And then my thoughts ALWAYS turn to a short prayer.  I pray that each landing I see is followed by the roar of

Please Just Touch and Go

the engines and the behemoth plane taking right back off again.  It’s called a touch and go…training for take-offs and landings. The reason for my prayer, you see, is that Dover AFB is where many of the cargo and personnel aircraft originate on their way to Baghdad or Kabul.  And, as the graves registration center on the East Coast, it is the destination of many young men and women returning to the States for the last time…on their way home to their families for the last time.

My prayer is for each plane to be a training mission and not a part of the heart-wrenching experience it must be for a family to come to grips with the loss of a son, or daughter, or dad, or mom.  “Please, Lord, let it just be a touch and go.”

What does this have to do with innkeeping?  Probably nothing directly…it’s more of a therapeutic outlet for me, my thoughts of my fellow West Pointers, my newer role as a Poppie, and, probably less seldom seen, the softer side of an old codger.

But I would like to make this offering to any innkeeper who feels similarly.  And I know the people in this hospitality and care-giving industry are GREAT at such feelings.  I am asking that innkeepers support our troops and their families.  If you offer:

• Military discounts
• Comp rooms for military families…as a surprise gift, not necessarily a published rack rate
• Other benefits or gifts of value to military families

please let me know and I will list your name and inn, with link, and the benefit you provide, along with my heartfelt thanks, in my upcoming newsletters and blog postings.  We are a great industry of professionals who understand the impact an innkeeper can have on a guest…and with the ability to send an appreciative gift to those who deserve our thanksgiving.     Scott

Top of Mind…Top of Market: I unshamefully (is that a word?) stole that line from a friend of mine, Ted Foti, who is a marketing consultant in the Baltimore area.  Worthy of this petty theft, the concept works for our B&B industry as well.  When someone asks “Where’s a good place to stay around here?”, the answer should be on the top of the mind of your guerrilla marketer…the gas station attendant, the restauranteur, the college admissions office, your past guests.  These are the ambassadors of YOUR inn.  The goals of your marketing exposure includes the frequency and quality of your message.

Although video is an advantage to your website and can be RSS linked to Social Media networks, email is STILL the preferred media the communcating world wants.  Arlene Satchell in her article “Social Networks’ Popularity Doesn’t Hurt E-Mail Marketing’s Success”, (RISmedia, May 15), states that according to Forrester Research, “90% of online Americans currently use e-mail as a mainstream communication channel”.  And the relatively inexpensive costs, when compared to the potential results, yields a return on the investment that cannot be ignored.  E-Mail is still the central hub for pushing communications to people.

Constant Contact, among others, offers a templated service to make email marketing a snap.  I currently use this service for both Newsletters and E-Mail “blasts”…short notices going out to targeted folks.  I categorize my database by groups (e.g. aspiring  innkeepers, current innkeepers), by state, and demographic groupings.  I can send a newsletter to all, or to a select few, depending on which groups I select.  Be sure to put links in your newsletters and emails BACK to your website to encourage traffic to your online booking features.  For a couple of bucks more, I can use their survey feature.  And so can you! Imagine the worthwhile feedback you can get from your past guests by sending out a thoughtful, well-positioned survey!

The cost is almost irrelevant and can fit any budget. It starts at about $15 per month for up to 500 addresses.  And there are features to help LOAD your email database into the Constant Contact database (a typical excuse I hear for not getting started).  You can send as many emails or newsletters as you want, although being prudent is always advisable.  Your messages are more memorable , and less likely to be “opted-out”, if they are not annoyingly too frequent.  Once a quarter is a good goal.  Perhaps sending a newsletter quarterly and an email (of specials and area attractions) quarterly on off months from your newsletter.

I am not a paid sponsor of Constant Contact!  I’m just a user.  There are other services as well in about the same price range such as YMLP (Your Mailing List Provider).  My point is the ease and low-cost that this alternative offers to your marketing plan’s completeness.

Social Media offers an alternative channel, for sure.  One more technique for staying on Top of Mind.

Your quality Website is important…probably THE MOST important.  But it is passive…guests have to find YOU.  E-mail marketing offers a proactive alternative to talking to your guests…to stay on Top of Mind.

Anybody out there currently using Constant Contact?  Like it?  Like other services?

Scott

The Pottery Inventory

Nancy took us to a small pottery shop, however, which really prompted this posting.  Hanselmann’s Pottery shop doesn’t offer anything so unusual that any pottery purveyor couldn’t provide.  It’s inventory is adequate, colorful and full of the American Southwest style and colors that Marilyn and I enjoy.  We bought a large fruit bowl and, of course, I needed two of the large beer mugs in turquoise and earth tones.

But that is not what is unusual about Hanselmann’s.  Other than us shoppers, there are no people in the shop! There may be a few out back on their pottery wheels or however they make this stuff, but nobody in the store.  Want to buy something?  The prices are well marked and you just fill out a little piece of paper and slide it into the envelope along with your cash or credit card number and slip the envelope into the slot of the cash box on the table.  Totally on the Honor System! Totally blew me away!

According to Nancy, they have been doing it this way for years.  And my mind wandered to how this has application

The "Cash Register"

to the innkeeping industry.  No…I don’t mean putting a cash box on the check-out desk…nor do I mean ignoring the good practices we all use as we take care of the fiscal responsibilities of our businesses.  But the TRUST. What a marvelous feeling to be TRUSTED.  What a compliment Mr. Hanselmann is giving his patrons…he TRUSTS them.  My next visit to Corrales (probably when the inn transfers) will find me again in the pottery shop.  He has won my LOYALTY as a repeat customer because he TRUSTS me.

Honesty is not a novel notion to me.  As a West Pointer, we live by an Honor Code that goes way down deep into our souls.  But in this era of crime, entitlement, lack of accountability, and self-centered greed, it can be difficult to earn TRUST.  But what a marvelous reward of loyalty and repeat customers.

A few ideas that come to mind for an Inn to develop trust:

• Do what you say you are going to do.  Did you promise to make reservations?   Did you promise the upgrade?  Don’t forget.
• Does your website really reflect what the inn really looks like?  Surprise your guests with MORE than they expect!
• Are there signs that say “These (robes, mugs, towels) are for sale” to prevent theft?  Are your signs sending a message of distrust?
• Is your cancellation policy unnecessarily strict?
• Do you NOT trust kids or pets?  Do you NOT trust their parents?
• Do you cancel a reservation if the deposit is not received on time?

Being trusted is an important element leading to loyalty.  And we all know that loyal guests are those that return time after time to visit us.

Wow…it really felt good for a potter who has never met me to TRUST me unconditionally.      Scott

We pondered on that and then started reminiscing about some great meals we had.  One with friends of ours in Santa Barbara two years ago before the PAII convention.  Outdoors on the restaurant’s patio… propane heaters overhead in the branches to take the chill off the evening… great wine from one of the vineyards we had visited that day… laughing… upscale fare with a flavorful Spanish creativity.

And the time we were in downtown Baltimore, at Tio Pepe’s (one of Marilyn’s favorites), an underground bistro with great Sangria, and a pine nut roll dessert.  Did I mention the Sangria?  A birthday favorite for her.

Even a great pizza at John’s in Manhattan, at lunch time before we dashed off to see Mamma Mia (I must admit I was an ABBA fan before it was chic) on Broadway.  Crisp crust, served in an old church complete with stained glass and murals…a New York City landmark and favorite for us.  Took the kids there one time.

Then it struck me that while trying to recall “the best food we ever ate”, it wasn’t really the food we were remembering, but the memory of the whole experience.  The food was made even better by the excitement of the location, the folks we were with, the intriguing atmosphere, the other delicacies we tried, the laughing, the holding hands …not just the food.

Isn’t that what all us innkeepers mean when we want to give our guests the full experience?  And if we can deliver, it creates memories.  We are not just beds, not just nice looking buildings.  The warmth of the welcome, the busy day out in the vineyards or at the historical site, the sincere smile when they sneak a second brownie, the breakfast… aahhh…breakfasts!  We had a guest stand on his chair one time to take a photo of his pumpkin waffle with the toasted almonds and roasted fruit.

Pennsbury Inn

Cheryl Grono, innkeeper at  Pennsbury Inn in Chadds Ford, PA., responded to a recent post about making a small cake with a balloon for a 90 year old guest, surprising him on his return from dinner, who then hugged her because he had never had a balloon before.  He will remember that moment…and so will Cheryl.

We innkeepers are the creators of memories.  And those guest memories will last forever and result in repeat guests.  And repeat guests are the lifeblood of our industry.

Any favorite memories?  I’ll bet it’s the whole experience that creates that memory.          Scott

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

• “…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

“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

The manager finally came out to make nice-nice and correct the matter.  He upgraded us to a larger room with a whirlpool tub in the bedroom (which Brody thought was a pool).  But even with the upgrade, I felt both cheated (I was looking for a nice experience…not lip) and guilty (for an upgrade we got only because we complained).

Pat Materka, owner of Ann Arbor Bed & Breakfast, on the U of MI campus, sent me an article from the June 17 New

Ann Arbor B & B

York Times, written by Rob Walker, about “Hyatt’s Random Acts of Generosity“.  Hyatt is instituting a new program called “random acts of generosity” where the hotel randomly picks up the tab for an expense, such as your bar tab or massage.  The effort is based on the concept that giving such gifts will not only be appreciated, but will also build loyalty and gratitude.  And such gratitude will result in continued business.

Hmmmmm… A couple of questions come to mind… How do they select which guest gets the gift?  How do they train their employees to do it “randomly” as a surprise?  And, as Walker mentions, when Hyatt made the public announcement of the program (it was in the New York Times, for gosh sakes), wouldn’t EVERY guest be waiting for their gift?  And if they don’t get one, will they feel cheated (like I did)?  Or will they feel guilty (like I did)  if they asked for the gift?

Don’t get me wrong…I am a BIG believer in Relationship Marketing (see the article Marketing on a Dime).  Building personal connections with guests or potential guests (calling them by name, sending handwritten notes, going the extra step for service, including them in newsletters, making a personal call to say Happy Birthday instead of an email, etc.) is, by far, the way to strengthen repeat business.

But inns don’t need gimmicks to build loyalty or gratitude.  When an innkeeper’s thoughtfulness of providing a birthday candle in the cinnamon bun, or an unexpected bottle of bubbly upon the arrival of the honeymooners, or a handwritten sympathy card to a former guest, or a “Welcome, Dan” instead of “Can I help you?”, loyalty and gratitude already have a foundation of a lasting relationship.  Inns are good at that stuff.

What do you think?  Do you have “Gifts” you feel are adding to customer loyalty?  Scott

College business can bring in mid-week traffic for three different reasons…so go after all of them!

1. Visiting speakers, professors and athletic recruitment, and those guests booked by the college. These are handled like other corporate guests.
2. Visiting families coming to town with their high school senior for a college tour, often traveling with siblings…requiring multiple beds in a room.
3. Parents and alumni coming to campus to visit their students or for a reunion. These guests are like other leisure travelers.

Again, like with corporations in your town, building relationships with the different offices on campus will pay off with bookings. Here are some tips on where to look and how to promote your inn:

• Departmental offices typically book their own visitors, so visit each of them just as you visited the corporation travel departments in town. Take some rack cards and your favorite muffins.
• The Admissions Office can steer visiting families to your inn when they ask the inevitable question…”Where’s a good place to stay?” Know them personally so that YOU are on the top of their mind when they get asked.
• Athletic teams bring in recruits by the dozens…get to know the coaches and give them a free breakfast when they come over to interview candidates.
• College websites will often allow a link to your inn on their “Where to Stay” page. Be there!
• Post a news blurb in the Newsletters all colleges send to students’ homes. They often look for content for their columns and will often offer a free paragraph as long as it is newsy and not an ad. Perhaps list your graduation booking process or mention a fraternity or sorority event you are sponsoring as a fundraiser.
• Have a location on your website for college visitors to peruse, perhaps including sports schedules, specials for mid-week visitors, your walking distance to the campus, and, of course, a call-to-action button to book.
• Hold campus departmental meetings or an open house at the inn.
• Have a Parents Club…stay nine nights and get the tenth one free. Most will graduate before they make it to nine anyway! And the ones that get the free night are loyal repeat guests who will tell the other parents.

There are dozens of other ideas, but NONE are as important as building the relationships with the departmental offices, the admissions offices, the athletic coaches, the President’s office, and alumni office.

• Consultant’s Advice: Top of Mind…Top of Market is the saying of Ted Foti, a good friend of mine with Communica Marketing. Same principle applies here. When a department head, alumni office, admissions office or sports team needs a room, YOU should be the FIRST thought that comes to mind. And only those personal relationships and frequent nurturing of the relationship will keep you there.

What do YOU DO to attract College Business to your Inn?