Question which level of bandb.com would you choose?

[egoodell]

Getting ready to renew my bandb.com membership and was thinking of going with the bronze membership instead of the silver.
Has anyone else done this and if so have you seen any changes? I really don't use all the things the silver has to offer and from what I compare I'm only losing out on a few options.
Would love some input..
Karen

I am at silver only because when I joined bronze did not offer the link to my website.
If the listing is such that at bronze level my inn would be showing without having to scroll down, I'll drop to bronze. I don't get that many bookings to justify silver from what I can see at this time. And I'm in a pretty competative spot.
The only ones here who go to the top leve are those who are so far out of town that they have trouble booking. So when you see Charlottesville, the top B&B is actually in Nellysford, which is at least a half hour drive. It comes up as "inn of the month" and appears that it is in Charlottesville.
We had guests for graduation that had family meet in our living room before going out to dinner. Some of the family were upset about having reserved this inn as they were told that they were "minutes" from Charlottesville. Being the first on the page for Charlottesville and listed as "inn of the month" makes it look true.
Riki.

I can see where that would be a problem, if the Inn does not make it clear exactly where they're at. For my Secondary city platinum listing, I put right in my listing that we are "just half an hour from XXXX". I've never had anyone arriving that didn't know exactly where we're located and how far it was to get to the "big city". Many of our guests get to us via the "Big City" CVB, of which we are a member, even though we're about 28 miles away.
Not being upfront about where you are is about the same as charging a different rate than quoted.
.

I agree that any inn listing on another town's page should clearly state they are located 'x minutes/miles' from the town. But right now there is an inn in the featured listing that is 45 minutes from here and one of the regular listings is 30 minutes from here. Both state what town they are in, but not how far you'll have to drive.
.

You know what...that EXACT same thing is part of the reason why I dropped my state's B&B Association. Not only did they not bring me any business, but they added a new higher "level" of membership with secondary cities and such. I complained that some cities had Inns from as far away as 63 and 68 miles appearing ABOVE the Inns that were actually in that city. There were also a few places using incorrect addresses to be on their favored page. Just some of the things that cheesed me off, and from what I can see, have not been rectified since I skated.
GRRRR

.

You know what...that EXACT same thing is part of the reason why I dropped my state's B&B Association. Not only did they not bring me any business, but they added a new higher "level" of membership with secondary cities and such. I complained that some cities had Inns from as far away as 63 and 68 miles appearing ABOVE the Inns that were actually in that city. There were also a few places using incorrect addresses to be on their favored page. Just some of the things that cheesed me off, and from what I can see, have not been rectified since I skated.GRRRR

Yes, what they do is the inns that are in undesirable locations get themselves on the Board of Directors and such and make these changes without any open meetings or announcements and suddenly you find the cluster of inns that are logically "in the area of X city" are not listed as such anymore. I call "in the area" what I consider "drivable to town for dinner:"
Suddenly everything within 75 miles of your city are added to the "in the X city area and those truly in the area get lost in the shuffle. The guest is now supposed to figure it out. Right.
Riki

 

[EmptyNest]

Getting ready to renew my bandb.com membership and was thinking of going with the bronze membership instead of the silver.
Has anyone else done this and if so have you seen any changes? I really don't use all the things the silver has to offer and from what I compare I'm only losing out on a few options.
Would love some input..
Karen

I am at silver only because when I joined bronze did not offer the link to my website.
If the listing is such that at bronze level my inn would be showing without having to scroll down, I'll drop to bronze. I don't get that many bookings to justify silver from what I can see at this time. And I'm in a pretty competative spot.
The only ones here who go to the top leve are those who are so far out of town that they have trouble booking. So when you see Charlottesville, the top B&B is actually in Nellysford, which is at least a half hour drive. It comes up as "inn of the month" and appears that it is in Charlottesville.
We had guests for graduation that had family meet in our living room before going out to dinner. Some of the family were upset about having reserved this inn as they were told that they were "minutes" from Charlottesville. Being the first on the page for Charlottesville and listed as "inn of the month" makes it look true.
Riki.

I can see where that would be a problem, if the Inn does not make it clear exactly where they're at. For my Secondary city platinum listing, I put right in my listing that we are "just half an hour from XXXX". I've never had anyone arriving that didn't know exactly where we're located and how far it was to get to the "big city". Many of our guests get to us via the "Big City" CVB, of which we are a member, even though we're about 28 miles away.
Not being upfront about where you are is about the same as charging a different rate than quoted.
.

I agree that any inn listing on another town's page should clearly state they are located 'x minutes/miles' from the town. But right now there is an inn in the featured listing that is 45 minutes from here and one of the regular listings is 30 minutes from here. Both state what town they are in, but not how far you'll have to drive.
.

You know what...that EXACT same thing is part of the reason why I dropped my state's B&B Association. Not only did they not bring me any business, but they added a new higher "level" of membership with secondary cities and such. I complained that some cities had Inns from as far away as 63 and 68 miles appearing ABOVE the Inns that were actually in that city. There were also a few places using incorrect addresses to be on their favored page. Just some of the things that cheesed me off, and from what I can see, have not been rectified since I skated.
GRRRR

.

You know what...that EXACT same thing is part of the reason why I dropped my state's B&B Association. Not only did they not bring me any business, but they added a new higher "level" of membership with secondary cities and such. I complained that some cities had Inns from as far away as 63 and 68 miles appearing ABOVE the Inns that were actually in that city. There were also a few places using incorrect addresses to be on their favored page. Just some of the things that cheesed me off, and from what I can see, have not been rectified since I skated.GRRRR

Yes, what they do is the inns that are in undesirable locations get themselves on the Board of Directors and such and make these changes without any open meetings or announcements and suddenly you find the cluster of inns that are logically "in the area of X city" are not listed as such anymore. I call "in the area" what I consider "drivable to town for dinner:"
Suddenly everything within 75 miles of your city are added to the "in the X city area and those truly in the area get lost in the shuffle. The guest is now supposed to figure it out. Right.
Riki
.

I complained that some cities had Inns from as far away as 63 and 68 miles appearing ABOVE the Inns that were actually in that city. There were also a few places using incorrect addresses to be on their favored page. Just some of the things that cheesed me off, and from what I can see, have not been rectified since I skated.GRRRR

It is 50 miles...and have to say that the board has no control over what the member puts in their listing. If the innkeepers lie about their location...there is no one to really check to see that they have unless someone really complains to them. When I was doing it...I called them all on it..but the decision was made...and they didn't want to stay with my 15 mile limit which is what we had for 5 years.
I know they are still working on this..but since I am not involved any longer, I don't know what the status it.
I would STONGLY encourage you to continue to talk to the PRES, go to a board meeting and express how you feel. And, while you are at it...why don't you consider serving on the board. Have you gone to any of your regional meetings and really discussed this with all the other innkeeepers there??? YOu should..I know Dan would be very eager to have your input.

 

[JBloggs]

Getting ready to renew my bandb.com membership and was thinking of going with the bronze membership instead of the silver.
Has anyone else done this and if so have you seen any changes? I really don't use all the things the silver has to offer and from what I compare I'm only losing out on a few options.
Would love some input..
Karen

I am at silver only because when I joined bronze did not offer the link to my website.
If the listing is such that at bronze level my inn would be showing without having to scroll down, I'll drop to bronze. I don't get that many bookings to justify silver from what I can see at this time. And I'm in a pretty competative spot.
The only ones here who go to the top leve are those who are so far out of town that they have trouble booking. So when you see Charlottesville, the top B&B is actually in Nellysford, which is at least a half hour drive. It comes up as "inn of the month" and appears that it is in Charlottesville.
We had guests for graduation that had family meet in our living room before going out to dinner. Some of the family were upset about having reserved this inn as they were told that they were "minutes" from Charlottesville. Being the first on the page for Charlottesville and listed as "inn of the month" makes it look true.
Riki.

I can see where that would be a problem, if the Inn does not make it clear exactly where they're at. For my Secondary city platinum listing, I put right in my listing that we are "just half an hour from XXXX". I've never had anyone arriving that didn't know exactly where we're located and how far it was to get to the "big city". Many of our guests get to us via the "Big City" CVB, of which we are a member, even though we're about 28 miles away.
Not being upfront about where you are is about the same as charging a different rate than quoted.
.

I agree that any inn listing on another town's page should clearly state they are located 'x minutes/miles' from the town. But right now there is an inn in the featured listing that is 45 minutes from here and one of the regular listings is 30 minutes from here. Both state what town they are in, but not how far you'll have to drive.
.

I agree that any inn listing on another town's page should clearly state they are located 'x minutes/miles' from the town. But right now there is an inn in the featured listing that is 45 minutes from here and one of the regular listings is 30 minutes from here. Both state what town they are in, but not how far you'll have to drive.

You don't get two different sets of listing. What you got is what you got, it appears on your own city page and the secondary one. So you have to word it carefully. . You can't cut off your nose to spite your face and focus on one area more than the other. You need to say "this far from here and this far from there" which helps people ANYWAY! I have been on a few websites lately and have no idea what state they are in! I have to work to find location info, my pet peeve. Directions from this road or that don't tell me where. People might book you in the wrong city/state/region.

 

[wendydk]

Getting ready to renew my bandb.com membership and was thinking of going with the bronze membership instead of the silver.
Has anyone else done this and if so have you seen any changes? I really don't use all the things the silver has to offer and from what I compare I'm only losing out on a few options.
Would love some input..
Karen

I am at silver only because when I joined bronze did not offer the link to my website.
If the listing is such that at bronze level my inn would be showing without having to scroll down, I'll drop to bronze. I don't get that many bookings to justify silver from what I can see at this time. And I'm in a pretty competative spot.
The only ones here who go to the top leve are those who are so far out of town that they have trouble booking. So when you see Charlottesville, the top B&B is actually in Nellysford, which is at least a half hour drive. It comes up as "inn of the month" and appears that it is in Charlottesville.
We had guests for graduation that had family meet in our living room before going out to dinner. Some of the family were upset about having reserved this inn as they were told that they were "minutes" from Charlottesville. Being the first on the page for Charlottesville and listed as "inn of the month" makes it look true.
Riki.

I can see where that would be a problem, if the Inn does not make it clear exactly where they're at. For my Secondary city platinum listing, I put right in my listing that we are "just half an hour from XXXX". I've never had anyone arriving that didn't know exactly where we're located and how far it was to get to the "big city". Many of our guests get to us via the "Big City" CVB, of which we are a member, even though we're about 28 miles away.
Not being upfront about where you are is about the same as charging a different rate than quoted.
.

I agree that any inn listing on another town's page should clearly state they are located 'x minutes/miles' from the town. But right now there is an inn in the featured listing that is 45 minutes from here and one of the regular listings is 30 minutes from here. Both state what town they are in, but not how far you'll have to drive.
.

You know what...that EXACT same thing is part of the reason why I dropped my state's B&B Association. Not only did they not bring me any business, but they added a new higher "level" of membership with secondary cities and such. I complained that some cities had Inns from as far away as 63 and 68 miles appearing ABOVE the Inns that were actually in that city. There were also a few places using incorrect addresses to be on their favored page. Just some of the things that cheesed me off, and from what I can see, have not been rectified since I skated.
GRRRR

.

You know what...that EXACT same thing is part of the reason why I dropped my state's B&B Association. Not only did they not bring me any business, but they added a new higher "level" of membership with secondary cities and such. I complained that some cities had Inns from as far away as 63 and 68 miles appearing ABOVE the Inns that were actually in that city. There were also a few places using incorrect addresses to be on their favored page. Just some of the things that cheesed me off, and from what I can see, have not been rectified since I skated.GRRRR

Yes, what they do is the inns that are in undesirable locations get themselves on the Board of Directors and such and make these changes without any open meetings or announcements and suddenly you find the cluster of inns that are logically "in the area of X city" are not listed as such anymore. I call "in the area" what I consider "drivable to town for dinner:"
Suddenly everything within 75 miles of your city are added to the "in the X city area and those truly in the area get lost in the shuffle. The guest is now supposed to figure it out. Right.
Riki
.

I complained that some cities had Inns from as far away as 63 and 68 miles appearing ABOVE the Inns that were actually in that city. There were also a few places using incorrect addresses to be on their favored page. Just some of the things that cheesed me off, and from what I can see, have not been rectified since I skated.GRRRR

It is 50 miles...and have to say that the board has no control over what the member puts in their listing. If the innkeepers lie about their location...there is no one to really check to see that they have unless someone really complains to them. When I was doing it...I called them all on it..but the decision was made...and they didn't want to stay with my 15 mile limit which is what we had for 5 years.
I know they are still working on this..but since I am not involved any longer, I don't know what the status it.
I would STONGLY encourage you to continue to talk to the PRES, go to a board meeting and express how you feel. And, while you are at it...why don't you consider serving on the board. Have you gone to any of your regional meetings and really discussed this with all the other innkeeepers there??? YOu should..I know Dan would be very eager to have your input.
.

Who is Dan?

 

[egoodell]

Getting ready to renew my bandb.com membership and was thinking of going with the bronze membership instead of the silver.
Has anyone else done this and if so have you seen any changes? I really don't use all the things the silver has to offer and from what I compare I'm only losing out on a few options.
Would love some input..
Karen

I am at silver only because when I joined bronze did not offer the link to my website.
If the listing is such that at bronze level my inn would be showing without having to scroll down, I'll drop to bronze. I don't get that many bookings to justify silver from what I can see at this time. And I'm in a pretty competative spot.
The only ones here who go to the top leve are those who are so far out of town that they have trouble booking. So when you see Charlottesville, the top B&B is actually in Nellysford, which is at least a half hour drive. It comes up as "inn of the month" and appears that it is in Charlottesville.
We had guests for graduation that had family meet in our living room before going out to dinner. Some of the family were upset about having reserved this inn as they were told that they were "minutes" from Charlottesville. Being the first on the page for Charlottesville and listed as "inn of the month" makes it look true.
Riki.

I can see where that would be a problem, if the Inn does not make it clear exactly where they're at. For my Secondary city platinum listing, I put right in my listing that we are "just half an hour from XXXX". I've never had anyone arriving that didn't know exactly where we're located and how far it was to get to the "big city". Many of our guests get to us via the "Big City" CVB, of which we are a member, even though we're about 28 miles away.
Not being upfront about where you are is about the same as charging a different rate than quoted.
.

I agree that any inn listing on another town's page should clearly state they are located 'x minutes/miles' from the town. But right now there is an inn in the featured listing that is 45 minutes from here and one of the regular listings is 30 minutes from here. Both state what town they are in, but not how far you'll have to drive.
.

You know what...that EXACT same thing is part of the reason why I dropped my state's B&B Association. Not only did they not bring me any business, but they added a new higher "level" of membership with secondary cities and such. I complained that some cities had Inns from as far away as 63 and 68 miles appearing ABOVE the Inns that were actually in that city. There were also a few places using incorrect addresses to be on their favored page. Just some of the things that cheesed me off, and from what I can see, have not been rectified since I skated.
GRRRR

.

You know what...that EXACT same thing is part of the reason why I dropped my state's B&B Association. Not only did they not bring me any business, but they added a new higher "level" of membership with secondary cities and such. I complained that some cities had Inns from as far away as 63 and 68 miles appearing ABOVE the Inns that were actually in that city. There were also a few places using incorrect addresses to be on their favored page. Just some of the things that cheesed me off, and from what I can see, have not been rectified since I skated.GRRRR

Yes, what they do is the inns that are in undesirable locations get themselves on the Board of Directors and such and make these changes without any open meetings or announcements and suddenly you find the cluster of inns that are logically "in the area of X city" are not listed as such anymore. I call "in the area" what I consider "drivable to town for dinner:"
Suddenly everything within 75 miles of your city are added to the "in the X city area and those truly in the area get lost in the shuffle. The guest is now supposed to figure it out. Right.
Riki
.

I complained that some cities had Inns from as far away as 63 and 68 miles appearing ABOVE the Inns that were actually in that city. There were also a few places using incorrect addresses to be on their favored page. Just some of the things that cheesed me off, and from what I can see, have not been rectified since I skated.GRRRR

It is 50 miles...and have to say that the board has no control over what the member puts in their listing. If the innkeepers lie about their location...there is no one to really check to see that they have unless someone really complains to them. When I was doing it...I called them all on it..but the decision was made...and they didn't want to stay with my 15 mile limit which is what we had for 5 years.
I know they are still working on this..but since I am not involved any longer, I don't know what the status it.
I would STONGLY encourage you to continue to talk to the PRES, go to a board meeting and express how you feel. And, while you are at it...why don't you consider serving on the board. Have you gone to any of your regional meetings and really discussed this with all the other innkeeepers there??? YOu should..I know Dan would be very eager to have your input.
.

I complained that some cities had Inns from as far away as 63 and 68 miles appearing ABOVE the Inns that were actually in that city. There were also a few places using incorrect addresses to be on their favored page. Just some of the things that cheesed me off, and from what I can see, have not been rectified since I skated.GRRRR

I don't know how this happened, but I didnt' write the above comment. Little Blue Inn did, I think.
RIki

It is 50 miles...and have to say that the board has no control over what the member puts in their listing. If the innkeepers lie about their location...there is no one to really check to see that they have unless someone really complains to them. When I was doing it...I called them all on it..but the decision was made...and they didn't want to stay with my 15 mile limit which is what we had for 5 years.
I know they are still working on this..but since I am not involved any longer, I don't know what the status it.
I would STONGLY encourage you to continue to talk to the PRES, go to a board meeting and express how you feel. And, while you are at it...why don't you consider serving on the board. Have you gone to any of your regional meetings and really discussed this with all the other innkeeepers there??? YOu should..I know Dan would be very eager to have your input.

 

[Morticia]

Getting ready to renew my bandb.com membership and was thinking of going with the bronze membership instead of the silver.
Has anyone else done this and if so have you seen any changes? I really don't use all the things the silver has to offer and from what I compare I'm only losing out on a few options.
Would love some input..
Karen

I am at silver only because when I joined bronze did not offer the link to my website.
If the listing is such that at bronze level my inn would be showing without having to scroll down, I'll drop to bronze. I don't get that many bookings to justify silver from what I can see at this time. And I'm in a pretty competative spot.
The only ones here who go to the top leve are those who are so far out of town that they have trouble booking. So when you see Charlottesville, the top B&B is actually in Nellysford, which is at least a half hour drive. It comes up as "inn of the month" and appears that it is in Charlottesville.
We had guests for graduation that had family meet in our living room before going out to dinner. Some of the family were upset about having reserved this inn as they were told that they were "minutes" from Charlottesville. Being the first on the page for Charlottesville and listed as "inn of the month" makes it look true.
Riki.

I can see where that would be a problem, if the Inn does not make it clear exactly where they're at. For my Secondary city platinum listing, I put right in my listing that we are "just half an hour from XXXX". I've never had anyone arriving that didn't know exactly where we're located and how far it was to get to the "big city". Many of our guests get to us via the "Big City" CVB, of which we are a member, even though we're about 28 miles away.
Not being upfront about where you are is about the same as charging a different rate than quoted.
.

I agree that any inn listing on another town's page should clearly state they are located 'x minutes/miles' from the town. But right now there is an inn in the featured listing that is 45 minutes from here and one of the regular listings is 30 minutes from here. Both state what town they are in, but not how far you'll have to drive.
.

I agree that any inn listing on another town's page should clearly state they are located 'x minutes/miles' from the town. But right now there is an inn in the featured listing that is 45 minutes from here and one of the regular listings is 30 minutes from here. Both state what town they are in, but not how far you'll have to drive.

You don't get two different sets of listing. What you got is what you got, it appears on your own city page and the secondary one. So you have to word it carefully. . You can't cut off your nose to spite your face and focus on one area more than the other. You need to say "this far from here and this far from there" which helps people ANYWAY! I have been on a few websites lately and have no idea what state they are in! I have to work to find location info, my pet peeve. Directions from this road or that don't tell me where. People might book you in the wrong city/state/region.
.

I agree that any inn listing on another town's page should clearly state they are located 'x minutes/miles' from the town. But right now there is an inn in the featured listing that is 45 minutes from here and one of the regular listings is 30 minutes from here. Both state what town they are in, but not how far you'll have to drive.

You don't get two different sets of listing. What you got is what you got, it appears on your own city page and the secondary one. So you have to word it carefully. . You can't cut off your nose to spite your face and focus on one area more than the other. You need to say "this far from here and this far from there" which helps people ANYWAY! I have been on a few websites lately and have no idea what state they are in! I have to work to find location info, my pet peeve. Directions from this road or that don't tell me where. People might book you in the wrong city/state/region.

Here's my thinking on it...if they think by paying to be in my town they will get business from guests looking to stay in my town, their primary listing (in their own town) should also assume that some of their guests want to come to my town (for a day trip) and it should stress (along with all of their own town's amenities) that they are 'just 10 miles from...'
Given that I have a hard time pushing guests toward something that is IN this town but not walking distance, I hope that guests understand that when they pick this place in a different town, they ain't walking to the shopping!

 

[EmptyNest]

Getting ready to renew my bandb.com membership and was thinking of going with the bronze membership instead of the silver.
Has anyone else done this and if so have you seen any changes? I really don't use all the things the silver has to offer and from what I compare I'm only losing out on a few options.
Would love some input..
Karen

I am at silver only because when I joined bronze did not offer the link to my website.
If the listing is such that at bronze level my inn would be showing without having to scroll down, I'll drop to bronze. I don't get that many bookings to justify silver from what I can see at this time. And I'm in a pretty competative spot.
The only ones here who go to the top leve are those who are so far out of town that they have trouble booking. So when you see Charlottesville, the top B&B is actually in Nellysford, which is at least a half hour drive. It comes up as "inn of the month" and appears that it is in Charlottesville.
We had guests for graduation that had family meet in our living room before going out to dinner. Some of the family were upset about having reserved this inn as they were told that they were "minutes" from Charlottesville. Being the first on the page for Charlottesville and listed as "inn of the month" makes it look true.
Riki.

I can see where that would be a problem, if the Inn does not make it clear exactly where they're at. For my Secondary city platinum listing, I put right in my listing that we are "just half an hour from XXXX". I've never had anyone arriving that didn't know exactly where we're located and how far it was to get to the "big city". Many of our guests get to us via the "Big City" CVB, of which we are a member, even though we're about 28 miles away.
Not being upfront about where you are is about the same as charging a different rate than quoted.
.

I agree that any inn listing on another town's page should clearly state they are located 'x minutes/miles' from the town. But right now there is an inn in the featured listing that is 45 minutes from here and one of the regular listings is 30 minutes from here. Both state what town they are in, but not how far you'll have to drive.
.

You know what...that EXACT same thing is part of the reason why I dropped my state's B&B Association. Not only did they not bring me any business, but they added a new higher "level" of membership with secondary cities and such. I complained that some cities had Inns from as far away as 63 and 68 miles appearing ABOVE the Inns that were actually in that city. There were also a few places using incorrect addresses to be on their favored page. Just some of the things that cheesed me off, and from what I can see, have not been rectified since I skated.
GRRRR

.

You know what...that EXACT same thing is part of the reason why I dropped my state's B&B Association. Not only did they not bring me any business, but they added a new higher "level" of membership with secondary cities and such. I complained that some cities had Inns from as far away as 63 and 68 miles appearing ABOVE the Inns that were actually in that city. There were also a few places using incorrect addresses to be on their favored page. Just some of the things that cheesed me off, and from what I can see, have not been rectified since I skated.GRRRR

Yes, what they do is the inns that are in undesirable locations get themselves on the Board of Directors and such and make these changes without any open meetings or announcements and suddenly you find the cluster of inns that are logically "in the area of X city" are not listed as such anymore. I call "in the area" what I consider "drivable to town for dinner:"
Suddenly everything within 75 miles of your city are added to the "in the X city area and those truly in the area get lost in the shuffle. The guest is now supposed to figure it out. Right.
Riki
.

I complained that some cities had Inns from as far away as 63 and 68 miles appearing ABOVE the Inns that were actually in that city. There were also a few places using incorrect addresses to be on their favored page. Just some of the things that cheesed me off, and from what I can see, have not been rectified since I skated.GRRRR

It is 50 miles...and have to say that the board has no control over what the member puts in their listing. If the innkeepers lie about their location...there is no one to really check to see that they have unless someone really complains to them. When I was doing it...I called them all on it..but the decision was made...and they didn't want to stay with my 15 mile limit which is what we had for 5 years.
I know they are still working on this..but since I am not involved any longer, I don't know what the status it.
I would STONGLY encourage you to continue to talk to the PRES, go to a board meeting and express how you feel. And, while you are at it...why don't you consider serving on the board. Have you gone to any of your regional meetings and really discussed this with all the other innkeeepers there??? YOu should..I know Dan would be very eager to have your input.
.

I complained that some cities had Inns from as far away as 63 and 68 miles appearing ABOVE the Inns that were actually in that city. There were also a few places using incorrect addresses to be on their favored page. Just some of the things that cheesed me off, and from what I can see, have not been rectified since I skated.GRRRR

I don't know how this happened, but I didnt' write the above comment. Little Blue Inn did, I think.
RIki

It is 50 miles...and have to say that the board has no control over what the member puts in their listing. If the innkeepers lie about their location...there is no one to really check to see that they have unless someone really complains to them. When I was doing it...I called them all on it..but the decision was made...and they didn't want to stay with my 15 mile limit which is what we had for 5 years.
I know they are still working on this..but since I am not involved any longer, I don't know what the status it.
I would STONGLY encourage you to continue to talk to the PRES, go to a board meeting and express how you feel. And, while you are at it...why don't you consider serving on the board. Have you gone to any of your regional meetings and really discussed this with all the other innkeeepers there??? YOu should..I know Dan would be very eager to have your input.
.

OOops ok, guess I was reading wrong. But I still think you should consider serving on the BBAV board sometime

 

[wendydk]

Getting ready to renew my bandb.com membership and was thinking of going with the bronze membership instead of the silver.
Has anyone else done this and if so have you seen any changes? I really don't use all the things the silver has to offer and from what I compare I'm only losing out on a few options.
Would love some input..
Karen

I am at silver only because when I joined bronze did not offer the link to my website.
If the listing is such that at bronze level my inn would be showing without having to scroll down, I'll drop to bronze. I don't get that many bookings to justify silver from what I can see at this time. And I'm in a pretty competative spot.
The only ones here who go to the top leve are those who are so far out of town that they have trouble booking. So when you see Charlottesville, the top B&B is actually in Nellysford, which is at least a half hour drive. It comes up as "inn of the month" and appears that it is in Charlottesville.
We had guests for graduation that had family meet in our living room before going out to dinner. Some of the family were upset about having reserved this inn as they were told that they were "minutes" from Charlottesville. Being the first on the page for Charlottesville and listed as "inn of the month" makes it look true.
Riki.

I can see where that would be a problem, if the Inn does not make it clear exactly where they're at. For my Secondary city platinum listing, I put right in my listing that we are "just half an hour from XXXX". I've never had anyone arriving that didn't know exactly where we're located and how far it was to get to the "big city". Many of our guests get to us via the "Big City" CVB, of which we are a member, even though we're about 28 miles away.
Not being upfront about where you are is about the same as charging a different rate than quoted.
.

I agree that any inn listing on another town's page should clearly state they are located 'x minutes/miles' from the town. But right now there is an inn in the featured listing that is 45 minutes from here and one of the regular listings is 30 minutes from here. Both state what town they are in, but not how far you'll have to drive.
.

You know what...that EXACT same thing is part of the reason why I dropped my state's B&B Association. Not only did they not bring me any business, but they added a new higher "level" of membership with secondary cities and such. I complained that some cities had Inns from as far away as 63 and 68 miles appearing ABOVE the Inns that were actually in that city. There were also a few places using incorrect addresses to be on their favored page. Just some of the things that cheesed me off, and from what I can see, have not been rectified since I skated.
GRRRR

.

You know what...that EXACT same thing is part of the reason why I dropped my state's B&B Association. Not only did they not bring me any business, but they added a new higher "level" of membership with secondary cities and such. I complained that some cities had Inns from as far away as 63 and 68 miles appearing ABOVE the Inns that were actually in that city. There were also a few places using incorrect addresses to be on their favored page. Just some of the things that cheesed me off, and from what I can see, have not been rectified since I skated.GRRRR

Yes, what they do is the inns that are in undesirable locations get themselves on the Board of Directors and such and make these changes without any open meetings or announcements and suddenly you find the cluster of inns that are logically "in the area of X city" are not listed as such anymore. I call "in the area" what I consider "drivable to town for dinner:"
Suddenly everything within 75 miles of your city are added to the "in the X city area and those truly in the area get lost in the shuffle. The guest is now supposed to figure it out. Right.
Riki
.

I complained that some cities had Inns from as far away as 63 and 68 miles appearing ABOVE the Inns that were actually in that city. There were also a few places using incorrect addresses to be on their favored page. Just some of the things that cheesed me off, and from what I can see, have not been rectified since I skated.GRRRR

It is 50 miles...and have to say that the board has no control over what the member puts in their listing. If the innkeepers lie about their location...there is no one to really check to see that they have unless someone really complains to them. When I was doing it...I called them all on it..but the decision was made...and they didn't want to stay with my 15 mile limit which is what we had for 5 years.
I know they are still working on this..but since I am not involved any longer, I don't know what the status it.
I would STONGLY encourage you to continue to talk to the PRES, go to a board meeting and express how you feel. And, while you are at it...why don't you consider serving on the board. Have you gone to any of your regional meetings and really discussed this with all the other innkeeepers there??? YOu should..I know Dan would be very eager to have your input.
.

I complained that some cities had Inns from as far away as 63 and 68 miles appearing ABOVE the Inns that were actually in that city. There were also a few places using incorrect addresses to be on their favored page. Just some of the things that cheesed me off, and from what I can see, have not been rectified since I skated.GRRRR

I don't know how this happened, but I didnt' write the above comment. Little Blue Inn did, I think.
RIki

It is 50 miles...and have to say that the board has no control over what the member puts in their listing. If the innkeepers lie about their location...there is no one to really check to see that they have unless someone really complains to them. When I was doing it...I called them all on it..but the decision was made...and they didn't want to stay with my 15 mile limit which is what we had for 5 years.
I know they are still working on this..but since I am not involved any longer, I don't know what the status it.
I would STONGLY encourage you to continue to talk to the PRES, go to a board meeting and express how you feel. And, while you are at it...why don't you consider serving on the board. Have you gone to any of your regional meetings and really discussed this with all the other innkeeepers there??? YOu should..I know Dan would be very eager to have your input.
.

OOops ok, guess I was reading wrong. But I still think you should consider serving on the BBAV board sometime

.

I did consider it, but I would not be interested unless there was a big shakeup in personnel. The current board and they way they are running things has resulted in a drop from a membership of 260+ to a membership of about half that in the last few years. It's almost as though they are trying to wittle membership down to some kind of exclusive club.
I put alot of thought and research into my reasons for leaving, I guess my mistake was telling them the whys of it. Many ex-members have contacted me since then, and they all have a similar story to tell about the way they were treated. I think the whole thing needs to pretty much collapse and start again from scratch.
BBAV? Does that mean Virginia, because I'm not in VA.

 

[egoodell]

Getting ready to renew my bandb.com membership and was thinking of going with the bronze membership instead of the silver.
Has anyone else done this and if so have you seen any changes? I really don't use all the things the silver has to offer and from what I compare I'm only losing out on a few options.
Would love some input..
Karen

I am at silver only because when I joined bronze did not offer the link to my website.
If the listing is such that at bronze level my inn would be showing without having to scroll down, I'll drop to bronze. I don't get that many bookings to justify silver from what I can see at this time. And I'm in a pretty competative spot.
The only ones here who go to the top leve are those who are so far out of town that they have trouble booking. So when you see Charlottesville, the top B&B is actually in Nellysford, which is at least a half hour drive. It comes up as "inn of the month" and appears that it is in Charlottesville.
We had guests for graduation that had family meet in our living room before going out to dinner. Some of the family were upset about having reserved this inn as they were told that they were "minutes" from Charlottesville. Being the first on the page for Charlottesville and listed as "inn of the month" makes it look true.
Riki.

I can see where that would be a problem, if the Inn does not make it clear exactly where they're at. For my Secondary city platinum listing, I put right in my listing that we are "just half an hour from XXXX". I've never had anyone arriving that didn't know exactly where we're located and how far it was to get to the "big city". Many of our guests get to us via the "Big City" CVB, of which we are a member, even though we're about 28 miles away.
Not being upfront about where you are is about the same as charging a different rate than quoted.
.

I agree that any inn listing on another town's page should clearly state they are located 'x minutes/miles' from the town. But right now there is an inn in the featured listing that is 45 minutes from here and one of the regular listings is 30 minutes from here. Both state what town they are in, but not how far you'll have to drive.
.

You know what...that EXACT same thing is part of the reason why I dropped my state's B&B Association. Not only did they not bring me any business, but they added a new higher "level" of membership with secondary cities and such. I complained that some cities had Inns from as far away as 63 and 68 miles appearing ABOVE the Inns that were actually in that city. There were also a few places using incorrect addresses to be on their favored page. Just some of the things that cheesed me off, and from what I can see, have not been rectified since I skated.
GRRRR

.

You know what...that EXACT same thing is part of the reason why I dropped my state's B&B Association. Not only did they not bring me any business, but they added a new higher "level" of membership with secondary cities and such. I complained that some cities had Inns from as far away as 63 and 68 miles appearing ABOVE the Inns that were actually in that city. There were also a few places using incorrect addresses to be on their favored page. Just some of the things that cheesed me off, and from what I can see, have not been rectified since I skated.GRRRR

Yes, what they do is the inns that are in undesirable locations get themselves on the Board of Directors and such and make these changes without any open meetings or announcements and suddenly you find the cluster of inns that are logically "in the area of X city" are not listed as such anymore. I call "in the area" what I consider "drivable to town for dinner:"
Suddenly everything within 75 miles of your city are added to the "in the X city area and those truly in the area get lost in the shuffle. The guest is now supposed to figure it out. Right.
Riki
.

I complained that some cities had Inns from as far away as 63 and 68 miles appearing ABOVE the Inns that were actually in that city. There were also a few places using incorrect addresses to be on their favored page. Just some of the things that cheesed me off, and from what I can see, have not been rectified since I skated.GRRRR

It is 50 miles...and have to say that the board has no control over what the member puts in their listing. If the innkeepers lie about their location...there is no one to really check to see that they have unless someone really complains to them. When I was doing it...I called them all on it..but the decision was made...and they didn't want to stay with my 15 mile limit which is what we had for 5 years.
I know they are still working on this..but since I am not involved any longer, I don't know what the status it.
I would STONGLY encourage you to continue to talk to the PRES, go to a board meeting and express how you feel. And, while you are at it...why don't you consider serving on the board. Have you gone to any of your regional meetings and really discussed this with all the other innkeeepers there??? YOu should..I know Dan would be very eager to have your input.
.

I complained that some cities had Inns from as far away as 63 and 68 miles appearing ABOVE the Inns that were actually in that city. There were also a few places using incorrect addresses to be on their favored page. Just some of the things that cheesed me off, and from what I can see, have not been rectified since I skated.GRRRR

I don't know how this happened, but I didnt' write the above comment. Little Blue Inn did, I think.
RIki

It is 50 miles...and have to say that the board has no control over what the member puts in their listing. If the innkeepers lie about their location...there is no one to really check to see that they have unless someone really complains to them. When I was doing it...I called them all on it..but the decision was made...and they didn't want to stay with my 15 mile limit which is what we had for 5 years.
I know they are still working on this..but since I am not involved any longer, I don't know what the status it.
I would STONGLY encourage you to continue to talk to the PRES, go to a board meeting and express how you feel. And, while you are at it...why don't you consider serving on the board. Have you gone to any of your regional meetings and really discussed this with all the other innkeeepers there??? YOu should..I know Dan would be very eager to have your input.
.

OOops ok, guess I was reading wrong. But I still think you should consider serving on the BBAV board sometime

.

OOops ok, guess I was reading wrong. But I still think you should consider serving on the BBAV board sometime

I hope to sometime so that I can put money where my mouth is. I know it's a lot more work than I could ever imagine, and that putting up with all the complaints is a pain. But working at UVA cuts my time and DH would kill me if I got involved right now since our hands are full with tours and B&B.
RIki

 

[EmptyNest]

Getting ready to renew my bandb.com membership and was thinking of going with the bronze membership instead of the silver.
Has anyone else done this and if so have you seen any changes? I really don't use all the things the silver has to offer and from what I compare I'm only losing out on a few options.
Would love some input..
Karen

I am at silver only because when I joined bronze did not offer the link to my website.
If the listing is such that at bronze level my inn would be showing without having to scroll down, I'll drop to bronze. I don't get that many bookings to justify silver from what I can see at this time. And I'm in a pretty competative spot.
The only ones here who go to the top leve are those who are so far out of town that they have trouble booking. So when you see Charlottesville, the top B&B is actually in Nellysford, which is at least a half hour drive. It comes up as "inn of the month" and appears that it is in Charlottesville.
We had guests for graduation that had family meet in our living room before going out to dinner. Some of the family were upset about having reserved this inn as they were told that they were "minutes" from Charlottesville. Being the first on the page for Charlottesville and listed as "inn of the month" makes it look true.
Riki.

I can see where that would be a problem, if the Inn does not make it clear exactly where they're at. For my Secondary city platinum listing, I put right in my listing that we are "just half an hour from XXXX". I've never had anyone arriving that didn't know exactly where we're located and how far it was to get to the "big city". Many of our guests get to us via the "Big City" CVB, of which we are a member, even though we're about 28 miles away.
Not being upfront about where you are is about the same as charging a different rate than quoted.
.

I agree that any inn listing on another town's page should clearly state they are located 'x minutes/miles' from the town. But right now there is an inn in the featured listing that is 45 minutes from here and one of the regular listings is 30 minutes from here. Both state what town they are in, but not how far you'll have to drive.
.

You know what...that EXACT same thing is part of the reason why I dropped my state's B&B Association. Not only did they not bring me any business, but they added a new higher "level" of membership with secondary cities and such. I complained that some cities had Inns from as far away as 63 and 68 miles appearing ABOVE the Inns that were actually in that city. There were also a few places using incorrect addresses to be on their favored page. Just some of the things that cheesed me off, and from what I can see, have not been rectified since I skated.
GRRRR

.

You know what...that EXACT same thing is part of the reason why I dropped my state's B&B Association. Not only did they not bring me any business, but they added a new higher "level" of membership with secondary cities and such. I complained that some cities had Inns from as far away as 63 and 68 miles appearing ABOVE the Inns that were actually in that city. There were also a few places using incorrect addresses to be on their favored page. Just some of the things that cheesed me off, and from what I can see, have not been rectified since I skated.GRRRR

Yes, what they do is the inns that are in undesirable locations get themselves on the Board of Directors and such and make these changes without any open meetings or announcements and suddenly you find the cluster of inns that are logically "in the area of X city" are not listed as such anymore. I call "in the area" what I consider "drivable to town for dinner:"
Suddenly everything within 75 miles of your city are added to the "in the X city area and those truly in the area get lost in the shuffle. The guest is now supposed to figure it out. Right.
Riki
.

I complained that some cities had Inns from as far away as 63 and 68 miles appearing ABOVE the Inns that were actually in that city. There were also a few places using incorrect addresses to be on their favored page. Just some of the things that cheesed me off, and from what I can see, have not been rectified since I skated.GRRRR

It is 50 miles...and have to say that the board has no control over what the member puts in their listing. If the innkeepers lie about their location...there is no one to really check to see that they have unless someone really complains to them. When I was doing it...I called them all on it..but the decision was made...and they didn't want to stay with my 15 mile limit which is what we had for 5 years.
I know they are still working on this..but since I am not involved any longer, I don't know what the status it.
I would STONGLY encourage you to continue to talk to the PRES, go to a board meeting and express how you feel. And, while you are at it...why don't you consider serving on the board. Have you gone to any of your regional meetings and really discussed this with all the other innkeeepers there??? YOu should..I know Dan would be very eager to have your input.
.

I complained that some cities had Inns from as far away as 63 and 68 miles appearing ABOVE the Inns that were actually in that city. There were also a few places using incorrect addresses to be on their favored page. Just some of the things that cheesed me off, and from what I can see, have not been rectified since I skated.GRRRR

I don't know how this happened, but I didnt' write the above comment. Little Blue Inn did, I think.
RIki

It is 50 miles...and have to say that the board has no control over what the member puts in their listing. If the innkeepers lie about their location...there is no one to really check to see that they have unless someone really complains to them. When I was doing it...I called them all on it..but the decision was made...and they didn't want to stay with my 15 mile limit which is what we had for 5 years.
I know they are still working on this..but since I am not involved any longer, I don't know what the status it.
I would STONGLY encourage you to continue to talk to the PRES, go to a board meeting and express how you feel. And, while you are at it...why don't you consider serving on the board. Have you gone to any of your regional meetings and really discussed this with all the other innkeeepers there??? YOu should..I know Dan would be very eager to have your input.
.

OOops ok, guess I was reading wrong. But I still think you should consider serving on the BBAV board sometime

.

I did consider it, but I would not be interested unless there was a big shakeup in personnel. The current board and they way they are running things has resulted in a drop from a membership of 260+ to a membership of about half that in the last few years. It's almost as though they are trying to wittle membership down to some kind of exclusive club.
I put alot of thought and research into my reasons for leaving, I guess my mistake was telling them the whys of it. Many ex-members have contacted me since then, and they all have a similar story to tell about the way they were treated. I think the whole thing needs to pretty much collapse and start again from scratch.
BBAV? Does that mean Virginia, because I'm not in VA.
.

Sorry I was getting your messges and rikki's mixed..but maybe the answer still applies;-) Yes..VA.
It is a shame that this is happening to your association. I know it has happened to others. We were ourselves on the brink a few years ago...it takes some new people stepping up to the plate and working hard to make a difference. Good luck