I HATE ONE NIGHT STAYS

[JunieBJones (JBJ)]

Three ways to do it.
Here are the three options you can check: the boxes are the days of the week and you can select these for each room indiv or all rooms. Youc an't see the boxes they all got squished, but they are to the right.
[tr][td]Arrival Minimum Stay[/td] [/td] [/td] [/td] [/td] [/td] [/td] [/td] [/tr] [tr] [td]Minimum Stay-through[/td] [/td] [/td] [/td] [/td] [/td] [/td] [/td] [/tr] [tr] [td]Allow Check-In[/td][/tr][/table]

 

[JeannineIrish]

Can you at least do the minimums on weekends, or with a Saturday night? That is what we do, but we are definitely a tourism town, not a university town, even though there is a university here.
Jeanne.

There again we would lose reservations because some of them are also touring schools but it's a thought that we may consider. I'd also have to figure out how to do that in Webervations. Do we just make the Sat night as the two night minimum or also do the same for Friday arrivals?
.

I am sure I do lose some - that's not really the point. It's business I don't mind losing, and can afford to lose. If you can fill those Saturdays with weekenders - that's the question you have to be ready to answer - then turning away one-nighters for Saturdays is just like turning away guests with children or pets or guests who think your rates are too high. That's the business - you're not trying to attract the Motel 6 crowd, so your rates aren't $49. I only do it for Saturday nights at this point.
You should check out your competition, but I can tell you there are B&Bs within 10 miles of me without the two-night minimum. They fill up on Saturdays before I do, but I am still full most weekends and mostly with two-nighters. I can almost always sell a room for Saturday night only right up through Saturday afternoon - but if I book a room two weeks out for just Saturday, it is a lot harder for me to sell Friday. That's what I know about my business.
You are in a university town but also near enough to urban centers that you may have weekend tourism to support a two-night stay. You'll have to figure that out. Summer is a good time to try it - more vacationers.
Other urban B&Bs have even longer minimum stays - the 1871 House in Manhattan generally has a three-night minimum and drops it to two in the off-season, or maybe it's four that drops to three. Manhattan is a market in and of itself...
Jeanne
.

We are a small urban area and not like New York or Boston where tourists go for get-away weekends. We don't draw a lot of the tourists. We also get many passer-throughs just like Mooseberry Inn.

 

[JeannineIrish]

You can set ANY dates for a 2 night minimum on webervations.
Yes I think you would lose business and they would go elsewhere. Wouldn't you? I would drive hours out versus having to stay 2 nights somewhere I did not need to stay.
I have a message on the machine about online availability, and also book online and save $10. Honestly, 50% plus of my calls here are NEVER to book a room. At least 50% some days higher. the number of 800 #'s which are marketers. The number of local calls that have nothing to do with paying US, but us paying them for sponsoring an event...
Certain days I can answer the phone 10 times and none of them be about booking a room. That is why we got caller id, which was a great move, and also use the online reservations system (the best invention for any B&B!)
Late check ins are always interruptions. If it is after check in time 8pm then there is a note left for the guest on the door. Many have been good about calling lately, when they are going to be after 8pm. I tell them on the phone the arrangement and they are actually relieved and then tell us, Good, then we will stop for a bite as we are starving. I think the guest appreciates that.
How many times will we wait up all hours of the night (sometimes a room doesn't show) but many time til midnight and it disrupts our whole night. THe guest shows with no prior phone call and you hate them already. So a note for them to check themselves in works best..

We have caller ID but it is only only the newest cordess phones. We need to replace all our phones with caller ID phones and then just get into the habit of not answering the phone unless it is family or friends. Our voicemail does tell people to go to our website and a number of times if a call has come in late and we didn't answer it there was a reservation request in the morning in our e-mail.
We just need to break that tether to the phone.

 

[JeannineIrish]

Three ways to do it.
Here are the three options you can check: the boxes are the days of the week and you can select these for each room indiv or all rooms. Youc an't see the boxes they all got squished, but they are to the right.
[tr][td]Arrival Minimum Stay[/td] [/td] [/td] [/td] [/td] [/td] [/td] [/td] [/tr] [tr] [td]Minimum Stay-through[/td] [/td] [/td] [/td] [/td] [/td] [/td] [/td] [/tr] [tr] [td]Allow Check-In[/td][/tr][/table].

Thanks. I have seen them and used them in the past for special weekends.

 

[muirford]

Can you at least do the minimums on weekends, or with a Saturday night? That is what we do, but we are definitely a tourism town, not a university town, even though there is a university here.
Jeanne.

There again we would lose reservations because some of them are also touring schools but it's a thought that we may consider. I'd also have to figure out how to do that in Webervations. Do we just make the Sat night as the two night minimum or also do the same for Friday arrivals?
.

I am sure I do lose some - that's not really the point. It's business I don't mind losing, and can afford to lose. If you can fill those Saturdays with weekenders - that's the question you have to be ready to answer - then turning away one-nighters for Saturdays is just like turning away guests with children or pets or guests who think your rates are too high. That's the business - you're not trying to attract the Motel 6 crowd, so your rates aren't $49. I only do it for Saturday nights at this point.
You should check out your competition, but I can tell you there are B&Bs within 10 miles of me without the two-night minimum. They fill up on Saturdays before I do, but I am still full most weekends and mostly with two-nighters. I can almost always sell a room for Saturday night only right up through Saturday afternoon - but if I book a room two weeks out for just Saturday, it is a lot harder for me to sell Friday. That's what I know about my business.
You are in a university town but also near enough to urban centers that you may have weekend tourism to support a two-night stay. You'll have to figure that out. Summer is a good time to try it - more vacationers.
Other urban B&Bs have even longer minimum stays - the 1871 House in Manhattan generally has a three-night minimum and drops it to two in the off-season, or maybe it's four that drops to three. Manhattan is a market in and of itself...
Jeanne
.

We are a small urban area and not like New York or Boston where tourists go for get-away weekends. We don't draw a lot of the tourists. We also get many passer-throughs just like Mooseberry Inn.
.

If you know that for sure, then you're stuck with one-nighters and there's no sense worrying about them. I wouldn't be so quick to write off your town as a tourist destination, but that's just me. I still get lots of calls for people who don't know any reason why they should come to my town, but we offer a variety of activities which I'm sure your town has. One thing that helps is that we are under two hours from major metropolitan areas - as are you. Those guests look for a getaway weekend and are willing to stay two nights. I can fill six rooms with them.
I get lots of people who try to cajole me into allowing a single Saturday night - they can only get a babysitter for one night, they can't afford two nights, they'll only be here for one night - that's fine, but this is the way I make my living and I can get two night stays on Saturdays, so I do. It sounds like many of you will fill a Friday if you book a Saturday only - that's not true for me. Others around me do it differently - my revenue is looking pretty good so far this year so I won't be changing that model any time soon.
One thing a previous owner did was charge a premium for a one-night stay - same as discounting for two but a different perspective for the guest, maybe.
Jeanne

 

[Willowpondgj]

We require a two night on high season (May-Sept) weekends. When the onesies call, I tell them to call the Monday before and if the room is still available, we'll do it. To remedy the occasional empty rooms in high season, right now we are running a last minute special, so for those who call the same day of their stay, they can get any available room for $99 bucks- one night only. We are filling the rooms!
So far for June, looks like less than 20% of our business has been onesies...they're all mid-week, due to our weekend requirement, so it's not too bad.
And yes, it does save the sanity to be able to slip out on a Saturday afternoon and see a movie or something, no check-ins, etc. You almost feel human.

 

[swirt]

We require a two night on high season (May-Sept) weekends. When the onesies call, I tell them to call the Monday before and if the room is still available, we'll do it. To remedy the occasional empty rooms in high season, right now we are running a last minute special, so for those who call the same day of their stay, they can get any available room for $99 bucks- one night only. We are filling the rooms!
So far for June, looks like less than 20% of our business has been onesies...they're all mid-week, due to our weekend requirement, so it's not too bad.
And yes, it does save the sanity to be able to slip out on a Saturday afternoon and see a movie or something, no check-ins, etc. You almost feel human..

That sounds like a good plan. Glad to hear it is working for you.

 

[JunieBJones (JBJ)]

Well the phone has rung/rang/ringed about 12 times thus far today and ALL OF THEM have been marketers or junk calls. I answer half and then said STUFF THEM! Let me get my work done.

 

[Samster]

Well the phone has rung/rang/ringed about 12 times thus far today and ALL OF THEM have been marketers or junk calls. I answer half and then said STUFF THEM! Let me get my work done..

I hardly ever get "real" phone calls...they all book online here. Got a call today and the caller ID was "our city". I feel like crap & just said, "Hello". Of course, it was someone who was looking for info. Buggers.

 

[Willowpondgj]

Well the phone has rung/rang/ringed about 12 times thus far today and ALL OF THEM have been marketers or junk calls. I answer half and then said STUFF THEM! Let me get my work done..

Make sure you get your number, including your 800 numbers on the do not call registry, it will help cut the solicitors down, usually we just get locals now...

 

[Morticia]

Well the phone has rung/rang/ringed about 12 times thus far today and ALL OF THEM have been marketers or junk calls. I answer half and then said STUFF THEM! Let me get my work done..

Make sure you get your number, including your 800 numbers on the do not call registry, it will help cut the solicitors down, usually we just get locals now...
.

Make sure you get your number, including your 800 numbers on the do not call registry, it will help cut the solicitors down, usually we just get locals now...

It would probably work for Samster to do that because she's new. For me, the numbers have been out there for 20 years and every telemarketer in the country has the list. If it's a biz phone, it doesn't matter if you're on the DNC list, they call. Technically, if you read the info, biz phones are excluded from the DNC list. That didn't stop me from listing them, tho! And it does help with the newer callers.
I know my phone number has been sold time and again because of who the callers ask for. We (I, anyway) don't give our names on the phone unless someone is making a reservation. Hubs does tell his name so now all the telemarketers ask for him by name. I say he's *sniff* no longer with us.
The other thing is, most telemarketers are using auto dial, it just dials random phone numbers, which is why so many cellphones get hit with these calls.
Sunday night I got a call from a local drug store telling me my prescription was ready. This is for a previous owner who hasn't lived here for 10 years. I still get calls for the owner just before me.
What I don't get is why business owners don't have a personal phone as well for all these things. You sell the business and don't change your phone info and the next owner knows you're seeing a shrink, your car is in for repairs and the furniture you ordered is delayed. Not to mention that family relations probably aren't all that good because your brother just called here looking for you and you moved a month ago.

 

[Cathy]

We got a 1 night booking as the first B&B had a minimum of a two night stay. The couple said they were going to choose between us as they liked our "theme" and the other place, but the one night only made their choice easy. Just starting out ... the almight $$ calls.
We all live behind stone walls, we do not get any drop ins. It would be a bit dangerous here for that I think.
Cathy