Retreat Dates
Five-Night Retreat
March 21 – 25, 2027
Buying and running an inn looks romantic from the outside. From the inside, it is a small business with thin margins, a lot of moving parts, and a hundred decisions a week. The Innkeeping Retreat is a candid, practical, numbers-honest week for people seriously thinking about buying a bed and breakfast, or already running one and wanting to run it better.
Eight sessions across five days, taught by someone who has actually done it: bought, gutted, renovated, marketed, financed, and doubled the sales of two Berkshires inns. Not theory — everything we wish we had known before we bought our first inn.
YOUR HOST
Kurt Inderbitzin
Kurt bought his first inn in 2021 in the Berkshires. He gutted and renovated the inn during peak COVID. Within two years, he tripled the sales of the inn and raised its reviews to the highest on TripAdvisor and Google in the very competitive Berkshires market.
Two years later, he bought a second inn, renovated it, and doubled its sales in the first year of operation. His second inn is now the highest-rated inn in the Berkshires. He has since sold the first inn at the highest inn price ever recorded in the Berkshires, and at the second inn, have severed all ties to OTAs while increasing bookings.
Kurt holds an MBA in Finance from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. He has run multiple companies globally, and spent three years as head of sales for an international point-of-sale company serving hotels and restaurants worldwide. A rare combination of finance, hospitality-tech, and operations experience. The retreat reflects what he actually did, and what you can do.
The Sessions
Eight working sessions over four days. Candid, conversational, and grounded in real numbers
SESSION ONE
Assessing the Value of an Inn
How to evaluate what an inn is actually worth. Reading a P&L honestly. Separating real revenue from owner perks. The questions to ask before you make an offer.
SESSION TWO
How to Finance an Inn Purchase
SBA loans, conventional lenders, seller carry-back, and the math that determines whether a deal works. What lenders actually want to see, and how to present yourself.
SESSION THREE
How to Get Five Stars on TripAdvisor and Google
The systems that drive guest reviews. The small things that move the needle. And what to do when you get a bad review — how to respond without making it worse.
SESSION FOUR
Marketing with Email, Google, TripAdvisor, and Facebook
Practical marketing for owner-operators who do not have a marketing team. What works, what does not, what to ignore, and how to do it yourself without spending a fortune.
SESSION FIVE
Designing a Great, Easy-to-Serve Breakfast
Breakfast is the most reviewed amenity at any inn. How to make it memorable without making it labor-intensive. What to plate, what to batch, what to skip.
SESSION SIX
Running Housekeeping the Right Way
The operational backbone of a five-star property. Standards, scheduling, training, retention, and the systems that keep rooms turning over without burning your team out.
SESSION SEVEN
Ditching the OTAs
How to stop using OTAs and paying their outrageous commissions while increasing revenue.
SESSION EIGHT
Choosing and Setting Up Your Tech Stack
PMS, revenue management system, booking engine, channel manager. What each one does, which to pick, how they work together, and how to actually set them up
Sessions and topics subject to change.
The Details
The Daily Rhythm
Sunday: Arrive after 3pm. Casual welcome mixer.
Morning sessions: 10am to 12pm
Afternoon sessions: 4pm to 6pm
Sessions: Two hours each, candid and conversational
Friday: Breakfast, then check out by 11am
Always: Time to walk the property, ask followups, and compare notes
What Is Included
Five nights at the Lakehouse Inn
Breakfast each morning
Eight working sessions
Sunday welcome mixer
Snacks, fruit, and cheese during sessions
Wine with afternoon sessions
A small group of fellow innkeepers and dreamers
Pricing
Per attendee, single occupancy. Includes lodging, breakfast, all sessions, refreshments, and the Sunday welcome mixer
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A second attendee sharing the same room: 50% off.
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A non-participating partner sharing a room: $50 per night, breakfast only. Non-participating guests do not attend sessions, the welcome mixer, or other retreat events.
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Retreat Attendees who are staying as registered guests at the inn receive first priority. Attendees who will not be staying as registered guests at the inn are confirmed on a space-available basis.
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11.7% hotel tax will be added to all rates and fees.
Policies & House Rules
Off-Season Services
Housekeeping: light touch- ups on request only
Front desk: 1pm to 4pm daily
Bar: open during front desk hours only
Deposit & Cancellation
Retreat Attendees who are staying as registered guests at the inn: $500 deposit, balance due 6 weeks before
Refundable until 6 weeks before the retreat
Attendees who will not be staying as registered guests at the inn: full fee at registration
Non-refundable thereafter
Minimum enrollment required to run a retreat
House Rules
All guests must be 21 or over
No pets
No smoking
A lake waiver must be signed at check-in or, for attendees not staying at inn, when they first arrive at inn. Guests and attendees who refuse to sign lake waiver will not be permitted on property, and not offered a refund.
All policies as stated at lakehouseinnlee.com/policies are strictly enforced.