A collective voice

Posted on by Thomas Calder
COME TOGETHER: Rick Bell recently created the North Carolina Innkeepers Exchange. “All of a sudden I’m getting emails and phone calls from all over the state as if I’m some kind of expert, which I’m not,” he says with a laugh. “I’m just a guy who’s trying to get a group of people organized.” Photo courtesy of Tom Watson

Like Airbnb hosts, bed-and-breakfast owners are grappling with COVID-19’s impacts on their business model. In response to the uncertainty, Rick Bell, co-owner of Engadine Inn & Cabins and president of the Asheville Bed and Breakfast Association, recently formed the North Carolina Innkeepers Exchange. The statewide organization already has 180 members.

“I’m hoping to use the group to form a collective voice for our business community,” he explains.

Bell also sees the network as an easy way to keep innkeepers informed about available resources. “Everyone’s afraid right now,” he says. “And not only for health reasons, but for what happens after this is over.”

Besides running the exchange, Bell recently met with staff from Buncombe County Health and Human Services, which the innkeeper says may be interested in using his property’s six cabins for quarantine purposes. Xpress reached out to the department concerning these plans but had not received a response at press time.

North Carolina innkeepers interested in learning more about the exchange can contact Bell at rick@engadineinnandcabins.com.

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About Thomas Calder
Thomas Calder received his MFA in Fiction from the University of Houston's Creative Writing Program. His writing has appeared in Gulf Coast, the Miracle Monocle, Juked and elsewhere. His debut novel, The Wind Under the Door, is now available.
View all posts by Thomas Calder →

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