If you’ve been following Quoth the Raven for any length of time, you’ll know that during the off season we tend to be hard at work making big improvements and renovations to Ravenwood Castle. Whether it’s a remodeled Great Hall; completely redesigned Raven’s Roost Pub; full renovation of the Silversmith House; or the opening of the Huntsman’s Hollow; it’s usually around this time of year that we announce what we’ve been working on and share lots of pictures.

I’m sorry to say that this year there won’t be lots of pretty pictures.

That’s not to say we haven’t been busy. Boy have we been busy! This year’s renovations have just been of a different nature than in the past few years. We’ve continued making little updates and improvements to many of our suites, and the Duke’s Dungeon is going to be getting a pretty significant facelift in the next month. But the majority of our time this off season has been spent somewhere that’s harder to photograph – in behind the scenes upgrades.

We have an entirely new team of Innkeepers and Assistant Innkeepers, and from your feedback so far they are already exceeding the high standards for service you expect here at Ravenwood Castle. We have rebuilt a significant portion of our kitchens, which is a huge improvement for the hard working team that brings you our Pub food and the breakfasts you enjoy so much. And though you may not have recognized it, that snapshot above is our brand new reception counter, one of many improvements in our newly rebuilt Office and Gift Shop, opening this week!

Perhaps the biggest upgrade we’re making this year is the complete overhaul and replacement of our operating software. We’ve been working on this one for months (years, really), and will be entering the final stages in early April. For the most part this upgrade should be seamless to you, our guests. Of course, as anyone who has been through a software implementation can tell you, glitches do happen. We’ve been working diligently to minimize them, but it is entirely possible that we’ll experience a bump or two when we flip the switch and begin using our new online booking engine. We promise to resolve any issues as quickly as they arise, and thank you in advance for your patience.

And never fear, this year’s focus on internal renovations doesn’t mean we’re finished making improvements to the property at large. Far from it! In between software design sessions, we’ve had quite a few strategy sessions and planning meetings, and are finalizing plans for some of our biggest improvements yet!

Stay tuned to Quoth the Raven for announcements. Or better yet, stop on in to Ravenwood Castle and see some of our upgrades for yourself!

Jim Reed

Jim Reed is a lifelong gamer who started with the original red box Dungeons & Dragons. After spending 20 years in the corporate world, he decided it was high time that work be fun and struck out on his own. Jim now owns and operates Ravenwood Castle, and spends his days ensuring his guests have as much fun as he does.