Promoting the Industry

Our goal is to generate great publicity for BedandBreakfast.com members specifically, and for the B&B industry as a whole. In this issue we cover:

Upcoming Publicity for BedandBreakfast.com members
Ask the Pros
Let's Hear it from Innkeepers
Recent Media Coverage

Current and Upcoming Publicity: January and February
BedandBreakfast.com’s publicity focus has been on Green Getaways, Eco-Escapes and BedandBreakfast.com’s Fifth Annual Tanks a Lot promotion. Click on the headlines below to read the releases created for March:

3/27/2008
RECESSION-PROOF YOUR SUMMER VACATION WITH B&Bs
B&Bs offer extra incentives through BedandBreakfast.com special promotions, plus free breakfasts, local phone calls, snacks, wi-fi, and great insider advice that can save you a bundle

3/18/2008
FOR EARTH DAY, BEDANDBREAKFAST.COM SALUTES ECO-FRIENDLY INNS
Top 10 Eco-Friendly Inns Go Beyond Recycling Without Sacrificing Luxury

3/14/2008
AS GAS PRICES HIT RECORD HIGHS, BEDANDBREAKFAST.COM MEMBERS SAY "TANKS A LOT" WITH FREE GAS FOR B&B TRAVELERS

3/3/2008
THIS ST. PADDY'S DAY, B&Bs TAKE THE GREEN THEME BEYOND LEPRECHAUNS: Enjoy an eco-escape where Patty O'Furniture comes from recycled plastic and rocks are not sham

Hat’s off to innkeepers who posted Tanks a Lot! offers on BedandBreakfast.com. Now in its fifth year, a record 150 offers were made by innkeepers in the U.S., Canada and Caribbean islands, making this BedandBreakfast.com’s most successful promotion.

Coming up next month: We’ll turn our focus to spring gardening getaways and summer travel in the upcoming months. We’re looking for information on the following topics for upcoming releases:

Let’s Get Dirty! We’re looking for spring gardening packages where guests can “get down and dirty” and participate in gardening at inns. Perhaps you offer a workshop in organic gardening, perennial, cutting, or herb gardens, or even a cooking school featuring garden-fresh produce; if so, we want to hear about it.

With all the interest in eco-tourism, create or share packages designed to attract guests interested in such environmentally friendly getaways as the art of composting, creating a sustainable garden, etc. We may include some garden tours in this release too, so please post all your gardening-oriented packages under Getaways for Gardeners on BedandBreakfast.com’s Specials pages. We especially need a few more from the Midwest, Southwest and Western states to write a balanced press release. We hope to feature all posted specials, so be sure to post your Getaway for Gardeners in the Specials section today.

Mother’s Day: BedandBreakfast.com plans a few releases centered around a Mother’s Day theme. Be sure to add your packages into the Specials section under the Mother’s Day theme, as we will be sending media there for Mother’s Day stories. Don’t forget, the more creative, the more interest from both consumers and the media!

To add specials: Click here to go to your Home Base on BedandBreakfast.com, then click the Specials link to add your packages. Be sure to include all relevant information including rates, validity dates, whether children/pets are welcome, and the costs. (Silver-level members and above may post specials; simply log in with your Property ID and password. Select Specials from the table in your Home Base. Enter appropriate offers for Getaways for Gardeners. Bronze member? Please click here to upgrade. Not yet a member? Join today!

Ask the Pros: Recently I received this email: “Please see our very unique and beautiful B&B at www.peaceandfaithbedandbreakfast.com. I don't know how to get media coverage, but our place is worth looking at.” – Deborah Benton, Peace and Faith Family B&B, Rogers, AR

A: I thought it might be a good idea to share some tips for capturing PR with all BedandBreakfast.com members.

My best suggestion is to consult the Innkeepers Resource Library, BedandBreakfast.com’s virtual classroom for innkeepers, with a wealth of articles written by B&B experts, along with entertaining comments from innkeepers, humorous stories about innkeeping, and book reviews. BedandBreakfast.com’s Innkeepers Resource Library offers an archive of years of advice and stories featured in the Innkeeper News.

To answer the question of how to tackle publicity, read some of these articles posted in the Innkeepers Resource Library (click on the links below and scroll down to the Ask the Pros section):

Let’s Hear it from Innkeepers
”No one in the industry quite believes me when I say that February ‘08 will be our highest occupancy month since we opened last June because of the publicity we received through BedandBreakfast.com for our ‘Passage to Freedom’ Black History Month special. In fact, the response to the media coverage was so great that we decided to extend the special into March. BedandBreakfast.com not only encourages creative marketing, but promotes our efforts as well. As new innkeepers, we frankly couldn’t have a better industry partner!” - Paulette Lee, Owner, Passages Inn, Gettysburg

“Bedandbreakfast.com is by far the BEST source of advertising and promotion for us and we are thankful for your service and help whenever we need it. Thank you all for everything you do to help us and the industry. “ - Kristan Sagliocco, Kings Inn Bed & Breakfast, Summerville, SC

“Of all the honors we have ever received, being included in your Eco-Friendly Inns makes me as happy as any we have ever received. I can’t remember ever not trying to save the world, but having the world join us is great. Thank you so much.” - Chloe G. Tuttle, Big Mill Inn, Williamston, NC

Recent BedandBreakfast.com Media Coverage
Hats off to Pancakes with Personality® Winner Joanne Nichols of the Arbor Inn in Rye, NH, and runner-up Cyndi Cobb from the Colby Hill Inn. In addition to print and radio coverage, the contest was featured in February on the well-known ABC-TV program, Boston Chronicle on February 27, 2008. Click here to see the video of the “Flapjack Face-off.”

Kadoz.com included BedandBreakfast.com’s gift cards as a suggestion in their blog saying, “This is a great idea for a last minute Valentine’s Day Gift. Fast and easy, yet thoughtful and surprising. You can personalize the gift card with your own picture and receive it the same day via email.”

Kiplinger.com, the trusted site for business forecasts, included BedandBreakfast.com recently in an article about 15 budget-friendly ways to get away without breaking the bank. The story mentioned “A great place to find deals on a bed and breakfast getaway: Sign up for free weekly e-mails from BedandBreakfast.com. Every Wednesday, you'll receive a list of places offering deals of 20% or more off regular rates for the upcoming weekend in the city, state or region you prefer to visit. We recently spotted offers as high as 70% off on the site.”

BedandBreakfast.com named the Top 10 Eco-Friendly Inns, and immediately the media began publicizing those named on the list. This story about King’s Inn appeared in the Charleston Post Courier.

And just to show that a good story never dies, Chez Sven was recently featured in The Green Guide which mentioned they were included in BedandBreakfast.com’s Top 10 Eco-Friendly Inns in 2007.

BedandBreakfast.com’s St Patrick’s Day release highlighting Green Getaways was picked up by Yahoo! and AOL Money along with newspapers including the Austin American-Statesman, Seattle Post Intelligencer and Los Angeles Times.

BedandBreakfast.com’s press release outlining all the Tanks a Lot offers was picked up by media throughout the country including Earth Times, Houston Chronicle, Dallas Business Journal, Yahoo! Finance and AOL Money.

This Month's Sponsor

Gift Card Reseller Program

Could you use some extra cash? Sign up for the gift card reseller program, and make 10% on each sale! There is no cost to get started; click here for details. If you'd like to receive a free reseller kit, contact us at 800-462-2632 or Support@BedandBreakfast.com.

“I have purchased weekends at B&Bs for friends before and had to contact the place and make arrangements for a gift certificate of some sort. This way my friends can select the location they want and when they want to go. I will tell others about this great service!”

Referral Program

What’s better than three month’s free membership? How about six months? Or a whole year? Refer fellow innkeepers to BedandBreakfast.com, and if they join at the Silver level or above, your membership will be extended by three months for each B&B that signs up. If four B&Bs sign up, your membership is free for a year! For details, log in to your Home Base and click Referral Program under Free Member Benefits, or call 800-GO-B-AND-B (800-462-2632).

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