Fireside Chat with Blue Mountain Mist Country Inn
The hospitality industry thrives on establishing close connections with guests, as it enables us to provide them with superior service. This philosophy extends to the valuable partnerships we cultivate with our clients. Through Fireside Chats, we facilitate a direct line of communication between the dedicated team at rezStream and the operators of the independent lodging businesses that rely on our property management system and digital marketing solutions.
We recently had the privilege of engaging in a Fireside Chat with Jason Ball, the esteemed GM of Blue Mountain Mist Country Inn & Spa, a true family-owned inn located in Sevierville, TN. This enlightening session spanned an hour, during which Mr. Ball generously shared his insights into working with rezStream and leveraging our solutions to propel his business forward.
Background: Day-in-the-life.
Let’s begin by introducing Blue Mountain Mist Country Inn & Spa and Jason Ball, providing a glimpse into their daily life and background.
A little bit about Jason Ball
- Jason has a background in food service, putting in 10 years of restaurant work.
- He has been in hospitality pretty much his entire life – his family built the property when he was 5.
- As his parents began to age, he started helping out with marketing operations at the property, putting to work his digital marketing knowledge gained at a local university.
- After revamping the property’s website, he slowly transitioned into the General Manager role.
- On a typical day, Jason starts out bright and early helping in the kitchen, and then bounces back and forth between helping out there and at the front desk.
About Blue Mountain Mist Country Inn & Spa
- Completely family-owned and operated since they opened in 1987.
- Blue Mountain Mist is a little larger than your typical B&B, with a 12-room guest house, 5 cottages, a full-service day spa, both breakfast and evening dining, and a roust wedding and group business.
- Sits on around 60 acres in the beautiful Smoky Mountains in Tennessee.
- Started with rezStream around 2006 when the software was a desktop applicaton. In his words; "It's come a LONG way since then!" 😊
- Jason takes advantage of advertising on social media with paid ads on Meta along with PPC Google Ads.
Challenges: We all have them.
Although there are hundreds of challenges owners and operators deal with, here are the four that stood out in our conversation with Jason:
🕵️♂️ Connectivity.
Managing multiple channels like OTAs and 3rd party spa connections and keeping them up to date.
🌜 Loyalty Program.
Would like to see a point system that connects with our platform
📊 Communication.
Used to be a challenge until the rezStream Cloud integration with Akia came in to enhance the guest experience.
💼 Staffing.
A common issue across the lodging industry, and Blue Mountain Mist Country Inn is not immune. Finding employees who share a similar passion for lodging is difficult. Between maintenance, housekeeping, and F&B, Jason described it as “organized chaos.”
Solutions: What are you getting from rezStream?
We understand the unique challenges faced by independent lodging owners like Jason. That's why we're committed to providing comprehensive solutions tailored to their needs. Here are a few ways our partnership with Jason has made a difference:
- Seamless Gift Certificate Integration: Jason was impressed by rezStream’s property management system's ability to seamlessly handle gift certificates. This feature not only streamlines administrative tasks but also enhances the guest experience by providing flexible booking options. His ability to leverage these with guests provided some immediate relief related to build toward a loyalty program.
- Enhanced Guest Communication: Our integration with Akia has revolutionized guest communication for Blue Mountain Mist Country Inn & Spa. By leveraging this technology, Jason and his team have been able to communicate with guests more efficiently, leading to improved guest satisfaction and loyalty. An example of this that Jason gave is providing an avenue to connect with guests who don’t want to interact face-to-face. Sending timely SMS messages helps them feel included and lets them know that you care about them by keeping an open line of communication.
- User-Friendly Software: One of the hallmarks of rezStream's solutions is our user-friendly interface. Jason attests to the ease with which his staff can be trained on our system, enabling them to efficiently manage reservations and provide exceptional service to guests. In a small-scale operation like Blue Mountain Mist, where every minute counts, this ease of use is invaluable.
- Customer Services: Finally, Jason emphasized the importance of rezStream’s customer service, giving a big shoutout to Nic from the rezStream Customer Delivery team for always being there and promptly addressing and solving any issues they have faced.
Join the Conversation
Engaging in meaningful dialog with independent lodging owners like Jason is just one of the many ways we like to connect with our users. These Fireside Chats offer us intimate insights into overcoming challenges and how we can maximize success. If you're eager to share your experiences and learn from others, we welcome you to join our vibrant community. Together, let's make Better Lodging Simplified.