Online reservations continue to increase in importance as more and more consumers demand real-time, instant reservations. This page will keep you up to date on industry trends and online reservation news; if you'd like us to address a particular topic, don’t hesitate to contact us.
 

Tips of the Month

Innkeeper Comments
Online Reservation Trends

Tips of the Month

• Make sure that all your room descriptions have photos attached to them. Photos are much more enticing to a potential guest than reading lots of copy. Log in to your Home Base and click Room Descriptions. Make sure your room descriptions are well-written and inviting. We know that people usually don't read, so if they do, make it worth their while! Allow them to picture themselves relaxing in your rooms. Need help writing your description? Contact your membership consultant at Support@BedandBreakfast.com or 800-462-2632.

• Depending on where you live, travelers are looking to escape the snow, or find it for some skiing! Either way, consumers are looking for accommodations for getaways. Do you have inventory loaded so they can book with you? Please add rooms to the system to cover the next few months.

• Do you have a room that never sells? A last-minute cancellation? Load  it into the online reservations program, and see what happens! Log in, and click the Online Reservations Manager button to load your rooms.

• Concerned about the commission? There are many reasons why 30% is not always 30%:

• BedandBreakfast.com pays credit card fees of 2%-4% depending on the merchant, thus reducing the commission rate to 26%-28%.

• Extended stays are commission-free.

• When someone books, gets to your property and decides to upgrade their room, the upgrade is commission-free.

• The commission is a one-time cost of acquisition. A traveler may find you via online reservations, but on repeat visits, they most likely will book directly with you.

• Many people will see your property on Expedia, and then call you to book directly. Feedback Research says that happens 73% of the time, while Forrester Research says that happens 40% of the time.

• With only 4% of the traveling public having stayed at a B&B, the majority of people look to general travel sites like Expedia when they are looking for a place to stay. Harnessing the major marketing power of Expedia will bring you first-time B&B guests, both directly as well as via Expedia and our other partner sites.
  
  

If you have questions or would like a free online reservations consultation, contact Online Reservations Support at 800-GO-B-AND-B (800-462-2632), extension 4; 512-322-2700, extension 4 or Reservations@BedandBreakfast.com.

Innkeeper comments
"My vacancy sign is collecting dust in the closet this season thanks to the online reservation program!”
- Karen Morella, Serendipity Bed & Breakfast, Ocean City, NJ

“The best thing I have done for my business is to use the online reservations service. I know that the commission may appear to be high, but I have more than doubled my bookings. People now can call us to make a reservation or go to BedandBreakfast.com to make a secure reservation. I advise all B&B owners to use this service; it makes common sense. I thank BedandBreakfast.com for helping improve my business.”
- Gary Dotterman, Casa do Zequita B&B, Boston, MA

If you'd like to start getting more exposure via Expedia and hotels.com, sign up today for BedandBreakfast.com Online Reservations! Getting set up is quick and easy, and you'll receive a one-on-one training session to learn the program.



Are you a part of the program but are not getting the exposure you had hoped for? Make sure you have availability loaded into the system.

Adding more rates and room availability is easy! Just take five minutes to log in and enter your rates and inventory into the Online Reservations Manager by following these simple steps:

1. Log into your Home Base, then click the green Online Reservations Manager button.

2. Scroll over the Rates/Availability tab and from the dropdown menu, click the room type you want to add to.

3. Click on the Add/Edit Range button; always click Set New, even if you're entering the same rate you previously had. Make sure that when you're entering your rate, you click on the blue calculator button to enter it. This will calculate your Net Rate for you.

4. Availability: Always click Set New here as well, even if you're entering the same number as before. Please enter the number of rooms of this type that are available. Set any min/max stays you may have, and choose a date range for the change. If you only want to enter these rates for the weekdays, make sure to uncheck the weekends, and vice versa.

5. Last, click on the Save Changes button; then remember to blackout any dates that are currently booked to avoid any potential double bookings.

It's that easy! If you have any questions or need assistance loading more inventory, please let us know. We are happy to help you load more room inventory right over the phone. Call us Monday - Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. CST at 800-462-2632 extension 4.

Trends in Online Reservations