All about MBBA startup fee, dues structure, and membership policies

Startup Fee

A nonrefundable startup fee of $150 must accompany the application for membership. This startup fee is in addition to annual dues and is a one-time charge to cover costs of the initial Quality Assurance Review and related administrative costs as well as costs of setting up the member’s web page, subscription and accounts.

Quality Assurance Reviews

To obtain membership status,after payment of the nonrefundable startup fee the applicant’s B&B must successfully pass MBBA’s Quality Assurance Review, an inspection designed to ensure it meets all association standards. If the B&B fails to pass the review, MBBA will retain the start-up fee in full to cover associated costs.

All member inns are inspected by an independent, professional Quality Assurance Reviewer every three years after they have attained membership status.

Two-Part Dues Structure

Part One: Dues

Basic dues are divided into three different tier options – $35/$45/$75  per month depending on your marketing needs. Your monthly dues are automatically deducted from your credit card securely held by the processor. (*See Change of Ownership, below.)

New members must commit to an initial first full year or 12 months of membership. Should a new membership terminate before the end of the first year, MBBA will collect the dues balance which is determined at $35 times the number of months remaining in the first membership year.

After the first full year, members may resign at any time with 30 days written notice. (*See Dues Payment Terms and Policies, below.)

Part Two: Room-Night Assessments


Member inns are required to remit $2 per room night sold as an assessment to fund continuing and additional new marketing tools. (* See Change of Ownership, below.)

Most innkeepers follow the recommended practice of adding it onto their guests’ bills as an “association assessment” and also including it in the state taxable total. Remittance of assessments is monthly. Assessments may be remitted online or via the USPS.

For larger inns, when you reach $2,000 in assessments, those funds paid after will be used toward a marketing plan that markets your inn directly. Those funds can also be used to pay for a photographer or videographer directly.

Room-night assessments and reports are never seen by any other innkeeper or member of the Board of Directors, but are processed by the Administrative Director, a professional association manager who is bound by confidentiality. Reports are overseen by the association’s accounting firm. From time to time, assessments may be used without names and in aggregate amounts to generate occupancy reports.

Failure to remit room-night assessments for three months is cause for automatic termination. (*See Reinstatement, below.) Inns must also be current with their assessments for Gift certificate redemptions and inclusion on our Inns for Sale Page.

Dues Payment Terms and Policies

Members who fail to remit dues payments and/or room-night assessments are terminated 90 days after the date of the first missed payment. All membership benefits will be null and void. (*See Reinstatement, below.)

Resignation of membership after the first year requires 30 days’ advance written notice by electronic mail or USPS to the MBBA office and written acknowledgment by the administrative director.

Other Membership Policies

Multiple Properties

In the case of multiple properties owned by the same entity, the “primary” property will have dues deducted automatically by credit card at the monthly rate; the “secondary” property(ies) will have fifty percent (50%) of the monthly rate automatically deducted. Secondary properties receive all benefits and are subject to the same membership policies and requirements as the primary property. However, only the primary property carries the right to vote on matters about the association.

Multiple properties is defined as those being marketed as separate entities and not contiguously located. Multiple properties marketed as a single unit and located contiguously are considered one property.

Reinstatement

If a member resigns or is terminated and wishes to rejoin fewer than 90 days following, membership will be reactivated without penalty. If 90 days or more elapses between resignation and rejoining, the member must again pay the startup fee and be reviewed for quality assurance purposes before the membership can be reactivated