Fall 2004

The People Make The Difference
There are a lot of choices for the visitor who comes to Florida.  Over 4,700 hotels, motels and resorts (about 380,000 guest rooms) in Florida host 75 million visitors each year.  But the choice is easy – the West Wind Inn on beautiful Sanibel Island, where our people make the difference.

“Ding” Darling Days
Sanibel Island is fortunate to have the US Fish & Wildlife’s “Ding” Darling Refuge comprising about 1/3rd of the island. This year, between October 10 and 16, “Ding” Darling Days lets you enjoy kayak tours, boat tours, bike tours, a children’s conservation cartoon contests, photography workshops, a book signing, a one act play by Marjorie Stoneham Douglas, etc.  Stay at the West Wind Inn (closest resort to the refuge) while enjoying these festivities.  To learn more, check out their web site at www.dingdarling.fws.gov.   

• “Hitler is a queer fellow who will never become Chancellor.  The best he can hope for is to head the Post Office Department.” -- German President Paul von Hindenburg (1931).
   

• “This is the worst disaster in California since I was elected.” – California Governor Ed Brown.
   

• “Everything that can be invented, has been invented.” – Charles H. Duell, Commissioner, US Office of Patents (1899)
   

• “Xrays are a hoax.”  -- William Thompson, Lord Kelvin, President of the Royal Society (1900)
   

• “Gone with the Wind is going to be the biggest flop in Hollywood history.  I’m just glad it’ll be Clark Gable who’s falling flat on his face and not Gary Cooper.”  -- Gary Cooper (1938)
   

• “TV won’t be able to hold onto any market it captures after the first six months.  People will soon get tired of staring at a plywood box every night.”  -- Daryl F. Zanuck (1946)

Take Advantage of Those West Wind Inn Fall Specials
The autumn is a lovely time here on Sanibel Island.  The temperature starts to drop along with the humidity – and the crowds are not yet back.  What’s even better is the fact that we have special packages to entice you.  Check out our web site at www.westwindinn.com and you will see two and three night specials, weekly rates, better deals for multiple rooms, bed & breakfast specials and , of course, our honeymoon package.  And remember, the December 21 – January 31 rate is particularly attractive for those living in the cold climates, who would like to warm up a bit on our beach.

The West Wind Inn Family
It takes a lot of people to run any organization efficiently and the West Wind Inn is no different.  Thirty-seven full and part time employees make it their mission to make you happy.  One such employee that we feature in this newsletter is our Laundry Supervisor, Icelina “Elsie” Wong.  Elsie was born in Puerto Rico and at the young age of 19 ventured off to Chicago to experience the windy city.  But those cold winters got to her, and in 1993 she moved to our area and started with the West Wind Inn in March of 1994.  You would never know it to look at her, but she has 3 children and 5 grandchildren – must have been a child bride!  Chicago’s loss has been our gain.  Elsie even recruited her husband, Marco, to help out on weekends.  So when you enjoy those fresh towels and linens, thank Elsie.  She makes it happen.

Recipe of the Quarter 
Each quarter we will feature a recipe from a guest or one of our own employees, so don’t be bashful – send us your recipe.  If we select it, we will send you two free West Wind Inn T-Shirts so that you can do some free promotion for us – see, everybody wins!  This quarter’s recipe is from Cheryl Anderson (our Guest Relations Manager).  With the cooler weather coming, this is the time when a good serving of macaroni and cheese tastes good: