mail at [email protected].
You can register for this program by going to
www.maineinns.com
Web-Based Payroll - Anytime, Anywhere
Pay As You Go Workers Compensation
Time & Attendance Solutions
Income Verification & Employee Background Checks
Human Resources Management Tools
Making payday the easiest day of your work week.
www.payrollmgt.com
1-800-734-6880
Serve your guests
good Maine coffee.
We’ve been roasting great coffees for Maine inns since 1997, providing
equipment and excellent service to properties with 2 to 200 rooms.
Call or email Tom Hildreth to set up and serve our great Maine coffee.
WELCOME INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS
Whether you’re hiring one student
or 100, CIEE Work & Travel USA
can help you screen, recruit, and
hire international seasonal staff.
1-888-292-2326
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ciee.org/summerhire
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5
Be a part of the Maine draw.
Advertise with The Boston Globe and Boston Globe Media.
Connect with New Englanders looking to enjoy
all that Maine has to offer when you become
a part of one of Boston Globe Media’s travel
specials and events:
•Weekly SundayTravel section
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•New England travel articles on boston.com
or globe.com
•2016 Boston Globe Travel Show
View our 2015 Special Sections calendar at bostonglobemedia.com/travel or
contact Dan Waxman at 617-314-0016 or [email protected] for details.
(Continued from 4)
bill would have assessed a $1 per room night fee
on hotel, inn and bed and breakfast rooms sold
between May and October. The fund created
would have been used for beach nourishment.
Even though we all know how much of an
asset our beaches are, the association opposed
the method of payment for this cause. There
are many good causes and we saw this as the
first of many assessments, especially since the
lodging tax was just raised to 9% on January
1, 2016. The sponsor of the bill is now seeking
a new funding source, most probably a general
obligation bond.
At the Federal level, The Federal Omnibus
Appropriations (Budget) bill that was passed
included H2B Visa Reforms. The Omnibus
included important relief for H-2B employers,
including exempting returning workers from
the 66,000 annual cap as well as allowing the
use of private wage surveys. Along with other
key provisions, this will allow the program to
run more efficiently for both employers and
the regulating agencies.
The “Protecting Americans against Tax
Hikes” bill also represents key victories for
our industry. Among the tax provisions that
benefit restaurants, hotels and small businesses
in the PATH Act are:
Permanent extension of the 15-year tax
depreciation schedule for new restaurant
construction and improvements, qualified
leasehold improvements, and qualified retail
improvements. Previously, this provision was
renewed on a year-to-basis. The permanency of
this provision is the result of years of successful
lobbying for this provision. Permanent extension of expanded Section
179 expensing. This would allow businesses
to deduct $500,000 of the cost of financed
purchases up to $2 million. These amounts
would be indexed to keep pace with inflation.
Permanent extension of the enhanced
charitable deduction for food donation. This
change ensures that non-corporate entities
such as S corps and LLCs can take advantage
of an enhanced tax deduction when they
donate food inventory to charity.
Five-year extension of bonus depreciation.
The extension would allow businesses to take
a 50 percent bonus depreciation for qualified
property placed in service during 2015, 2016
and 2017, phased down to 40 percent in 2018
and 30 percent in 2019.
Five-year extension of the Work Opportunity
Tax Credit. Included among WOTC-eligible
groups are certain veterans, food-stamp
recipients and people referred from vocationalrehabilitation programs. The tax package
proposes extending the WOTC back to Jan. 1,
2015, through 2019, and expanding it to apply
to certain long-term unemployed individuals.
Maine Innkeepers Association 6
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Maine Innkeepers Association 7
Member Benefits
Past Chair
Jeanne Carpentier
Emerald Hospitality, Freeport
Chair - Jean Ginn Marvin
Nonantum Resort, Kennebunkport
First Vice Chair - Jamey Kitchen
Hampton Inn & Suites, Thomaston
Second Vice Chair - Scott Cowger
Maple Hill Farm B&B Inn, Hallowell
Treasurer- Bob Smith
Sebasco Harbor Resort, Sebasco Estates
At-Large Member – Chip Gray
Harraseeket Inn, Freeport
At-Large Member – Matthew Levin
Lord Camden Inn, Camden
Senior Advisor – Ron Churchill
Bear Spring Camps, Rome
Legislative Chair – Scott Cowger Maple Hill Farm
B&B Inn, Hallowell And Jamey Kitchen Hampton
Inn & Suites, Thomaston
Jeanne Carpentier, Emerald Hospitality Associates,
Freeport
Ron Churchill, Bear Spring Camps, Rome
Scott Cowger, Maple Hill Farm B&B Inn,
Hallowell
Joshua Cushing, Hilton Garden Inn, Freeport
Kim Dennis, Homewood Suites By Hilton,
Scarborough
Sarah Diment, Beachmere Inn, Ogunquit
Sue Ferrell, Down East Village, Yarmouth
Jean Ginn Marvin, Nonantum Resort,
Kennebunkport
Chip Gray, Harraseeket Inn, Freeport
Mark Heisler, Howard Johnson Plaza Hotel,
Portland
Alvion Kimball, Orland House B&B, Orland
Jamey Kitchen, Hampton Inn & Suites,
Thomaston
Phil Kronenthal, Migis Hotel Group, Portland
Jane Lebrun, Cross Employee Benefits, Portland
Brian Leclair, Best Western Plus - Waterville,
Waterville
Matthew Levin, Lord Camden And Grand Harbor
Inns, Camden
Matt Mattingly, Pine Crest B&B Inn, Gorham
Jim Ostrowski, Inns At Blackberry Common,
Camden
Ed Palmer, Marriott At Sable Oaks,
South Portland
Connie Russell, Samoset Resort, Rockport
Bob Smith, Sebasco Harbor Resort,
Sebasco Estates
Christina Bustard, Giri Hotels, Bangor
Peter Twachtman, Migis Hotel Group, Portland
Woody Woodward, Highland Lake Resort,
Bridgton
Maine Innkeepers Association The Maine Innkeepers Association is always striving to bring you relevant, bottomline benefits. Have you taken advantage of all of them?
Money-Saving Visa/MasterCard Processing
Real-time, Internet-based Maine Lodging Reservation Service in
conjunction with the Maine Office of Tourism
Money-Saving INNpower Energy Aggregation Program
Free Listing on Maine Innkeepers Association Web Site and Free Link to Your Web
Site
Discounted Natural Gas Program
Listing in the Official Maine Lodging Guide
Members-only Web Site Section With Online Laws and Regulations, a Cyberlobby
feature, Events Calendar and More
Annual Meeting & Conference With Exhibitors, Top Speakers & Seminars
ADA Suitcases Available For Members’ Use
Answers to Your Questions From Our Office or AH&LA’s Info Center
Free Maximum Rate Cards and Innkeeper Law Cards
Scholarship Program That has Provided $100,000+ in Scholarships over the Last 20
Years
Outstanding Networking Opportunity and Referral Network
Health, Dental, Life Insurance plus Short-Term Disability and Long-Term Care
Coverage as well as Employment Practices Liability Insurance
Maine Innkeepers Education Foundation, training future
employees and elevating our industry through a two-year high school curriculum in
lodging management
~MISSION~
We are committed to improving, promoting and
protecting the welfare of the lodging
industry in Maine. Through communication,
education, promotion and government affairs,
we help our members achieve prosperity and
deliver a quality product to the consumer.
INNterviews is published regularly by the Maine Innkeepers Association
45 Melville Street, Augusta, ME 04330
Phone: (207) 213-2060 / Fax: (207) 213-2062
Email: [email protected] / Web: www.maineinns.com
President and CEO, Greg Dugal • Chief Operating Officer, Chris Jones
Director of Projects & Events, Jennifer Sevon
Administrative Assistant, Vicky Savoie
8