InnMarketing

2009-10-15T12:07:00.004-04:00

No-Dollar Ways to Get the Euros Coming!

After 27 years promoting bed and breakfasts in the United States and helping to convert millions of hotel people into bed & breakfast people through our Web site and books, we are more excited than ever about this way of travel. And converting is soooo easy because once guests are in the care of a good American innkeeper, they are fans for life. We love our part of pointing the way to bed and breakfast vacations of a lifetime.

Part of our mission, besides getting the guest to an inn, is to research and find ways for innkeepers to tap into new markets and to highlight the best marketing practices that are actually working now. We forward these to our member inns to help keep their properties viable in a global economy that seems to require that we all keep five plates spinning at the end of a stick at the same time.

In this column, we will share B&B specific marketing approaches that have worked for inns throughout this country. Our topics in this piece are European Travelers, Business Travelers, Web sites and Getting Great Reviews, all to increase occupancy, equity and revenue.

No-Dollar Ways to Get the Euros Coming
Innkeepers Victor and Lynn at Hotel Charlotte Inn in Groveland, California vigorously go after the European tourist market and after five years in the business, 50% of their guests are European. While they are challenged by the limited size of their historic rooms and can’t change them, they make European travelers (who are generally traveling for 2-3 weeks) feel very comfortable by having a large community area with everything from games to a piano and a computer corner.

The many advantages to attracting Europeans to your B&B include the exchange rate. As an example, a room that currently sells for $125/night is to someone with Euros in their pocket, only 83 Euros. Europeans have up to six weeks vacation time and they stay longer: In fact, European travel habits are quite different than ours. They prefer to concentrate on a region and get to know it thoroughly and leisurely. Michael Dickinson at JUST Travel in Munich, Germany, notes that “The concept of 17 countries in 21 days doesn’t exist in the European mind, except to make fun of the way Americans travel .”

Here are some tips to attract this market:

1. Respond to trip advisor's foreign language forums about your area if you are fluent in a foreign language. By participating in these free forums, Hotel Charlotte consistently gets the name and location of their bed and breakfast in front of perspective European travelers.

2. Offer a translation tool on every page of your Web site for guests to be able to quickly get a translation in French, German, Russian, Italian and Spanish. This is a free tool available from Google. Look at the Captain Lord Mansion home page on their Web site.

3. Add a currency converter on your rates and reservation pages. Europeans can instantly see how very low the prices are when they do this quick and easy conversion. (Another FREE tool available online.)

4. Get your local visitor’s bureau involved. Members of Hotel Charlotte's bureau take a marketing trip to Europe twice a year for trade shows focusing on visitors from Germany & UK.

5. Create European keywords on special pages on your Web site* see example below. Ask your current European guests to give you the words they searched to find you.

6. Market yourself as a regional expert with much more current information than a guide book. Demonstrate online, in printed matter and on the phone, how knowledgeable you are about the region with dates of events, activities, etc. Keep local maps and lists of restaurants, and more info than available from a hotel concierge.

7. Make 10-day itineraries part of your Web site.

*Here are a few German keywords for Philadelphia B&Bs to give you an idea of what to put onto your pages to attract Europeans.

* Philadelphia Unterkunft inklusiv Fruehstueck
* Philadelphia Pension
* Billig Unterkunft Philadelphia
* Guenstig Pensionen Philadelphia
* Kleines Hotel

You would use your city or region in place of Philadelphia, or use your state name such as Texas in place of Philadelphia. Your state or city (such as Philadelphia above) is spelled in English, no translation needed.

Innkeeper Rich Litchfield of Captain Lord Mansion in Kennebunkport, Maine notes that they are seeing significant increases in guests from Europe this season. These guests are amazed at the value, attention to detail and all the extras they receive that would rarely be seen in Europe and Britain at even much higher rates. Bed and breakfasts are a veritable bargain for Europeans and they will spread the word when they talk with their traveling peers back home.

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This week's blog was contributed by Deborah Sakach, president and founder of American Historic Inn, Inc. and website www.iLoveInns.com, has authored seven books on B&Bs with 60 custom editions of one title, Bed & Breakfast and Country Inns. More than 2.5 million B&B books have been sold. The Official Guide to American Historic Inns was a Book of the Month Club selection for several years.

She was an instructor for several years in the California university system with classes on starting and operating bed and breakfast inns. Most uniquely, Deborah created national affiliations with large consumer goods companies to provide co-promotions with B&Bs. An example is the American Historic Inns Buy-One-Night-Get-One-Night Free program. Most recently, the program was run by Wells Fargo Bank in a custom book.

With books, internet and breakfast promotions with Amtrak, American Express, Nestle, Nabisco, Hallmark and many others, her company has introduced millions to America’s historic inns.

Deborah grew up in Northern Ohio, holds a BS in Business and an MA in Counseling Psychology. She worked in PR for the Pasadena Rose Parade, and in direct mail for a large ad agency specializing in non-profits such as Habitat, World Vision, and Unicef before launching American Historic Inns. Deborah is passionate about small inns B&Bs and has enjoyed exploring such inns in diverse settings such as the Masa Mara, Kyoto, Ireland and the U. S. Deborah has four children and lives in Dana Point, California.

Your InnMarketing Specialists
Claude & Mariette Gagne

North Carolina is a Tourist Haven

2009-10-02T13:32:00.009-04:00

North Carolina has so much to offer in its Western Mountains. Most everyone has heard of the Biltmore Estate in Asheville, Harrah's Cherokee Casino, the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and all the wonderful skiing we have to offer, but we have much more.

We have loads of outdoor activities for active folks, and here the choices are many. From biking, hiking, horseback riding, white water rafting, canoeing, kayaking, swimming, fishing, picnicking, canopy Zip Line tours, and many more that don’t immediately come to mind. The Great Smoky Mountains Railroad departs Dillsboro for places like Bryson City, the Nantahala Gorge and the Tuckasegee River.

Our cool mountain temperatures are the envy of all our southern neighbors. When driving through the mountains in the summer, we see a great many cars from Florida and Georgia. How they love to come to the mountains!

Further east are the cosmopolitan cities of Charlotte, Winston Salem, Raleigh and many others. If you enjoy shopping, restaurants, the Arts and entertainment, you will not be left out. There is more than enough choice here to please everyone!

This then is the background for why our Bed & Breakfasts in North Carolina are so popular and busy. There is always an abundance of Tourists. If you are going to own a B&B, you might as well own one where Tourist are plentiful. Remenber the old adage, “Location, Location, Location”. Well it applies to Bed & Breakfasts as well.

Recently we listed several great B&B properties. The first is a historic antebellum inn (listing #2644) with 6 guest rooms, a 110 seat restaurant, and best of all, this Inn sits on a 47 acre wooded parcel that includes a 5 acre lake. Zoning is in place to allow a 200+ site campground surrounding the Inn, and it is all serviced by municipal water and sewerage. A fantastic offering at $2,320,000.

We also listed a 1910 farmhouse Bed & Breakfast (listing # 2623) on 3.4 acres that offers 5 Guest rooms in a home filled with wainscoting, hardwood floors, and expertly crafted Oak paneling. The newly installed kitchen is a cook’s dream. This one is located near the Triad cities of High Point, Winston Salem and Greensboro. Offered at $550,000

Lastly, we listed a craftsman style Bed & Breakfast (listing #2643) on a 3.5 acre parcel in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains. This B&B offers 4 Guest room, a one bedroom rental apartment and a picturesque pergola/gazebo ideal for outdoor weddings. This B&B is offered for sale at $399,000.

More photos and information on these properties can be seen if you follow the links shown.

Come visit us in North Carolina and take advantage of being a resident, especially a resident owner of one of our great Bed & Breakfasts.

Your InnMarketing Specialists
Claude & Mariette Gagne

Change your Career with a Bed & Breakfast or Internet Cafe

2009-09-11T12:13:00.008-04:00

This week's Blog was contributed by Renata Reber, New York State Inn Sales Specialist and Team Member of The B&B and Country Inn MarketPlace®

Four Diamond Polished Gem, Finger Lakes NY

All the ingredients to success are blended in this new offering: acreage, events, location, 4,200 square feet, stone mansion, 6 income producing guest rooms, folded in 20 years of strong management and sound marketing decisions. The Morgan Samuels Inn is the establishment that sets the level in a destination travel location that all other bed and breakfasts aspire to ascertain. The Sellers are currently seeking new owners for this extraordinary property. Are you qualified to give top shelf consideration to guests who may want extra attention, total confidentiality and the privacy that certain celebrities may require as well as to be attentive to wonderful guests? If you feel you can meet these high standards, and are financially qualified, please bring your interest to our attention.

Upstate Select Registry Inn now available for your consideration

Award winning, three diamond historic inn offers 10 income producing guest rooms with welcoming common rooms, 8 acres on creek and a separate house for innkeeper's total private lifestyle. Located just minutes to the renowned Genesee Country Museum, the inn has offered upscale accommodations for over 20 years. The inn is often booked as a conference center by Rochester, NY businesses. Your new home and business is waiting for you. A quality lifestyle and a sound business come totally renovated and wrapped with a big red bow.

How about a Coffee Shop/Internet Cafe to change your lifestyle

Be in charge of your own destiny for less than $300,000. In this first time offering, an upscale internet café on Main Street USA with a Manhattan style loft apartment that could be used by the owner or use as rental property. Circa 1930's renovated two story brick building, 10 years plus established business, good mechanics. The Restaurant Seats 28 inside and up to 45 when outside patio seating is available in warmer weather. There are 16 combined public and private parking spaces for use by patrons and the owners. Stop by for a cup o Java and contemplate the next adventure of your life.

For more information on these three properties, please contact Renata Reber, Assoc. Broker, Mitchell Pierson Jr. Inc. Realtors, Canandaigua , New York 585-398-2211

Renata is from the Finger Lakes Region of NY and speaks German fluently. She has 30 years experience in Real Estate with residential and commercial properties. She is a Multi Million Dollar Producer and sells the finest B&Bs and Country Inns. She has the dedication, the contacts and the marketing ability to succeed for you.

Purchasing a Bed & Breakfast with Thoughts on “Exit Strategies”

2009-09-04T11:51:00.003-04:00

This week's Blog was contributed by Johanna Welty, California Inn Sales Specialist and Team Member of The B&B and Country Inn MarketPlace®.

Increasingly, when speaking with aspiring Innkeepers or even with existing Inn owners who may be considering the sale of their current Inn in order to purchase yet another hospitality establishment, I find myself bringing up the crucial – cruel?-- topic of establishing an all-important “exit strategy” before making any Inn purchase.
Is this like suggesting a class on divorce to a couple who has just become engaged? And, are there even classes available for wonderfully happy and blissful, pre-nuptial couples that cover “what you should know about divorce?” I truly wish that such classes did exist since informative early education, indeed, could serve to make for less frivolous and far sounder unions.

But, returning to formulating a serious “exit strategy” before taking the adventuresome and rewarding leap of purchasing an Inn may be well worth some fruitful discussion.

Although I have been a Realtor since the late 1970s, I did take a few years break during the 1990s to serve as a Morgan Stanley Investment Advisor. As a result, I now see all real estate as “investment “– even if it involves only residential property. We all know that, traditionally, real estate makes up the single greatest investment for any American property owner.

And, since so many aspiring Innkeepers see the sale of their longtime family residence as providing, at least, part of the proceeds to help realize their dream of owning an Inn, many prospective Inn owners already know what a wise, earlier residential purchase will mean. Even in our challenging, current market, Inn dreams are made possible often by proceeds from a strong residential sale.

Location! Location! Location! How often have we heard this dictum -- this ultimate rule that claims to determine real estate value? As trite as it may sound, in fact, it is LOCATION that ultimately also so determines an Inn’s chances of real growth and resale success. I do not mean to underestimate the management and marketing skills so essential to operating a successful Inn but none of these human talents can ever override the death toll impact of a poor location.

There are many reasons to buy an Inn. I myself could be tempted by a historic building or a charming Victorian surrounded by lush ferns and a rose garden. But such temptations more reveal those qualities that I personally would treasure for my own private residence. In contrast, if I am seriously considering an Inn – a “business” that must grow its revenue as a result of attracting repeat guests --, then I must consider far more how LOCATION will serve to attract others -- guests -- so that my revenue can, and will, grow. I can no longer think selfishly about what only pleases me; instead, I must think in terms of what the world wants and what, indeed, pleases the world.

Currently, I count as one of my clients an outstanding Innkeeper/owner who is brilliant with a highly analytical mind. In one of her more human moments, she openly confessed to me how she erred when purchasing her Inn. She saw it as a beautiful structure and was pleased that it was only an hour from the sea. During her first year of ownership, she was dismayed that revenue was not what she expected it to be … but blamed it on the fact that it was her first year ever running an Inn. By the end of her second year, she began painfully to “see” that it really was the “sea” – just a mere hour away – that, indeed, was the attraction – the DESTINATION LOCATION – that so consistently attracted the many travelers who daily simply “drove past” her beautiful Inn.

In the meantime, as a thoroughly responsible owner, she paid off her mortgage in record time. Ironically, that simply left her in the end with little more than a “title” to a building – a business without clients. As a result, her business financials reflect only a building – her “business” now can only be sold as a residence, one that is an hour from the sea.

This may be an extreme story but, if an Inn is not situated in a location that offers attractions that draw guests, that particular Inn may be an unsound business investment. I do not believe that, for Inns, the old “if you build it, they will come” saying applies. An Inn can only thrive if it is surrounded by a greater DESTINATION LOCATION.

Ideally, an Inn should be “supportive of” and convenient to good restaurants, theatre, wineries and wine tasting rooms; or it should be located along a majestic coast for exciting whale watching, surfing, sailing and romantic sunsets; or found nestled among the towering Redwoods where hiking trails and salmon fishing are both at its front door. A ski resort is ideal because within that dramatic LOCATION an Inn can serve guests who already are there to ski – they are not there only because of the Inn. Also an ideal location is an historic district, such as a mid-nineteenth century gold mining community, where living museums, vintage auto shows, Victorian Christmas celebrations all thrive and compete with National Trust architectural treasures. Too, any location must be studied in relation to its Chamber of Commerce. If there is a vibrantly active, committed and responsive Chamber that continually sponsors a variety of events that attract visitors to the community’s location, the Inn in that same location will also thrive.

And, lest the reader now believes that the writer only believes in California leisure destinations – wineries, historic gold mining towns, the Redwoods, ski resorts, the coast --, an effort must also be made to highlight the supreme value of “urban” Inns that in every city around the world so carefully cultivate and cater to business travelers.

“Business district” Inns count endless opportunities to serve business travelers. Ask Mariette and Claude Gagne, The B&B and Country Inn MarketPlace® Brokers, who have sold more Inns and B&Bs than any of us ever have or ever will! These Inn sales professionals can confirm that Inns located in business districts often offer the highest occupancy rates of all! The Gagnes further note: “These business district Inns are busy during weekdays with business travelers and on weekends as well. A B&B or Inn located in a city and near many other businesses, including a University or Hospital, is usually successful if the management is top notch.”

One of the very best Inns that I have ever had the opportunity to enjoy is, in fact, located along the High Plains in Wyoming’s capitol city of Cheyenne – a far cry from the California coast! The astute Innkeeper/owner, Jim Osterfoss, is not one of my clients but, if I were an aspiring Innkeeper looking to purchase an outstanding business Inn/success story, I would have Jim Osterfoss and his Nagle Warren Mansion Bed & Breakfast at the very top of my list. His is an “urban” Inn located in a Rocky Mountain capitol city – an Inn that benefits from the year-round presence of state legislators as well as, in Jim’s case, Warren Air Force Base. Beyond these obvious advantages, the Nagle Warren benefits from an Innkeeper who understands his “urban” location and how to grow an Inn business with the essential ingredient of Internet marketing. His impressive website, The Nagle Warren Mansion, should be thoroughly studied by any aspiring Innkeeper anywhere – but particularly by aspiring “urban” Innkeepers.

During past stays, I have witnessed Jim’s Mansion hosting an impressive array of “Theme Getaway Weekends” and Murder Mystery Dinners attended by fun-loving residents who happily drive from all over Wyoming as well as from next door Nebraska and Colorado – Denver is just a short distance to the south. The Nagle Warren most probably fundamentally benefits by capitalizing on a regional “pent up demand” phenomenon – addressing this “ local need” by hosting delightful romantic getaways to Rocky Mountain residents who are not close to a romantic coast and who may secretly yearn for a seaside sunset! My guess is that, after staying at the Nagle Warren Mansion, “California dreamin’” simply becomes a distant memory!

More importantly, Jim’s Nagle Warren has consistently targeted an international business community by providing meeting planners and business travelers with rooms all equipped with high speed Internet access (with POP 300), 24-hour telephone call attendant and voice messaging, 24-hour business center with fax, copier and computer and an onsite Conference Center that can accommodate up to 30 people! His comprehensive website devotes two pages purely to “Business and Conferences.”

When considering the purchase of an Inn, the LOCATION of the Inn should be key to any acquisition decision. Most probably a day will come in the future when you will want to sell that same Inn. If you have not selected an Inn that enjoys the many benefits offered by a true DESTINATION LOCATION – business or leisure --, you will have a far more difficult time building your Inn business to include the all-important supporting business financials that, in the end, are what serve to attract the most qualified Inn buyers and their all-important commercial lenders.

Your InnMarketing Specialists
Claude & Mariette Gagne

Market your Bed & Breakfast through Word of Mouth

2009-08-28T13:41:00.006-04:00

The most affordable method of advertising a Bed & Breakfast is through positive “Word of Mouth”, which can be achieved by making sure that each departing guest has had the best possible hospitality experience during their stay at your Bed and Breakfast.

Considering that a content B&B guest might tell one other person about their positive experience at your inn while an unhappy B&B guest will tell at least ten people about their negative experience leads to a simple conclusion. Your business needs consistent positive “Word of Mouth” to prosper.

This simple conclusion can easily be forgotten go during peak seasons when innkeepers and their staff are stretching themselves thin to accommodate the guests’ routine lodging needs. During such busy times, the innkeeper should take time out from the daily chores and focus on being host, in terms of guest relations and the art of true hospitality.

While the physical environment and setting of your Bed and Breakfast creates the ambiance and your culinary offerings may answer to the unspoken expectations of your guests, true hospitality can only be delivered by the host’s demeanor, availability, and personal attention given.

The innkeeper’s role as host will always be the key to continued success in the Bed and Breakfast industry. It is what sets Bed and Breakfasts apart from hotels, motels and other lodging environments where little, if any, interaction between guest and management /ownership takes place.

Innkeepers should master the following hospitality basics

• Getting to know the guests and enjoying their company
• Being available at the guests’ convenience, not yours
• Always making the guest(s) the center of attention
• Understanding the fine line between the guest’s need for privacy and their need to be entertained.
• Knowing when to be a raconteur and when to fade in the back ground
• Being knowledgeable of the local history, sights, dining options and customs
• Being an ambassador representing your town and county.

All these basics, properly exercised, will add to the guest’s level of satisfaction and ultimately lead to favorable “Word of Mouth” advertising without any financial cost.

Spending time with guests may at times be even more important that the perfectly set table or crisp ironed sheets on the bed. While striving for perfection, the human interaction trumps all. Getting to know the guests beyond their names and where they come from creates a bond which can only be achieved by relaxed conversation and skillful interaction. Making them feel truly welcome

“Word of Mouth” is more than just verbal communication; much of this “goodwill” is communicated by guests leaving comments in your guestbook, guest’s emails to friends and family, guests’ reviews written on internet directories & blog sites, and even letters written by your guests to magazines and news papers. Such enthusiastic notes, reviews and letters have “legs” on their own; they all add up to a positive image of your inn, attracting new guests.

You can use those quotes and writings successfully as an advertising tool by putting the material on your web site as guests’ testaments or by sharing them with travel writers and other media types looking for stories about guests’ experiences in your inn. No matter how you would represent your bed and breakfast in your own words, those sentiments expressed by guests are far more valuable.

The buzz created by your guests makes your bed and breakfast the “IN” place to stay and helps put your business above the competition.

Therefore making sure that each guest has a positive or, better yet, a superb experience at your inn is probably the most challenging but also the most financially rewarding aspect of the innkeeper’s function.

While the innkeeper has to make a profit in providing hospitality, the truly skilled innkeeper leaves the guests with the notion that they are treasured for whom they are and not for how much money they spent to stay with you.

This week's Blog was contributed by Johannes Tromp, a regular contributor to The B&B and Country Inn MarketPlace® Magazine. Johannes hails from Holland, where he was trained in the classical European manner to be a chef. He immigrated to the USA in 1973, where he started his own catering business. After moving to New York City in 1979 he became director of Catering at the Rainbow Room on top of Rockefeller Center and later became General Manager of the Windows on the World Restaurant complex on top the World Trade Center. He settled in Lancaster, South Carolina in 1998 to oversee the restoration of the Kilburnie Inn at Craig Farm.

Your InnMarketing Specialists

The B&B and Country Inn MarketPlace®
Claude & Mariette Gagne

If you have any comments pertaining to this week's Blog, kindly Email Mariette at innsales@charter.net

Niche Marketing for Bed & Breakfasts

2009-08-21T10:31:00.006-04:00

Niche Marketing

As your InnMarketing Specialists, B&B Marketplace has been reading that a number of industry experts are forecasting a push in coming years towards differentiation in the lodging industry, as travelers demand more choice. Niche marketing is an approach through which that differentiation is achieved. It has the advantage of making a B&B or inn stand out from the competition and eliminates the pressure to lower prices which is the bane of mainstream players.

Developing a niche implies paying close attention to what different groups of consumers are looking for in a lodging experience and identifying an unmet need. For example, among business and pleasure travelers, nearly 50% travel alone. Yet, many lodging establishments give them less consideration than they do to couples and families. Niche players who have been paying close attention to the moans and groans of single travelers are shifting their operations to satisfy their desires: women-only B&B’s, extravagant hotels that appeal to men, etc.

Another important factor in developing a niche market is assessing how widespread is the unmet need. Visiting travel review websites, such as TripAdvisor.com, will provide important clues to what consumers are looking for… and not getting. If you spot a frequently recurring complaint among users of such sites and you can provide the solution, your future is promising.

Don’t overlook other sources of information such as customer satisfaction surveys of your guests, articles published in trade journals and on the web, studies conducted by universities and tourism development agencies, even conversations in elevators. When a staff member overheard pregnant women talking nostalgically about their vacations, the Woodside Hotels and Resorts Group introduced a new product called Babymoon aimed at future mothers looking for one last weekend of pampering before giving birth.

The third key to a lucrative niche is to make sure that your target clientele is accessible, i.e. that you can easily reach it through your various advertising tools, that it is cost effective to serve and that you are conveniently located.

Finally, check out the competition or lack thereof. Ideally, no one player has a stranglehold on the market. But, beware! If there are no competitors, ask yourself why. Have others tried before and failed? What went wrong? Can you use a different approach that will assure you success while, at the same time, making it difficult for your competitors to follow in your tracks?

As for determining who to target, start by looking at yourself. With whom do you have the greatest affinity? Are you concerned about the environment? If so, transforming your B&B into an eco-friendly establishment would certainly fulfill the needs of those who share your concerns, reduce your impact on the environment and lower your operating costs. By targeting those who share your values, life experiences, hobbies, activities, etc. you can offer them highly personalized services because you are better attuned to their needs.

Another area to explore is the emergence of new trends. Society is constantly evolving and what was considered acceptable a decade ago is no longer so today. For example, trans fats are out and unsaturated fats are in, which means meals served at your inn are expected to be cooked with olive, canola or sunflower oil. In fact, as awareness of the obesity epidemic increases, there will be a growing demand for B&B’s and inns that serve truly healthy, freshly prepared meals as opposed to processed foods.

As we enter an era of global warming, consumers increasingly reduce, reuse and recycle at home, and they expect to see the same practices being followed at the lodging establishment where they choose to stay. It won’t be long before we’ll see B&B’s routinely selling carbon offsets.

Other trends include finding destinations where every member of the family benefits (not just the kids), traveling with an emphasis on doing rather than seeing, combining pampering with contributing to the well-being of the local community where they are staying. Finding out all you can about these trends will reveal avenues that you are in a position to exploit.

The last step in developing a niche is to determine the viability of your concept. Begin by surveying your friends, family and preferred guests. Then, seek the opinion of experts at your area economic development agency, college or university where there is a tourism program, consulting firm doing tourism research, etc.

If you and the people whose opinion you trust find that your idea has lots of potential, proceed on a small scale and fine tune as you go along. When you are satisfied that it can’t be made any better, take the plunge and enjoy the ride!

Dominique Lavigueur and Robert Chiasson contributed this blog. They operate Moka & Pyjama, a consulting firm that caters to aspiring and current B&B operators. They also teach and write about many aspects of innkeeping. The couple can be reached at 1-418-452-1132, by e-mail at info@moka-pyjama.com or through their web site.

Your InnMarketing Specialists
Claude & Mariette Gagne
The B&B and Country Inn MarketPlace®

Bed and Breakfast Seminars at Sea

2009-08-14T14:19:00.005-04:00

This is the first blog posted by the The B&B and Country Inn MarketPlace®. We will be posting these informative blogs regularly to keep everyone up to date about new events or marketing ideas that might enhance your B&B profits or help you buy or sell a B&B.

Have you ever cruised or attended our Seminars at Sea?
Get away from your Inn for a week and enjoy yourself cruising the Caribbean on the NCL Pearl. Enjoy a few days of relaxation and learn how to make your Inn more profitable.

On January 9-16, 2010, we will be hosting the 10th Annual Seminars at Sea Cruise on the Norwegian Pearl. January is a generally a slow time for innkeepers and a great time to get away for a few days. You can also bring friends and family along and spend time with them on days in Port. The seminars are held on days the ship is at Sea, and we offer our participants an information-packed agenda.

Seminar leaders will be Sandy Soule and Marie Lanier. Sandy Soule is a well known travel writer/speaker and key member of the Bedandbreakfast.com/Inns.com/RezOvation team. She offers a unique perspective on the B&B industry, derived from her decades of experience as a freelance writer, book author, editor, and Internet pioneer, combined with the fact that she's visited more inns than anyone else in the United States. As the Marketing VP, Sandy is responsible for communicating a wide range of company products and services to both consumers and the innkeeping industry.

Sandy will explain how to sell the value of B&Bs through packaging, PR and promotion, and how to use your Internet presence to effectively convert lookers to bookers.

Marie Lanier is a VP and Marketing Guru at LanierBB.com and TravelGuides.com, publishers of The Complete Guide to Bed and Breakfasts, Inns and Guesthouses International. Marie will be sharing some of her secret social networking and marketing techniques with us. She is young, enthusiastic and a dynamic speaker.

Both of these gals have conducted seminars on past cruises and were highly praised with requests coming in to hear what’s new in technology to help us all make more money.

NCL’s FreeStyle Cruising is the Best!. You don’t have to worry about getting there on time for dinner as NCL does not assign a dining time or a dining-room to its guests. There are several choices for dining and there are also a few up-grade restaurants aboard this beautiful ship. A cocktail party is planned for this group so as Innkeepers can get acquainted and share marketing ideas with each other.

This cruise is a real vacation! No beds to make, no breakfast to prepare or cleaning to do – Fantastic! And best of all you will learn new marketing techniques to help you book more rooms.

Book now for best cabins. 1-800-871-8977 or 1-828-324-7291 ask for Mariette

Email Mariette at innsales@charter.net

www.innmarketing.com/cruise.php

Your InnMarketing Specialists
Claude & Mariette Gagne