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
Let's Hear it from
Innkeepers
Ask the Pros
Recent Media Coverage
Current and Upcoming
Publicity: July and August
We distributed the following press releases in June, July and August:
8/8/2007:
BEDANDBREAKFAST.COM ANNOUNCES GROUNDBREAKING SURVEY ABOUT BUSINESS-FRIENDLY
B&Bs: BedandBreakfast.com survey of U.S. innkeepers reveals the best-kept
secret in inn travel: B&Bs offer free Wi-Fi, flexible breakfasts and
check-ins, free snacks, corporate rates, and of course, private baths.
7/3/2007:
HELLO MUDDAH, HELLO FADDAH, LOVE B&B CAMP “A LOTTAH”: Send the kids to camp,
and say goodbye to whining and hello to wining and dining at adults-only
camp
6/20/2007:
A VIEW FROM THE LOO: In the zone on the throne and other "over the top"
bathrooms from BedandBreakfast.com
6/7/2007:
PLANES, TRAINS BUT NO AUTOMOBILES – CAR-FREE MEANS CAREFREE:
BedandBreakfast.com says don’t be careless, go car-less this summer
We’re currently working on the following press releases for distribution in
mid-July through September. If you haven’t already contributed, do so today!
BedandBreakfast.com Pancakes with Personality® Contest:
BedandBreakfast.com is on the hunt for great pancakes from great innkeepers!
Knowing that breakfast is half our name, BedandBreakfast.com is going to
highlight the very best pancake recipes from the most accomplished B&B chefs
on National Pancake Day, February 5, 2008. Cash prizes, BedandBreakfast.com
memberships, and perhaps even TV fame are at stake.
Winners will be judged on the taste and creativity of the pancakes, as well
as the personalities of the chefs. We're looking for original pancake
recipes (not taken from published books, magazines or websites) accompanied
by profiles of the chefs.
Ready to sign up? Questions about the contest? Email
Marti.Mayne@BedandBreakfast.com
and include all the following information:
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Your recipe. Please make sure is it
complete and clear.
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Attach a photo of the chef holding the
finished pancakes; be sure to name the photo so we can identify it,
e.g., Oatmeal pancakes, 1897 Victorian Inn. It does not have to be high
resolution or a professional photo. If you have a video demonstrating
your pancake-making skills, please provide the URL where we can view it.
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Include four or five brief tips on
creating perfect pancakes.
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Answer the questions below.
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How long have you been an innkeeper?
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What is your culinary training and/or
areas of expertise?
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What makes you a pancake pro? Have you
been the star at the church pancake breakfast for years? Have you won
any contests for your pancakes before, or dazzled your local TV station
with your pancake prowess?
All materials must be received by September 28, 2007, and must
contain all of the above information. Your entry must include a photo,
recipe, and a complete profile as described above to be considered. We would
prefer getting only one recipe per innkeeper, but if you are torn between
two favorites, you can submit them both! No more than two please. Don't
forget to include a full signature file, including your name, inn name,
phone number, URL, and email address! You must be a member of
BedandBreakfast.com to participate.
Business Traveler-friendly B&Bs: Thank you to all those who took the
survey about business traveler-friendly B&Bs. We received over 1,400
responses! We are working with a major national newspaper on a story about
business-traveler friendly B&Bs, which will appear in late July. After that
story appears, BedandBreakfast.com will create a press release summarizing
the results. Scroll down to “Ask the Pros”
for a sneak peak at the impressive results gathered in this survey.
Grand Travel: According to Yesawich, Pepperdine, Brown and Russell,
travel researchers, “Intergenerational travel has become a huge market as
the baby boomers age. According to the TIA, “30% of traveling grannies have
taken at least one trip with a grandchild.” Industry consultants show that
almost 60% of kids ages 6-17 would really like to vacation with their
grandparents.” BedandBreakfast.com would like to send a release covering
Grandparent-Grandchild travel, just in time for Grandparents’ Day on
September 9. However, we have received very few packages or information from
B&Bs geared toward grandparent-grandchildren travel. If you offer a
grandparents or multi-generational travel package, please send the details
including everything offered, the rate and the date(s) the package is
available to
Marti@BedandBreakfast.com and post it on
BedandBreakfast.com’s Specials section under Grand Travel.
Fall Foliage Editor’s Picks: BedandBreakfast.com will release its
second annual “Editor’s Picks” for best B&Bs for fall foliage. All
qualifying inns and B&Bs must offer fabulous views of foliage from the rooms
and/or property. If you believe your inn qualifies, please contact
Marti@BedandBreakfast.com with a description of the foliage views from
your inn. Please upload a high-resolution photo of your inn during
foliage season to your Home Page photo album on BedandBreakfast.com; it’s OK
to archive it.
Best of BedandBreakfast.com Awards: Top-reviewed B&Bs will be
recognized in the
Best of BedandBreakfast.com Awards. Both the quality and quantity of
reviews will be considered in the selection of the winning inns; balanced
comments are vital. Votes registered between June 1, 2005 and the present
will also be taken into consideration. The 10 top overall winners will
receive free Platinum memberships, and all winners will receive recognition
plaques or certificates and badges, as well as inclusion in our winners’
publicity campaign recognizing the top B&Bs. It is anticipated that winners
will be announced in September 2007. It’s not too
late to encourage guests to post reviews for your property on
BedandBreakfast.com; in a few days, you’ll be receiving a supply of
postage-paid business reply cards that guests complete and mail.
For more information about BedandBreakfast.com reviews,
log in to your Home Base, click Reviews, then select Links,
Awards, and Review Reminders from the column on the left.
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 Free Gas Promotion
and summer packages. Bronze member? Please
click here to upgrade.
Not yet a member?
Join today!
Important Reminder: While we include as many members as possible in
BedandBreakfast.com press releases, limited space makes it impossible to
include everyone. Offers that
include a small discount, or are too restrictive or unimaginative will not pique the media’s
attention. Please remember to be as creative as possible when designing your
specials and packages. Take some time to review other specials on the site,
and see which ones appeal to you. Like the media, the editors at
BedandBreakfast.com are drawn to creative offers.
Let’s Hear it from
Innkeepers
"Thanks to a survey I answered regarding "how to stay
green" through BedandBreakfast.com, I was featured in the Travel Section of
the Ottawa Citizen Newspaper. Great pictures and great story about
how I do my part to help stay green. Thank you BedandBreakfast.com." A
Downtown Victoria Bed and Breakfast in Victoria, BC
Response from BedandBreakfast.com
Editors: Thank you for your prompt and thorough response to our
publicity lead requesting information about your environmentally friendly
packages. The information provided by innkeepers allows BedandBreakfast.com
to create newsworthy press releases.
Ask
the Pros:
B&Bs aren’t really business
friendly; for example, they don’t offer Wi-Fi and the kinds of amenities
hotels offer, do they? - Anonymous reporter
A:
BedandBreakfast.com was recently challenged
with this question from a reporter at a major national daily newspaper.
Undaunted by the misconceived notions of the media, BedandBreakfast.com set
out to dispel the myth that B&Bs aren’t business friendly. We developed a
short survey, and to our delight, over 1,400 innkeepers from 49 states
responded, offering data that is statistically sound and representative of
the B&B industry. The survey revealed unquestionably that America’s inns and
B&Bs offer an excellent choice for business travelers. Not only do the
amenities at B&Bs stack up against hotels and motels, but they’re almost
entirely complimentary, offering the business traveler an enormous value.
Here are the results of the BedandBreakfast.com business traveler survey:
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Do you offer (check as many as apply):
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late check-ins |
95.8%
|
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early breakfast (or provisions for those who
must leave early) |
94.8%
|
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free WiFi or wired in-room high-speed
Internet access
|
89.4% |
|
TVs in rooms or on request |
82.0% |
|
the opportunity for guests to invite
colleagues to breakfast
|
79.7%
|
|
desks in (at least some) rooms
|
76.4% |
|
use of a fax machine
|
73.5%
|
|
online reservations |
71.0%
|
|
corporate or single rates for business
travelers |
69.5% |
|
use of a copy machine |
67.9% |
|
cancellation policies that are flexible,
and/or comparable to local hotels |
64.6%
|
|
in-room land line phone in areas with
limited cell phone reception
|
45.5% |
|
computer for guest use
|
44.6%
|
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participation in a larger online reservation
network like Expedia
|
35.3%
|
|
For those traveling on per diem, will you
break out the breakfast and accommodations bill and offer two
receipts?
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Response percent |
|
Yes
|
80.6% |
|
No
|
19.4% |
We were delighted to learn that more than
nine out of 10 B&Bs offer late check-ins and early breakfast provisions for
business travelers and that almost nine out of ten offer free WiFi service.
Eight out of 10 B&Bs will break out the bill for those traveling on per diem
and offer TVs in the room.
All of the above percentages prove that B&Bs are excellent choices for
business travelers. BedandBreakfast.com plans to use this survey to
communicate that B&Bs offer excellent bonuses to biz travelers. Look for
coverage of this story in future Promoting the
Industry columns.
Recent BedandBreakfast.com Media Coverage
Smarter Travel led with BedandBreakfast.com in a story called 10
Great Sites for Planning A Weekend Getaway, saying “Thorough and
comprehensive, BedandBreakfast.com offers listings for B&Bs around the
world…”
BedandBreakfast.com’s Tanks A Lot program is the story that just
keeps on going. Coverage continued for BedandBreakfast.com members’ free gas
offers in June and July including a story in the
New York Daily News mentioning the Inn at Ellis River’s offer, the
Baltimore Sun, explaining Tanks A Lot, and the
Cleveland Plain Dealer’s blog.
EarthTimes.org ran BedandBreakfast.com’s press releases on
Car-less Travel in full and also
A View from the Loo. This story also appeared in full on
SmartMoney.com.
 BedandBreakfast.com’s
press release about
Camp for Adults inspired an article in the
Syracuse Post Standard, quoting from the release and mentioning Alaskan
Adventure Camp at Pearson's Pond Luxury Inn & Spa, Brewmaster Camp at
Kingsley House, Wine Camp at Stirling House B&B, and Fishing at Camp Berry
Springs at Berry Springs Lodge.
 Internet
Travel News included the story about
RezOvation’s new
innovative Mobile Booking Engine precipitating kudos from travel experts at
PhoCusWright, leaders in travel marketing and research.
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This Month's Sponsor
Internet Intensives
BedandBreakfast.com, RezOvation and Expedia, Inc.
are hitting the road to bring you current and comprehensive information
about Internet marketing, online reservations, yield management, and
property management software.
Click here to see upcoming Intensives and
more information.
Gift Card Reseller Program
"Hi! I am interested in participating in selling the
Bed and Breakfast gift cards. Thanks for the opportunity to make more
money!" -- Karen Morella, Serendipity Bed and Breakfast
The BedandBreakfast.com Gift Card Reseller Program is here!
Click here for details. If you'd like to receive a free reseller kit, contact us at 800-462-2632 or
Support@BedandBreakfast.com.
If you have already signed up, your cards and display rack are in the
mail now.
Online Trade Show
Visit our newest vendor members!
Click here to view our Online Trade Show. Are you a vendor?
Click here to get featured!
Advertising Auctions
Featured Property and
Inn of the Month auctions are easy, affordable and effective ways to drive
traffic to your website.
Member Information
To update your entry, check your traffic statistics, and renew your membership,
please log in
with your property ID and password. Don't like your password? Once you're
logged in, click "Membership," select "Change Password," and choose another that's easier to remember.
More information
"We are only a very small B&B but your site is really helping us! Thanks."
Anne Dodge, 167 Water, Newburyport, MA
Inns for Sale
Innkeepers' Info Center
Need more
info? You’ll find lots of educational
articles on our site for your convenience.
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