Online Reservations

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

We've added Travelocity to our list of partners! B&Bs in the Online Reservations program will be bookable on Travelocity and its affiliate sites this fall. You'll be getting more exposure with no extra effort.

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!

Not participating in the program? Join the nearly 1,600 inns who are opening their doors to the world. Sign up today!

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:

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 — Tips for Selling Your Rooms

Early and last-minute bookings: Increase your chances of getting advance purchase and last-minute bookings through BedandBreakfast.com and the globally reaching partner sites on which your property is displayed.

1. Maximize your opportunities by loading inventory through 2010 now.
2. Analyze your bookings early in the week for the coming weekend. Open up your rooms if the upcoming weekend is not booking up well as you had expected.
3. Offer travelers a choice. If you only have one room available in our system, try adding another room for variety to give travelers some different price points.

Maximize rate opportunities: If you have a standard daily rate and do not adjust for slower midweek periods and/or higher peak periods, consider lowering midweek rates to try to fill those empty days, as well as maximizing your revenues during peak periods you know will sell out.

Minimize restrictions: Do you have a minimum-night stay restriction? If you’re not full, consider reducing or eliminating your minimum-night stay requirement as the date gets closer.

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 year. Don’t miss out! By getting rates and inventory in the system now, you’ll be able to capture any early bookings. Remember 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.

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!

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

Online travel gains as Americans hunt for travel bargains: According to the comScore analysis, travel sites experienced seasonal gains in February sparked by spring travel planning. The Online Travel Agents category grew 1to 39.5 million visitors, led by Expedia, Inc. with nearly 23 million visitors.

Orbitz Worldwide ranked second with nearly 14 million visitors, followed by Priceline.com Inc. with 9.7 million visitors.

Kayak launches new iPhone application: “iPhone users can search more than 200 travel sites for rates and availability for flights and hotels from anywhere in the world. Once the user makes a decision, Kayak.com will offer a choice of where to buy—directly from the supplier or from an online travel agency—and send the user directly to that site to make a purchase. The application, now available in the iTunes App Store, is free for all users. The Kayak.com iPhone application can also find a hotel room from the site’s extensive database of more than 200,000 accommodations. Consumers can sort results by “cheap” to search by price, “close” to find a hotel near the airport or “classy” to filter by star rating.