Discounts just because they want one

[egoodell]

If I remember correctly, when I worked at a HOTEL way back in the Dark Ages, we were told when people asked us at the front desk for the best price or a discount that we should say we don't have one If they start to walk away, we were told to tell them "wait, we have a smaller room on the second floor blah blah blah and sell a regular room
So these people are all definately hotel people, and would never apprecatie all a B&B has to offer, and would most likely take all the amenities with them when they left.
I won't book those people either.
As a matter of fact, we keep getting last minute calls for the weekend, and they are totally suprised to find we are already booked. I think they all assume that we have no business because of the economy or something...
RIki

 

[Samster]

Because of the recession and hotel's deep discounting, people just assume it is a buyer's market and they can name their own price. I just delay in answering them and they usually have gone somewhere else by the time they get my response..

Because of the recession and hotel's deep discounting, people just assume it is a buyer's market and they can name their own price. I just delay in answering them and they usually have gone somewhere else by the time they get my response.

My parents walked into a hotel somewhere in MS a few weeks ago and asked about a room. They got it for $69. When they decided to stay over longer they were told the rooms were now $89. My mother said to the clerk, 'That young lady over there told us it was $69.' My mom says a brawl almost broke out between the clerks. One refusing to give my mother the price she was quoted and the other girl insisting that she had quoted that price and that girl had better give it to her.
My mom ended up getting the room at the price she was originally quoted and she gave the girl who quoted her that price a tip when she checked out. Poor mom thought maybe the girl would lose her job for giving the rooms at that price so she kept asking after her in the morning.
The thing is, between the time my folks checked into their room and they decided to stay longer, was about 2 hours. In that time, the hotel was starting to fill up so they were raising their prices based on how many rooms they had left. Lots of rooms? Low price. Not so many rooms? Higher price.
Which is something I don't think walk-ins get. They think the price should be going down because it's getting late. Around here, we're still getting walk-ins at 9PM, so showing up at 5PM isn't, to me, late at all! I still have 4 more hours to get full price and I'd rather have an empty room than fell compelled to discount. (Which makes me a lousy business owner, I'm sure!)
.

Just like the gal who hung up in a huff because she thought that she was doing me a favor by bringing me 2 non-smokers for $100 on a Tuesday evening. I replied that we didn't have any rooms for that price, which is lower than our single business traveler rate. People just have no clue....
And, I really don't want these clueless people...
.

Just like the gal who hung up in a huff because she thought that she was doing me a favor by bringing me 2 non-smokers for $100 on a Tuesday evening. I replied that we didn't have any rooms for that price, which is lower than our single business traveler rate. People just have no clue....
And, I really don't want these clueless people...

We stayed in a hotel on Sat evening. A nice little hotel. All on one floor so you could step out to your car. The room next door was so incredibly noisy with two families packed into it - I cannot begin to describe how terrible it was.
We were trapped in our room trying to sleep - after all that is why we booked a hotel room to sleep.
Last night I said to DH, funny really, we have 5 rooms above our heads right here for 5 years and NEVER have we had noise problems. Twice there was some noise for 'other' reasons. NEVER had a room up partying, or slam bang giggle high heels on the tile all night kids laughing boom bang.
All this to say - hotel people ARE NOT B&B PEOPLE! When they start TELLING YOU "MAKE ME A DEAL" they are hotel people. Disrespectful rude horrible people.
.

I hear ya, Sistuh! We've had very few what I call "floor stompers"...and they've been "hotel people". Fortunately, the only people that hear them are us since we're downstairs.
I actually was worried about some folks in the back room of our main house recently because there were smokers in the front suite - in & out, in & out, up & down the stairs, up & down, until late. I discretely pulled the non-smoking guests aside the next day (after the first night of their stay) and asked if everything was OK because I noticed we had some folks that were up & down the stairs until late (I'm usually up late in the kitchen). They said that they didn't hear a thing! Really! I told them to let me know as I would be happy to move them to another room. No way, they said they loved their room. Whew...thank goodness for old houses that often do not transmit the sounds.
Do ya think a hotel would do that??? uh, no....You would have to complain first and then who knows??
This is not to brag on me because I think this is what we ALL do

 

[Morticia]

oceans, what do you mean you are 'blacklisted'? what happened?.

Oh....what I mean is that we are listed in the AAA book in black type and not red type. They are only listing us as a courtesy not because we asked to be listed. They still come and inspect the place but I don't really get much out of the listing except for a bunch of people who want discounts. Also the last inspector was real snotty about things when she was here last and was kind of upsetting. They want all the bathroom floors tiled and coffee makers in all rooms....things like that.
.

Oh....what I mean is that we are listed in the AAA book in black type and not red type. They are only listing us as a courtesy not because we asked to be listed. They still come and inspect the place but I don't really get much out of the listing except for a bunch of people who want discounts. Also the last inspector was real snotty about things when she was here last and was kind of upsetting. They want all the bathroom floors tiled and coffee makers in all rooms....things like that.

We were told when we first got here that AAA was requiring 2 chairs and a round table with a pendant lamp in every room. They have never once told US that, but they were telling other B&B's that was a requirement. I think the reqs for 4 and 5 stars are getting absurd. Marble countertops, etc.

 

[JunieBJones (JBJ)]

Because of the recession and hotel's deep discounting, people just assume it is a buyer's market and they can name their own price. I just delay in answering them and they usually have gone somewhere else by the time they get my response..

Because of the recession and hotel's deep discounting, people just assume it is a buyer's market and they can name their own price. I just delay in answering them and they usually have gone somewhere else by the time they get my response.

My parents walked into a hotel somewhere in MS a few weeks ago and asked about a room. They got it for $69. When they decided to stay over longer they were told the rooms were now $89. My mother said to the clerk, 'That young lady over there told us it was $69.' My mom says a brawl almost broke out between the clerks. One refusing to give my mother the price she was quoted and the other girl insisting that she had quoted that price and that girl had better give it to her.
My mom ended up getting the room at the price she was originally quoted and she gave the girl who quoted her that price a tip when she checked out. Poor mom thought maybe the girl would lose her job for giving the rooms at that price so she kept asking after her in the morning.
The thing is, between the time my folks checked into their room and they decided to stay longer, was about 2 hours. In that time, the hotel was starting to fill up so they were raising their prices based on how many rooms they had left. Lots of rooms? Low price. Not so many rooms? Higher price.
Which is something I don't think walk-ins get. They think the price should be going down because it's getting late. Around here, we're still getting walk-ins at 9PM, so showing up at 5PM isn't, to me, late at all! I still have 4 more hours to get full price and I'd rather have an empty room than fell compelled to discount. (Which makes me a lousy business owner, I'm sure!)
.

Just like the gal who hung up in a huff because she thought that she was doing me a favor by bringing me 2 non-smokers for $100 on a Tuesday evening. I replied that we didn't have any rooms for that price, which is lower than our single business traveler rate. People just have no clue....
And, I really don't want these clueless people...
.

Just like the gal who hung up in a huff because she thought that she was doing me a favor by bringing me 2 non-smokers for $100 on a Tuesday evening. I replied that we didn't have any rooms for that price, which is lower than our single business traveler rate. People just have no clue....
And, I really don't want these clueless people...

We stayed in a hotel on Sat evening. A nice little hotel. All on one floor so you could step out to your car. The room next door was so incredibly noisy with two families packed into it - I cannot begin to describe how terrible it was.
We were trapped in our room trying to sleep - after all that is why we booked a hotel room to sleep.
Last night I said to DH, funny really, we have 5 rooms above our heads right here for 5 years and NEVER have we had noise problems. Twice there was some noise for 'other' reasons. NEVER had a room up partying, or slam bang giggle high heels on the tile all night kids laughing boom bang.
All this to say - hotel people ARE NOT B&B PEOPLE! When they start TELLING YOU "MAKE ME A DEAL" they are hotel people. Disrespectful rude horrible people.
.

I hear ya, Sistuh! We've had very few what I call "floor stompers"...and they've been "hotel people". Fortunately, the only people that hear them are us since we're downstairs.
I actually was worried about some folks in the back room of our main house recently because there were smokers in the front suite - in & out, in & out, up & down the stairs, up & down, until late. I discretely pulled the non-smoking guests aside the next day (after the first night of their stay) and asked if everything was OK because I noticed we had some folks that were up & down the stairs until late (I'm usually up late in the kitchen). They said that they didn't hear a thing! Really! I told them to let me know as I would be happy to move them to another room. No way, they said they loved their room. Whew...thank goodness for old houses that often do not transmit the sounds.
Do ya think a hotel would do that??? uh, no....You would have to complain first and then who knows??
This is not to brag on me because I think this is what we ALL do

.

Do ya think a hotel would do that??? uh, no....You would have to complain first and then who knows??

I think we are way way way over the top and care for our guests to the umpteenth degree as innkeepers.
We all need to stay elsewhere once in a while to see what it is like and remember. There simply is NO COMPARISON to a hotel and a B&B.
The window heating unit on off on off on off every 5 minutes was insane! I am going to blog about this - not as a rant, but as a reminder. People actually do REST when they stay at B&B's. I won't go into the cost and service of a lousy breakfast - that, again, sheesh, we need to promote that! We are sooooo much better than any hotel. Not on a par, so much better. Why do we try to compete with them?
For all the talk about meeting guests special diets etc, FOOY (how do you spell phooey?) Innkeepers you do way too much. You are not personal assistants, you are not aids, dietitions, not babysitters for adults, you are the proprieters of your Bed and Breakfast. We try to be too much. We need to give guests a nice place to stay, treat them well and let them enjoy what we have on offer.
Unless - you charge $250+ then you are in a totally diff ballgame to the average B&B.

 

[Samster]

Because of the recession and hotel's deep discounting, people just assume it is a buyer's market and they can name their own price. I just delay in answering them and they usually have gone somewhere else by the time they get my response..

Because of the recession and hotel's deep discounting, people just assume it is a buyer's market and they can name their own price. I just delay in answering them and they usually have gone somewhere else by the time they get my response.

My parents walked into a hotel somewhere in MS a few weeks ago and asked about a room. They got it for $69. When they decided to stay over longer they were told the rooms were now $89. My mother said to the clerk, 'That young lady over there told us it was $69.' My mom says a brawl almost broke out between the clerks. One refusing to give my mother the price she was quoted and the other girl insisting that she had quoted that price and that girl had better give it to her.
My mom ended up getting the room at the price she was originally quoted and she gave the girl who quoted her that price a tip when she checked out. Poor mom thought maybe the girl would lose her job for giving the rooms at that price so she kept asking after her in the morning.
The thing is, between the time my folks checked into their room and they decided to stay longer, was about 2 hours. In that time, the hotel was starting to fill up so they were raising their prices based on how many rooms they had left. Lots of rooms? Low price. Not so many rooms? Higher price.
Which is something I don't think walk-ins get. They think the price should be going down because it's getting late. Around here, we're still getting walk-ins at 9PM, so showing up at 5PM isn't, to me, late at all! I still have 4 more hours to get full price and I'd rather have an empty room than fell compelled to discount. (Which makes me a lousy business owner, I'm sure!)
.

Just like the gal who hung up in a huff because she thought that she was doing me a favor by bringing me 2 non-smokers for $100 on a Tuesday evening. I replied that we didn't have any rooms for that price, which is lower than our single business traveler rate. People just have no clue....
And, I really don't want these clueless people...
.

Just like the gal who hung up in a huff because she thought that she was doing me a favor by bringing me 2 non-smokers for $100 on a Tuesday evening. I replied that we didn't have any rooms for that price, which is lower than our single business traveler rate. People just have no clue....
And, I really don't want these clueless people...

We stayed in a hotel on Sat evening. A nice little hotel. All on one floor so you could step out to your car. The room next door was so incredibly noisy with two families packed into it - I cannot begin to describe how terrible it was.
We were trapped in our room trying to sleep - after all that is why we booked a hotel room to sleep.
Last night I said to DH, funny really, we have 5 rooms above our heads right here for 5 years and NEVER have we had noise problems. Twice there was some noise for 'other' reasons. NEVER had a room up partying, or slam bang giggle high heels on the tile all night kids laughing boom bang.
All this to say - hotel people ARE NOT B&B PEOPLE! When they start TELLING YOU "MAKE ME A DEAL" they are hotel people. Disrespectful rude horrible people.
.

I hear ya, Sistuh! We've had very few what I call "floor stompers"...and they've been "hotel people". Fortunately, the only people that hear them are us since we're downstairs.
I actually was worried about some folks in the back room of our main house recently because there were smokers in the front suite - in & out, in & out, up & down the stairs, up & down, until late. I discretely pulled the non-smoking guests aside the next day (after the first night of their stay) and asked if everything was OK because I noticed we had some folks that were up & down the stairs until late (I'm usually up late in the kitchen). They said that they didn't hear a thing! Really! I told them to let me know as I would be happy to move them to another room. No way, they said they loved their room. Whew...thank goodness for old houses that often do not transmit the sounds.
Do ya think a hotel would do that??? uh, no....You would have to complain first and then who knows??
This is not to brag on me because I think this is what we ALL do

.

Do ya think a hotel would do that??? uh, no....You would have to complain first and then who knows??

I think we are way way way over the top and care for our guests to the umpteenth degree as innkeepers.
We all need to stay elsewhere once in a while to see what it is like and remember. There simply is NO COMPARISON to a hotel and a B&B.
The window heating unit on off on off on off every 5 minutes was insane! I am going to blog about this - not as a rant, but as a reminder. People actually do REST when they stay at B&B's. I won't go into the cost and service of a lousy breakfast - that, again, sheesh, we need to promote that! We are sooooo much better than any hotel. Not on a par, so much better. Why do we try to compete with them?
For all the talk about meeting guests special diets etc, FOOY (how do you spell phooey?) Innkeepers you do way too much. You are not personal assistants, you are not aids, dietitions, not babysitters for adults, you are the proprieters of your Bed and Breakfast. We try to be too much. We need to give guests a nice place to stay, treat them well and let them enjoy what we have on offer.
Unless - you charge $250+ then you are in a totally diff ballgame to the average B&B.
.

You are sooooooooooo right! But, here's the thing...I am getting a great niche here for job candidates for our university. Ya know why? They are going back and telling the folks that are bringing them in about how we cater to them more.

It's really nice to hear that we're putting them at their ease. They arrive all tense from travel and so forth and after they're brought back from a nice dinner, their bed is turned down and they're in a cozy room where that heat doesn't go off & on, nice big tub or shower to help relax, snacks, and complimentary water and sodas, WiFi, and they are set. Breakfast when they want it in the morning and they always bring their laptops to brush up on the class they are teaching and their presentation on their thesis or whatever. Soft music, they get served their breakfast (no boo-fay trying to elbow their way through), and they can take their time. Then, we chat them up a bit about the area and give them a map to take with them when they get their realtor tour. And a later check-out. So, I am now a direct bill vendor. Yippee! And, these department chairs have talked us up to the Dean. Thank you! So, my hand holding is paying off....

I personally won't stay at hotels/motels anymore unless I'm doing Interstate travel and strictly want a bed to crash into and hit the road early.....
My innkeeper friends are spoiling ME!!

 

[DaisyMae]

Because of the recession and hotel's deep discounting, people just assume it is a buyer's market and they can name their own price. I just delay in answering them and they usually have gone somewhere else by the time they get my response..

Because of the recession and hotel's deep discounting, people just assume it is a buyer's market and they can name their own price. I just delay in answering them and they usually have gone somewhere else by the time they get my response.

My parents walked into a hotel somewhere in MS a few weeks ago and asked about a room. They got it for $69. When they decided to stay over longer they were told the rooms were now $89. My mother said to the clerk, 'That young lady over there told us it was $69.' My mom says a brawl almost broke out between the clerks. One refusing to give my mother the price she was quoted and the other girl insisting that she had quoted that price and that girl had better give it to her.
My mom ended up getting the room at the price she was originally quoted and she gave the girl who quoted her that price a tip when she checked out. Poor mom thought maybe the girl would lose her job for giving the rooms at that price so she kept asking after her in the morning.
The thing is, between the time my folks checked into their room and they decided to stay longer, was about 2 hours. In that time, the hotel was starting to fill up so they were raising their prices based on how many rooms they had left. Lots of rooms? Low price. Not so many rooms? Higher price.
Which is something I don't think walk-ins get. They think the price should be going down because it's getting late. Around here, we're still getting walk-ins at 9PM, so showing up at 5PM isn't, to me, late at all! I still have 4 more hours to get full price and I'd rather have an empty room than fell compelled to discount. (Which makes me a lousy business owner, I'm sure!)
.

{...Which is something I don't think walk-ins get. They think the price should be going down because it's getting late. Around here, we're still getting walk-ins at 9PM, so showing up at 5PM isn't, to me, late at all! I still have 4 more hours to get full price and I'd rather have an empty room than fell compelled to discount. (Which makes me a lousy business owner, I'm sure!)}
well, i must also be a lousy business owner. i live in an area, just like your Bree,in the sense that, walk ins show up all the time, even if the sign says no vacancy. why should i cheat myself & give someone a room for the $50.00 they want it for when,after i turn down the hagglers, i stand a good chance of someone else walking up & having no problem at all paying full price!?

 

[JunieBJones (JBJ)]

Samster you prove the point of being a super wise innkeeper. Those are your business guests and they love it.
If I did that with our business guests they would not love it (other than the usual breakfast when they want it, wifi etc). Your busines guests are a diff clientele completely to our business guests who want a nice place to stay, centrally located that meets their needs.
The wise innkeeper meets the needs of the guests. She/he needs to learn what sort of guests they are in a blink of an eye.

 

[Samster]

Samster you prove the point of being a super wise innkeeper. Those are your business guests and they love it.
If I did that with our business guests they would not love it (other than the usual breakfast when they want it, wifi etc). Your busines guests are a diff clientele completely to our business guests who want a nice place to stay, centrally located that meets their needs.
The wise innkeeper meets the needs of the guests. She/he needs to learn what sort of guests they are in a blink of an eye..

I learned much from the experienced innkeepers here, O Wise One
Yeah, these are a bit of a different animal, so to speak, in the business guest realm. They're like a hybrid of business/visitor guest. Because they're trying to also figure out, "Is this place going to be a good fit for me?" as well as if the job is a good fit. You know, I remember what it was like when I came here to check it out before moving here & went house hunting.
Regular biz guests here usually want to be left alone. Road warriors....

 

[Morticia]

Because of the recession and hotel's deep discounting, people just assume it is a buyer's market and they can name their own price. I just delay in answering them and they usually have gone somewhere else by the time they get my response..

Because of the recession and hotel's deep discounting, people just assume it is a buyer's market and they can name their own price. I just delay in answering them and they usually have gone somewhere else by the time they get my response.

My parents walked into a hotel somewhere in MS a few weeks ago and asked about a room. They got it for $69. When they decided to stay over longer they were told the rooms were now $89. My mother said to the clerk, 'That young lady over there told us it was $69.' My mom says a brawl almost broke out between the clerks. One refusing to give my mother the price she was quoted and the other girl insisting that she had quoted that price and that girl had better give it to her.
My mom ended up getting the room at the price she was originally quoted and she gave the girl who quoted her that price a tip when she checked out. Poor mom thought maybe the girl would lose her job for giving the rooms at that price so she kept asking after her in the morning.
The thing is, between the time my folks checked into their room and they decided to stay longer, was about 2 hours. In that time, the hotel was starting to fill up so they were raising their prices based on how many rooms they had left. Lots of rooms? Low price. Not so many rooms? Higher price.
Which is something I don't think walk-ins get. They think the price should be going down because it's getting late. Around here, we're still getting walk-ins at 9PM, so showing up at 5PM isn't, to me, late at all! I still have 4 more hours to get full price and I'd rather have an empty room than fell compelled to discount. (Which makes me a lousy business owner, I'm sure!)
.

{...Which is something I don't think walk-ins get. They think the price should be going down because it's getting late. Around here, we're still getting walk-ins at 9PM, so showing up at 5PM isn't, to me, late at all! I still have 4 more hours to get full price and I'd rather have an empty room than fell compelled to discount. (Which makes me a lousy business owner, I'm sure!)}
well, i must also be a lousy business owner. i live in an area, just like your Bree,in the sense that, walk ins show up all the time, even if the sign says no vacancy. why should i cheat myself & give someone a room for the $50.00 they want it for when,after i turn down the hagglers, i stand a good chance of someone else walking up & having no problem at all paying full price!?
.

{...Which is something I don't think walk-ins get. They think the price should be going down because it's getting late. Around here, we're still getting walk-ins at 9PM, so showing up at 5PM isn't, to me, late at all! I still have 4 more hours to get full price and I'd rather have an empty room than fell compelled to discount. (Which makes me a lousy business owner, I'm sure!)}
well, i must also be a lousy business owner. i live in an area, just like your Bree,in the sense that, walk ins show up all the time, even if the sign says no vacancy. why should i cheat myself & give someone a room for the $50.00 they want it for when,after i turn down the hagglers, i stand a good chance of someone else walking up & having no problem at all paying full price!?

And $50 IS the price, isn't it? And it generally comes down to thinking they can haggle more easily with the owner than the desk clerk at the Hilton. Which, as my mom found, CAN be done, but it takes a lot more effort because 'the price is in the computer, I can't change it.' Wrong. They can override the price if they want to.

 

[JunieBJones (JBJ)]

Samster you prove the point of being a super wise innkeeper. Those are your business guests and they love it.
If I did that with our business guests they would not love it (other than the usual breakfast when they want it, wifi etc). Your busines guests are a diff clientele completely to our business guests who want a nice place to stay, centrally located that meets their needs.
The wise innkeeper meets the needs of the guests. She/he needs to learn what sort of guests they are in a blink of an eye..

I learned much from the experienced innkeepers here, O Wise One
Yeah, these are a bit of a different animal, so to speak, in the business guest realm. They're like a hybrid of business/visitor guest. Because they're trying to also figure out, "Is this place going to be a good fit for me?" as well as if the job is a good fit. You know, I remember what it was like when I came here to check it out before moving here & went house hunting.
Regular biz guests here usually want to be left alone. Road warriors....
.

I learned much from the experienced innkeepers here, O Wise One
Yeah, these are a bit of a different animal, so to speak, in the business guest realm. They're like a hybrid of business/visitor guest. Because they're trying to also figure out, "Is this place going to be a good fit for me?" as well as if the job is a good fit. You know, I remember what it was like when I came here to check it out before moving here & went house hunting.
Regular biz guests here usually want to be left alone. Road warriors....

Those guests are more like the relocating or retiring to our area guests. I do want them to love love love this place and tell all their friends! Tell their realtors! Tell everyone. Also when I run into them later at stuffmart it is always nice to see them! One couple built a house and he works in town here after they relocated from Annapolis and we enjoy seeing them. Now since he works with the public and might be telling others about us. I hope.

 

[Samster]

Samster you prove the point of being a super wise innkeeper. Those are your business guests and they love it.
If I did that with our business guests they would not love it (other than the usual breakfast when they want it, wifi etc). Your busines guests are a diff clientele completely to our business guests who want a nice place to stay, centrally located that meets their needs.
The wise innkeeper meets the needs of the guests. She/he needs to learn what sort of guests they are in a blink of an eye..

I learned much from the experienced innkeepers here, O Wise One
Yeah, these are a bit of a different animal, so to speak, in the business guest realm. They're like a hybrid of business/visitor guest. Because they're trying to also figure out, "Is this place going to be a good fit for me?" as well as if the job is a good fit. You know, I remember what it was like when I came here to check it out before moving here & went house hunting.
Regular biz guests here usually want to be left alone. Road warriors....
.

I learned much from the experienced innkeepers here, O Wise One
Yeah, these are a bit of a different animal, so to speak, in the business guest realm. They're like a hybrid of business/visitor guest. Because they're trying to also figure out, "Is this place going to be a good fit for me?" as well as if the job is a good fit. You know, I remember what it was like when I came here to check it out before moving here & went house hunting.
Regular biz guests here usually want to be left alone. Road warriors....

Those guests are more like the relocating or retiring to our area guests. I do want them to love love love this place and tell all their friends! Tell their realtors! Tell everyone. Also when I run into them later at stuffmart it is always nice to see them! One couple built a house and he works in town here after they relocated from Annapolis and we enjoy seeing them. Now since he works with the public and might be telling others about us. I hope.
.

You KNOW he will, because you do a super job!!

 

[happykeeper]

Because of the recession and hotel's deep discounting, people just assume it is a buyer's market and they can name their own price. I just delay in answering them and they usually have gone somewhere else by the time they get my response..

Because of the recession and hotel's deep discounting, people just assume it is a buyer's market and they can name their own price. I just delay in answering them and they usually have gone somewhere else by the time they get my response.

My parents walked into a hotel somewhere in MS a few weeks ago and asked about a room. They got it for $69. When they decided to stay over longer they were told the rooms were now $89. My mother said to the clerk, 'That young lady over there told us it was $69.' My mom says a brawl almost broke out between the clerks. One refusing to give my mother the price she was quoted and the other girl insisting that she had quoted that price and that girl had better give it to her.
My mom ended up getting the room at the price she was originally quoted and she gave the girl who quoted her that price a tip when she checked out. Poor mom thought maybe the girl would lose her job for giving the rooms at that price so she kept asking after her in the morning.
The thing is, between the time my folks checked into their room and they decided to stay longer, was about 2 hours. In that time, the hotel was starting to fill up so they were raising their prices based on how many rooms they had left. Lots of rooms? Low price. Not so many rooms? Higher price.
Which is something I don't think walk-ins get. They think the price should be going down because it's getting late. Around here, we're still getting walk-ins at 9PM, so showing up at 5PM isn't, to me, late at all! I still have 4 more hours to get full price and I'd rather have an empty room than fell compelled to discount. (Which makes me a lousy business owner, I'm sure!)
.

I'd rather have an empty room than fell compelled to discount. (Which makes me a lousy business owner, I'm sure!)
Then I guess I am one also because I will stay empty before I will give it away - especially if they expect me to give it away or think they are doing me a favor to stay here. I do not need money that badly!
Reminds me of the guy who after a wedding at the HI threw his Amex card across the desk as he said- give me a room. I calmly picked up the card, put it down in front of him and smiled as I said, I am sorry but we are full. I actually was full that night, but if I had 203 empty rooms I would have been booked right then.
.

Although you may say it in a different way, it is..
1) Knowing your perfect guest
2) Choosing to accept a guest based on a quality of life formula and not a heads in beds mentality.
3) Having faith that you have selected a price point that is the correct fit for your perfect guest.
I would say this makes you an exceptional business owner.

 

[muirford]

This article is on MSNBC today. Every traveler thinks every place is ready to bargain.

 

[JunieBJones (JBJ)]

This article is on MSNBC today. Every traveler thinks every place is ready to bargain..

This article is on MSNBC today. Every traveler thinks every place is ready to bargain.

Wuold you mind putting this inn the news? I would like to find it again and hear comments on it. Since we have all thrown away our little bottles of lotion. ha ha

 

[Morticia]

Because of the recession and hotel's deep discounting, people just assume it is a buyer's market and they can name their own price. I just delay in answering them and they usually have gone somewhere else by the time they get my response..

Because of the recession and hotel's deep discounting, people just assume it is a buyer's market and they can name their own price. I just delay in answering them and they usually have gone somewhere else by the time they get my response.

My parents walked into a hotel somewhere in MS a few weeks ago and asked about a room. They got it for $69. When they decided to stay over longer they were told the rooms were now $89. My mother said to the clerk, 'That young lady over there told us it was $69.' My mom says a brawl almost broke out between the clerks. One refusing to give my mother the price she was quoted and the other girl insisting that she had quoted that price and that girl had better give it to her.
My mom ended up getting the room at the price she was originally quoted and she gave the girl who quoted her that price a tip when she checked out. Poor mom thought maybe the girl would lose her job for giving the rooms at that price so she kept asking after her in the morning.
The thing is, between the time my folks checked into their room and they decided to stay longer, was about 2 hours. In that time, the hotel was starting to fill up so they were raising their prices based on how many rooms they had left. Lots of rooms? Low price. Not so many rooms? Higher price.
Which is something I don't think walk-ins get. They think the price should be going down because it's getting late. Around here, we're still getting walk-ins at 9PM, so showing up at 5PM isn't, to me, late at all! I still have 4 more hours to get full price and I'd rather have an empty room than fell compelled to discount. (Which makes me a lousy business owner, I'm sure!)
.

I'd rather have an empty room than fell compelled to discount. (Which makes me a lousy business owner, I'm sure!)
Then I guess I am one also because I will stay empty before I will give it away - especially if they expect me to give it away or think they are doing me a favor to stay here. I do not need money that badly!
Reminds me of the guy who after a wedding at the HI threw his Amex card across the desk as he said- give me a room. I calmly picked up the card, put it down in front of him and smiled as I said, I am sorry but we are full. I actually was full that night, but if I had 203 empty rooms I would have been booked right then.
.

Although you may say it in a different way, it is..
1) Knowing your perfect guest
2) Choosing to accept a guest based on a quality of life formula and not a heads in beds mentality.
3) Having faith that you have selected a price point that is the correct fit for your perfect guest.
I would say this makes you an exceptional business owner.
.

Although you may say it in a different way, it is..
1) Knowing your perfect guest
2) Choosing to accept a guest based on a quality of life formula and not a heads in beds mentality.
3) Having faith that you have selected a price point that is the correct fit for your perfect guest.
I would say this makes you an exceptional business owner.

I like that. That seems like what I do. Now I need to get in front of those guests who fit that profile!
It's like planning the perfect party. You want a lot of different people there so the conversation keeps moving along and everyone has a good time. Which is why I strongly discourage people who just want to 'pack 'em in.'