It’s Thanksgiving - what do you have to be thankful for?   

Like many, I find myself fast-forwarding in my mind to the Christmas season.  The rush, the snow, the jolly feeling, the excitement Christmas brings.  I’m going to commit to stay-in-the-season this year.  I’m going to use the 4 days of the Thanksgiving holiday, to focus on things I am thankful for.

I am thankful for my family, friends, my home, Church, my health and the health of my family.  I’m thankful for my job, my customers, and everyday things – like having my car start when I turn the key.  There are so many more things I could list, but you get the idea.  Join me this year and stay-in-the-season for the 4 days we have set aside to BE thankful.

What would we do without Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade?  According to marching.com; “3.5 million people view the parade live along the parade rout, and more than 50 million viewers tune in to the television broadcast.”  I will be one of those 50 million.   Some day – I might like to be one of the 3.5!

What ever your plans, enjoy the weekend – and be thankful.  You might also want to take some time to think about life-safety in your bed and breakfast or country inn.

If you haven’t done so – check the batteries in your smoke detectors. 

I’m also a big fan of the flash-lights you plug into an outlet, and they turn on automatically when the power goes out.  These are normally less than $10 and seem to be an economic way to add another layer of safety for your guests.

If you have a 3 story Inn – most insurance companies are REQUIRING an alternate means of exit, other than the main stairway.  I’ve seen some very nice ladders recently that mount permanently between the wall joists, have a paintable door – so they can be painted to match the wall, and have a pretty high weight limit.  If you would like more information on these ladders, I can direct you to a B&B owner who has them.  As a side note, 2 means of egress or exit are normally required for guest rooms above the ground floor, but ladders can become more of a necessity if you have 3 stories.

Enjoy the Thanksgiving holiday; and give me a call if you would like a quote for your bed and breakfast or country inn.

Karmen Ward - Ailes
765-381-4904

 You've got insurance, but are you covered?

I review many bed and breakfast insurance policies for innkeepers around the United States.  As you can imagine, sometimes I find the insurance coverage is adequate and competitively priced.  In those circumstances, I might recommend that you stay with your current bed and breakfast  insurance provider, but increase a specific limit of insurance or add a specific coverage.   Most often, I find the insurance program less than adequate, and written by an agent who does not specialize in providing insurance solutions for Bed and Breakfast properties.  I have seen several instances of insurance gaps unknowingly and unintentionally left by agents unfamiliar with the unique insurance needs of a Bed and Breakfast owner.

Many insurance agents feel it is appropriate to write a homeowners policy, and include an “incidental business” endorsement.  On rare occasions, this approach might be acceptable.  In most cases, I find innkeepers trusting their largest asset and  income base, to a one page endorsement that in essence simply removes the “business pursuits” exclusion from their homeowners policy.   Innkeepers should ask themselves this question:  “Is the primary function of my structure a home...or a business?”  Be brutally honest - if you have 3 guest rooms and are generating income from the structure… is the business exposure really incidental and secondary?

Many “incidental business pursuits” endorsements do not pick up coverage for “Loss of Business Income”.  If you have a wedding party scheduled for June 15th and a tornado damages your building on June 2nd, forcing you to cancel all reservations, you may not have coverage to pay for the loss of income you will suffer. If your guest sprains an ankle and breaks a wrist falling down the stairs, wouldn’t you like to have the medical bills covered?  “Medical Payments” is a goodwill payment, which provides coverage for medical expenses if someone is injured on your premises or by your products.   Some endorsed homeowners policies EXCLUDE medical payments. In most cases, Bed & Breakfast properties should be covered by a commercial insurance policy.  We offer solutions that are competitively priced, and address both the business exposure and the personal liability exposure.                          Call today for a free policy review.   1-800-899-0000 Karmen Ward—Ailes karmen.ailes@unitedagy.com www.uiabnb.com