Fail to Plan... Plan to Fail

[Generic]

It is the biggest weekend in our calendar. 4 Nights with guests that come to visit the city from all corners of the world. I've been booked since December of 2021.... And yet today I'm still received phone calls asking for a room.

A 3.5 half star hotel with a 6.8/10 rating is going for over $700 a night and no breakfast!

I'm definitely increasing my rates for next year... I'm making $300 a night, for 4 nights. But I definitely could have asked for more.

 

[Arks]

Yes, definitely! I'd go ahead now and set pricing in ResKey for this time next year. You can always lower it later if you're not getting all the bookings you want.

My town is due to have 4+ minutes of total darkness in the April 2024 solar eclipse, so I set special rates for that weekend and have already sold a few and expect to sell them all at double the normal rate. Gotta make hay while the sun shines...or doesn't!

 

[TheBeachHouse]

I can’t charge that much knowing I don’t have a pool, restaurant, shuttle service, room service, etc. but we do think about it. We have a couple weekends a year that are solidly booked way in advance.

 

[Morticia]

I can’t charge that much knowing I don’t have a pool, restaurant, shuttle service, room service, etc. but we do think about it. We have a couple weekends a year that are solidly booked way in advance.

I used to think that. We tried it anyway. Some weekends it worked, others we just lowered the price again. I went and checked how my old gang was pricing for this summer and found that the one place that used to have much lower prices ($40-50) is now up where we were. (With no commensurate addition of amenities.) And everyone else has gone up (not double) and they’re mostly full. No one has the amenities I always thought were needed to charge those prices.

 

[JimBoone]

We go up a small amount, I'm usually behind in my level of pricing, the tradeoff is nice, easy-going guests who leave good reviews since they got more than expected and many become regulars, makes for a good life.

 

[TheBeachHouse]

I think we are like that, Jim. If we offer more for less, you can’t be let down. And hopefully, you will be impressed.
I did have one woman call who repeatedly told me how she’d stayed here so often when the previous owner had it and was wondering if the rates on the website are correct. Yes, those are our rates. Do we have discounts for repeat guests? No. Do we have discounts for AARP? AAA? No. What is your least expensive room? Ok, I’ll talk to my friend and call you back. Of course she didn’t call back. Our rates are among the lowest in town and our amenities are the best. Also, I didn’t tell her that we’ve sunk hundreds of thousands into new porch, bathrooms, electric, landscaping, furniture, carpets, insulation.... those are our rates. That’s my whole explanation anymore.

 

[JimBoone]

Do we have discounts for repeat guests? No. Do we have discounts for AARP? AAA? No. What is your least expensive room? Our rates are among the lowest in town and our amenities are the best.

Isn't that the truth, those folks tickle me, at least good for a laugh. They call, seem impressed, "you have the cheapest rates in town", and then start asking for DISCOUNTS. Nope, I don't play the game, I quote the discount price to everyone up front. I have said, well I could add $100 and give you $10 off if it would make you feel better

At least asking for least expensive sounds polite, we get the ones that say, "what's the cheapest thing you got", usually a sign I don't want them for a guest. I do remember one nice lady quite a few years back that thought $80 tax, and all was high on a weekend. She could stay at Holiday Inn for $35, I replied, sure, I'll call them for you, when they quoted her $159 plus tax, she stayed with me two nights.

I think most folks really have no clue how much it costs to run a business; they see us keeping most of what they pay as profit, little do they know how much is passed on and how little is kept by the operator. Yet the mostly nice guests make the life worthwhile, I enjoy serving them.

 

[gillumhouse]

JimBoone said: Yet the mostly nice guests make the life worthwhile, I enjoy serving them.

I told the couple who changed their arrival dat so I could go to the Governor's Service Award Banquet I was comping their room in appreciation. When they left, the comment book was on the bed with a lovely message and they also left Ben Franklin on the book.

 

[Jay Curci]

Service and Guest experience first, everything else should follow. It helps us to be in an area that has more people looking for rooms than there are rooms to be had. In the slower months we follow by looking at competition - to a point - we will not go to low in price for various reasons. 1.) simply not worth getting up and serving... 2.) unfortunately (?sadly), we have found that the lower end of the room rate scale brings us less desirable Guests. 3.) so few potential Guests- better to close and get some R&R of our own.

 

[Generic]

...and then start asking for DISCOUNTS....

My reply to discounts is simple... We don't offer any special discounts because we don't think it is right to price differently for some guests. Everyone gets the same price.

If they continue with the discount discussion, the next comment from me is, "I'm sorry, I don't think that we are the right place for you. Good luck with your search."

My rule with people who want discounts, they expect more for less and they leave awful reviews because they had higher expectations at a lower rate. They are NOT my guests. Go bug someone else.

 

[Jay Curci]

Right on Jim. We use online booking sites - we put rooms at higher rates with them to cover commissions (Booking.com-Expedia). We tell them you are getting the best price and selection going directly through us.

 

[Anon Inn]

“those are our rates. That’s my whole explanation anymore.”

I’m still fond of the phrase learned on this forum: “Our discounts are built into our prices”. I’ve used it. It works.

 

[Jay Curci]

For last minute cancelations (under 30 days from reservation) that we do not re-book, we say "I'm sorry but we are a small Family owned business and simply can't afford to absorb the financial burden of last minute cancelations."

 

[Tom]

Everyone gets the same price. ... I don't think that we are the right place for you. Good luck with your search."

Exactly. I suggest a local motel which will be in the price range. Sometimes I tell them that the motel keeps crime scene tape in the maintenance closet because it is used so frequently.
And younger travelers have been convinced by hotels dot, grope on, etc. to never pay full price. For chain hotels, maybe, but I can't play that game. I did have a young man call for a romantic stay that same night. I could hear his side conversation with his girlfriend, "too expensive, get a discount, no, they always give a discount, you're not being pushy enough". He really wanted to book (double jetted tub, ***) so I told him that I would take $10 off the room rate if he was a carbon-based life form, "Yes, he was! Baby, I got the discount, let's go." DW thought I was being ridiculous, but I said a brother has to look out for a brother.

 

[Jay Curci]

From one carbon based life form to anther. Well done Brother. Having fun with it..............

 

[Arks]

I suggest a local motel which will be in the price range.

There's nothing local in my price range, and I love, in an evil way, to refer them to the local Days Inn, which is the best 2nd choice, though half my rate, and just over half my review stars. Next time, plan ahead!

 

[Generic]

There's nothing local in my price range, and I love, in an evil way, to refer them to the local Days Inn, which is the best 2nd choice, though half my rate, and just over half my review stars. Next time, plan ahead!

There is a certain quality/price ratio that always exists. When they are clearly too cheap to stay here, in spite of the fact that I'm one of the less expensive choices, I send them elsewhere... to the places where the reviews say things like "******** were missing" and "first room had mouse".

Sometimes I wonder why they would tell management of the mouse... this place... would charge them for the 3rd in the room

 

[Jay Curci]

There's nothing local in my price range, and I love, in an evil way, to refer them to the local Days Inn, which is the best 2nd choice, though half my rate, and just over half my review stars. Next time, plan ahead!

PPPPPPP = Proper Prior Planning Prevents Piss Poor Performance!