Because I love what I do

I have had very few jobs in my lifetime that I did not feel was work. The alarm going off and the routine of life endless of the monotony of looking forward to Friday and squeezing everything that makes life grand into two days. I dreaded Sunday evening because I had to get back into work mode. I did that life for many, many years. I was good at that life, a hard worker. Every job that I have had that did not feel like work was hospitality. I didn't even really know that was an occupation until my daughter went to college for it. I mean, bartending is bartending, waitressing is waitressing, right? Hospitality is the word to describe services for people. It is not for everyone, but it is for me.

My husband and I have been living double lives practically since we got married. We have both worked full time jobs and saved enough to buy our first vacation rental. It required many late-night hours and trips to I-Hop for dinner at eleven at night. We operated it ourselves completely with bookings down to cleaning, and maintenance. It was a small quaint place on the lake. I believe it was one sliver of a lot, but we made it fantastic. Everyone that stayed could expect a clean, well-stocked place, and a beautiful yard on the lake. It did not hurt that the fishing was excellent either. I would leave my normal job at five, go to the lake house and clean, mow, restock, and any other thing to get it ready for the next guest. I looked forward to reviews, I listened to suggestions, and by one year we had reached the top of the rental list for that area. It gave me great pride! There was a satisfaction in being in control of the success of your own business. We sold that property shortly after the year when I found another lake property that had four lots and a cute little house that needed work. We took the money from the first house and purchased what we called The Piney Woods Bungalow. We owned that one for three years and we both still worked after hours, weekends, whatever it took. We kept it solid booked and blocked it for ourselves to enjoy when we wanted. The success was easy. When people want to escape the work life they come to a place and expect to get what they paid for which is quite simple; clean property, amenities as described, peace, and a place to enjoy the time with the people they love. I loved that our guests got that.

It has been about ten years since the first property, and about three years since we owned a vacation rental until we bought what we called The Ridge Resort. This property is a whole different vibe than anything we have ever done before. This property requires interaction with guests which is wonderful. This property requires hospitality. It requires the ability to be there for guests' needs without being in the way of a good time. There are so many areas that need to stay maintained, there are more guests at one time, so many things that could go wrong. Now that I am here full time, I have the ability to keep the property up to my expectations, and create a space where guests feel appreciated for their patronage. I feel we are creating lifelong kinships with the majority of our guests. I have two groups who have returned from last season, I have another 2 groups who are booking in the fall, and some already booking for next season. Yesterday I received a package from a guest in June which had a beautiful Autumn wreath and a card with thanks for our hospitality. Wow! How neat is that? My husband and I read every comment in the guest books, respond to every review, and still listen to all suggestions. It is so special to meet the people who come here for their staycation. No family is the same. Everyone enjoys their own slice of what makes The Ridge so cool. We are just here to make sure you get that enjoyment. Hospitality is easy and it does not feel like work. Because I love what I do, I never have to work again!