Secret decoder ring not required!

"A lady called me and asked for information about the inn. She said, "You have no rooms available during the week in October."

I replied, "Oh no, we have rooms available most weekdays in October. What made you think we didn't?"

She answered: "Because your website says the cookie jar is full."

I very patiently explained that there was no hidden meaning here - the text means exactly what it says: We have a cookie jar and it's always full of cookies -- oatmeal chocolate chip.

Yvonne Martin, The White Oak Inn, Danville, OH

Just published: PAII Industry Study - 2002: Nearly 900 inns participated in the eighth biennial study of operations, marketing, and finances for bed and breakfasts and country inns. Although occupancy rates slipped 4% for "same-inn" B&Bs from 2000-2002, the decline was substantially less than the 7% decrease experienced by full-service hotels during the same period. Additionally, despite the drop in demand, the average daily rate (ADR) paid by B&B/country inn guests increased during this period. The net result was a 2.8% growth in total revenues for the B&B/country inn segment compared to declines in the hotel sector.

In an article accompanying the study, hospitality industry expert Robert Mandelbaum suggests that B&Bs and country inns weathered the economic downturn because of such "unique characteristics" as their orientation toward leisure travelers, guest loyalty, the perceived value of the B&B/country inn experience, and the owner-operated management structure of most inns.

Although the study has long been acknowledged as an indispensable tool for aspiring innkeepers, as well as for active innkeepers looking to expand and/or refinance their businesses, it's equally worth studying to see how your B&B measures up to industry standards. For example, the number of B&Bs offering such amenities as afternoon cookies, in-room TVs and Internet access, and robes, has increased from 5-10% since 2000. Guest tracking statistics point definitively to the Internet as the leading source of guests, increasing from 22% in 1998, to 42% in 2000, to 45% in 2002. For B&Bs in business for three years or less, the figure rises to 52%. Amazingly, reservations generated by nearly all other sources dropped by 50% or more. If you are considering increasing revenues by adding weddings, business meetings, or even a gift shop, you'll also find useful information in the study. Cost: $89 for PAII members; $179 for non-members. More info

Rapid growth of online travel continues: According to a recent article in Forbes "online travel is the leading and fastest growing category of e-commerce, accounting for more than 45% of all online sales during the third quarter of 2002. According to Toronto-based travel consultant Visual Frenzy, online travel bookings are forecast to grow from $24 billion (or 11% of all travel bookings) in 2001 to $64 billion (22% of all travel bookings) by 2007. Online hotel bookings are the second largest segment of online travel (after air travel) and are forecast to almost triple from $6.3 billion (9% of all hotel bookings) in 2002 to $17.5 billion (20% of all hotel bookings) in 2005.

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