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Why a Booking Engine on your Website is Vitally Important for B&Bs

Here are some reasons why instant online booking capability on a Bed & Breakfast’s website is vitally important:

  1. B&B’s can offer incentive pricing for direct booking on their website versus OTAs.
  2. Encourages international guests, and can actually increase the diversity of guest demographics.
  3. Helps capture reservations from potential guests that would otherwise leave the website and search elsewhere (the fact is, most guests are searching multiple accommodations on the internet, and just don’t want to waste time emailing or calling).
  4. A well-integrated Booking Engine raises the credibility bar for a B&B.  Properties using freebee booking buttons, old style email request forms, or PayPal-style payment buttons are often perceived by guests as amateurish or “low-budget”.  This is a perception that, rightly or wrongly, reflects how well the B&B manages their accommodations.
  5. The importance of collecting deposits online with a booking cannot be overlooked.  Most free booking buttons don’t offer this.  Additionally, a well-established Booking Engine that can verify customer credit cards, and handle collections in multiple currencies is important, particularly in many regions.  Many international guests will not be able to book if their cards are being declined by second-rate providers and merchant accounts.  Most innkeepers don’t know that even PayPal restricts payments from cardholders in many countries.  These are questions that all innkeepers should be asking when selecting a Booking Engine provider.

So, if you are an innkeeper or manager of a small hotel, consider how online booking capability may enhance your business.  Ask questions, and consider several providers before selecting one that’s right for you.

For some ideas on how BedBreakfastTraveler.com (Instant World Booking) can improve your website with a Booking Engine, visit:

http://bedbreakfasttraveler.com/booking-engine.php

 

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Hurricane Sandy forum introduced by PAII

PAII CEO, Jay Karen and Lisa Kolb, owner of Acorn Internet Services, met at the Washington B&B Guild Annual Meeting earlier this week. Due to the impact of Hurricane Sandy and the relatively little information we’ve been hearing about impacted B&Bs and inns, the two thought a more public-access information sharing site would be helpful.

From that discussion, PAII has since created a public forum for the innkeeping industry to post any innkeeper needs, as well as offerings of help those affected. This forum is the place to go to post any requests for assistance or awareness of the need for assistance of your peers on the East coast, and to offer help in whatever way you can.  Some examples of needs might be finding places for guests who had reservations at now-closed B&Bs, knowledge of any trouble getting a response from insurance carriers, supplies, places for weary innkeepers to stay or relax, etc.

Visit www.innkeeping.org/sandy and you’ll see the Hurricane Sandy forum. Once inside the forum, use the two conversations to post your information.  Thanks for any help you can offer.

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How to Properly Interact with Facebook Fan Pages

We all know that social media interaction works well for small businesses and tourism and bed & breakfast hotels in particular.  But how does the whole “Like” system work?  And what is the best method of socially interacting with Facebook?

For those asking for clarification on exactly how the “LIKE” procedure should go, here it is. We’ve found that this procedure works best, and is fast when trying to like multiple pages:

1) Log in as your personal page.

2) Go to the facebook fan page you want to like.

3) Click the like button (this increments the like count since you are logged as your personal profile).

4) Click the little down arrow in the upper right corner of your window, and switch to “Use facebook as” your business page.

5) Click the backspace button. This takes you back to the fan page you are liking.

6) Click the like button again. This likes the page as your business page, which has the benefit of allowing you to comment on and continue interaction with the page in the future (Don’t underestimate the value of this step).

7) Now, post a comment on the page you have just liked. This has the benefit of leaving a link back to your facebook page on the timeline of the liked page.

Again, don’t underestimate the value of steps 6 and 7 when it comes to social media interaction. Step 6 allows you to follow the page on your business profile and continue interaction in the future. Step 7 allows you to place a comment and link to your facebook page on the liked page. This means that every person who has liked that page (perhaps hundreds) has the potential to now see your comment and your link in their newsfeed. Since you already liked the page in step 6, you will be able to track and return to that page again in the future to leave further comments, and of course your link.

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Praise for Britain and Ireland Bed & Breakfasts

As part of an introduction to Europe’s bed and breakfast accommodation, travel specialist Rick Steves recently had some very positive things to say about UK & Ireland B&Bs in the Seattle Times.

An obvious fan, Steves begins by giving a warm impression of B&Bs in general and makes a number of pertinent observations: “While B&Bs often lack the conveniences of a hotel — such as fancy lobbies, restaurants, and in-room phones — I happily make the trade-off for the personal touches that they do offer, whether it’s joining my hosts for tea in the afternoon or relaxing by a common fireplace at the end of the day. […] But even though B&Bs are family-run, it doesn’t mean you have to feel pressure to become ‘part of the family.’ Chatty friendliness is not forced on guests. Depending on my mood and workload, I am often very business-like and private during my stay. On other occasions, I join the children in the barn for the sheep-shearing festivities.”

Read More

Book Bed and Breakfasts

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BedandBreakfast.com, Rezovation, and Webervations Raise Prices

BedandBreakfast.com, Rezovation, and Webervations have raised prices again.  Upon recently visiting their websites to update our analysis of comparative pricing, we discovered that another wave of price increases have been rolled out in the last 6 months.  But don’t take our word for it, visit their websites for yourself.

BedandBreakfast.com for example now charges about $433 per year for a “Silver” membership.  This is up about 8.5% from last year’s price.  Apparently BedandBreakfast.com, which was bought up by a vacation site holding company called Homeaway in 2010, believes that their hold on the North American B&B industry demands more value.  Their increase in pricing seems to ignore the fact that many specialty bed and breakfast directories (BedBreakfastTraveler.com included) still offer B&B memberships for free.

This is not to say that BedandBreakfast.com doesn’t offer value for their price.  For example, the price you pay enables a B&B hotel to participate in BedandBreakfast.com’s online reservation system.  This is a system that will charge a B&B an additional 25% commission (on top of the membership price) to publish their availability on the BedandBreakfast.com-owned sites, as well as Expedia, Hotels.com, Travelocity, and a selection of others.

So, Bedandbreakfast.com does offer some value for B&B’s who absolutely want exposure to Expedia, Hotel.com, and other premium sites.  But is 25% too high a price to pay (we didn’t mention that they charge 30% to some properties, depending on the specifics of their arrangement).  Consider BedBreakfastTraveler.com’s new IWB Channel Manager service (presented by Instant World Booking).  With  a free membership at BedBreakfastTraveler.com, B&B’s have access to join IWB Channel Manager, which offers connections to Expedia.com, Hotels.com, Booking.com, Travelocity.com, and others for a total commission rate of only 18% (compare to BedandBreakfast.com’s 25% – 30% commission).  Assuming an average reservation value of $200 and about 60 reservations per year (conservative assumptions), after considering all membership fees, commissions, etc., BedBreakfastTraveler.com comes in at savings of about 31% versus a BedandBreakfast.com Silver membership, or about $1,260 in the first year.  Quite significant savings indeed.

What about Rezovation and Webervations?  Well, Webervations have now increased their pricing for the smallest B&Bs by 11% – 18% over last year’s prices.  This is really quite a substantial increase in a down economic cycle.  But, let’s consider Rezovation, which now offers a more full service set of options.  Prices for Rezovation GT Basic software increased between 20% – 33% in the range of property sizes between 1 and 19 rooms.  A price increase of 33% represents an increase of a full third of last year’s cost.   The Rezovation GT Online product, and online offering which starts at a higher price than Rezovation GT, now has prices between 13% – 20% higher than last year, also substantial increases.

Rezovation has a rather dominant market position, and perhaps their price increases reflect this.  But, considering that a B&B with 5 rooms may now pay $90 per month for Rezovation GT Online (or a 15 room B&B $130 per month), is this still a positive value proposition.  Sleek alternatives like IWBFrontDesk.com will cost only $16 per month for the same property ($28 for the 15 room property), a significant savings pocketed.  But, what about Rezovation’s built in service suite, including a website Booking Engine.  Well, BedBreakfastTraveler.com can bundle Booking Engine with IWBFrontDesk.com, essentially the same product set as Rezovation GT Online, and still save up to about 60% of the cost a user would pay for Rezovation GT Online (as much as $1,000 savings per year given the assumptions above, for a 15 room B&B).

When it comes to Channel Management, Rezovation offers connection to the GDS or BedandBreakfast.com’s third party website connections (like Expedia).  The GDS connectivity will cost $649 just to get the process started, and then there are ongoing 15% commissions, $15.50 per reservation, and $250 per year after the first year.  If this sounds expensive, it is.  The connection to BedandBreakfast.com’s online reservations may be cheaper for some B&Bs.  But, as mentioned above, with commissions of 25% – 30%, this is still quite an expensive undertaking.   This is why BedBreakfastTraveler.com can bundle GDS connectivity, or connectivity to Expedia.com, Hotels.com, Booking.com, Travelocity.com (or about a hundred other choices), right into the IWBFrontDesk.com solution.  So, an end to end solution including property management system, booking engine for your website, and channel management, can save you $1,000 or $2,000 every year versus Rezovation’s and BedandBreakfast.com’s new pricing.

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A Gift for New Year’s – IWB Channel Manager

We have a New Year’s gift for you. We now offer channel management to our members.

This means you only have to manage your calendar once, and you can update all your booking sites. The advantage is incredible time savings and convenience. Eliminate many hours of work each month in managing calendars on multiple websites.

Even more incredible are the savings. BedBreakfastTraveler.com (Instant World Booking) is well known for providing services at a cost much cheaper than the competition. For less than $ 14 per month, submit your calendar to dozens of booking sites. At a price this low, there’s nothing to lose. Try it today.

Want to learn more about getting started? It’s easy. Just log in to your profile at our website. Then proceed to the Channel Manager page.

Manage your calendar on B&B booking networks, and sites specializing in small hotels and inns.  These sites are included in our base price.  What about major sites like Expedia, Booking.com, Hotels.com, Travelocity, Priceline, and others?  Yes, you can publish for bookings on these sites as well.  In fact, Channel Manager enables you to submit your property and availability to more than 500 booking sites, including the Global Distribution System (GDS).

Don’t waste time with multiple calendars on multiple websites. Save money and get the exposure you really need. Log in at our website and sign up today.

To get started, simply log into your accommodation profile at our website. Then proceed to the Channel Manager page. If you’re not yet listed with HostelTraveler.com, list for free at:

Add your bed & breakfast for free

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A Cheaper Alternative for Property Management Systems

Introducing IWBFrontDesk.com, a cheaper alternative for property management

IWBFrontDesk is a new property management system with one major advantage: Savings of 30% to 75% versus competing services. With prices so low, why not begin saving today?

Get a free 30-day trial, available only to Instant World Booking members. Contact us for the promo code to enter when you sign up at:

http://www.iwbfrontdesk.com

IWBFrontDesk offers all the features you need to manage your front desk. Engineered as an alternative to products like RezOvation, Webervations, SuperInn, Resnexus, Hostel Power, HostelMate, etc., IWBFrontDesk is easier to use, and saves you money. This special opportunity for a free demo is only available for a limited time. Sign in today to get your 30-day free trial.

If you’re not already a member of BedBreakfastTraveler.com (Instant World Booking), sign up for free here:

http://www.bedbreakfasttraveler.com/listings/add_property.php

Questions? info@instantworldbooking.com

 

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La introducción de IWBFrontDesk.com, una alternativa más barata para la gestión de la propiedad

IWBFrontDesk es un sistema de administración de propiedades nuevas con una gran ventaja: ahorro de 30% a 75% en comparación con los servicios de la competencia. Con los precios tan bajos, ¿por qué no comenzar a ahorrar hoy?

Obtenga una prueba gratuita de 30 días, disponible sólo para miembros Instant World Booking. Introduzca el código de promoción cuando te registras en:

http://www.iwbfrontdesk.com

IWBFrontDesk ofrece todas las características que usted necesita para administrar su recepción. Diseñada como una alternativa a los productos como RezOvation, Webervations, SuperInn, Resnexus, Power Hostel, HostelMate, etc, IWBFrontDesk es más fácil de usar, y le ahorra dinero. Esta oportunidad especial para una demostración gratuita sólo está disponible por un tiempo limitado. Regístrate hoy para recibir sus 30 días de prueba gratuita.

Si aún no eres miembro de BedBreakfastTraveler.com (Instant World Booking), registrarse de forma gratuita en:

http://www.bedbreakfasttraveler.com/listings/add_property.php

¿Preguntas? info@instantworldbooking.com

 

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L’introduzione di IWBFrontDesk.com, un’alternativa più economica per la gestione della proprietà

IWBFrontDesk è un nuovo sistema di gestione immobiliare con un grande vantaggio: risparmio del 30% al 75% rispetto a servizi concorrenti. Con prezzi così bassi, perché non iniziare a salvare oggi?

Gratuitamente per 30 giorni di prova, disponibile solo ai membri Instant World Booking. Inserisci il codice promozionale  quando ti iscrivi a:

http://www.iwbfrontdesk.com

IWBFrontDesk offre tutte le funzioni necessarie per gestire le reception. Progettata come alternativa a prodotti come RezOvation, Webervations, SuperInn, Resnexus, Potenza Hostel, HostelMate, ecc, IWBFrontDesk è più facile da usare, e consente di risparmiare denaro. Questa speciale opportunità per una demo gratuita è disponibile solo per un tempo limitato. Registrati oggi per ottenere la vostra di 30 giorni di prova gratuita.

Se non sei già un utente di BedBreakfastTraveler.com (Instant World Booking), iscriviti gratuitamente qui:

http://www.bedbreakfasttraveler.com/listings/add_property.php

Domande? info@instantworldbooking.com
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Property Management System for Bed & Breakfasts

Get your Demo today

Engineered as an alternative to products like RezOvation ®, Webervations ®, SuperInn, Resnexus ®, Hostel Power, HostelMate, etc., IWBFrontDesk has one major advantage: lower cost.  In our last article, we showed price comparisons indicating savings of 30% to 75%+ versus many of the most popular PMS providers.  Now, for complete details, pricing, and to get started with your free trial, please go to:

www.IWBFrontDesk.com

IWBFrontDesk offers all the features you would expect from a property management system (PMS), and much more.

  • Availability Calendar Management
  • Guest Management
  • Reservation Management
  • Accounting and Reporting
  • Billing Statements
  • Fully online solution (no backups or software updates needed)
  • Attractive, Uncluttered, and Effortless Interface
  • Full Customer Support

Your IWBFrontDesk free trial features no setup fees, and hassle-free startup.  In just minutes you can begin loading your rooms, calendar, and start taking reservations.

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New Booking Engines, Lower Prices for 2011

Following is a letter published to our fellow members of the Professional Association of Innkeepers International (paii.org):

We wish to introduce to you our new Booking Engines (Online Reservation System) for 2011.  They’re available right now!  BedBreakfastTraveler.com (Instant World Booking) believes that this announcement is quite timely.  Economic conditions in North America, and for the B&B industry as a whole, are still quite lackluster, despite earlier forecasts.  Like you, we feel that internet technology should not only make our lives easier, but also save money … and lots of it.  Instant World Booking has introduced a pricing model for Booking Engines that does just that.

In short, BedBreakfastTraveler.com (Instant World Booking) guarantees you a much lower cost for your website’s booking engine than your current provider.

And what’s more, you even choose the way you want to pay: commission pricing, monthly cost, per-transaction cost, etc.  We can customize a pricing plan to meet your specific needs, as well as reduce your costs.  You choose the pricing model that’s best for you.  What really matters is — you’ll be saving money.

For years now, we’ve been reading our competitors’ websites and blog posts explaining their cost structure.  You’ve probably seen some of these articles, trying to justify commission costs of 25% – 30% for online reservation programs.  And, if you use a competing Booking Engine for your website, you may be paying from $50 per month (that’s the absolute lowest) up to $300 or more per month, plus a commission for every reservation.  And, then there’s the setup fee (as high as $999), and plenty of restrictions on how much availability you need to allocate to avoid higher costs.

If there’s any one message I want to get across here:  Please Don’t Overpay!  It’s no wonder that in the last year, some of these competing providers have been bought out by major corporations or conglomerates.  This has been widely publicized in the news.  Let’s just see which direction their prices go in the next year.

There’s no secret to why BedBreakfastTraveler.com (Instant World Booking) can offer the same, and better, services for a much lower cost.  We’ve been developing better Booking Engines and online marketing services for close to a decade.  And, we’re passing on the savings of our smart solutions to you.

Check out a demo of our Booking Engine for your website here:

http://www.bedbreakfasttraveler.com/booking-engine.php

Then, contact us and tell us how much you pay for your current solution.  We guarantee a lower cost, and you can even get set up for free in just 24-48 hours.

Check out our blog for more innkeepers’ intelligence, and get the real breakdown of pricing for some of our most popular competitors:

http://www.bedbreakfasttraveler.com/blog_bb/category/business-intelligence/

Even if you’re not in the market for a new Booking Engine just yet, list your property with BedBreakfastTraveler.com today for free.  You get 15+ pages of web-optimized, translated content about your B&B (we translate your B&B descriptions for you).  This comes complete with custom searchable maps and extras.  This is an unprecedented value.

http://www.bedbreakfasttraveler.com/listings/add_property.php

Thank you for your valuable time.  I promise you that, after spending a couple of minutes checking out our Booking Engine demos, you’ll be saving a lot of money in 2011.

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