When processing this strategy, I realize that it is not important for Brody to win.  He prefers to keep them all together…in one group…and not having a single marble stray from the group.  It’s really hard to lose to him…sometimes I have to jump backwards to lose ground to let him win.  But he loves to play.  He is focused less on winning (an outcome) …and more focused on the pleasure he receives by being methodical and orderly (his strategy).

Katie Couric recently interviewed Howard Schultz, CEO of Starbucks, to discuss the company’s new strategy of retail products in the grocery store.  When queried about the 50% drop in stock price this past year, Mr. Schultz made a statement that explained the failure… “We saw our growth as our strategy…not as an outcome” .  Rather than focusing on their core values of customer service and quality coffee products, they strived only for growth and expanded the company too quickly.  They have since closed over 600 of their less productive stores to get back to their values.

Both of the above stories of Chinese Checkers and Starbucks reveals an important lesson for us innkeepers.  We often focus on the growth of our bottom line (important…but it is an OUTCOME, not a strategy).  The strategy to achieve the desired outcome is to stay focused on those core values that are important to our guests.  Our guests seek the full experience of the stay.  It’s not just a room with a bed anymore.

If a guest is a history nut and asks for directions to the nearby battlefield…listen and think:  “What can I do to go BEYOND the question to make his experience more complete?”  Rather than just giving directions, do you have the National Park Service brochure and map to give him?  Did you buy the park’s Audio CD for your guests to take on an auto tour?  (He won’t buy one for a one-time visit…but YOU can use it dozens of times!).  Do you have a 10% discount coupon for their gift shop?  Can you loan him your digital camera to take a photo of his family at the park to use on your blog page or to print out a copy for their refrigerator door?

We can make our hospitality and concierge services a major part of the full experience by thinking BEYOND their immediate needs and anticipating those extras that make the experience complete and memorable.

As innkeepers, we are all good at this stuff.  We just need to make sure we stay focused on our hospitality strengths as a strategy to get to the outcome we all desire.    Scott

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

First a few facts:  According to D.K. Shifflet & Associates, a travel and research consulting firm:

• Leisure travel surpassed business travel for the hotel industry in 2004
• That gap has widened and by 2009, 54% of hotel travel volume is now leisure travel.
• Corporate travel has been slowly declining, and “it’s not going back” according to Shifflet.
• The Gen X (late 20′s to early 40′s) travelers are replacing the Baby Boomers and are traveling with their young families.

The hotels are watching the changing demographics and evolving to meet the new market.  To entice the leisure traveler to their properties, focus is strengthening on FAMILY travel.  Marriott is:

• Offering a Nickelodeon package to the kids with activity books and Nick bracelets
  

  This is Spongebob for those of you without kids around!

• Toddler care packages are awaiting the arriving family with squirting bath toys, fitted crib sheets, baby shampoos and nightlights.
• Spongebob backpacks with matching sheets and pillowcases are for sale in the gift shop.

The younger demographic is also demanding VALUE, a concept more wide-spread than just the Gen X-ers.  Homewood Suites by Hilton (typically a corporate traveler mecca has seen a 50% increase in its leisure travel this past year) is revising its free meals program, and Kimpton Hotels will give away free sangria drinks and Wii video games in the lobby this summer…something for the parents AND the kids.

So what does that have to do with US in the Bed and Breakfast Industry?

Everything, if you are ready to keep your business growing!

B and B owners often cater to only a certain slice of the traveling market.  They rely on the romance getaway, or traveling couple, typically Baby Boomers, to fill rooms.  But this AGE-SEGMENT of the traveling market is declining and we must target the NEXT generation as well…and they’re traveling with their kids. Some target the corporate traveler if the inn is fortunate enough to have several large businesses or a college within a mile or two.  But this segment is also in decline, and mid-week rooms are going to go empty.

Some ACTION Items for your Next Planning Meeting

• Is your Inn ready for a Tune-Up? Do your rooms and bathrooms appeal to the NEW demographic of the traveling public?  Do you have Ipod docking stations, and have you replaced gramma’s old furniture with clean lines and Pottery Barn-type styling?  People want to visit museums, not stay in one.
• Is your website ready for updating?  Anything 2 years or older is a dinosaur that won’t be found by the new search engine algorithms.  Do you have video of area attractions, or still relying on static photography of a bed?  The next generation is ultra techno-savvy and will find you in ways OTHER than your organic website, IF you embrace social media (May 7 posting) marketing and email marketing.
• Are you still illegally restricting kids to age 12 or older?  Talk to those inns who willingly accept children and find out what they do to make the family experience memorable.
• If all the inns in your area still restrict children, think of the ADVANTAGE you will have when they send all their family-travel referrals to you!
• Targeting and marketing for mid-week bookings in addition to your current corporate travelers will prepare to replace those declining mid-week business guests with others…such as quilting groups, elder travel with grandkids, or scrapbookers.  I’ll bet there’s an inn in your area already capitalizing on this new trend.

The B&B Team is ready to help you with your Evolution Planning when you are finally disgusted with negative growth of your inn’s performance.  The traveling market is evolving, and we BEG each of the inns in this industry to evolve with it.  And it’s fun!  And more satisfying than watching Spongebob!

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

Curous B&B Visitors

see the diverse array of inns in Maryland.  Urban inns in Baltimore, Chesapeake Bayside manors, small town inns surrounded by history, and, this past week a Farmstay…the Crow Farm B&B in Kennedyville.

On almost 400 acres of sprawling countryside peacefulness, Judy and Roy Crow raise Angus cattle and are in the process of planting a 4 acre vineyard in another venture that will produce future rewards.  But this is not just another working farm. Recently Judy and Roy opened their farm to guests, with 3 comfortable guest rooms with private baths, this inn has positioned itself for the AGRI-Tourism market.  With about 80 head of Angus cattle, and a motto to “stay original”, they also provide grass-fed (not stall force-fed) meat, sans hormonal growth injections, to the local restaurants and markets.

What a great niche for a farm only about an hour away from the mega-populations of Philly and Baltimore, where most families have never seen cattle other than on a piece of styrofoam wrapped in Saran-Wrap at the local Giant food store.

One of the keys to occupancy (and therefore, financial) success is for an inn to the BEST at what they do in comparison to other similar and nearby properties.  Finding the niche that fits YOUR inn…whether AGRI-Tourism like Crow Farm, or historical relevance and authenticity, or the finest event venue in the region, or Going Green, or soft-adventure home base… and to attract MORE than your fair share of the traveling or vacation market, it is important…NO CRITICAL… to find what your inn is BEST at, and then market it, market it, market it.

Welcome to the MBBA, Judy and Roy.  I believe you have positioned your farmstay in a way that will be rewarding for you…and Babe (the retreiver) and Curious (the calico).     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

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

“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

But when searching for an inn, or developing or strengthening an inn’s

marketing plan, the repetition has 3 distinct implications:

Location #1: Think of the inn’s macro-location first.  Is the inn located within easy reach (2-3 hours) of major metropolitan areas?  Having major population meccas from which to attract guests is a major asset of any inn.  A great example includes Pheasant Field B & Bin Carlisle, PA.  Within 3 hours of the inn includes such metro-megacenters as the NYC metro area, Philly, Baltimore, DC,, Pittsburgh, and only a few miles away, the capital of PA, Harrisburg.  That’s gotta be about 16 bazillion potential “one-tankers”  (guests that only want to spend one tank of gas for their mini-vacation).

For aspiring innkeepers, keeping Location #1 in mind when building a profile will ensure an advantage from the get-go.  For a current innkeeper, analyzing Location #1 in your SWOT  (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats) analysis is an important step to strengthening your marketing plan.

Location # 2 is the immediate region around the inn.  What will bring the 16 bazillion people to your area?  It is NOT just to visit you, as much as we innkeepers would like to believe!  Having a variety of area attractions that appeal to multiple interests, great restaurants, and soft adventures will offer a one-stop shopping itinerary for any guest looking to get away.  Take the Pennsbury Inn, for example, in Chadds Ford, PA.  Within a few short miles of the inn is something for everyone:  Longwood Gardens and its world-reknown topiary gardens, Winterthur (the DuPont country house) for the antiquers and hortoculturists, Simon Pearce glassworks, the River Museum and its Andrew Wyeth Gallery, the Brandywine Revolutionary War battlefield for history buffs, and, of course, the Wine Trail and great restaurants of the region.

This vast array of attractions appeals to most any interest…with plenty to do for any visitor to the region.  For the aspiring innkeeper, what will bring guests to the area around YOUR future inn?  For the current innkeeper, which of these attractions can I package with, and build relationships with, to capitalize on THEIR popularity?

Location # 3 is an easy one, and the one most innkeepers, aspiring and current, focus.  This is the inn itself, its curb appeal, and the attractiveness of the surrounding neighborhood.  When a guest rounds the corner and sees the inn for the first time, we hope their eyes widen and they mutter the “ooooooh!” that we work so hard to achieve.  Many inns know how to achieve this look.  The example here, Brampton Bed & Breakfast Inn near Chestertown, MD., is noteworthy for its curb appeal.

For the aspiring innkeeper, does your candidate inn have curb appeal, or can you give it great curb appeal?  Is it in an attractive and safe-looking neighborhood?  For the current innkeeper, taking a look from the road to ensure a great first impression should be a part of every capital expenditure plan.

Three separate interpretations for the same word…Location.  But each having distinct meaning

to ensure the success of an inn.

Consultant’s Advice: Aspiring innkeepers, ensure the profile of your candidate inn has ALL 3 location criteria met.  For current innkeepers, look at all three definitions, assess and take advantage of the strengths of your location, and develop plans to strengthen those weaknesses or take actions for those opportunities that your location offers.

What are the strengths and weaknesses with YOUR location, location, location?