The Innkeeper's Resource

Pet Travel Niche Remains Strong

In The B&B Team's seminars for aspiring innkeepers we devote a section to niche marketing. One of those niches is pet travel. Everyone knows that pets are a big deal in America and that a large number of people like to travel with their furry companions. Years ago my parents had a very difficult time finding places to stay with their dachshund, but I dare say that it is easier today.

Some bed & breakfasts and inns have recognized the pet travel trend and have turned a small niche into a lucrative part of their business. Some, like the B&B at Ponder Cove near Asheville, NC, have made it the focus of their business! In a short article on 2008 Pet Travel Statistics reported by BringYourPet.com and presented in Hospitality Trends, there are some remarkable statistics. 75% of those taking the survey said they frequently take their pets with them when they go away. A significant number, 43.8%, stay at pet-friendly lodgings three or more times a year! While 38.5% say it is difficult to find pet-friendly lodging, a full 63% would lengthen their stay if they could travel with their pets.

What I found interesting when visiting BringYourPet.com was the significant number of hotels that provide pet-friendly lodging, and a quick glimpse showed that La Quinta has clearly made a statement that, if you are traveling with your dog or cat, look for their sign. La Quinta isn't a luxury chain, and many who want to travel with fido want luxury for their pet as well as themselves. Maybe the boutique lodging industry needs some kind of "pet-friendly" certification which could be used to identify all inns that will take cats and/or dogs and which adhere to a certain standard, kind of like a AAA for pets! Any ideas? Pass them on right here.

Peter

Transparency of Inn Reviews, Help or Hindrance?

I just read a GREAT article by Gregg Swann of Bloodhound Realty entitled "Why Do We Link In a Web 2.0 World?" While the blog post is geared toward real estate professionals, the observations and wisdom are worthy of anyone in commerce to consider, especially innkeepers. It's all about transparency.

At the PAII conference we heard about "Transparency Tyranny," and lots of innkeepers continued to fret about online reviews and how bad they are. Gregg Swann points out how the issue of transparency is really about honesty. People want to buy a product or a service, and they just don't know whom to trust. The old fashioned marketing as monologue was where you told me how great your product was, and I was supposed to believe you. But, too often, you told me what you wanted me to hear, and when I thought was buying a rabbit, in actuality I got an empty hat.

With Web 2.0 and Travel 2.0, marketing is a dialogue between the provider and the consumer and between consumers. To the extent that a prospective guest at your bed & breakfast can read what others say about you, they gain a measure of confidence, especially if those comments and reviews reinforce what you have said about your inn. That shows honesty.

"Transparency and verisimilitude both mean the same thing in this context: This is real. People are so used to marketing trickery that they expect it everywhere. The challenge for anyone seeking to change minds in the Web 2.0 world is to take away that expectation. Transparency doesn't mean I am obliged to disclose to you the color of my underwear. Transparency means that if there is any possibility that you could entertain the smallest doubt that I am effecting some kind of sleight of hand to trick you into doing something you otherwise would not do, I have to give you the means of eradicating that doubt to your own satisfaction." (Gregg Swann) The means to eradicating that doubt in travel is reviews. To the extent that you promote them, encourage them, and make them accessible, travelers will trust your honesty, that you have nothing to hide.

Gregg concludes his post with words that are very apropos to innkeepers and which echo what we have been saying for a long time. "...Web 2.0 consumers are already pretty sophisticated [the i.guest] - and everything they do on the nets teaches them how to be more sophisticated. If you are not willing to be completely transparent in your online marketing presence, consumers will gravitate, one by one, to people who are willing to back up everything they say."

At The B&B Team we buy into this concept for ourselves as well as our clients. One of our mantras is that you hire us to tell you what you need to know, not what you want to hear. We think that's the honest thing to do. And we have absolutely no qualms about giving you every opportunity to interview past clients. In fact, we think you should. Your reputation for honesty and transparency is something that no one should take away. And if you feel that people are seeing the color of your underwear, then maybe you have to examine what you're wearing!

Peter

A Summer 2008 Viewpoint

“The twin effect of the economic downturn and the increase cost in gas prices just has people more economically-minded than we have seen since 2001, “ says Rod Caborn, executive vice president, at Ypartnership, a leading consumer research firm.

Another piece of great news...except that this quote is coming from HotelMarketing.com and is directed at the hotel chains and particularly the Super 8's and Days Inn type of properties.  Higher end properties seem to be exempt from these concerns.

Others offer a more upbeat assessment of the US market. "It's not quite as terrible as Wall Street makes it out," says Jan Frietag, vice president global development for Tennessee-based Smith Travel Research. He suggests the gloom cast by Wall Street's credit woes has led to a "disconnect between Wall Street and the Main Street operators."

Most certainly, we in the B&B and Country Inn business would fall into the latter category...the higher end.

There is some concern out there that we may again see a round of lodging discounts as we saw post 9/11 in an attempt to fill rooms.  Needless to say, that type of random discounting didn't work and there is no reason to believe that it either is necessary or will work now.

From a series of our own phone calls, emails, and other personal contacts, we're hearing some pretty positive things about the summer.  Rates are in many cases up...advance bookings are coming in...and the consensus is that Americans will still be taking vacations, tho' fewer will go to Europe because of the weak Dollar/Euro exchange.  So where will Americans go and stay?  Here at home!  For 2008, we have a traveling American public and projections for more Europeans and Canadians coming to the US for their vacations.  Could make for a good mix!

It's still not too late to evaluate your rates during the shoulders and/or even to see if there is any upward mobility for measured peak season rate increases.  The point is that once again, there is still time to take a look at your strategies to drive business to your inn.  Look again at your site for relevant content, good pictures, creative packaging, and to be sure you are offering (your promise!) a uniquely wonderful experience to your guests.

The business this year may come with some aggravations, but creative innkeepers will be the ones to garner the lion's share of the business in 2008. Don't sit on the sidelines and just let things happen...be one of the movers and shakers and make things happen!

As always, we love to hear how you are seeing the market and what you are doing to be one of the movers and shakers!

Rick

The Challenge of Declining Leisure Travel

Alright, so the news about leisure travel for 2008 isn't great. In fact, it's a bit alarming. But all is not lost!

According to the 2008 National Travel Monitor, as reported in Ypartnership's recent article "Would If I Could," there are several reasons why 16% of leisure travelers plan to take fewer trips this year. There are those that you'd expect, like "Current economic conditions make it difficult for me to travel" or the "Price of gasoline is too high." While people's Time Poverty continues to be an issue, economic issues seem to prevail this year more than in 2007. So, what's an innkeeper to do?

Let's look at it this way: the travel "pie" is made from a pot of blueberries. If you look around you, there are a certain number of inns who are sitting at the travel table, and each wants a piece of pie. Naturally, each wants the biggest piece! But, not only are there a finite number of pieces to go around, but the pie itself is slimmer this year. So, how do make sure you get your share? Or better yet, how can you get the biggest piece of a smaller pie?

Some would argue that it's not fair for one inn to do really well while others around them are struggling. I've even heard that there are innkeepers who feel that referrals should be shared in an equitable way! Needless to say, this doesn't wash with those bed & breakfasts that get the lion's share of referrals. After all, these are the innkeepers who are delivering an exceptional experience day after day, week after week, season after season. They are also the ones who have figured out how to reach their guests who are increasingly weary, worried, and wondering how to spend their hard earned dollars. When things are tight, people do like to splurge once in a while, and travel close to home, to a B&B for instance, is a great way to go.

So, dust off your thinking cap and put on your spectacles! Look at your inn's "experience offering." What separates you from other bed & breakfasts in your area or region? How is your marketing? Does that website need some tweaking? New pictures? SEO? Are you engaging your future guests? Do you understand your guests and how to market to them? If your revenues are declining, or you're worried that they might because of the prospect of fewer travelers, now is the time to increase your marketing budget. You absolutely cannot cut back or you will ensure a self-fulfilling prophecy. Have you been doing some creative things to attract leisure travelers in a declining market? Is your piece of the pie bigger than everyone else's? Tell us about your successes (but you don't have to share the recipe)!

Peter