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Great Hospitality Means Creating Memories

Wednesday, January 20th, 2010

One of the most thought-provoking sessions at the  Mid-Atlantic Innkeepers Trade Show and Conference last week was the general session featuring Terrie Glass, a story-teller from Leadership Solutions of Richmond, VA.  I’ve been to a number of sessions where the speaker usually addresses the big picture or offers platitudes of advice without really giving any hands-on, practical behaviors that are actionable or useful.

Not this one! After asking, and listing on a flip chart, what a “Good” lodging experience is (e.g. fair price, clean room, nice breakfast, etc.)  and then what a “Great” lodging experience is (e.g. personal interaction with innkeeper, a sincere welcom, attention to details, etc.) ,  she then asked everyone to think of the most “memorable” stay they’ve had at an inn.  And then she listed on a flip chart the “Why’s”…Why was this so memorable for you?    The answers to the memorable question varied quite a bit from the Good and Great list.

In fact, you can stay at an Inn that did NOT have all the details in order, but still have a most memorable experience that earns repeat stays.  Making Hospitality “Memorable”  boiled down to three concepts:

  1. Making the Personal Connection:  Attending to the emotional comfort of the arriving guest, which also builds trust.  Remembering the upcoming anniversary or the kids birthdays, or when guests arrive with a level of anxiety (after a long drive, meeting strangers, not sure whether the inn they’ve chosen will be comfortable, etc.).  Offering immediate and sincerely helpful comfort, with the personal connection, gives the guest a feeling of value and welcome.
  2. Delivering Positive Emotions:  Terrie spoke of a cruise she took with her elderly mom and the clan.  For over 2 hours around the dinner table, the family (grand kids included) interacted, joked, and told stories.  Terrie’s memory, however, is the look of total pleasure on her mom’s face as she watched her family share time together.  For Terrie’s mom, the positive emotion was the love for her family.  For our guests, it is the compliment we offer, or when the guest mentions their son making the swim team, our reply of  “Wow…I would really be proud if that were my son” evokes positive emotions from them.
  3. Taking Care of What is Relevant (to the Guest…not you!):  What is relevant to the guest may be very different than what is relevant to you.  For example, if a guest is (privately) worried about being able to get a hold of the babysitter at home during the night, she doesn’t want to hear that the house phone is for local calls only or that the last guest rang up costly long distance charges.  She would rather you perceived her real concern and offer relevant options to ease her anxiety.  What you worry about does not matter since it is not relevant to the guest.

We are pretty good at the hospitality thing in our industry.  But remembering the 3 important concepts of making EACH visit memorable will pay off in repeat business.

Do any of you have examples of how you made a guest’s stay memorable for them? Scott

Posted in Building Relationships as a Marketing Tool, Inn Operations, Inns and Innkeepers, Uncategorized | 2 Comments »

Maryland Bed & Breakfast Association Extravaganza

Friday, December 11th, 2009

The annual meeting of the Maryland B & B Association had a one-day agenda that, in my opinion, rivals ANY B & B industry workshop for strength and usefulness of content. Held at Elk Forge B & B in Elk Mills, Maryland, in addition to the normal association business activities, the association hosted three content-packed experts that filled the session with useful and practical info that had attending innkeepers scribbling notes like crazy.

Don Farrell, Chief Cultivating Officer of Fresh Revenues, a MBBA Annual Meeting '09 Don Farrellfrequent and entertaining speaker on converting telephone inquiries into bookings at the last two PAII conferences, conducted a 3 hour workshop on developing loyalty among guests and the telephone techniques to maximize bookings. One additional booking a day, assuming $150 Average Daily Rate increases annual revenue by $90,000!  Here Don is calling an inn to demonstrate sound inn practices of phone call conversion.

In a time when every innkeeper is seeking to spend their marketing dollars wisely, Willow Coyle of bedandbreakfast.com offered expert advice on getting your Return on Investment with internet directories.

MBBA annual Meeting '09 Lisa, Dave & DanielleLisa Kolb, president and co-founder of Acorn Internet Services, detailed valuable and practical info on maximizing internet exposure with Google, the potential impact of the upcoming Caffeine algorithm shake-up that Google is expected to launch  in January (watch your rankings…they may be changing unexpectedly!), and maximizing the effectiveness of Social Media and its application to B & B’s.  Here Lisa addresses questions from Dave Balderson (Wayside Inn) and Danielle Hanscom (Brampton Inn).

This one meeting alone, with its practical and entertainingly motivating content, makes the price of membership in the MBBA a valuable investment.

Attendees…any comments?               Scott

Posted in Inn Operations, Innkeeping Consulting, Inns and Innkeepers, Internet Directories, Marketing, PAII | 4 Comments »

Inn-cluding Your Passion

Wednesday, November 18th, 2009

I have the opportunity to see a lot of inns in Maryland. I am the (friendly) inspector for the Maryland Bed & Breakfast Association (MBBA). The Association strengthens its commitment to the full guest experience by ensuring that certain standards (usually focused on housekeeping and safety), are met by ALL of its members.

On my visit to the other side of the Chesapeake (I live on the Eastern Shore), I visited Butterfly Fields, a remote inn, serene and away from the noise of the highway. Dan and Lynda Ells have built (literally…by hand) their inn around their hobbies and interests. With their commitment to a life of self-sufficiency, the inn is energy efficient, with incredible insulation and solar features (Dan’s expertise). Lynda is a massage therapist and, together, they have built and operate “Goose at the Door Pottery”, a shop where they hand throw gifts and keepsakes for use and sale in the inn.

Guests are invited to the workshop (which, literally, has chickens, ducks, geese, and turkeys just outside the door!) to enjoy the crafts, perhaps take a class at the wheel, and have a story and a keepsake to take back home with them. What a great addition to the total guest experience!

And what a great way to put your non-innkeeping skills to good use at the inn. Scott

Posted in Aspiring Innkeepers, Financial Health of an Inn, Going Green, Inn Operations, Inns and Innkeepers, Marketing | No Comments »

Managing Your Business with Less

Monday, November 2nd, 2009

I received a thoughtful note from Alice Erlandson (Thank You, Alice!) owner, with husband Tom, of The Oliver Inn in South Bend, IN.  Like many inns (and nearly ALL businesses!), innkeepers across the country are seeking out cost-cutting approaches to running the inn without sacrificing the quality of service to guests.  Here is her letter in its entirety:

Managing Your Business with Less

So…this has been a challenging year for us.  Sales have been down.  ADR is down.  Cash flow is negative  We still have guests to take care of and a large Victorian Mansion to restore and an acre of gardens to care for…how are we going to make it?

We needed to take a serious look at every penny we spend and see how we can make changes without changing our level of service to our guests.  Here are some things we are doing to make it through in this soft economy,

Employees: We’ve had to cut back our help and increase own own workload.

  • This is a great way to keep in shape, but it does take more of your time and energy.
  • Use this time, if you are cleaning rooms yourself for the first time in awhile to really look at what your guest rooms might need in the way of deep cleaning or sprucing up!

Utilities and Fixed Costs: You can’t do much about some of these.

  • We searched around and found a phone company that saved us $100 a month!
  • We’ve switched our light bulbs out to Compact Fluorescent and have seen our utilities stay even or go down!
  • Turn lights off when the inn is not occupied.
  • Be sure to turn lights on at night to give the inn that “lived in” look.  Make certain that all lights that are “always” on are energy savers, ie. compact fluorescent or LED.
  • Turn down water heaters during slower periods.
  • If you do your own laundry, try to wash more linens in lower temperatures.
  • All new purchases of equipment should carry an energy star rating
  • We also manage our heating and cooling very closely, especially when guests are not in the Inn.

Gardening Service: We kept them on for part of the year, but then we told our service that we hoped to have them back in the spring.  More of our time, less of our money, and we already owned a riding mower and other gardening equipment.  Cheaper than a tanning salon!

Menus for Breakfast: You can prepare gourmet breakfasts while watching your pennies!

  • Read the weekly food ads to see what is on sale and plan your menus around those seasonal items or store specials to help control your costs.
  • Look for in-store deals so that you can stock up on super sales!
  • Check out the local farmers market for deals on produce.

Marketing: Analyze your marketing efforts and be certain that your marketing investment is working for you.  One thing you cannot cut is marketing, but be certain that you are getting the best “bang for your buck”.

Maintenance: Now is the time to do some inexpensive maintenance to your guest rooms.

  • Make small repairs and keep things in good order, instead of replacing them.  Repair that leaky faucet rather than replace it.
  • Paint is an inexpensive way to spruce things up.
  • Big hotels are doing some remodels, and upgrades.  We need to keep up our Inns’ appearance and make sure our guests are having a great experience!

I’m sure you have ideas about what you can do to make it through these challenging times.  Things will turn around and we all can make it if we are careful and don’t forget to keep Marketing!

Alice Erlandsen,  The Oliver Inn

Posted in Financial Health of an Inn, Inn Operations, Inns and Innkeepers, Marketing, Uncategorized | 3 Comments »

Cancellation Fees ARE Hurting Your Business…I Guarantee it!

Thursday, October 15th, 2009

Have you seen the Expedia commercials that have aired the last couple of days touting NO fees for changes or cancellations? It’s almost true…from Expedia’s point of view.  If you hit their website, (“dot-coooommm”…they have built their brand to include a little jingle), you will note

  • “…unlike other travel sites, we won’t charge you a penalty.  There are NO Expedia change or cancel fees on hotels, cruises, cars, and virtually all flights and packages.”     [BUT:]
  • “Please bear in mind that while we [Expedia] won’t charge change or cancel fees, some suppliers [e.g. hotels] may impose non-refundable rate plans or fees that Expedia is required to pass along.  Such fees are highest when cancellations occur within 48 hours of your scheduled travel dates.”

Even though the hotels still have their cancellation fees, they have, historically, been quite liberal with their policies.  Usually a call before 6 pm on the day of arrival is sufficient to avoid a charge.

BUT THAT IS NOT THE IMPORTANT POINT HERE!

The expectation is being set in the consumer’s mind by Expedia that change and cancellation fees are flexible and do not have to be tolerated by the traveler.  Their caveat is on their website, but the commercials reflect NO fees for changes or cancellations…and that is what the travel market hears.

We innkeepers have been using cancellation policies and fees since the beginning of time.  We use such language as “we are a small property and changes and cancellations affect our business greatly”.   True…but the potential guest doesn’t care about you.  Here are some actual quotes from inn websites here in the Mid-Atlantic area…my comments are in BLUE:

  • “Written notice of cancellation seven or more days prior to arrival, a $25 service fee will be charged.  No shows or cancellations within seven days will result in a full night charge or a 50% charge of a stay which is 3 days or longer”.  Written notice? Who does that?  and what if the inn can re-book the room?  Double dipping?
  • “A 50% deposit, or the cost of one night, whichever is higher, is required to confirm your reservation.  Deposits for stays of 5 or more days are non-refundable“.  If a guest booked for 5 days, then changes plans, this guest could be penalized $600!  Why would I book there?  Any cancellation will cost the guest at least a  full night fee.  Ouch!
  • “If you cancel less than 21 days in advance of reserved date, deposit [50%] minus $25 fee if room rebooked.  If not rebooked, you are 100% responsible”.  21 days?  WOW!  No wonder people are waiting till the last minute to book…nobody can plan that far our with certainty…and 100% responsibility is too high a cost (and scarey!) for long term planners.

SO WHAT’S AN INNKEEPER TO DO?

It’s time to reconsider what YOUR policies are doing to you.  I GUARANTEE YOU ARE MISSING RESERVATIONS WITH STRICT POLICIES that penalize guests.  If they see these kinds of statements on-line (and they are almost ALWAYS on-line),  they will click into a different direction.  You won’t even know you missed them.  Here are some thoughts for consideration:

  • Do you even have to have a cancellation policy at all? Inns with strong corporate travel know that they cannot have penalties at all, except, maybe, for a no-show.  When a corporate traveler cancels at the last minute (their plans OFTEN change on short notice), these inns, holding back their disappointment at the lost sale, say with a smile in their voice “Sure, Dan…we’ll see you next time!”.  The goodwill reaps repeat rewards in the long run.  So why damage your leisure travel relationships with punishing policies?  Don’t you want them back someday too?
  • Are you using your cancellation policy as a profit center? The “if we can rebook the room” caveat is a hoax.  If you can’t rebook the room, it’s NOT because of the guest’s cancellation.  It is because of travel demand in your area.  And, if you intend to NOT relinquish the hoax,  I hope that you make more of an effort to rebook the room than to sit by the phone to wait for it to ring.  You will lose that guest as a repeater…is it worth it?
  • Is there a competitive advantage to being the ONLY inn in your association or region that does not have a strict cancellation policy? Guests shop around and will stop searching when they hit a site that meets their needs.
  • Is your cancellation date WAY TOO LONG?  Is 21 days too much?  (maybe NOT for a special event such as a college graduation or a wedding booking?).  Can you be selective on WHICH events or weekends are critical to have a strict cancellation policy and identify the rest of the year with a punishment-free policy?
  • If a guest cancels, is the $25 or $50 “service fee” really that important to you?  Is it really worth putting a sour taste in your guest’s mouth about your inn?  Do you really need behavior deterants?  Are they really worth it?
  • If you are thinking out of the box enough to relax your policies…promote it!  Put it on your website…in your next newsletter…in your next email blast to past guests…on the directories on-line.  Let people KNOW you are guest friendly! Expedia is.

The expectation is out there.  Expedia is reinforcing the mindset that change and cancel fees are for the convenience of the lodging facility…not the guest.  This is NOT the kind of economy that will tolerate financial punishments for every-day travel decisions.  We innkeepers know the importance of relationship-building and the value repeat guests bring us.  Don’t send the mixed message of financially punishing guests with a hospitable smile on your face.

Scott

Posted in Building Relationships as a Marketing Tool, Financial Health of an Inn, Inn Operations, Inns and Innkeepers, Market Trends, Marketing, Uncategorized | 4 Comments »

Technology at the Turtle

Sunday, September 6th, 2009

Some innkeepers may be wondering if it is truly worth the effort and investment to do some of this technology stuff we’ve all been hearing about.  You know…Facebook, Twitter, blogging, Search Engine Optimization…you know this technology stuff.

Marilyn and I know Dallas and Nancy Renner from our corporate life McCormick days.  Now they are the owners of The Chocolate Turtle, a 4 guest room B & B in Corrales, NM.  This top rated TripAdvisor recommended gem was Googled on the Blackberry of a producer of the Sean Hannity show, on assignment covering the Tea Party Express in Albuquerque.  They needed to find a location where they could transmit their story over to the internet back to New York.  And they were in a hurry…on their way to Las Cruces to film the Tea Party event for the Greta Van Susteran show.  They needed access to the internet right now!

Because The Chocolate Turtle has adapted their website to PDA devices, and they promote their property as business friendly with high speed internet access, the Sean Hannity team inquired about the possibility of using the B & B as their transmission point.  Of course the Renners obliged and were repaid for their kindness by a news blurb on the Sean Hannity Great American Blog, with video.  Check it out!  And now the success story is on the PAII blog, and on this blog and…  well, people just can’t stop talking about the Turtle!

Proof positive that it is worth the investment to learn (like at the PAII convention?!), and then take advantage of, this technology stuff.      Scott

Posted in Inn Operations, Inns and Innkeepers, Internet Directories, Market Trends, PAII, Uncategorized, Websites | No Comments »

It’s All About Trust…isn’t it?

Monday, August 3rd, 2009

Boy, did I get screwed this week! Marilyn and I own a rental condo here in Ocean City and we got a call from our guests that the air conditioning didn’t seem to be working.  We were away and unavailable to respond personally so we called the (reputable-name) service contractor with which we have a service contract.

“Compressor blown…$2800 for a new outside heat pump” was the diagnosis.  Crap! Just like when we were innkeepers, it hurts to spend that much money for something that is invisible to the guests (except when it is NOT working!).  “Aw right”, we responded…what else could we do?

There was a second problem we discovered.  Raccoons (or something) had chewed through the wires under the decking and there was a short that kept tripping the breaker.  Whenever the heat pump came on, the vibration would shake the wires, and eventually they would short out and trip the breaker…but it only happened once in a while when the vibration hit it just right for the wires to touch together and short out.  We got an electrician to splice in a new piece of wire and that was fixed.  Then he made the comment that sent us thinking.  “Maybe it was the shorted circuit causing the problem and the heat pump was fine after all”.

HMMM…To make a long story short, we went to the boneyard of the A/C service company, found our unit (our address was written on the cover so it was easy to identify), and had it tested by another HVAC company.  Nothing wrong with it! Come to find out the technician who diagnosed the problem gets a commission for selling new units so he replaces even good units with new units to collect bigger bucks.  Maybe the owners would never notice.

Needless to say, we initiated the chargeback for our $2800, jumped to the new service company to reinstall our old one, and I called the owner of the violating company to complain.  He offered to make nice-nice and agreed to only charge us $600 and we can keep the NEW unit.  I told him NO…that I would pay the $600 to the trustworthy company to reinstall the old unit even though I probably had argument to get the old company to reinstall the old unit free of charge since they should never have uninstalled it in the first place.   He had lost my trust.

This applies to all parts of our own lives as innkeepers (and consultants).  I had an aspiring innkeeper want her money back for a seminar that she couldn’t attend and that I was trying to reschedule anyway.  At first, I was going to return the fee (less the credit card fees) I am charged by the processor.  (kinda like the $25 cancellation fee for a room, isn’t it?).  Today, I sent her the entire amount to not violate trust and to maintain the relationship.  After all, it was NOT her fault I was trying to change the schedule.

How many times have you charged a fee for an early arrival? or a late check-out…even when you knew that room was not being used?  How many times have you booked a room holding back the fact that the bridal reception going on downstairs might disturb the guests (maybe they won’t notice!).

It’s all about earning and deserving to be trusted.  Just as I can no longer trust my old A/C company, I want to make sure I do not tell people what they want to hear…when it may be misleading…just to get their business.  I would rather be trusted.           Scott

Posted in Building Relationships as a Marketing Tool, Inn Operations, Innkeeping Consulting, Inns and Innkeepers, Uncategorized | No Comments »

A-dapting: (verb): adjusting oneself to changing conditions… 

Friday, May 22nd, 2009

When Ellen O’Day saw dozens of kayaks and canoes passing by the Clarion River Lodge, in Cooksburg, PA., she saw the opportunity in a heartbeat.  She set up some clarion-river-pics-0801umbrella tables and chairs on the bank, fired up her grill, iced down some cold ones, and sold 4 cases of beer, a kajillion hot dogs and burgers, and got some local exposure that is hard to buy.

“I see my guests and visitors as my employer” says Ellen. “They tell me what to do…and I listen and I do it”.

The comment reminded me of a favorite quote by Gandhi…”I must see where my people are going so that I may lead them.”

Adapting to the changing marketplace in the B & B industry to meet the new trends and offer what the guest is asking for is easy to say. But recognizing which practices and policies actually hinder this change is usually more elusive. “Most innkeepers are too stubborn to change…afraid to adapt” she insists.   “They cling to current practices and habits.  I discovered my niche is with weddings and events and have made the changes to capitalize on the demands of my customers”.

Ellen’s full service restaurant, open to the public as well as guests at the 32 room lodge, changes its menu every 2 weeks to 2 months.  As seasonal prices of food fluctuate, so does the menu…offering local, seasonal variety and changing menu items that guests seek out to explore.  Even the kids’ menu offers sliders and mac & cheese.

The Adaptation principle offers advice to all innkeepers. Is it time to (sincerely) self-reflect on those policies and practices that are not adapting to the demands of the guests?  Do you have cancellation policies that are too stringent? (Are they really even needed?)  Are you afraid to change your dog policy?  Are you too stubborn to change your kids policy?  Are you ignoring Facebook or TripAdvisor because they are too technical? (Your guests aren’t). Do you anger your guests (they won’t show it) when you charge unnecessary late check-out fees if their feet aren’t out the door by 11 am?

Times are tough enough right now without shooting ourselves in the foot.  Take a moment to discover those practices or policies at your inn that are ready for change. Adapting to what our customers want is always a good thing.

Happy Memorial Day, All!    Scott



Posted in Inn Operations, Inns and Innkeepers, Market Trends, Uncategorized | No Comments »

Local Bed & Breakfast Goes Green (and gets Big Marketing Bang)

Friday, March 20th, 2009

Great Television Coverage!

Talk about FREE promotional coverage!  WBOC-TV, the CBS affiliate broadcasting to the Salisbury region on Maryland’s Eastern Shore, had at least 3 teasers about an upcoming 10 pm story about a local Bed and Breakfast that has taken on the challenge of environmental responsibilities.  The local politicians were praising the Inn since the effort helps the whole community in a region attentive to the Chesapeake Bay’s ecological concerns.ecology

The Cambridge House Bed & Breakfast, the effort of Dana and Jody Zarbano, has recently taken the steps to be green.  Such efforts as recycling, installing electric fireplaces, replacing incandescent lights, water conserving shower heads and toilet kits, and faucet aerators have not only lowered their operating expenses, but have given them a marketing tool that most inns do not have.

Congratulations to Dana and Jody for being the first bed & breakfast on Maryland’s Eastern Shore to make this commitment.

Consultant’s Advice: It is easy to pretend to be green…putting out a note that asks guests to reduce your laundry expenses is NOT enough.  Guests will see right through that.  The commitment has to be comprehensive, from purchasing ecologically-improved and recycled products, including amenities, from energy-saving devices, to pesticide-free (and local) breakfast foods to gray-water and recycling practices.  For additional information on becoming a CERTIFIED green lodging establishment, visit Green Seal, a non-profit organization to help committed bed and breakfasts with their efforts.  Once the commitment is made, make Going Green a part of your brand and market it everywhere.

Please forward your comments about YOUR practices to be Green.

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Posted in Going Green, Inn Operations, Market Trends, Marketing, Uncategorized | No Comments »

The Bed & Breakfast Inn Life Cycle-A Primary Care Consultant’s View

Wednesday, March 18th, 2009

Vitamins and Medications for an Inn’s

Age-Related Conditions

An Inn, like any retail product or industry, goes through a Life Cycle from infancy to death. It starts as a glimmer in its parents’ eyes, a dream of a lifestyle healthy and productive. It grows with careful nurturing, education, and aspirations, matures into a productive adult, capable of self-sufficiency and satisfaction. Physical and financial ailments will emerge someday, some sooner than later, but eminently all will experience the pain and, without exception, a slow (or sometimes cancerous) downhill slide (or plummet) to demise.

Doctor: “Which do you want to hear first…

the good news or the bad news?”

How cold and ugly a picture…how uncaring to express such a prognosis without apparent feelings or emotions! But without a continued regimen of properly prescribed vitamins, medications, and regular health check-ups, an inn’s health WILL decline. That’s the bad news.

The good news is that there are fountain-of-youth-like medications that can extend an inn’s life expectancy well into the future…perhaps to immortality!

Let’s examine each stage of the Life Cycle to see where YOUR INN resides…

Bed & Breakfast Inn Consulting, Life Cycle (more…)

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Posted in Financial Health of an Inn, Inn Operations, Innkeeping Consulting, Marketing, PAII, Viability of an Inn, Websites | 1 Comment »

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