NSU Hospitality Management and Tourism Students Visit the Queen Anne
On September 22, 2026, I welcomed NSU Hospitality Management and Tourism students to the Queen Anne Bed and Breakfast for our annual field trip.
We began offering this field trip in 2023, usually during the fall semester. Our first three field trips were held at the Judge Porter House Bed and Breakfast, so this was our first year to host the students at the Queen Anne.
McKenna Marsh, Interim Department Head of Northwestern State University’s Hospitality Management and Tourism Department, brings her class each year. I always enjoy meeting the students and having the opportunity to share some of the practical lessons I have learned from operating bed and breakfasts in Natchitoches.
A Valuable Community Connection
The relationship between our bed and breakfasts and Northwestern State University began with Laura Lyles, President and CEO of the Natchitoches Area Chamber of Commerce.
When McKenna was looking for a local hospitality business where her students could participate in a field trip, Laura recommended us. I remain grateful to Laura for making that connection and for recognizing that our properties could give the students a firsthand look at the daily operation of a small hospitality business.
Sharing Our Hospitality Story with NSU Hospitality Management and Tourism Students
I began the presentation with a brief history of the Queen Anne and the families who have called the house home. I then shared my own background, how I entered the bed-and-breakfast business, and how the business has grown over the years.
We discussed many of the practical parts of operating four historic bed and breakfasts, including:
Managing multiple properties
Maintaining consistent standards
Hiring and training employees
Preparing and serving breakfast
Creating memorable guest experiences
Marketing a small hospitality business
Responding to guest reviews
Earning awards and recognition
I also talked about how technology and artificial intelligence are changing the way travelers research destinations and choose accommodations. Like every business, we must continue learning, adapting, and finding better ways to introduce Natchitoches and our bed and breakfasts to future visitors.
I gave ChatGPT a little credit for making my life easier, too. It helped me organize and simplify the information for the presentation and student handout. Artificial intelligence does not replace personal knowledge, experience, or hospitality, but it can make some time-consuming projects easier to manage.
Touring the Queen Anne
After the presentation, I took the students on a tour of the Queen Anne. This gave them an opportunity to see the guest rooms, common areas, dining spaces, and some of the behind-the-scenes details involved in operating a historic bed and breakfast.
A tour like this allows students to connect what they learn in the classroom with what actually happens in a working hospitality business. They can see that successful hospitality involves much more than providing a room. It requires attention to detail, thoughtful service, good communication, careful planning, and the ability to create an experience guests will remember.
Cowboy Cookies and a Special Prize
No field trip would be complete without something from the kitchen, so I baked Cowboy Cookies for the students to take with them.
One of the cookie bags was specially marked. Carter Day selected the marked bag and won a gift certificate for a two-night stay at any of our inns.
That was a fun way to end a very enjoyable visit.
I appreciate McKenna Marsh and her students spending the morning with us at the Queen Anne. I am also thankful to Laura Lyles for making the original connection between Northwestern State University and our bed and breakfasts.
I look forward to continuing this tradition and welcoming another group of future hospitality professionals next year.
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