Minnesota B&B Blog » Pam Thorsen

Count down to BIG Innspiration in the Mini-Apple

Pam Thorsen — Sat, 03 Apr 2010 13:00:26 +0000

Innkeepers will be gathering at the MBBA annual conference and annual meeting April 18-20 at the Crown Plaza in Brooklyn Park. Highlights this year include Jay Karen as keynote from Professional Association of Innkeepers International (PAII).Also exciting will be the kickoff of the organization’s Green Journey. Classes range from The Art of the Tart to Social Networking made Simple and The Power of Reviews. As always great food and this year’s entertainment is innkeeper talent Kevin Knox from Nicolin Mansion and his band. As one innkeeper says, “there is quite simply no better value for my marketing dollar than the annual MBBA conference.” Vendors expected include Deneen Pottery, bedandbreakfast.com, Inside Out Solutions, Rustic Ridge Hospitality, My Pillow, Out of The Box Dates, Gilcrest & Soames, Comphy Sheets, and Nordic Ware and more.

Chocolate March Marching On

Pam Thorsen — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 05:09:02 +0000

There are three lovely Sundays remaining for a tour of inns and tasting divine chocolate in the St Croix Valley. This coming March 14th, visitors are welcome in Hudson and Osceola Wisconsin at member inns of the Inns of the Valley. On March the 21st Stillwater and Marine Inns will be swinging open their doors and spreading out their chocolate desserts and the final Chocolate Sunday is March the 28th with St Croix Falls,Taylors Falls and Center City innkeepers boasting hospitality and chocolate. Visit Inns of the Valley for more information about the ticket purchase . Dont forget a portion of the proceeds benefit Second Harvest and this is Minnesota Food Share Month so your donations are doubled.
Tickets are only $21 in advance and $25 at the door. Each Sunday features at least four stops and one wine pairing or sampling each Sunday. This is the 8th annual March and the 15 inns have been tantalizing visitors with creations such as apricot white chocoalte scones, triple chocolate ricotta muffins, deep dark devil dipped chocoalte cookies, fluff tuffs, truffles, hot chocoalte surprise, smores by the fire, chocolate fountains, choco baklava, and even a chocolate port from Alexis Bailley Vineyard. The best deal of all though is that the 15 inns of the St Croix Valley are offering a package for booking any two days in March–the second night is 25% off and you receive two free tickets to the Sunday of your choice Chocolate March.

St Croix Valley Annual Chocolate March

Pam Thorsen — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 01:54:23 +0000

With Spring just around the corner, what could be more divine than visiting inns, tasting chocolate and pairing up a local wine (at one stop each Sunday) with some divine handcrafted truffles?Pound the drums —it is the Annual St Croix Valley Chocolate March every Sunday in March. Every year for the last 7 or is it 8? innkeepers in the St Croix Valley have offered a variety of chocolate stops and even thrown in a historic site or two. From Taylors Falls and Osceola on the North to Hastings on the South, each Sunday has a different selection of four or five stops. The first one March 7th includes Hastings (Classic Rosewood Inn and LeDuc Estate), Afton (Afton House Inn and Afton Historical Society) and River Falls(KinniCreek Inn) and Oak Park Heights( Cover Park Manor). The wine pairing is at Afton House inn. Visit the group website for more information and many of the innkeepers even share their recipes. The area has a nickname now (The Chocolate Valley) based on the fact that independent chocolate shops prevail in the valley amid wineries and inns— check out Creative Confecitonaire for example. You dont have to go far to be in the Chocolate Valley (and a little piece of heaven.) By the way a percentage of the profit goes to Second Harvest as March is Minnesota Food Share Month and donations are doubled that month. Tickets are $21 in advance or $25 at the door. CAll 651-998-0185 for more information. Oh and one more thing, all the innkeepers in the group are offering a special package. Book any two nights in March and get the seocnd night at 25% off and two freie tickets to the Chocolate March. The Classic Rosewood Inn and Spa is even throwing in a Chocolate Almond Scrub when you order massages in March.