Tending Snapdragons

Lovely shots

2012-01-27T15:19:00.000-05:00

Wow, it has been an incredibly busy week but look at these lovely shots Kristiiina captured last week at the their lifestyle shoot here at the Inn! It was a pleasure working with these two local talents and thanks so much for the lovely mention here. Don't forget to check them out on facebook (here and here) and visit Kristiina's blog.

Thanks to everyone who came to the Literary club last night to discuss "Suite Francaise"--what a fascinating, horrifying, and brave book. We will post next month's book on Monday.

Have a great weekend!

Lifestyle shoot at the Inn

2012-01-20T10:06:00.001-05:00

Yesterday we were thrilled to host Gosia Meyer Jewelry and Kristiina Sheree Photography for a lifestyle photo shoot at the Inn. It is exciting to have such incredible talent in the area and we can't wait to see some of the pictures from their shoot. Check out their Facebook pages here and here for more information and like their pages. We hope to share some of the photos once they are released.

Photos care of Gosia Meyer Jewelry and Kriistina Sheree Photography

A look back at the books of 2011

2012-01-18T11:51:00.002-05:00

February: Room by Emma Donoghue

March: Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese

April: The Swan Thieves by Elizabeth Kostova

May: My name is Mary Sutter by Robin Olveira

June: One Thousand White Women by Jim Fergus

July: Water for Elephants

August: The Reading Group by Elizabeth Noble

September: The Help by Kathryn Stockett

October: Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See

November: Suite Francais by Irene Nemirovsky

Our first meeting of 2012 is next Thursday, January 26 at 7:30PM. Even if you haven't read, "Suite Francaise" but would like to come and mix and mingle with the group, come on by. We have great discussions. We rotate who chooses the book each month so we have a variety of perspectives and interests represented. 2011 was a great success for Snapdragon Inn's Literary Club. We were taken on journeys all around the world across diverse settings and time periods. Certainly, a hi-light of the year was having Abraham Verghese, join our conversation via phone back in April as we discussed his book, "Cutting for Stone".

Is there a book you have been itching to read? Make a list and bring it to the meeting. Here's to more great books and great discussions in the Maxwell Perkins library this 2012!

Just curious? What was your favorite?

Are you frozen yet?

2012-01-16T14:09:00.002-05:00

It has been bone shatteringly cold here the last few days but that hasn't kept people off Lake Runnemede (aka Evarts Pond) back behind the Inn. It is a prime spot for ice fishing and these cold clear days are perfect for it. Recently, an 8 year old, Windsor resident, pulled a 15 pound Northern Pike out of the lake and has become the envy of the ice fishing community. That is one big fish!

You can head out on the lake during your visit to the Inn and see for yourself. Not to worry, after your walk, you can warm right back up by the fire in the Maxwell Perkins library.

Oh, and it will be warming right up into the mid 20s later this week ;)

New Reviews!

2012-01-10T11:06:00.001-05:00

Usually on January 10th the ground is covered with a thick layer of snow and ice so this is certainly an odd winter for us in Windsor. In Saying that, it is quite a treat to be able to walk around Paradise park without skis or snowshoes. We are so lucky to be steps away from such a beautiful lake and park reserve. This is definitely a highlight that so many of our guests enjoy.

Everything in Snapdragon is perfect - the location is right on a cute lake but at the outskirts of a little town, only 4 hours drive from NY. The inn itself is a beautiful house, exclusively furnished and very well maintained, with correct touches of luxury and the nicest inn keepers. The area offers many touring and dining options (don't miss Simon Pearce). Overall we couldn't hope for a better b&b experience. Highly recommended! -Guest from NYC

~Photos taken in Windsor, VT. First Ice Settling and First Ice Chorus. Visit this site for more stunning local photography. You can read more reviews here on TripAdvisor.

Open for business: Web store

2012-01-05T22:00:00.002-05:00

Happy New Year!

We are starting this new year off by launching our Snapdragon Inn web store with a small but exciting selection of products we offer at the Inn.

Good news!
For our grand opening we have a special promotion. Get $5.00 off purchases of $30.00 or more (before shipping and tax) with Google Checkout. Limit one per person and offer is available January 5th 10PM PST until January 30th 2012.

Visit our web store here!

What are you doing NYE?

2011-12-30T11:55:00.002-05:00

We are big fans of She&Him and have a bit of a crush on everything Zooey so this little video makes us smile as we come out of the post-Christmas funk and get ready to cut a rug at the New Year's Eve Party tomorrow night. (It has had 1.8 million views in 2 days and we were feeling pretty awesome about our 1,400 from our video.

BIG QUESTION

What songs really get you moving? What songs can't keep you off the dance floor? What songs get your jazz hands out? Let us know!

There are still some tickets left for the party tomorrow night. Reserve yours today! Go here more details.

May your days be Merry and Bright

2011-12-23T15:41:00.002-05:00

We hope you are all able to spend time with your family and friends during this festive time of the year. We have our traditional hamburger and root beer float party planned for tomorrow night and a little talent show. It proves to be very entertaining, no doubt! We'll be showing some out takes from this.

May your days be Merry and Bright!

Your friends at the Snapdragon

Winter fun fun fun!

2011-12-21T13:17:00.000-05:00

Today is officially the shortest day of the year and we are feeling it but the best way to stay off the winter time blues is to get out and enjoy it!

We are now offering an exciting Vermont Winter Adventure Package and it is filled to the brim with wonders. The package is complete with a sleigh ride, guided snowshoeing, dog sled adventure and more! This package is available to book Jan 1st, 2012-March 31 2012.

Check out all the details here.

and remember the days will start to get longer after today!

Without further ado....

2011-12-16T19:56:00.006-05:00

or here on Vimeo.

Christmas is in a week?!

2011-12-16T15:11:00.000-05:00

Wow, that week rushed right by! Our video is so so close to being ready to debut. Here are a few more sneak peeks since we are making you all wait. It's going to be cute and hopefully help spread the holiday cheer in the last week before Christmas. The kids were really pulled out their best performances!

Have a wonderful weekend!

Editing away

2011-12-13T09:28:00.001-05:00

Here are a couple more stills from this weekend's filming. A big thanks to Jared,who helped us edit last year's video and is helping again this year. We had planned to be in front of our computer all week trying to get it done, but he's lending a hand (thankfully). One step closer...

Sneak peek: Holiday video

2011-12-12T14:02:00.001-05:00

This weekend we were busy getting shots for this year's holiday video. Now, it's time to Edit. Stay tuned later this week for the big reveal!

Give the gift of Beach: A doctor/storyteller

2011-12-08T09:02:00.004-05:00

Photo care of 250 Project

Earlier this year we had the opportunity of being Dr. Beach Conger's home away from home during the days he was in Windsor working at our local Mt. Ascutney Hospital. Dr. Conger has been practicing medicine for 44 years and over 30 of those years have been here in Windsor. He is a staple to this community. When you walk down the row of doctors' offices at the hospital there is a sign that says, "This way to the Beach".

Earlier this fall, he published his third book, "It's Probably Nothing: More Adventures of a Vermont Doctor" (published locally by Chelsea Green Publishing in White Rive Jct., VT) and VPR ran a great story several weeks back about his newest work. You can also watch an excellent interview with Dr. Conger here. He is a doctor but he is also a storyteller and the two have meshed beautifully in his writings.

It's Probably Nothing continues the tale woven by Dr. Beach Conger in his first book, Bag Balm and Duct Tape. This new collection sees Conger and his wife yearning for new challenges and relocating to the suburbs of Philadelphia after 25 years in mythical Dumster, Vermont. Conger gamely takes a job in a teaching hospital in the poorest part of the city and gets to experience urban bureaucratized medicine and its trials- a far cry from the more idiosyncratic and hands-on version he practiced in Vermont. After 5 years Conger and his wife move back to Dumster, where he rediscovers more about his patients' capacity to both cope and cherish one another than he expected.Each of the tightly constructed chapters is centered around a particular patient or particular theme in medicine. It's Probably Nothing is both funny and poignant, and showcases both Conger's irreverent view into medicine and his profound empathy for the characters he encounters along the way. His experience highlights how medicine-and problems with out current medical system-can remain the same and yet be vastly different across class, race, and region. Among the people the reader meets are urban drag queens, small-town farmers and other heroes, Vermont celebrities, and the occasional reclusive author.

Are you still searching for Christmas gifts? One of Dr. Conger's books would be perfect.

Bag Balm & Duct Tape: Tales of a Vermont Doctor
It's Not My Fault: Tales of a Vermont Doctor
It's Probably Nothing: More Adventures of a Vermont Doctor

Snapdragon Inn Newsroom

2011-12-06T10:05:00.001-05:00

The Snapdragon Inn Newsroom and RSS feed have been designed to help lifestyle journalists, PR groups, and our customers stay up to date on all the latest and greatest news coming from Snapdragon Inn. Check out our latest press release stay connected to the latest news from Snapdragon Inn.

Exciting literary connections!

2011-12-05T09:27:00.001-05:00

Every year, The Center for Fiction, in NYC, present the Maxwell E. Perkins Award for distinguished achievement in the field of Fiction. The Center for Fiction is the only nonprofit in the U.S. solely dedicated to celebrating fiction. The Maxwell E. Perkins Award recognizes the work of an editor, publisher or agent, who has “discovered, nurtured, and championed writers of fiction in the United States.” This year’s award is being given to Nan Graham, who has worked with such authors as Stephen King, Don DeLillo and Annie Proulx.

Having such immense literary history within the walls of the Inn is thrilling and we are excited to be connected to the Center for Fiction in this way. We have donated a two night getaway package to help support the work of the center through their benefit auction being held tomorrow evening and hope to continue to support the center's ongoing efforts to support and inspire writers today--just as Max did with his writers.

Go here for a complete press release on pitch engine.

Looking for a place to ring in the New Year?

2011-12-02T13:34:00.000-05:00

Come ring-dance-sing in 2012 with us at the Snapdragon Inn. Visit this link for more information. There are a few guest rooms available to book at a screaming deal so call now reserve!

Nothing quite like Christmas in Vermont

2011-11-30T13:22:00.002-05:00

We nearly have all the holiday decorating completed at the Inn. We still have to get the lights on the fence but we are glad to have everything up and ready for December. Walking to the front door, through the fresh pine garland into the warm cinnamon scented entry is like walking into pure Christmas magic.

There is nothing quite like the Christmas season in Vermont. In fact, we just saw the nearby Woodstock was listed by Time.com as the most Christmassy Town in America. It's just 20 miles away from Windsor and a fun place to visit on your trip to the Inn.

Speaking of trips to the Inn. We are running a very special deal on Trubate for a night in one of our luxurious king rooms. Check it out and come spend the holidays with us at the Snapdragon Inn!

Happy last day of November!

It's time to decorate!

2011-11-28T14:00:00.002-05:00

How was your Thanksgiving holiday? We had an Inn full of the best guests all weekend!

As we write this, the Inn is being holiday-ified! We have a quick window before our next check-ins and are trying to get everything up and looking lovely. Luckily, we did so much crafting last year that this year it is mostly set up and final touches here and there. It is amazing how long Christmas decorating can take. Look out for pictures later this week.

Also, due to busy holiday schedules, we are going to move this week's Literary Club Meeting all the way through the holidays until January 26th. So if you weren't going to have time to read "Suite Francaise" you have 2 full months to do so. We have had an amazing and very successful year together so see you next year!

How is it possible that it will be December in 2 more days?!

Exclusive Ski Packages

2011-11-23T11:48:00.000-05:00

It's going to be a very white Thanksgiving around these parts! We received over 8 inches of snow last night and everything is looking white and lovely.

Speaking of snow...

Snapdragon Inn has paired up with Okemo Mountain Resort to offer some incredible ski and stay packages. It's perfect timing because Okemo opens tomorrow and now they have all this fresh snow to take advantage of right away. If you are looking for the benefits of a larger ski resort but don't want to stay on the mountain one of our packages could be perfect for you!

Check out the Okemo stay and ski package deals for Snapdraon Inn here.

Why Okemo? Check here.

Give us a call today to make a reservation.

Will Groupon help to build or destroy your brand?

2011-11-21T12:56:00.003-05:00

While working on new marketing initiatives for Snapdragon Inn over the last few months, we had the chance to talk to Groupon about a possible deal for their group coupon website. Snapdragon Inn just completed their first Groupon deal this week, offering a two night getaway package for the new small luxury inn. Before deciding to work with Groupon, the owners of Snapdragon Inn weighed a number of items discussed in this article and thought it might be helpful to review the costs and benefits of participating in a large discount sale program. Each business will know best if a bulk discount program will hurt or benefit their brand, but our recent experience may help refine some initial impressions.

While Groupon’s recent huge IPO makes them the most visible and newsworthy company in the discount direct sales gift market, there are plenty of competitors offering similar services such as Living Social, Google, Dealtime, Tuango, Amazon, and hundreds if not thousands of other regional services. Each company has different requirements and pricing models, but their goals are the same--to build a large database of “captured” users, localize the deal-hunting experience, and create enough buzz and demand for discounted products to command large (very large) commissions.

We were well aware of the challenges that come with using any discount site. For example, many bloggers and some reporters have written about the perceived detrimental effect of Groupon to brand value. The argument basically goes like this: rather than build loyalty to your product, Groupon builds loyalty to the discount itself. In other words, even if people show up and love your product, they wont be back unless it is deeply discounted again. Some marketing professionals refer to these as “Groupon crackheads” and dismiss them from long range brand building plans. Other business owners feel like a successful Groupon for a product, such as a massage service, can permanently devalue that service in the market. The perceived value is less to the customer after Groupon, and that perception can be very hard to change.

Additional concerns include the actual “costs” of a partnership with any discount sales service. Normally a business will retain approximately 50% of the price the customer pays when purchasing a gift voucher from a discount sales outlet. That is 50% retained from a sales price that is already discounted at least 50% off of retail price. In addition they will pay a 2.5% to 5% or more credit card commission to the discount sales outlet to reimburse them for processing transactions. This varies from site to site and from deal to deal, but it is an easy average to illustrate the point. So if a customer purchases a two night travel package for $400 which is normally priced at $800, the business is actually going to be paid $200 (minus credit card fees) for the sale. This means that a room that is normally selling for $400 a night is now being sold for less than $100 a night. Of course the cost of opening that room (carrying costs, heat, electric, food service, staffing) do not decrease proportionally. If a hotel has a 20% cost of goods for opening a room, then the cost of that $400 room is $160. When sold at a discount site for $100, this is a loss of $60 per room night. An online deal that sells 100 vouchers has just generated a “loss” of $6000. The same formula applies to discounted meals or spa services though each company will have a different cost of goods structure.

So what are the benefits?

-Cash Flow

One of the main benefits you hear from participants in these programs is cash flow. Online services normally pay their business partners when the online deal closes or in some installment plan that the business can project. Therefore, the cash flow is not tied to actual redemptions and a business collects the entire amount due from their discount sales offer in the current operational quarter of business. Of course, these are gift cards, so there is a liability to provide that same dollar amount of service to customers, and depending on local laws, the gift cards may not be allowed to expire.

-Marketing Exposure & Value

While estimates vary wildly, it is safe to say Groupon is now representing access to hundreds of millions of users. Their relationship with their users is a strong and a closed system. If this is understood then a business can plan on the best practices and deals to build their own relationship with Groupon’s users to make them their own. Groupon’s direct email campaigns, affiliate programs (pushing even more traffic to their site), main website promotion, and overall brand recognition all translate to the opportunity for thousands if not millions of users to see any given deal, even if they do not purchase.

-Enhanced Sales & Customer Building

These are the most debated benefits and success rates seem to vary wildly when reading online experiences from businesses who have used discount sites. Some find it easy to enhance sales with additional items once the customer is onsite-most notably in a restaurant setting or in a full service resort setting where amenities are not included in the deal. Other businesses find that customers are there for the deal, the end. This also applies to repeat customers as some businesses have success in retaining discount users while others find them to be deal hunters and even begin to resent them.

Summary

In general, we found our recent experience with Groupon to be extremely positive and the marketing exposure is perhaps the main reason we chose to work with a discount site. For this project, the exposure and increase in brand awareness were seen as high value when compared to advertising costs to reach similar audiences. We can also confirm Groupon’s claim that they do indeed hand select their partners--at least for Getaways. We worked with an account manager who researched our property thoroughly--including everything from online reviews to articles and recent marketing surveys. We also discussed a long term strategy with Groupon that was beyond just the initial deal. We wanted to introduce our brand to a larger market and keep options open to expand even further with future deals based on the performance of our first offer.

Groupon’s marketing led directly to thousands of new unique visitors to our website as well as hundreds of calls and emails to our reservations center. Each of those contacts already meets our goal of creating brand awareness--which was our high value goal. Those contacts know our name and more about us now and they called and contacted us, we did not cold call them. In addition, our own customer database (both from opt-ins on our email lists and from actual reservations) greatly expanded allowing for future in-house direct marketing.

We planned our initial deal as a advertising and marketing expense rather than an income generator. We took budget that would have gone to print and online advertising and placed it into the cost of operating a Groupon deal. We felt it to be an excellent return on investment for an advertising expenditure since it allowed direct contact to customers who booked and contacts for potential customers. It also provided some cash flow though it remains to be seen if we will see repeat customers or any true brand advocates come out of our Groupon users.

In the end, every business has to weigh the cost of their operation and keep in mind that a successful Groupon deal has the potential to create a lot of real operational costs. However, if those costs are planned and accounted for then the marketing exposure, planned cash flow, and potential long term sales opportunities seem well worth it.

New Review!

2011-11-16T11:38:00.003-05:00

We were very excited to read this wonderful new review on Trip Advisor! They stayed in Room 3 which has been quite popular with its soft blue hi-lites. Go here to read more reviews.

The place is GORGEOUS. The room itself even more so. Beautiful restorations to a historic home. I slept like a log, as everything was so quiet and peaceful. No noisiness here.Breakfast was wonderful, yummy and healthful. My friend who was pacing me was also invited to attend our morning breakfast, she joined our little trip at the last minute and wasn't able to book a hotel so stayed at a nearby campsite. It was so nice of them to let her stay, and it was a wonderful close to our amazing weekend away. Wonderful stay, and I really hope to be back again. :)

What kind of cookie do you like?

2011-11-14T15:39:00.001-05:00

We have a family of chocolate lovers which is a HUGE understatement, really. If humans could exist on chocolate alone, this family would be fine. But there are some of us (okay maybe just one) who prefer cookies without the chocolate.

In case you fall into this category or are like we were this morning without any butter ( you know to make real cookies) then this recipe for Peanut Butter cookies are yummy (assuming you aren't allergic to peanuts), quick and toddler friendly. Said toddler wanted "chocky coo keys" but when we realized there was no butter or chocky to be found, we simply googled, " cookies without butter" and came upon this one which from the sounds of it has gone through a bit of honing through the years. It's tasty!

We generally do Chaz's deliciously perfect chocolate chip cookies for the guests at the Inn but maybe we change it up sometimes? What kind of cookies do you like?

**We did use a natural peanut butter and we didn't use natural sugar cane. And making them with a toddler may be a lot messier but it's very entertaining. That said, everything with a toddler is more entertaining!

Sensational Peanut Butter Cookies
18 cookies

1 cup peanut butter (see note)
3/4 cup natural cane sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
additional sugar for rolling

Preheat oven to 375 degrees°F.

Mix all the ingredients up in a bowl. Roll walnut-sized pieces into balls and roll balls in the additional sugar. Place on a parchment-lined baking sheet and flatten slightly with a fork in a crisscross pattern. Bake for 10 minutes. Remove and let cool before removing from baking sheet.

Note: Peanut butter comes in all kinds of configurations and the kind you choose will influence your outcome. Some peanut butters are very sweet, some have been hydrogenated, some have a whole lot more in them than peanuts! Then there is the chunky versus smooth debate. I used a natural chunky version (Safeway brand) for this recipe that wasn't too sweet although it did have added cane sugar in the ingredient list.

Sneak Peak: We have a sign!

2011-11-09T10:01:00.007-05:00

Since we opened last year, people have asked us about why we don't have a sign out front. Well, oh happy day...it has arrived and it is beautiful. Here is a little sneak peak until we have a sign raising and post some proper pictures of it and all its glory. Mike and Jim carried it out front on Saturday so we could get a feel of how it would look.

Here are some more pictures from our work morning on Saturday as we try to clean up and prepare for winter. Our little snappers probably don't know what a Saturday is that doesn't involve working at the Inn. Sometimes they get involved but mostly they are good at entertaining and watching out for each other. Remember when this is how they entertained themselves?

The best deal offered yet!

2011-11-08T10:00:00.000-05:00

We have a current deal up on Groupon that is our best deal offered yet for a stay at Snapdragon Inn. There have been over 100 bought the offer has been extended for 2 more days so if you are looking for a two-night getaway to wintery Vermont or have friends that have been wanting to come up or you have wanted to come up for a visit to the Inn, check this out today!

As a side note, here is a map showing the concentration of people purchasing the groupon deal. It isn't surprising but an interesting marketing tid bit.