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.
 

Online reservations news
Tips of the Month

Innkeeper Comments
How to load rates and availability
Online reservations trends

Online reservations news

Promo for online reservations properties: Every month, BedandBreakfast.com runs a different promotion that features online reservation properties. There is absolutely no extra cost to you for this extra marketing and exposure, so make sure you have inventory loaded to take advantage of these promotions!

Did you know?

• Expedia is by far the largest online travel site in the world, with 60 million visitors each month.

• Expedia has more than 18 different sites all across the world, including Canada, Mexico, Asia, and Europe.

• hotels.com has a tab on its homepage exclusively for B&Bs and condos.

• hotels.com has over 50 affiliate sites worldwide; your property will be included on all of them.

• Expedia owns Hotwire.com, Smartertravel.com, bookingbuddy.com, independenttraveler.com and venere.com.

• If you are looking to increase reservations from international travelers, this is the way to do it.

• When you participate in BedandBreakfast.com Online Reservations, you are bookable on all these websites, and many more:

Load inventory to get more bookings: Travelers are now making plans for 2009. Remember to put more inventory in the system now before you forget! With this shaky economy, you don't want to miss out on any reservations! Make sure that travelers have the chance to book with you when they search for available accommodations. Don't forget that you can always load inventory for up to two years in advance.

Click here for step-by-step instructions for loading inventory, or have us do it for you! Contact 800-462-2632 extension 4 or Reservations@BedandBreakfast.com.

More options for you: BedandBreakfast.com now offers two pricing options for the Online Reservations program:

• NEW! 25% option – Properties have been asking for a lower rate on this program for some time, and we listened! Properties can now offer net rates that are 25% (instead of the usual 30%) below their retail rates. BedandBreakfast.com marks the room back up and sells it at the property’s normal retail rate. Minimum inventory allotments required.

• 30% option – Properties can offer their rates at 30% below their retail rates. BedandBreakfast.com and our partner sites mark the room back up to the property’s normal retail rate and attempt to sell it. When we do, the property receives 70% of the value of the reservation. No minimum inventory allotment required.

Questions? Click here for Online Reservations information, or contact us at 800-GO-B-AND-B (800-462-2632) ext. 4 or Reservations@BedandBreakfast.com.
 

Tips of the Month
Put your best foot forward with excellent photography: Are the photos on your listing clear, large, well-lit and up-to-date? Please upload your high resolution images, and we will send them to Expedia and hotels.com. If guests tell you that your photos don't do your inn justice, you are missing out on guests every day. If you would like to get professional pictures taken and need a photographer, contact us. We have a list of recommended inn photographers.

Remember that Platinum members get 25 photos, Gold members get 15 photos, Silver members get 10 photos, and Bronze members get one.

Which room would you rather book?
 

Update your availability now: Take a few minutes to update your availability and enter inventory covering you through 2009. Thousands of availability searches are being made daily for dates throughout 2009, and guests are currently booking reservations through BedandBreakfast.com and our partner sites for every month of the coming year. Don’t miss out! By getting rates and inventory in the system now, you’ll be able to capture any early bookings.

How to increase extended reservations:
One innkeeper told us this: "We handle and respond to every reservation personally, even if it's made online. Every reservation is provided with a sample four-day itinerary of activities and sites in the area. This alone has added another night or two to many reservations -- and since the additional nights are booked directly with us, they are commission-free!"

Be sure your future guests know that there is so much to do in your area, a one-night stay is not long enough!

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
“We are so grateful for all the bookings we get though you guys. You are keeping us fed and our two girls in college!” -- Cathy Cowern, Hale Kua Guests, Lawai, HI

"When we surveyed our guests asking which enhancements to our website would be the most appreciated, real-time reservations was the No. 1 request. In response, we have changed from RezOvation Desktop and a lag-time availability calendar to RezOvation GT and BedandBreakfast.com Online Reservations. We had great support from the Rezo team converting our system and are happy to be able to meet the desires of our guests!" -- Amy & Dan, Ho’oilo House

"I am very pleased with BedandBreakfast.com Online Reservations and used it frequently, especially in the summer months. It makes for a seamless booking system and saves valuable time on the telephone." -- Suzan Bazon, Bluecrest Bed and Breakfast, Niagara Falls, ON

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.

How to load rates and availability

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.

Online reservations trends
Revenue management can make up for lower occupancy: The value of hotel revenue management (RM) does not diminish when room occupancy falls. “During low occupancy periods, some hotel management teams mistakenly view RM as a low priority activity. However, it is precisely during these challenging times that hotel professionals should be looking under the hood, and asking questions regarding the methods and the data used to manage hotel pricing and customer mix. Hotel teams should rely on RM processes to enable responsive sales, marketing, cost containment and pricing decisions that work in today’s economy.

“Case studies have shown that 4% to 12% improvements in RevPAR are achievable with effective RM processes. Recently, one large property that implemented a revised RM strategy during a 5% decline in demand still experienced a RevPAR increase of this magnitude. Since a single digit increase in RevPAR can easily translate to double digit increases in gross operating profit, RM’s value during this period should never be ignored.” Click here to read about four activities to maximize the contribution of RM processes to your profitability during this economic downturn.
 

Travelers will be getting lots of deals in 2009: A recent survey by Travel Leaders reveals that for 2009, “wallet-watching travelers will be taking fewer trips, waiting longer to book them in hopes of a deal and downscaling vacations. Vegas is the No. 1 U.S. destination Americans are booking (as it was last year), the survey says, followed by Orlando. Perhaps fueled by Obama fever, the Abraham Lincoln bicentennial and a Harry Potter exhibit at the Museum of Science and Industry, Chicago (No. 10) is in the top 10 for the first time in years.

"Internationally, Caribbean cruises rule yet again, but dollar-stretching Mexico has five destinations in the top 10: Cancun, No. 2; Riviera Maya, No. 3; Puerto Vallarta, No. 4; Cabo San Lucas/Los Cabos, No. 9; and Mexican cruises (tied for No. 10). Jamaica is also getting lots of attending."

One travel agent says that well-heeled travelers are downgrading, while another says that the wealthy are still traveling and looking to take a break, particularly to England now that they dollar is better vs. the pound. Morocco and South America are also popular destinations.

"Other findings in the survey:

• 90.5% say customers are cutting back on travel compared with the same period last year.
• 57.4% say clients are cutting back on the length of their trips.
• 31.5% say airfares on 2009 corporate bookings are equal to or lower than those in 2008.
• 81.6% say clients are trading down when it comes to hotels.
• 84.3% recommend Mexico as the best value outside the USA, followed by cruises (61.1%) and the Caribbean (43.9%). Agents were asked to pick up to three places.
• Despite the rise of the dollar against the euro and pound, 77% say bookings to Europe are even or down for 2009.
• 71% say travelers are saving money by staying at all-inclusive resorts; 75.7% say vacationers are being more flexible with travel dates to get better prices."