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Executive Q&A:
An Interview with CEO Mark Reichle of Select Registry

"Small Properties are Poised to Perform Despite Covid," says Select Registry Interim CEO Mark Reichle. 

Select Registry is a non-profit association founded in 1972 by Norman Simpson, a travel writer. Since then, the association has helped hundreds, if not thousands, of properties navigate the often unforgiving waters of opening, operating, and flourishing in the unique accommodations space. As of today, 286 properties have made it onto Select Registry's exclusive portfolio; that number continues to grow.

While Select Registry only has a small team, they are experts in the boutique hotel and bed and breakfast accommodation space. The association was formed nearly 50 years ago. Independent bed and breakfasts, inns, and boutique hotels that meet Select Registry's legendary quality standards are offered an opportunity to join their list of curated properties. 


How is your team in a unique position to help properties through this pandemic?
Most recently, "We partnered with a company called Touchstay, which offers a digital guest book." This company replaces the in-room guides with a mobile web app to inform guests about the property and the area. With TouchStay, guests aren't required to download an app or sign up. "This replaced something normally done face to face...that guests no longer felt comfortable with," states Mark. 

Man waters growing bar graph

How can people help support small businesses?

Select Registry provides an option for prospective guests to buy gift certificates to stay at one of their nearly 300 properties across the United States. This past year, Select Registry distributed nearly 350 thousand dollars worth of gift certificates to their properties. "This is done without a commission," Mark stated. Meaning, "we redeem the entire purchase value to our properties without taking an administrative fee." This is a great way to support small businesses and Mark mentioned these make great stocking stuffers for the upcoming holiday season. It's a great way to stay safe while traveling for the holidays. View Select Registry's map to see if there are properties near you.

How did you get to work once the scope of COVID-19 was realized?
In talking to the many travelers that make up their nearly 50 thousand magazine readers, "We know that the quality of a place starts with the cleanliness of a place." The traveling public is asking, "How are we assured that our overnight stop is going to be safe?"

Born from these conversations, Select Registry had to come up with COVID-safe solutions. "We looked at a lot of things we could do to help our members with issues that they might be facing" Mark continued, "as a result we developed our Select Safe Program". This self assessment taken from numerous hours of research drawn from CDC and WHO provides properties and their guests with greater peace of mind. The tool walks property owners through best practices to ensure all individuals on premises are as safe as possible.  


Is there anything inns can do to attract people that are traveling right now – the younger generation, in particular?

Select Registry understands the need to address the stigma associated with traditional bed and breakfasts. Michaele O'Neill, owner of the Carriage Way Inn in St. Augustine, Florida, describes doily, quilt obsessed properties as "grandma's houses."

"While we certainly aren't anti-doily, we recognize that everyone has their own taste." Mark summarized, "quality assurance is about meeting or exceeding guests' increasing expectations," further alluding to innkeepers' complex role in keeping up with changing trends surrounding service, decor, condition of the property, and hospitality in general.

Small businesses need to keep their head on a swivel these days and make a concerted effort to appeal to travels across generations, if they are to remain profitable. Regardless of the features - the quality of the service has always - and will continue to remain paramount to the guest experience. Delivering this while not jeopardizing trust, health and safety is a tall order for many managers that are now asked to do more with less staff. 


Thoughts on the immediate future
All these contributing factors along with the Stay Safe, Stay Small initiative makes Mark believe that independent bed and breakfasts, inns, and boutique hotels will weather this storm far better than big box accommodations. While the fall has traditionally been busier for properties, he feels that those that can position themselves for success over the next 3 months will come out better for it in 2021, stating "smaller properties are really poised to lure customers away from big brand hotels because of the nature of our business, which is attention to detail."

More than a membership
Mark hopes that Select Registry's extensive offerings can help small properties much like a brand would support a hotel chain. Mark wishes to help as many properties as possible gain their "badge of survival," a sign that they exited this pandemic healthier financially then they did going into it. Carolyn Bentzinger, co-owner of the Captain Swift Inn in mid-coast Maine, agreed that the benefits and advice she receives is well worth the cost of membership; stating "the feedback you receive from their quality assurance team is invaluable and their extensive resource library, industry knowledge base and network opportunities are extremely helpful in running your business, especially during a pandemic."

"In my experience, for those that have experienced an inn, they become loyal followers pretty quickly." Mark provides the following advice to innkeepers: "Hospitality is a big part of it. It's all in how the guest is welcomed and the attention to detail" our gorgeous, unique properties provide. "Quality levels need to be there for anything the guest touches."


Grey Quotation Marks

Small Properties are Poised to Perform Despite Covid - CEO Mark Reichle


Outlook of the Hospitality Community


Faced with the "worst quarter the travel industry has seen in modern history" according to Peter Kern, Expedia CEO, there is no doubt the industry is struggling. Expedia experienced an 82 percent decline year over year in overall revenue and 90 percent decline year over year in gross bookings.

"Our nature is not to sit still. Travel spending will come back," Mark reassured - "just steering your property through the next several months is going to be critical." Mark continued, "Bed and breakfasts tell a great story about their inns and their communities." Resilience of small businesses has never been stronger. 


Select Registry Membership
Given these generous member benefits, many innkeepers find that it is well worth the cost. Annual memberships are dependent on the size of the property, ranging from $3300-$5700. Select Registry continues to encourage innkeepers to apply for membership, especially during these trying times.

About Mark Reichle
Mark worked for Ford Motor Company out of Detroit for a number of years after graduate school before he and his wife opened their own 14 room bed and breakfast in the heart of Kansas City. After 20 years in the industry, many of which Mark spent on the board of Select Registry, he decided to sell the property and took on the role of Director of Operations for the past 2 years. Mark is currently serving as Interim CEO of Select Registry.

Resources  
https://selectregistry.com/about-select-registry/

Boutique hotels well-equipped to welcome travelers

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