Locals don't not have a clue

[Morticia]

I gets worse than that...
The people that are doing the local marketing, don't have a clue. Just ask JBJ about her town!
I was at a function this evening and someone from the State visitors' bureau off the Interstate was telling me how I should go about marketing through them. I told them that 98% of my reservations are online. Shocked!! Then I told them about how more & more folks are using iPhones and similar devices with Web browsing capability to just search for lodging. SUPER shocked! Come on, people, get with the technology age! I asked if they had computers there for people to look online or free WiFi at least. Nope...but I could bring my rack cards to sit there.
That was followed by a phone call from a local who first asked for our cheapest room for Christmas Day. Then, what about a discount. Then, did we take pets for that price? But we had dogs on our website! Give me strength....
The locals that are really interested in staying here (or having family stay here for some kind of event) are savvy about lodging choices and prices and are specifically looking for a small B&B experience. The others want that, but don't want to pay for it..

I gets worse than that...
The people that are doing the local marketing, don't have a clue. Just ask JBJ about her town!
I was at a function this evening and someone from the State visitors' bureau off the Interstate was telling me how I should go about marketing through them. I told them that 98% of my reservations are online. Shocked!! Then I told them about how more & more folks are using iPhones and similar devices with Web browsing capability to just search for lodging. SUPER shocked! Come on, people, get with the technology age! I asked if they had computers there for people to look online or free WiFi at least. Nope...but I could bring my rack cards to sit there.

Regarding State 'Welcome Centers' (well I am assuming this is what you are talking about). If you are interested in filling your rooms 'last minute' this is a good place to be. I know you are not that far from one of these centers in your state and so the possiblities are there for you. If you are not wanting to take walk-ins or last minute reservations, I do not think this is the place for your cards.
The Welcome Center near us (5 miles) is one of the busiest in the country with visitors totalling up to 100,000 during peak months and over 30,000 during the slowest months. They have filled our empty rooms for us on many occasions. Again, you are most likely not going to get your dedicated hotel type guest - unless they are all full but there are a lot of travelers that enjoy a B&B that did not plan their travels and are very pleased when they find us through the center. If I have openings that I really want to fill, I will fax a availability sheet with our rate to the center and they let interested travelers know how close we are. It is important for the center to know your property and we host a afternoon social for the center's employees every so often and show off our property.
While I think having computer to search would be nice and is a good idea for the future but due to the fact that there are still so many people not computer savy I think it would become a huge burden for the staff making it not cost effective (and of course they worry about miss use of tax dollars). The State Centers also (well at least my state) make sure that all of the recommended lodgings have all the appropriate licenses and insurance, something a computer search would not limit unless the only site the visitor could search was a state tourism site, thus eliminating the need for rack cards or as many employees - sure see this in the future! My 2 cents!
.

We have 2 different systems at our info center...one is the kiosk with paid listings and that one is available 24x7 with driving directions printed out. The other is a computer set up at the desk where you can 'send a postcard' or do searches for anything, check your email, etc, only avail when center is open.
We don't get any referrals from the info center. I don't know if they are not allowed to refer to one specific place but can just say, 'Here are the lodgings in that area.' I do call to tell them I have avail, but maybe a fax with prices is better.

 

[gillumhouse]

I had a walk-in tonight - ME, a true walk-in! Two ladies here on business had a vehicle breakdown and the billiard parlor 1 block over told them about the motel and us. (I gathered that they called the motel and were told the hourly rate and she said she would walk over to the B & B.)
Turns out her parents have a B & B near Rochester, NY. I did give her a deal because of the breakdown but it was locals that told her we were here!
Anyone from St Ann's Parish knows about us. A couple who stayed here made a donation to the Chapel and sent a letter with it about how they chose this B & B for a getaway and attended Mass and visited the Chapel. They were very impressed with everything and she said so in a letter to Father Karl. He attached a copy of that letter to the church program last Sunday and 2 ladies in town called to tell me about it..

So which B&B?
.

Better info. Could not find in the Directories. It is the Canaltown B & B in Palmyra. In conversation this morning the daughter said it started with the Josepj Smith pagaent there every year - there was a search for participant lodgings for the season and they did that for several years and then they did a hostel for a few years and then it evolved into the B & B. They have 6 guestrooms.

 

[swirt]

I had a walk-in tonight - ME, a true walk-in! Two ladies here on business had a vehicle breakdown and the billiard parlor 1 block over told them about the motel and us. (I gathered that they called the motel and were told the hourly rate and she said she would walk over to the B & B.)
Turns out her parents have a B & B near Rochester, NY. I did give her a deal because of the breakdown but it was locals that told her we were here!
Anyone from St Ann's Parish knows about us. A couple who stayed here made a donation to the Chapel and sent a letter with it about how they chose this B & B for a getaway and attended Mass and visited the Chapel. They were very impressed with everything and she said so in a letter to Father Karl. He attached a copy of that letter to the church program last Sunday and 2 ladies in town called to tell me about it..

So which B&B?
.

Better info. Could not find in the Directories. It is the Canaltown B & B in Palmyra. In conversation this morning the daughter said it started with the Josepj Smith pagaent there every year - there was a search for participant lodgings for the season and they did that for several years and then they did a hostel for a few years and then it evolved into the B & B. They have 6 guestrooms.
.

Unbelievably there are still B&B's out there with no websites.
http://www.stayfingerlakes.com/palmyra.php#canaltown

 

[JunieBJones (JBJ)]

We had guests from that town this year! I remember the name, not knowing where it was exactly.

 

[Morticia]

I had a walk-in tonight - ME, a true walk-in! Two ladies here on business had a vehicle breakdown and the billiard parlor 1 block over told them about the motel and us. (I gathered that they called the motel and were told the hourly rate and she said she would walk over to the B & B.)
Turns out her parents have a B & B near Rochester, NY. I did give her a deal because of the breakdown but it was locals that told her we were here!
Anyone from St Ann's Parish knows about us. A couple who stayed here made a donation to the Chapel and sent a letter with it about how they chose this B & B for a getaway and attended Mass and visited the Chapel. They were very impressed with everything and she said so in a letter to Father Karl. He attached a copy of that letter to the church program last Sunday and 2 ladies in town called to tell me about it..

So which B&B?
.

Better info. Could not find in the Directories. It is the Canaltown B & B in Palmyra. In conversation this morning the daughter said it started with the Josepj Smith pagaent there every year - there was a search for participant lodgings for the season and they did that for several years and then they did a hostel for a few years and then it evolved into the B & B. They have 6 guestrooms.
.

Unbelievably there are still B&B's out there with no websites.
http://www.stayfingerlakes.com/palmyra.php#canaltown
.

Wow, not even a photo.

 

[JunieBJones (JBJ)]

And then again this evening from a local...
"I heard you have a bed and breakfast. Why would anyone in this town stay at a Bed and Breakfast?"
DOH!
I kindly explained that they don't stay at a bed and breakfast in their town, our guests are not from this town.

 

[gillumhouse]

And then again this evening from a local...
"I heard you have a bed and breakfast. Why would anyone in this town stay at a Bed and Breakfast?"
DOH!
I kindly explained that they don't stay at a bed and breakfast in their town, our guests are not from this town..

I had a night & a dinner B'day for a wife from a local this year

 

[Copperhead]

We get locals staying here about 4-5 times each year. "A getaway without getting away." Great idea for couples with small children, they get a family member or close friend to stay home with their children. They are close enough to get home quickly for an emergency so they can relax and enjoy an evening in a different enviroment. One Dr. books his wife here each year for her B'day. They have 3 small children and his gift includes a book from her favorite author, latest magazines, bath salts and a confirmation from us of the reservation. It is usually a 2 night stay.
Wish I had thought of this sooner, I missed a good marketing tactic for Christmas to all those husbands out their trying to find the perfect Christmas gift for their wife...maybe I need to plant myself in the appliance department and hand my rack cards out to all the men scouting around.

 

[Morticia]

We get locals staying here about 4-5 times each year. "A getaway without getting away." Great idea for couples with small children, they get a family member or close friend to stay home with their children. They are close enough to get home quickly for an emergency so they can relax and enjoy an evening in a different enviroment. One Dr. books his wife here each year for her B'day. They have 3 small children and his gift includes a book from her favorite author, latest magazines, bath salts and a confirmation from us of the reservation. It is usually a 2 night stay.
Wish I had thought of this sooner, I missed a good marketing tactic for Christmas to all those husbands out their trying to find the perfect Christmas gift for their wife...maybe I need to plant myself in the appliance department and hand my rack cards out to all the men scouting around.

.

We get locals staying here about 4-5 times each year. "A getaway without getting away." Great idea for couples with small children, they get a family member or close friend to stay home with their children. They are close enough to get home quickly for an emergency so they can relax and enjoy an evening in a different enviroment. One Dr. books his wife here each year for her B'day. They have 3 small children and his gift includes a book from her favorite author, latest magazines, bath salts and a confirmation from us of the reservation. It is usually a 2 night stay.
Wish I had thought of this sooner, I missed a good marketing tactic for Christmas to all those husbands out their trying to find the perfect Christmas gift for their wife...maybe I need to plant myself in the appliance department and hand my rack cards out to all the men scouting around.

Wow! Good one. Have to figure out how to get that worded and out to the guys...

 

[gillumhouse]

We get locals staying here about 4-5 times each year. "A getaway without getting away." Great idea for couples with small children, they get a family member or close friend to stay home with their children. They are close enough to get home quickly for an emergency so they can relax and enjoy an evening in a different enviroment. One Dr. books his wife here each year for her B'day. They have 3 small children and his gift includes a book from her favorite author, latest magazines, bath salts and a confirmation from us of the reservation. It is usually a 2 night stay.
Wish I had thought of this sooner, I missed a good marketing tactic for Christmas to all those husbands out their trying to find the perfect Christmas gift for their wife...maybe I need to plant myself in the appliance department and hand my rack cards out to all the men scouting around.

.

We get locals staying here about 4-5 times each year. "A getaway without getting away." Great idea for couples with small children, they get a family member or close friend to stay home with their children. They are close enough to get home quickly for an emergency so they can relax and enjoy an evening in a different enviroment. One Dr. books his wife here each year for her B'day. They have 3 small children and his gift includes a book from her favorite author, latest magazines, bath salts and a confirmation from us of the reservation. It is usually a 2 night stay.
Wish I had thought of this sooner, I missed a good marketing tactic for Christmas to all those husbands out their trying to find the perfect Christmas gift for their wife...maybe I need to plant myself in the appliance department and hand my rack cards out to all the men scouting around.

Wow! Good one. Have to figure out how to get that worded and out to the guys...
.

I took a booth at an Outdoors - Hunting & Fishing Show a couple years ago for the Association. I told the men I was giving them the most important piece of information that they were going to get at that shw - a Directory of all the B & Bs in the state to take their lady to for a getaway and get themselves some "brownie" points. I saw a lot of smiles during that Show. The Assoc even got a new member from it!

 

[Copperhead]

We get locals staying here about 4-5 times each year. "A getaway without getting away." Great idea for couples with small children, they get a family member or close friend to stay home with their children. They are close enough to get home quickly for an emergency so they can relax and enjoy an evening in a different enviroment. One Dr. books his wife here each year for her B'day. They have 3 small children and his gift includes a book from her favorite author, latest magazines, bath salts and a confirmation from us of the reservation. It is usually a 2 night stay.
Wish I had thought of this sooner, I missed a good marketing tactic for Christmas to all those husbands out their trying to find the perfect Christmas gift for their wife...maybe I need to plant myself in the appliance department and hand my rack cards out to all the men scouting around.

.

We get locals staying here about 4-5 times each year. "A getaway without getting away." Great idea for couples with small children, they get a family member or close friend to stay home with their children. They are close enough to get home quickly for an emergency so they can relax and enjoy an evening in a different enviroment. One Dr. books his wife here each year for her B'day. They have 3 small children and his gift includes a book from her favorite author, latest magazines, bath salts and a confirmation from us of the reservation. It is usually a 2 night stay.
Wish I had thought of this sooner, I missed a good marketing tactic for Christmas to all those husbands out their trying to find the perfect Christmas gift for their wife...maybe I need to plant myself in the appliance department and hand my rack cards out to all the men scouting around.

Wow! Good one. Have to figure out how to get that worded and out to the guys...
.

I took a booth at an Outdoors - Hunting & Fishing Show a couple years ago for the Association. I told the men I was giving them the most important piece of information that they were going to get at that shw - a Directory of all the B & Bs in the state to take their lady to for a getaway and get themselves some "brownie" points. I saw a lot of smiles during that Show. The Assoc even got a new member from it!
.

Boy that is a good idea! Never thought about doing that either. As much as those guys spend on their toys, they should not balk at the price to keep their sweetie, sweet when they become a weekend widow due to fishing.