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The Year In Review And The Year Ahead

It’s been a building year for the Better Way To Stay (BWTS) campaign.  The BWTS team spent the year assessing support, planning, and managing two promotional campaigns.  In addition, development of social networking, website, and video campaigns has been underway.  Behind the scenes, the BWTS team is getting ready to roll out an exciting campaign in 2012.

First let’s look back at the accomplishments in 2011:

1. An active fundraising campaign got underway, launched initially by blind faith donations, and buoyed throughout the year by generous donations from innkeepers, allied associations, vendors and B&B directories. More than $100,000 was raised or pledged in 2011.

2. The “I’m an Innkeeper” video was produced and posted on the Better Way to Stay site to generate a little pride in what we are doing, and planning and production are underway for filming three new videos, utilizing humor and facts, comparing the B&B experience to the chain hotel. Additionally the first in a series of B&Bs vs. Boring Hotels videos was recently posted to the Better Way to Stay YouTube channel for sharing. Click here to see it. We’re planning for videos to be added to the Better Way To Stay video library for sharing by innkeepers by mid-summer.

3. A website to explain the Better Way to Stay campaign to innkeepers was developed and launched at www.Support.BetterWaytoStay.com. Here a number of resources for innkeepers were added including:

Downloads for Better Way to Stay logos and artwork.

Generic blog postings, including a great guest blog for your use from Eileen Ogintz, the leading expert on family travel about the joys of inn travel with her adult children. These blog postings help to bust the B&B myths, and we hope you’ll use them on your own blogs.

Sample letters for allied association leaders to use in encouraging members to support the Better Way to Stay campaign.

An explanation of “what’s in it for donors”.

Allied associations throughout the country started adopting the Better Way To Stay logo for their marketing campaigns.

4. Jay Karen, CEO of PAII, spent the year attending dozens of allied association meetings and conferences to explain the Better Way to Stay campaign, answering questions and exciting innkeepers with its mission. He even allowed his beard to be publicly shaved to raise $100,000 in cash and pledges at the 2011 Innkeeping Show in Charleston, SC.

5. Planning got underway for development of a multi-part video campaign.  Brand Pandemic’s crews set out throughout the summer to capture video footage for a series of “B&Bs vs. hotels” videos.  The first of those videos has been produced and is posted on the Better Way To Stay’s YouTube channel.

6. Brand Pandemic  has worked tenaciously to build a new map function for BetterwaytoStay.com.  The mapping function will allow those coming to the site to choose a better way to stay either from the site’s map or from national, state or regional associations from the B&B industry.  Unlike any other map, the Better Way to Stay map will highlight all the special offers from those participating in the Better Way To Stay promotions simply by mousing over the map.  The map is poised to launch, with the final development being completed now.

7. Better Way To Stay managed two promotional campaigns including the B&Bs Kick Gas! and the B&Bs for Vets promotions.  More than 1000 inns and B&Bs participated in these two campaigns which garnered media attention from national, regional and local sources including Wall Street Journal, USA Today, NY Times, CBS Marketwatch, Yahoo News, AOL, Reuters, MSN and many other outlets.  More than 200 million impressions were created from these two campaigns.

8. The first Facebook ad campaign was launched and resulted in more than doubling the Better Way to Stay fanbase in about 2 weeks.   PAII maintains three Facebook pages including its own, Better Way To Stay and B&Bs for Vets.

A look at the Google Analytics offers some insight into how well BetterWaytoStay.com has performed.

Better Way to Stay analytics:

44,000 unique visitors in the last seven days

Average time on the site is 5 minutes – well above industry average, which means they’re spending time learning more about Better Way To Stay’s promotions

Visits average 5 pages – which means they’re looking around and searching for the right B&B.

30% average bounce rate, which is well below the average bounce rate (example: sites average a 55% rate).

We’ve begun receiving feedback from innkeepers that is worth sharing:

“Since August, BetterWaytoStay.com is the number 3 referrer to my site, with visitors looking at an average of 12 pages and staying on my site over 4 minutes.  Probably it’s due to the B&B for Vets program for which we are now at 13 reservations. Either way that is  pretty significant for it to pop in at number 3, I’ve had over 1800 visitors since Aug 3.” -Dan Brown, co-owner Swift House, Middlebury, VT about BetterWayToStay.com.

“Jack and I are thrilled that all 5 rooms have been rented by Vets for November 10th. As a Veteran himself, Jack will be planning a special “Vets” Breakfast. We originally allocated only one room, but, the response has been so great, that we decided to open all five rooms. We have even been asked if we are accepting reservations for 2012! Thank you for letting us participate.” – Gael and Jack/Innkeepers, Fairview Manor B&B, Ben Lomond, CA about the B&Bs for Vets program

Looking Ahead to 2012:

With a year under our belts, it’s time to unveil the fruits of our 2011 planning labor.  Here are highlights of what’s to come:

• A new robust BetterwaytoStay.com where travelers can find their better way to stay from a geographic search (map) and also via national, state and regional directories.  The site will maintain an active blog, utilizing guest bloggers and maintaining information promoting the B&B industry.

• An active Facebook campaign, utilizing contests, ad buying and customized landing pages to inspire interest in the B&B industry.

• At least two promotions where all innkeepers can participate by offering clever special offers. Two which are under consideration now are:

1. Mancations:  This program is designed to bust the myth that B&Bs are just for women.

2. Culinary Capers: This promotion will highlight all the different ways to enjoy food at B&Bs.

• Video Campaign:  2012 will be the year of the video, with more than one series of videos designed to tell the B&Bs vs. hotels story. The videos will be shareable for all innkeepers, and will be just edgy enough to create a viral campaign while telling the B&B story.  To review the first in the series of B&Bs vs. Hotels videos go to the Better Way To Stay’s channel on YouTube or click here.

We look forward to a busy and productive year in 2012 for the Better Way To Stay campaign. Be sure to attend the Innkeeping Show in Little Rock to hear a complete update on the Better Way To Stay campaign.

Tips for damage control in the wake of Hurricane Irene

We’ve heard from a number of inns and B&Bs that there have been massive cancellations in the wake of news reports that roads were closed or damaged due to Hurricane Irene.  Travelers are hearing news reports about flooding and damaged roads and are unfortunately assuming that all of Vermont or all of New Jersey were damaged.  Our hearts go out to the inns and B&Bs that sustained damage from Hurricane Irene.  We also feel for those who are being impacted by cancellations, even when their properties are up and running.

Here are a few tips for tactics to get the word out that you are either up and running or will be up and running soon:

1) Send an email newsletter to your database of guests telling them the status of your inn.  Be sure to include updates about road closures and alternative routes to your B&B, if that is necessary. Include photos of the inn after Irene.

2)  Create a fall foliage package including a map to the covered bridges, perhaps a photo album and/or an itinerary for apple picking, farm stands, corn mazes or any other attractions in the area.  Be sure to communicate this in your email newsletter.

3)  Create a blog entry with post-Irene updates and be sure to include photos of the inn after the hurricane here too.  See below for a sample blog post.

4)  Post entries on Facebook and Twitter that you’re up and running.  Post photos of the inn, and continue to update with the great fall foliage conditions, etc.  If your region had flooding and/or road and bridge damage, post updates on the efforts being made to re-open those roadways.

Look at this example from Forty Putney Road in Brattleboro Vermont.

Be sure not to copy and paste, but use this as a guide for the message you might want to spread about your inn and area.  Don’t forget – a picture is worth 1000 words!

Have you posted to your blog?  Share the link in the comments to help other innkeepers with ideas for their blog.

Quick Links for B&Bs for Vets

We’ve just hit 250 inns and B&Bs participating in the B&Bs for Vets program.  This is great!  We’re well on our way to meeting the participation from last year where 900 inns registered to host veterans on the night before Veterans Day.

If you have not yet signed up to participate, we hope you will do so soon. We’re planning to release the story to the media very soon, and we hope your offer will be included.

Here are some quick instructions for registering, editing your listing, applying for a new password: Tip: to find directions to all of these functions, simply go to www.Betterwaytostay.com and click on FOR INNKEEPERS. If you are a member of PAII, you can log-in with your user name and password used for innkeeping.org.

To register for the first time

We’ve streamlined the process to get you signed up for this years B&Bs for Vets program and for future Better Way to Stay promotions. If you aren’t signed up yet, don’t miss out on this great opportunity.  Go to www.betterwaytostay.com now and click the “For Innkeepers” link in the top right corner. Then follow the simple instructions from there.

To edit your listing

Go to www.Betterwaytostay.com, and click on FOR INNKEEPERS.  Next sign in with your user name and password (or you can use the log-in you’d normally use for innkeeping.org)  and then follow the simple instructions for editing your special

To apply for a new password if you’ve lost your password

Go to www.Betterwaytostay.com and then click on FOR INNKEEPERS.  Next click on the link for lost your password and follow the instructions.

Use the fill-in-the-blanks press release to publicize your participation

To publicize your participation, click here for a fill-in-the-blanks press release you or your association can use to send information about B&Bs for Vets to local TV stations, newspapers, radio stations and bloggers.

Resources for innkeepers from Better Way To Stay

Here’s a shout out to all innkeepers with reminders about the resources available on www.Support.BetterwaytoStay.com. For those who may be confused about the two Better Way To Stay sites, here’s a quick explanation:

www.Support.BetterWayToStay.com is the site originally created to explain the Better Way To Stay campaign to innkeepers.  Think of it as the site that supports the campaign.  It’s where innkeepers will find all the resources to participate in the Better Way To Stay campaign. It’s the innkeepers’ resource library for the campaign and is entirely toward helping innkeepers participate in the campaign.

www.BetterWayToStay.com is the consumer site for the Better Way To Stay campaign. This site supports the public face of the campaign.  This is where travelers will go to learn about the Kick Gas! or B&Bs for Vets promotions.  It’ll also eventually be a place where travelers will learn more about the value of B&Bs via videos, blogs busting B&B myths, and even searches for the Better Way To Stay. 

Resources for Innkeepers on Support.BetterWayToStay.com

There are a number of great resources available from the campaign for you to use.  We encourage you to use the sample press releases, blog entries, logos and content available from this site. 

For Better Way To Stay Logos: Go to http://support.betterwaytostay.com/downloads and download the format that works best for you

For sample blog entries, generic and ready for any innkeeper to utilize: Go to http://support.betterwaytostay.com/print-and-content-resources and scroll down to MATERIAL FOR YOUR BLOGS.  Here you will find a great guest blog entry from Eileen Ogintz, nationally recognized family travel expert, who wrote about returning to an inn with her adult children.  Additionally, you will find generic releases about the value of a B&B and ways to bust B&B myths.  We encourage you to use these blog entries on your own blogs.

For information to help promote your B&Bs Kick Gas! offer: Go to http://support.betterwaytostay.com/print-and-content-resources and look for the fill-in-the-blanks press release for innkeepers and/or associations.  Complete these, then send them to your local media to promote your participation in the campaign. Click on this link to see how the Better Baltimore B&B Association promoted their participation to the media.  You’ll also find sample Facebook postings and Tweets about the campaign here. We hope you’ll use them.

The B&Bs Kick Gas! Promotion has enjoyed a fair bit of media attention lately. Feel free to share links to these articles with your fans and followers:

USA TODAY mentioned the B&Bs Kick Gas campaign in a story about gas offers that was syndicated throughout Gannett newspapers

Peter Greenberg, travel expert and CBS News Travel Producer, directed readers to learn more about the gas offers at www.Betterwaytostay.com.

Tnooz.com, popular travel/tech site, interviewed Jay Karen about the Better Way To Stay and Kick Gas! campaigns.

Technorati Travel, Family Travel Forum and a number of other sites ran a story by New Media Travel’s Kaleel Sakakeeny about the Kick Gas promotion.

Eileen Ogintz, syndicated travel writer, included a link to the Kick Gas promotion in a story about great family-oriented hotels and B&Bs in a story that went to hundreds of newspapers around the country.

Hat’s off to Mary White who included a mention of the Better Way to Stay campaign in her recent story on the NY B&Bs page at Examiner.com.  Marti Mayne has also written a number of stories about the Kick Gas campaign on the Boston B&B Examiner.com page.

We hope you will share some of these stories and resources on your own blogs, Facebook and Twitter pages.  With your help, we’ll share the news that inns and B&Bs are the Better Way To Stay.

State of the Campaign Address: Better Way To Stay One Year Later

More than $100,000 was raised at the 2011 Innkeeping Show in Charleston after Jay Karen offered to shave his beard on stage if $35K could be raised. Way to go!

We’re approaching the one year mark since the full-time planning launched for the Better Way To Stay campaign. We are delighted to report that in one short year a number of milestones have been met.

• An active fundraising campaign got underway, launched initially by blind faith donations, and buoyed throughout the year by generous donations from innkeepers, allied associations, vendors and B&B directories. More than $100,000 has been raised in 2010-2011, with an additional $20,000 pledged by individual innkeepers each year for the next three years.
• The “I’m an Innkeeper” video was produced and posted on the Better Way to Stay site to generate a little pride in what we are doing, and planning and production are underway for filming three new videos, utilizing humor and facts, comparing the B&B experience to the chain hotel. We’re planning for videos to be added to the Better Way To Stay video library for sharing by innkeepers by mid-summer.
• A website to explain the Better Way to Stay campaign to innkeepers was developed and launched at http://support.betterwaytostay.com. Here a number of resources for innkeepers were added including: 

                     * Downloads for Better Way to Stay logos and artwork.  

                     * Generic blog postings, including guest blogs for your use from travel experts.               

                    * Sample letters for allied association leaders to send to members 

                   * An explanation of “what’s in it for donors”.

•  Jay Karen, CEO of PAII, spent the year attending dozens of allied association meetings and conferences to explain the Better Way to Stay campaign, answering questions and exciting innkeepers with its mission. He even allowed his beard to be publicly shaved to raise $100,000 in cash and pledges at the 2011 Innkeeping Show in Charleston, SC.
•   A consumer website was launched at www.BetterwaytoStay.com to explain and promote Better Way to Stay events and promotions. More than 300 inns and B&Bs signed on to B&Bs Kick Gas! to launch this site and offer pain at the pumps for inngoers this summer. We’re working on a map to help locate participating inns and B&Bs, which will be added to this site soon. 
• A Better Way to Stay Facebook page was launched and now maintains consistent conversation with more than 600 fans. We expect this fan base to build significantly in the coming year as social networking outreach continues with contests and promotions. We’re also hoping innkeepers, vendors and directories will make a suggestion to “like” the Better Way to Stay campaign to their fan base.
• Generic press releases were developed and posted for innkeepers and associations to promote their gas offers and the B&Bs Kick Gas! campaign.
• The initial media kick-off – and overall “soft launch” – for B&Bs Kick Gas! netted more than 85 million possible impressions and a mention in a recent gas-offer wrap up in USA TODAY plus stories on YahooFinance.com. A story recently appeared on Tnooz outlining the Better Way to Stay’s campaign mission, with comments from Jay Karen included.
• We’re getting ready to launch the 2011 B&Bs for Vets campaign, working with our Better Way to Stay Task Force on suggestions for dates and ideas for participation. Stay tuned for more information on posting your participation in this campaign on www.bnbsforvets.org. 
• Planning continues for year two fundraising and social networking campaigns.

The Better Way to Stay campaign remains steadfast in creating edgy, sharable information that will help all travelers discover today’s inns and B&B experience. Never losing sight of the PAII/Tripadvisor 2009 research findings, in which we learned the #1 reason travelers don’t stay at B&Bs is because they don’t think of us, we continue the mission to help travelers understand the value of an inn/B&B getaway and to bust preconceived myths. Our target audience is the Gen-X/Y traveler. We’re focused on turning younger travelers into B&B lifers to help grow the industry and move the number of travelers choosing the B&B option from 4% to 5% of the traveling public. If we can achieve a simple one percent increase in people choosing inns and B&Bs, each innkeeper could realize up to a 25% increase in business.

As we move into the second year, your support is even more critical. Year one of the Better Way To Stay campaign was spent on fundraising , planning and developing our mission and initial outreach tools. As we step up the outreach to the traveling public, we need to invest in more videos, a deeper website and a dynamic social networking campaign. Yet, we can’t achieve progress without support from the industry. We’re asking that allied associations, directories, vendors and innkeepers step up to the plate to support the campaign in year two. This summer we will release a new fundraising program for allied associations.  For innkeepers, we are hoping you will continue to give the equivalent of just “One Room for One Night.”  To date less than 5 percent of innkeepers and vendors in our industry have donated to the campaign. A relatively few very generous and enthusiastic members of the industry have carried the campaign through year one. It’s time that more of the industry gets involved to make the campaign happen.

To support the Better Way To Stay campaign and to learn more about it, visit www.support.betterwaytostay.com. On every page you will see a yellow button for secure online donations, or click here to go to the secure online donation page. Additionally, here you will find logos and artwork for download, generic blog entries for you to use and more.

For the remainder of May we are running a special fundraising promotion, thanks to our friends at Lanier Publishing. For every $5 you donate to the campaign, your name will be entered into the “hat” to win a “Pamela Lanier Bed and Breakfast Collection by Simmons” Queen Mattress set – valued over $1,000 and includes shipping! The drawing will be done on June 1. Thank you Marie and Pamela at Lanier Publishing!  Click here to donate today.

If you wish to send a check to support the Better Way to Stay campaign, simply make the check out to PAII, notate Better Way to Stay on the bottom of the check and send it to PAII, 207 White Horse Pike , Haddon Heights, NJ 08035.

We look forward to moving into year two of the Better Way to Stay campaign with your support.

Lastly, if you’re not a member of PAII, we hope you will consider joining the association behind the only industry-wide effort get more people staying at inns and B&Bs.  With membership starting at $89, innkeepers are now telling us we are the best value in the B&B business.  We think you will agree!  Click here to join now.

Thankfully yours,

The team at PAII and Better Way to Stay

Win The Bed and Breakfast Collection™ Mattress by Pamela Lanier and Simmons Beautyrest®

Receive one entry to win a Bed & Breakfast Collection™ Mattress by Pamela Lanier and Simmons Beautyrest for each $5 donated to the Better Way to Stay campaign this May.

Hats off to Lanier Publishing (LanierBB.com) for generously donating a Queen Bed and Breakfast Collection™ Mattress Set by Pamela Lanier and Simmons Beautyrest  which will be awarded to one lucky winner. For every $5 donation you make to the Better Way to Stay Campaign during the month of May, an entry will be placed in a drawing for the mattress set.  Donate $50 and your name will be entered 10 times to win the mattress.  Donate $100 and you’ll receive 20 entries for the mattress prize.  

The Queen Mattress  set is valued at $1049 and includes free shipping to anywhere in the continental U.S.  The drawing will be held on June 1 and the winner will be notified.Click here to donate to the Better Way To Stay campaign.  Hat’s off to Lanier Publishing for this generous donation.  Best of luck to those donors who enter!

Guest blog: Advice and observations from EnjoyBedandBreakfast.com

by Kerry Harding

Kerry Harding from EnjoyBedandBreakfast.com has offered her insight and marketing muses to the Better Way To Stay campaign to help innkeepers throughout the US and Canada. EnjoyBedandBreakfast.com is based in London, England.

How did you find out about the Better Way to Stay Campaign? 

Enjoybedandbreakfast.com is dedicated to bed and breakfasts – and we’re always delighted when we come across another website promoting the B&B experience.  The Better Way to Stay campaign is the first of its kind. Too many travelers – in our opinion – aren’t aware what a great experience staying at a bed and breakfast or inn can be, especially compared to a hotel at the same price.

How do you think the Better Way to Stay Campaign can help B&B owners?

Marketing can be overwhelming for B&B owners and the Better Way to Stay Campaign will help them raise awareness of what they offer and why it’s so special. In short, the campaign will bring together bed and breakfast owners with leaders in the marketing industry so they can benefit from their years of experience.  We think it will start a bed and breakfast trend amongst the younger generation of travellers who rely on the internet for searching and booking holidays, as well as helping innkeepers to broaden their market and customer base.

What are the challenges facing B&Bs at the moment?

Awareness is a big issue for B&Bs. If customers don’t know what bed and breakfasts can offer, why would they search for this kind of accommodation? Changes in technology and travel buying trends are also a serious issue – B&B owners are suddenly expected to manage multiple marketing channels to an expert level, from their own websites and online travel agent listings to Google Adwords and social media sites like Facebook and Twitter. It’s a lot to take on at the same time as running a successful B&B business.

 Is there any advice you can offer B&Bs who are facing these challenges?

 We think innkeepers and B&B owners can definitely increase their occupancy rates and revenue without feeling overwhelmed or confused. We’ve got some great inspiration and marketing tips on our blog BnB Edition, but here are our top straightforward tips:

 1) Take a risk. Try new marketing channels. It could be signing up to a simple online reservation system or online travel agent and starting your own social media page. Find out what works best for you and give it a try.

2) Keep an eye on the competition. There’s a lot you can learn from other accommodation providers in your area. See what the competition is doing by reading hotel marketing blogs and magazines. Hotels are usually advanced in their online marketing and have a whole team of staff behind it, so there could be something new you can learn, and use yourself!

3) Focus on product. Offer feedback forms to guests and find out what they really think – you’ll be surprised at how the little things can make a big difference. When you understand what people love about the bed and breakfast you run, you’ll be able to effectively sell those points on your website and other marketing.

 4) Stand out from the crowd. If your excellent breakfasts, family amenities or organic food are what make your bed and breakfast special, speak to the people who care about these things. There are websites, blogs and online communities for everyone – just find the ones that can suit you and let people who would enjoy your B&B find out about it.

 Kerry Harding is responsible for marketing and communications at BnB Edition.  BnB Edition is free online magazine and blog for bed and breakfasts, created by the team at Enjoybedandbreakfast.com. It covers topics such as bed and breakfast marketing, recipes and inspiration for B&Bs and innkeepers.

A Reminder on Why We Need Better Way To Stay

Every now and then an article comes along that reminds us once again why we do what we do.  A game show on British TV called Three In A Bed challenges B&B owners to stay in each other’s inns, critique them and then place a value on a night’s stay. In an article posted in The Guardian, one of the U.K.’s leading newspaper, one author sheds a particularly sad light on the B&B experience.  In the author’s words:  “It’s a programme that only serves to remind everyone in Britain of the vast idiocy of ever booking into a £100 bed and breakfast instead of a stark, anonymous chain motel where you can scatter pubes, pants and porn willy-nilly and keep yourself to your bleeding self starting at £19 per person per night.” 

Every innkeeper who’s donated to the Better Way To Stay campaign, and every one who’s still hoping to will agree that it’s exactly this attitude that has prompted PAII to pursue the Better Way To Stay campaign.  This is why we need to debunk popularly held myths.  Will it take an edgy campaign? Yes?  Will everyone support each aspect of the campaign? We hope so, but we know better.

We know, however, that reading an article like this gets our blood boiling, so we need to act soon. That’s why the time is now for the Better Way To Stay campaign.  Read the article here.

“Free Gas, No Fooling” has evolved to “B&Bs Kick Gas!”

Thanks to an active discussion on the PAII forum, where a number of innkeepers communicated concern about the Better Way To Stay’s planned promotion entitled “Free Gas, No Fooling”, we’ve made some adjustments to the program first revealed in mid-March.  Tim Brady of Brand Pandemic, the creative agency for the Better Way To Stay campaign, suggested we go with a more edgy name in keeping with the mission of the campaign. Tim suggested we title the campaign “B&Bs Kick Gas!”. We have since learned that other progressive innkeepers, like Carl Kosko at Harvest Moon B&B have also come up with variations on this theme, like “Let’s Kick Some Gas”. Everyone agreed this is a fitting, catchy and more flexible name for the spring travel campaign.  “B&Bs Kick Gas!” is a catchy phrase that’ll capture the attention of the media and traveling public, and let’s face it…B&Bs do kick you-know-what!

Additionally, “B&Bs Kick Gas!” allows inns and B&Bs to craft packages that are not strictly gas giveaways.  Innkeepers have shared that they’re not planning to participate with packages that reward carpooling (2 couples take 2 rooms for 2 nights), or offer added value in place of gas, so guests can put their money into the gas tank, not into dinners or other extras B&Bs will offer.  Some innkeepers are offering car tune ups, so the car runs more efficiently, others are offering car washes.  There are still a number of inns and B&Bs creating packages where guests receive free gas, and that’s okay too. We would like to continue to keep the packages themed around driving or gas, and we encourage innkeepers to add at least $25 in value to the package, if possible.  We’re also hoping that all packages will be offered for at least two months, and ideally beyond.

We’re working on an online registration form which will allow participating inns and B&Bs to post their offers directly onto the Better Way To Stay promotional website.  All this is still under development, but we hope to have it complete shortly.  Those interested in participating should be on the lookout for the registration form, which will come via an email from PAII, hopefully in the next week or so. 

Because we’ve taken the “no fooling” phrase out of the title, we’re no longer planning an April 1 launch date for the campaign.  We will launch the campaign to the media once we have a critical mass of packages available.  We imagine that’ll be sometime in early April.

Please post any comments or questions you have to this blog entry, so we can answer them and all innkeepers can then read the answers.  We look forward to hearing about your packages and promotions and thanks to all of those who’ve spoken up about this campaign and offered suggestions.

How NOT to answer a TripAdvisor review

Recently I received this review from an innkeeper who was as incredulous as I in reading it.  Thanks to Jill Meyer at the Captain’s House Inn in Chatham, Cape Cod for sharing this management response on TripAdvisor from the owner of a New Hampshire motel (which shall remain nameless).  Clearly the hotel and motel industry have a great deal to learn from innkeepers about how to communicate with guests and how to respond to a TripAdvisor review.  Take a lesson from this motel owner on how to turn past and future guests away quicker than you can read a review.  I promise this is real (complete with typos!).

The review: “Clean and comfortable but lacking amenities.”

A very clean and tidy motel but would think for the price we could have expected a coffee maker in the room,a clock and a hairdryer. Having to go outside and stand in the cold in front of a microwave to heat some water was a little disappointing.

• Reviewer ratings for this hotel:

   2010

• Visit was for: Leisure
• Traveled with: Spouse/Partner
• Member since: September 09, 2010
• Recommended by this reviewer? No

Was this review helpful? Yes

This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.

Management response from Owner:

(Management representative)

Oct ,2010

To address your issues:

1: Coffee is made in the office all day, you were told this upon check-in, and even stood next to the coffee machine, if it was so improtant, why not say it then?

2: A clock is on the TV screen and is programable for alarm if needed, and we even do wake up calls and loan clocks, why not ask?

3: Hairdryers are available for loan in the office and I have been providing them for 15 years, NOT a person had issue except you, why not ask? (Most people travel with their own).

4: Hot water; again, the kettle is kept hot next to the coffee maker for any and all to make tea or soup, you stood next to it upon check in, you could have helped yourself, da.

 I suggest all read the review titled; “Great Place to Stay” (Sept 22, 2010) as it specifically says how nice it was to enter the office for small talk with these items already prepared. Finally, sounds like you would prefer (and I shall rephrase): “Filthy and uncomfortable but has the amenities”. You state would not recommend, I say good riddens, and don’t come again. Any and all who appreciate what others have written are welcome! Sincerely; The Owners.