Discount multiple night stays?

[muirford]

I just had an evil thought. What if someone cancels the 2nd night of their stay and you being the genuinely kind innkeeper that you are offer them a GC for the one night.
Then you print it out and staple it to their statement and it is a BOGO GC!
Hey we don't have to give them squat, so maybe THIS is what we should be doing! Then we can guarantee another $$ or them NOT USING IT EVER!
(I said it was an evil thought) sneer snicker.

Hmm - well, at the risk of being called evil

; that is what I have been doing for cancellation gift certificates anyway, for the last year. Now, mind you, there have only been three issued - two for early departures and one for a cancellation - but they were all BOGOs with a 6-month expiration.

 

[The Tipsy Butler]

When someone calls how do y'all keep it all straight?
2 nights mid week is this, 2 nights weekend is this, 3 nights is that...etc etc.
Do you simply ASK for the dates and ONLY tell them the rates for those dates? Or do you just give them the range, our room rates start at $125 and go to $185?
I just took a call "How much are your rates?" I asked for the date, and there wasn't one, he is checking around. Then I told him and he said "Is it the same year round?".

See that is they way I feel. Why make things any more complicated than they have to be. I had one price for each room ..anytime of the year...take it or leave it!
I do the same amount of work for a weekday guest as I did for a weekender. so why should I cut my rates???? Given that...there were days when I was in a good mood and when someone really was sweet to me on the phone..that i may offer a discount and then again..I may not
.

I do the same amount of work for a weekday guest as I did for a weekender. so why should I cut my rates????

..... because I want my weekdays full. There is competition for the weekdays and I want the guests. For the most part, this is a "plan ahead" destination.

 

[Morticia]

When someone calls how do y'all keep it all straight?
2 nights mid week is this, 2 nights weekend is this, 3 nights is that...etc etc.
Do you simply ASK for the dates and ONLY tell them the rates for those dates? Or do you just give them the range, our room rates start at $125 and go to $185?
I just took a call "How much are your rates?" I asked for the date, and there wasn't one, he is checking around. Then I told him and he said "Is it the same year round?".

See that is they way I feel. Why make things any more complicated than they have to be. I had one price for each room ..anytime of the year...take it or leave it!
I do the same amount of work for a weekday guest as I did for a weekender. so why should I cut my rates???? Given that...there were days when I was in a good mood and when someone really was sweet to me on the phone..that i may offer a discount and then again..I may not
.

See that is they way I feel. Why make things any more complicated than they have to be. I had one price for each room ..anytime of the year...take it or leave it!
I do the same amount of work for a weekday guest as I did for a weekender. so why should I cut my rates???? Given that...there were days when I was in a good mood and when someone really was sweet to me on the phone..that i may offer a discount and then again..I may not

See, I look at it in reverse...my prices are higher on the weekends, not lower mid-week. Semantics, but it works for me!

My prices are already all over the place due to the size and configuration of the rooms. But I don't really do multiple-night discounts. Maybe if you're coming for a week. We have guests coming next month for a week. I told them I wouldn't charge for the 3rd person in the room. That was better than any discount they were going to get.

 

[JunieBJones (JBJ)]

I just had an evil thought. What if someone cancels the 2nd night of their stay and you being the genuinely kind innkeeper that you are offer them a GC for the one night.
Then you print it out and staple it to their statement and it is a BOGO GC!
Hey we don't have to give them squat, so maybe THIS is what we should be doing! Then we can guarantee another $$ or them NOT USING IT EVER!
(I said it was an evil thought) sneer snicker.

Hmm - well, at the risk of being called evil

; that is what I have been doing for cancellation gift certificates anyway, for the last year. Now, mind you, there have only been three issued - two for early departures and one for a cancellation - but they were all BOGOs with a 6-month expiration.
.

Hmm - well, at the risk of being called evil

; that is what I have been doing for cancellation gift certificates anyway, for the last year. Now, mind you, there have only been three issued - two for early departures and one for a cancellation - but they were all BOGOs with a 6-month expiration.

Tell me more... 6 mo expiration and it is a BOGO - how is it worded so they do not know they can use the original night as the B.O. ?
YOU SNEAKY INNKEEPER!

 

[JunieBJones (JBJ)]

I just had an evil thought. What if someone cancels the 2nd night of their stay and you being the genuinely kind innkeeper that you are offer them a GC for the one night.
Then you print it out and staple it to their statement and it is a BOGO GC!
Hey we don't have to give them squat, so maybe THIS is what we should be doing! Then we can guarantee another $$ or them NOT USING IT EVER!
(I said it was an evil thought) sneer snicker.

Hmm - well, at the risk of being called evil

; that is what I have been doing for cancellation gift certificates anyway, for the last year. Now, mind you, there have only been three issued - two for early departures and one for a cancellation - but they were all BOGOs with a 6-month expiration.
.

Hmm - well, at the risk of being called evil

; that is what I have been doing for cancellation gift certificates anyway, for the last year. Now, mind you, there have only been three issued - two for early departures and one for a cancellation - but they were all BOGOs with a 6-month expiration.

I now have a GC in my word file for cancellations. I WILL STICK TO THIS!! I WILL I WILL I WILL!! Here is the special wording (leaving out the GC # and all that stuff)
BOGO in Lieu of Cancellation – Book a One Night Stay in any room of your choice get the 2nd Night Free – Must be a consecutive night stay

Valid Until:__6 months from date of issue__(Non-Refundable-Non Transferable. No Cash Value. [COLOR= black]A full breakfast is included. Not valid RACE WEEKEND or with other offers. [/COLOR]Same cancellation policy applies as other bookings.)

 

[muirford]

I just had an evil thought. What if someone cancels the 2nd night of their stay and you being the genuinely kind innkeeper that you are offer them a GC for the one night.
Then you print it out and staple it to their statement and it is a BOGO GC!
Hey we don't have to give them squat, so maybe THIS is what we should be doing! Then we can guarantee another $$ or them NOT USING IT EVER!
(I said it was an evil thought) sneer snicker.

Hmm - well, at the risk of being called evil

; that is what I have been doing for cancellation gift certificates anyway, for the last year. Now, mind you, there have only been three issued - two for early departures and one for a cancellation - but they were all BOGOs with a 6-month expiration.
.

Hmm - well, at the risk of being called evil

; that is what I have been doing for cancellation gift certificates anyway, for the last year. Now, mind you, there have only been three issued - two for early departures and one for a cancellation - but they were all BOGOs with a 6-month expiration.

Tell me more... 6 mo expiration and it is a BOGO - how is it worded so they do not know they can use the original night as the B.O. ?
YOU SNEAKY INNKEEPER!
.

[COLOR= rgb(102, 51, 0)]*Reservations must be made in advance for two consecutive nights. [/COLOR][COLOR= rgb(102, 51, 0)] [/COLOR]If the two daily rates are different, the higher of the two rates will be charged.
[COLOR= rgb(102, 51, 0)][/COLOR]

 

[Samster]

I just had an evil thought. What if someone cancels the 2nd night of their stay and you being the genuinely kind innkeeper that you are offer them a GC for the one night.
Then you print it out and staple it to their statement and it is a BOGO GC!
Hey we don't have to give them squat, so maybe THIS is what we should be doing! Then we can guarantee another $$ or them NOT USING IT EVER!
(I said it was an evil thought) sneer snicker.

Hmm - well, at the risk of being called evil

; that is what I have been doing for cancellation gift certificates anyway, for the last year. Now, mind you, there have only been three issued - two for early departures and one for a cancellation - but they were all BOGOs with a 6-month expiration.
.

This is a great idea. I'm going to keep it in mind. Thanks! I have not have any early departures yet but this is a good solution to help keep folks a little happier. Have you had any of the 3 cash them in yet??

 

[muirford]

I just had an evil thought. What if someone cancels the 2nd night of their stay and you being the genuinely kind innkeeper that you are offer them a GC for the one night.
Then you print it out and staple it to their statement and it is a BOGO GC!
Hey we don't have to give them squat, so maybe THIS is what we should be doing! Then we can guarantee another $$ or them NOT USING IT EVER!
(I said it was an evil thought) sneer snicker.

Hmm - well, at the risk of being called evil

; that is what I have been doing for cancellation gift certificates anyway, for the last year. Now, mind you, there have only been three issued - two for early departures and one for a cancellation - but they were all BOGOs with a 6-month expiration.
.

This is a great idea. I'm going to keep it in mind. Thanks! I have not have any early departures yet but this is a good solution to help keep folks a little happier. Have you had any of the 3 cash them in yet??
.

Not so far, but no complaints either about it. We gave a BOGO to a couple who had a cold shower (turns out our water heater was failing) and they did use it a few months later.

 

[Willowpondgj]

I just had an evil thought. What if someone cancels the 2nd night of their stay and you being the genuinely kind innkeeper that you are offer them a GC for the one night.
Then you print it out and staple it to their statement and it is a BOGO GC!
Hey we don't have to give them squat, so maybe THIS is what we should be doing! Then we can guarantee another $$ or them NOT USING IT EVER!
(I said it was an evil thought) sneer snicker.

Hmm - well, at the risk of being called evil

; that is what I have been doing for cancellation gift certificates anyway, for the last year. Now, mind you, there have only been three issued - two for early departures and one for a cancellation - but they were all BOGOs with a 6-month expiration.
.

Is this used for all cancellations, within or without your cancellation timeframe?
I mean, what if it was a major cancellation, like the whole house for a high season weekend or a high season weeklong stay, inside your cancellation timeframe, say day before or something? You would be giving them a free room on top of all the money you lost because of the cancellation (if you were unable to re-book)!
Would you GC the whole amount of the cancellation or just one night's stay?

 

[muirford]

I just had an evil thought. What if someone cancels the 2nd night of their stay and you being the genuinely kind innkeeper that you are offer them a GC for the one night.
Then you print it out and staple it to their statement and it is a BOGO GC!
Hey we don't have to give them squat, so maybe THIS is what we should be doing! Then we can guarantee another $$ or them NOT USING IT EVER!
(I said it was an evil thought) sneer snicker.

Hmm - well, at the risk of being called evil

; that is what I have been doing for cancellation gift certificates anyway, for the last year. Now, mind you, there have only been three issued - two for early departures and one for a cancellation - but they were all BOGOs with a 6-month expiration.
.

Is this used for all cancellations, within or without your cancellation timeframe?
I mean, what if it was a major cancellation, like the whole house for a high season weekend or a high season weeklong stay, inside your cancellation timeframe, say day before or something? You would be giving them a free room on top of all the money you lost because of the cancellation (if you were unable to re-book)!
Would you GC the whole amount of the cancellation or just one night's stay?
.

The whole house - we take a nonrefundable deposit of one night 30 days in advance. Actually, we do that now for three or more rooms booked together.
Our cancellation policy says cancel 7 days prior, no rebooking - one night charge. Cancel within 24 hours or no-show, no re-booking - all nights' charge. I only GC the cancellation fee, and only as a BOGO with a short expiration period. I don't promise the GC anywhere in my policies, so it is at my discretion and I use it only when I feel like it's appropriate. Cancellations before the 7th day don't get anything - no charge and no GC. I'm not giving free nights to anyone who cancels a reservation here - that would be a little crazy.
I haven't run into many cases where I haven't been able to re-book, at least not during the busy season. Many times I can even re-book for the same night if I know early enough in the day. We have heard of cases here where the credit card company won't support a cancellation charge unless a gc is issued - that's why many people do it. I have not been tested with a chargeback of any kind yet (knock on wood) in six years.

 

[Willowpondgj]

I just had an evil thought. What if someone cancels the 2nd night of their stay and you being the genuinely kind innkeeper that you are offer them a GC for the one night.
Then you print it out and staple it to their statement and it is a BOGO GC!
Hey we don't have to give them squat, so maybe THIS is what we should be doing! Then we can guarantee another $$ or them NOT USING IT EVER!
(I said it was an evil thought) sneer snicker.

Hmm - well, at the risk of being called evil

; that is what I have been doing for cancellation gift certificates anyway, for the last year. Now, mind you, there have only been three issued - two for early departures and one for a cancellation - but they were all BOGOs with a 6-month expiration.
.

Is this used for all cancellations, within or without your cancellation timeframe?
I mean, what if it was a major cancellation, like the whole house for a high season weekend or a high season weeklong stay, inside your cancellation timeframe, say day before or something? You would be giving them a free room on top of all the money you lost because of the cancellation (if you were unable to re-book)!
Would you GC the whole amount of the cancellation or just one night's stay?
.

The whole house - we take a nonrefundable deposit of one night 30 days in advance. Actually, we do that now for three or more rooms booked together.
Our cancellation policy says cancel 7 days prior, no rebooking - one night charge. Cancel within 24 hours or no-show, no re-booking - all nights' charge. I only GC the cancellation fee, and only as a BOGO with a short expiration period. I don't promise the GC anywhere in my policies, so it is at my discretion and I use it only when I feel like it's appropriate. Cancellations before the 7th day don't get anything - no charge and no GC. I'm not giving free nights to anyone who cancels a reservation here - that would be a little crazy.
I haven't run into many cases where I haven't been able to re-book, at least not during the busy season. Many times I can even re-book for the same night if I know early enough in the day. We have heard of cases here where the credit card company won't support a cancellation charge unless a gc is issued - that's why many people do it. I have not been tested with a chargeback of any kind yet (knock on wood) in six years.
.

We have heard of cases here where the credit card company won't support a cancellation charge unless a gc is issued - that's why many people do it. I have not been tested with a chargeback of any kind yet (knock on wood) in six years

Which ones? Maybe we shouldn't accept them!

 

[muirford]

I just had an evil thought. What if someone cancels the 2nd night of their stay and you being the genuinely kind innkeeper that you are offer them a GC for the one night.
Then you print it out and staple it to their statement and it is a BOGO GC!
Hey we don't have to give them squat, so maybe THIS is what we should be doing! Then we can guarantee another $$ or them NOT USING IT EVER!
(I said it was an evil thought) sneer snicker.

Hmm - well, at the risk of being called evil

; that is what I have been doing for cancellation gift certificates anyway, for the last year. Now, mind you, there have only been three issued - two for early departures and one for a cancellation - but they were all BOGOs with a 6-month expiration.
.

Is this used for all cancellations, within or without your cancellation timeframe?
I mean, what if it was a major cancellation, like the whole house for a high season weekend or a high season weeklong stay, inside your cancellation timeframe, say day before or something? You would be giving them a free room on top of all the money you lost because of the cancellation (if you were unable to re-book)!
Would you GC the whole amount of the cancellation or just one night's stay?
.

The whole house - we take a nonrefundable deposit of one night 30 days in advance. Actually, we do that now for three or more rooms booked together.
Our cancellation policy says cancel 7 days prior, no rebooking - one night charge. Cancel within 24 hours or no-show, no re-booking - all nights' charge. I only GC the cancellation fee, and only as a BOGO with a short expiration period. I don't promise the GC anywhere in my policies, so it is at my discretion and I use it only when I feel like it's appropriate. Cancellations before the 7th day don't get anything - no charge and no GC. I'm not giving free nights to anyone who cancels a reservation here - that would be a little crazy.
I haven't run into many cases where I haven't been able to re-book, at least not during the busy season. Many times I can even re-book for the same night if I know early enough in the day. We have heard of cases here where the credit card company won't support a cancellation charge unless a gc is issued - that's why many people do it. I have not been tested with a chargeback of any kind yet (knock on wood) in six years.
.

We have heard of cases here where the credit card company won't support a cancellation charge unless a gc is issued - that's why many people do it. I have not been tested with a chargeback of any kind yet (knock on wood) in six years

Which ones? Maybe we shouldn't accept them!

.

Not the cards, your processor. Like NPC or whoever you might be using. You should check with them and see what support they will give you on a chargeback and under what conditions.

 

[Sunshine]

I just had an evil thought. What if someone cancels the 2nd night of their stay and you being the genuinely kind innkeeper that you are offer them a GC for the one night.
Then you print it out and staple it to their statement and it is a BOGO GC!
Hey we don't have to give them squat, so maybe THIS is what we should be doing! Then we can guarantee another $$ or them NOT USING IT EVER!
(I said it was an evil thought) sneer snicker.

Hmm - well, at the risk of being called evil

; that is what I have been doing for cancellation gift certificates anyway, for the last year. Now, mind you, there have only been three issued - two for early departures and one for a cancellation - but they were all BOGOs with a 6-month expiration.
.

Hmm - well, at the risk of being called evil

; that is what I have been doing for cancellation gift certificates anyway, for the last year. Now, mind you, there have only been three issued - two for early departures and one for a cancellation - but they were all BOGOs with a 6-month expiration.

Tell me more... 6 mo expiration and it is a BOGO - how is it worded so they do not know they can use the original night as the B.O. ?
YOU SNEAKY INNKEEPER!
.

What is BOGO and B.O??

 

[gillumhouse]

I just had an evil thought. What if someone cancels the 2nd night of their stay and you being the genuinely kind innkeeper that you are offer them a GC for the one night.
Then you print it out and staple it to their statement and it is a BOGO GC!
Hey we don't have to give them squat, so maybe THIS is what we should be doing! Then we can guarantee another $$ or them NOT USING IT EVER!
(I said it was an evil thought) sneer snicker.

Hmm - well, at the risk of being called evil

; that is what I have been doing for cancellation gift certificates anyway, for the last year. Now, mind you, there have only been three issued - two for early departures and one for a cancellation - but they were all BOGOs with a 6-month expiration.
.

Hmm - well, at the risk of being called evil

; that is what I have been doing for cancellation gift certificates anyway, for the last year. Now, mind you, there have only been three issued - two for early departures and one for a cancellation - but they were all BOGOs with a 6-month expiration.

Tell me more... 6 mo expiration and it is a BOGO - how is it worded so they do not know they can use the original night as the B.O. ?
YOU SNEAKY INNKEEPER!
.

What is BOGO and B.O??
.

BOGO is buy one at regular price, get one free. B.O. is the Buy One. I know it is hard to believe, but some guests would try to use the certificate (GC) as the buy one and then want the second night free.

 

[Sunshine]

We are trying to build up our guest list, so when we have guests that are really great (and so far almost all have been), we give them a referral card at check out, offering them 10% off thier next stay with us, when their referred guest stays here. When the referred guest checks in we mail the GC to the guest that referred them to us. (I hope that is clear). or we give them the option of donating that 10% to charity.
As far as weekday discounts... we thought that the only rates that change were the seasonal rates (summer/winter). We're still new at all this.
We just had our first 5 night booking (yipee, yay!) a guest from CA, and it was a referral from another B&B and the future guests had not even seen our website yet! Hows that for trust in a referral! Come to think of it, that other B&B hasn't even seen our place yet!

 

[JunieBJones (JBJ)]

HSV I did what you are doing and then changed it out. This is what I came up with. I thought to myself, what sounds better - what works better - we are not in a place with a high # of repeat guests - not a resort area. So offering that to them is not worth much. I tried it, nothing came of it (for us here in our locale).
BUT if they have their friends tell us they know us, wink wink, then we will give them the discount. In other words, they have the inside scoop "Oh we loved our stay at High Street Victorian. Tell them we sent you and they will put flowers in your room, or breakfast delivered to the room at no extra charge or save $15."
I have writers block as I am trying to put this in words.
So the thing is - they tell people they know and those people they know get the discount or special treatment. It is like sitting at the family table in a popular- can't-get-reservations Italian restaurant. It is prestigious. Hey YOU KNOW SOMEBODY...
So the orig guests looks like winners, we look like winners and the new guests continue the tradition by telling other people.

 

[JunieBJones (JBJ)]

Best case scenario for this - tell them my name and save $15 is when it happened with my husband. He did this once for a vendor for work.
The company admin called and said DH said to tell you he referred us, and I said "Ohhhh great, well the rate is $20 off per night for you then."
Meanwhile Dh sneaks into the kitchen so they don't know HE IS HERE and OWNS THE PLACE. They found out later when he served them coffee and then sat down and had it with them, but it was pretty funny.
He didn't want them to know in advance and make them uncomfortable. But after meeting him, he makes everyone at ease, so it was not stress.

 

[Sunshine]

HSV I did what you are doing and then changed it out. This is what I came up with. I thought to myself, what sounds better - what works better - we are not in a place with a high # of repeat guests - not a resort area. So offering that to them is not worth much. I tried it, nothing came of it (for us here in our locale).
BUT if they have their friends tell us they know us, wink wink, then we will give them the discount. In other words, they have the inside scoop "Oh we loved our stay at High Street Victorian. Tell them we sent you and they will put flowers in your room, or breakfast delivered to the room at no extra charge or save $15."
I have writers block as I am trying to put this in words.
So the thing is - they tell people they know and those people they know get the discount or special treatment. It is like sitting at the family table in a popular- can't-get-reservations Italian restaurant. It is prestigious. Hey YOU KNOW SOMEBODY...
So the orig guests looks like winners, we look like winners and the new guests continue the tradition by telling other people..

This sounds like a good plan. I will consider using it.
Several guests said 'they will be back'. Do/have your guests said that and do they actually come back?
We are lucky as we have the Katy Trail that draws bikers that do bike frequently in this area.

 

[Morticia]

HSV I did what you are doing and then changed it out. This is what I came up with. I thought to myself, what sounds better - what works better - we are not in a place with a high # of repeat guests - not a resort area. So offering that to them is not worth much. I tried it, nothing came of it (for us here in our locale).
BUT if they have their friends tell us they know us, wink wink, then we will give them the discount. In other words, they have the inside scoop "Oh we loved our stay at High Street Victorian. Tell them we sent you and they will put flowers in your room, or breakfast delivered to the room at no extra charge or save $15."
I have writers block as I am trying to put this in words.
So the thing is - they tell people they know and those people they know get the discount or special treatment. It is like sitting at the family table in a popular- can't-get-reservations Italian restaurant. It is prestigious. Hey YOU KNOW SOMEBODY...
So the orig guests looks like winners, we look like winners and the new guests continue the tradition by telling other people..

This sounds like a good plan. I will consider using it.
Several guests said 'they will be back'. Do/have your guests said that and do they actually come back?
We are lucky as we have the Katy Trail that draws bikers that do bike frequently in this area.
.

This sounds like a good plan. I will consider using it.
Several guests said 'they will be back'. Do/have your guests said that and do they actually come back?
We are lucky as we have the Katy Trail that draws bikers that do bike frequently in this area.

My place has been open for 21 years. We have guests come back 15 years later! They've missed some interim innkeepers but they remember the house! We run about 30% repeats.

 

[JunieBJones (JBJ)]

If you are in a good repeat guest area then I would devise the plan for that. I always automatically discount a repeat guest.
Typically tho, our repeats are - their first stay was orientation for college or checking out the college. Second stay was moving them in to the dorm, then parents weekend, we loose them in the middle years as they have their own car, then graduation.
If I can get those I am happy. But of course, they are always all on the same weekend, and there are only so many rooms here.