The INNside Scoop



 

WHAT?
The INNside Scoop is a bi-annual newsletter featuring/rating 5 bed and breakfast inns (each in a different state) personally selected and experienced by one of the editors. Eight additional inns (from throughout the US) are also recommended and favorite B&B recipes (from previously featured inns) are included. In addition to contact information, price range, and a listing of the Web site, 2 photographs are included of each B&B--along with one photo of inns submitting recipes. The B&Bs selected for inclusion are based upon various criteria: hospitality, aesthetic qualities, amenities, breakfast served, special attributes, the inn's "feel," historical factors, congruency with Web site presentation with actual reality of inn. Smaller B&Bs are usually featured/reviewed whereas larger country inns are often included in the "Recommended" section. 

 An inn may not pay to be included in or acclaimed by The INNside Scoop. In order to be listed in The INNside Scoop, an inn must include the editor's three basic expectations of a B&B: cleanliness, hospitable innkeepers, a tasty breakfast. A 3-star ("Editor's Favorties") or  2-star ("Highly Recommended") rating is determined by the degree and manner in which an inn surpasses the basic expectations. When undecided about which category to rate an inn, the higher rating is given in order to give the benefit of the doubt to the inn. The "Sunflower" (A+) rating--a "stand alone" rating--is the very highest rating ; it is never a "borderline" decision. Small, privately-run B&Bs are not compared with larger, staff-run historic or country inns. Each property is compared/rated with similar properties visited. Area restaurants are also recommended and rated in the newsletter. 

The Innside Scoop is not a for-profit publication. It is financed solely by Maxine Pinson, along with funding from  advertising sponsors. As a result, no recommendations or ratings are influenced by monetary or other considerations. 

Even though The INNside Scoop recommends each of the B&Bs listed on this Web site, particularly those listed under "The Editor's Favorites" and "Highly Recommended," The INNside Scoop is not a referral or a reservation service. 

As of April 2004, The INNside Scoop's Web site averages approximately 4,000-4,500 hits per month.
 
WHEN?
 The INNside Scoop arrives by mid-January and mid-July of each year in a high-quality print and an online edition (including links to each property listed). A preview of inns scheduled to be featured/recommended in forthcoming editions may also be viewed at Forthcoming Issues and old issues may be viewed at IS Archives  (2001-2006) and www.the-innside-scoop.com/indissus.htm (1995-2000)
 
WHERE?
The INNside Scoop is received by B&B lovers and innkeepers throughout the US and abroad. The hard copy is also distributed for inn guests at the featured and recommended bed and breakfasts in each issue, as well as the premiere inns in Savannah, GA and new inns visited by the editor--a total of approximately 40 inns. Free e-mail subscriptions are available by sending your e-mail address and state (or country) of residence to NLsub@cs.com. 
 
WHO?
The INNside Scoop's publisher/editor is Maxine Pinson, who lives in the Historic District of Savannah, GA. Maxine and her husband Bill have traveled extensively, staying in B&Bs from Vermont to California; Michigan to Texas. Introduced to the bed and breakfast concept in 1971, while Bill was studying law in England, B&Bs have been their lodging-of-choice since that time. Maxine is assisted by her daughter and partner, Malyssa Pinson with whom she co-authored three editions of  Lowcountry Delights Cookbook and Travel Guide between 2002-2004.

In edition to editing/publishing/designing The INNside Scoop, Maxine also hosts, along with Malyssa, Savannah Restaurants Online and The Food Scoop. Between 2000-2005, Maxine was a columnist for The B&B and Country Inn Marketplace magazine and authored a book on B&Bs (INNside Scoop: "Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Bed and Breakfast Inns").

 As a frequent traveler in the States, with occasional trips abroad, the editor stays abreast of happenings on the bed and breakfast scene, the most popular over-nighteries around! 
 
WHY?

 The INNside Scoop was started in late 1995 by Maxine Pinson. Prior to that time,between 1990-95, she published/edited Savannah Parent (a monthly parenting publication distributed in Savannah, GA) and Low Country Parent (a bi-monthly parenting publication distributed in Savannah, GA; Beaufort, Charleston, and Hilton Head, SC). During this time, she was one of ten editors featured in Kathy Henderson's 4th edition of Market Guide for Young Writers. 

In late 1995, personal circumstances necessitated that Maxine pursue a slower, less demanding pace than required by her parenting publication. In order to maintain her newly acquired computing skills, while utilizing desktop publishing and accumulated office equipment, she decided to start a new publication. Because of her love for writing, creative design, traveling, and meeting new people, she decided to combine her interests and publish a bed and breakfast newsletter. 

 The INNside Scoop was launched in December 1995. The purpose of the publication is to provide information and enjoyment for B&B lovers. However, for the editor, the most fun lies in discovering unpublicized bed and breakfast gems and hearing B&B stories from the innkeepers and other guests.