Policies worth changing

[JBloggs]

Looking back on 2015 is there something that impacted your policies that need redefining?
I do not believe we should all be alike, but there is something to be said for destinations with multiple inns having a more common policy.
When was the last time you combed over your policies?
Have you had complaints about any?
Do you know that you may be losing bookings from too stringent cancellation policies? We can all justify why we do what we do, but are we losing more revenue than gaining by making them too tough?
Have you ever asked outsiders to review your policies to see how they "come across?"

 

[JBloggs]

After reading Haps post re reservation system policies, I thought about ours being too long, as I always do, and wen I got to cut them down iI justify needing every last word.
Then, I realized we had NO group bookings in 2015 at all. I hadn't realized it, and those are the most stringent we have, never were, but ere increasingly amped up over time. Lost too may room nights from that. But in 2015 I wonder if our policies turned them off? So I am going to rethink them. Could simply be the other inn in our area is getting all the group bookings now. They are getting some, I know that, and prob making it very easy for them.

 

[gillumhouse]

I have always been 48 hours prior. The only deviation to that is my unpublished winter horse policy that I verbalize and include in Confirmation Letters - if road conditions at either end pose a danger to the safety of the HORSES, the reservation can be cancelled same day. IF they cancel, only the stable fees will be posted to the card and if it is on my end (happened once) there is no charged of any kind.

 

[Morticia]

Our 2 guest maximum per room gets a lot of push back.
The cancellation policy gets a lot of push back. (From people calling at 10 am to say they aren't arriving that day.) They exclaim that hotels give you until 6pm! I will guess that travelers with uncertain plans do not book at places with fees for canceling.
The 50% deposit for groups gets no push back but we don't get those groups making reservations, either, so they vote with their wallets.
The arrival time (3-7) gets a lot of push back on the early end.
We've adapted our deposit to be the least possible amount we feel gets the guest to not book multiple venues - $100. Last year we made $100 by keeping the deposit and garnered $100 in cancellation fees. This compares favorably with the former 10% cancellation rate we used to have. Last year amounted to less than 1% cancellation rate.
Now that the Hilton is collecting cancellation fees in some trial venues it may either mean we have to drop the fees or it will become SOP at all hotels and no one will care.
It's not necessarily a policy, but our lack of breakfast options gets a lot of comment. People have now become used to the breakfast buffet at a hotel and don't seem to want creative cooking if they can't tell you exactly what they want.

 

[MtnKeeper]

It's always great to review your policies and find what works for not only your business (income) but how you want to live your life as an innkeeper. Policies we won't be changing:
14 day cancellation notice; $25 cancellation fee, only refund for rooms I can rebook
max occupancy per room two - no exception
no pets (no exception but for service dogs)
check-in time 3-9pm (no late or self checkins)
We are booked every single winter weekend even when other local inns without such policies are not full (tells me that the policies ARE NOT keeping guests from booking)
We keep increasing business every year summer through foliage when we are our busiest. Again, we beat out other local inns who have been in business or triple the length we have!!
My policies have gotten more stringent like the max guests 2 per room. We are a couples location and couples love that we have max occupancy of 2. Again, know your business.
If a guest wants to be able to cancel at the last minute, then I don't want them booking with me because with well over $1M invested in this place and rising with my new jacuzzi suite going in I can't afford rooms being empty because someone changed their mind at the last minute or the weather isn't going to suit them. My competition can gladly have those people - by the way a local inn that I refer to told me that the recent weather during the holiday week cost her over $2K in business because people all cancelled 7 days out after seeing the 10 day forecast … thus my 14 day cancellation policy. She's gonna be struggling all winter she said and is hurting.
So it's good to review your policies but again keep what works for you and your business/lifestyle.