Innkeeping Blog - Jay Karen

• 2011 Innkeeping Show (Charleston, SC) registration opens today with $100 off. Best price all year – 2 days only: http://bit.ly/boRwUo #
• Hit 100 registrants in only 6 hrs with $100 off Innkeeping Show registration. Today and tomorrow only! http://bit.ly/bNVZ4w Retweet me! #
• Thanks @innkeepers @RWMaine @jumpingrocks for the RT about PAII's $100 off 2-day sale! http://bit.ly/bNVZ4w #
• Thanks @BnBFinder for RT about $100 off sale – ends today at midnight – for 2011 http://www.innkeepingshow.com #

Two times this week I have been contacted by innkeepers who were threatened or potentially threatened with fraudulent reviews to extort money or to inflict damage.

One innkeeper wrote to me the following:

I am having job performance issues with my college student – he perceives that the problem is me and not his job performance.  He relayed to another staff member (how do they think I won’t find out?) that his friends said he should go on TripAdvisor and pretend to write a review as a guest and make a comment that they liked everything about the inn, except how the owner treated her employees.

Another innkeeper told me that one of his guests stayed for a few nights and said she suffered several bed bug bites during her stay.  To make a long story short, they had the inn inspected for evidence of bed bugs (and they do wrap their mattresses), and there was no evidence.  The guest mentioned the possibility of writing a review on TripAdvisor about it, before she requested a full refund for her stay.  The innkeeper naturally doesn’t want to give in (and does not plan to).

We’ve known for a long time that people have been using TripAdvisor as a weapon in certain circumstances.  The most common one I’ve heard about is when guests want to cancel towards the last minute, but they don’t want to pay the agreed-upon cancellation fee.  If the innkeeper holds true to the policy, the guests get upset and threaten a negative review on TripAdvisor if they don’t get their deposit back.  This is despicable and unscrupulous in my humble opinion, but it happens.  Because the system does not verify the veracity of this guest (Did he actually make a reservation?  Did he stay there?  Who knows?), and because reviewers can remain anonymous, reviewers have the upper hand in these unfortunate situations – a true weakness in today’s online review systems.  When I’ve told stories like this to my contacts at TripAdvisor in the past, they seem genuine in their desire to fight fraud.  After all, their system becomes less valuable as more fraud gets into the database of reviews.  They have automated tools that can detect some of it, but the rest is left to human interpretation of the event as explained by the reviewer and rebutted by the innkeeper.

But what can one do if there is an imminent case of fraud and the innkeeper is aware of this?  Report it.  Use TripAdvisor’s online communication tool for owners to let them know what is happening.  That way, if the fraudulent review subsequently shows up, innkeepers have at least already alerted TripAdvisor.  Hopefully, this alert will serve as evidence in the dispute, if a dispute arises.
TripAdvisor staff has told me that if someone threatens to write a fraudulent review or one that is supposed to extort money out of the innkeeper, that you should try to let them know of this threat.  Use TripAdvisor’s online system to report this in advance.  Here is the URL for reporting fraud: http://www.tripadvisor.com/help/how_can_owners_alert_ta_to_potential_fraud

Follow the links until you get to the “Manage your listing” tab (upper right) on the Owner’s Center page for your inn.  Under that tab, there is a “Manage reviews” section, and under that section is a link for “Report problem with review.”  When you click on that link, you are asked to register as the owner.  If you can log in with your TripAdvisor username and password, you should be able to get to an online form to let TripAdvisor know what’s happening.

Be sure to explain all the details you have at your disposal to prepare for the unscrupulous reviewer.  There is no guarantee that you will win your case, but no innkeeper should wilt or sit idly by when extortion or fraud is happening.

• Online ranters increasingly pay a price | Seattle Times Newspaper http://t.co/BOYBNAn #
• NY Times "Vacation Travelers Focus on Frugality" highlights B&Bs as great value. http://nyti.ms/aax8zu #

Have you ever tried to get someone to try something you just knew they would like, but found it hard to convince them?  That’s what I feel our industry has been up against for decades – trying to get travelers to try B&Bs.  There is no question with the sharp growth of the industry in the 80s and 90s and the marketing power of the internet since the mid-90s, millions of travelers have experienced our great product.  We have loyal customers who understand the value of a fantastic B&B stay.  But there are many more travelers out there who have never stayed at a B&B – either because of one of the many “myths” or negative perceptions they might already have, or (according to our own research) staying at a B&B doesn’t even cross their minds as an option when booking travel.  Whatever the reason, we all know in our industry what a fantastic product we have.  With the rise of alternative lodging options and the sincere efforts of hotels to deliver an experience more like ours, we need to press forward and start getting more people to book stays at B&Bs.  Our industry has to start doing something different and fresh to enter the consciousness of the traveler.  We want people spreading the word about B&Bs in ways now possible that were impossible before.  Enter – Better Way to Stay.

PAII wants to get more people talking, Tweeting, Re-Tweeting, status updating, sharing, linking, forwarding and emailing about B&Bs.  We don’t want to build another directory.  We want to get more travelers checking out what the industry already has – some great assets that have been around for years.  I’m talking about the B&B directories, travel sites, state and local association web sites, your web sites, and ultimately clicking the “Book Now” button more and more.  As your industry’s trade association, it’s part of our DNA to want to do this.  We want to create buzz and attention for the great businesses in our marketplace.

For years innkeepers have wanted PAII to build an effective directory of our members.  They figured it would be the silver bullet for membership growth and ultimate stability and success for PAII.   The fact is that the horse is out of the barn on that one – several directories have been around since the mid-90s and are leagues ahead of what we could do from a search engine optimization standpoint.  We don’t want to compete with them – or you, the innkeeper!  Building our own directory – if we were to be effective in the search engines – would mean having us compete with you for premium placement on search result pages.  There are some great B&B directories and association web sites that have been delivering value for years to innkeepers.  We don’t want to compete with them – we want to bring more traffic to them!

But, we’ve been up against many elements for years.  As we fight for PAII’s sustainability and success, it’s time we get on the offense rather than the defense.  With the help of volunteers within the PAII ranks (our Board of Directors, Advisory Council, Campaign Committee and many others) as well as some folks who had some early blind faith in our ideas and vision (see list at bottom of this post), we are moving forward with the industry’s first ever campaign to get more people understanding that B&Bs are the “Better Way to Stay.”  We have enlisted professional assistance from some fantastic resources and are currently building the basic elements of a successful campaign.

What we do with this campaign will have a lot to do with the level of support we get from all four corners of our industry – from everyone who has a stake in the game.  Sure, we’re not going to get everyone to chip in, even though the intent of this campaign is to be non-discriminatory with regard to whom we want to get more business.  We want all innkeepers to benefit from our efforts, but naturally we plan to promote those who support the campaign.  And I hesitate to use the word “campaign,” because it can imply something temporary.  The intent is for PAII to coordinate and support permanent, ongoing efforts to raise awareness and influence people to give us a look.  We should only ever back off such efforts when most innkeepers are turning away business on account of being full throughout the year.  With a national average occupancy somewhere near 40%, we know there’s a lot of work to be done.

So, today I’m writing this just to keep you informed about what is happening.  We’ve been talking about the prospect of this campaign for at least two years.  We are not ready to launch it, but we’re ready for you to start knowing about it.  Visit www.betterwaytostay.com for a few more details and to get a flavor of what we’re working on.

Stay tuned for more!  We hope you are as excited as we are.

Thank you to the following folks for your early support:

• http://www.gadling.com/2010/08/17/no-more-vacation-rentals-in-san-francisco/ San Fran to enforce law that outlaws vacay rentals #

• In NYC to meet w innkeepers and vacation rental folks about legislative ban on VRs and most B&Bs. What a failure by NY Govt. #paii #
• RT @AboutTheInn: Finally! Respond to Google Reviews on Place Pages http://bit.ly/b2HQcq #
• Pretty bold stuff. RT @insideoutweb: 3 Ways Facebook is Killing Your Website – Convince & Convert http://ow.ly/2lw87 #

Keeping an eye on the ever-evolving TripAdvisor site, I noticed a few nice changes that are available to innkeepers who purchase the Business Listings service.  Until these changes were made, subscribing to Business Listings allowed you to include your phone number and links to your web site and email on your listing page.

If you are a subscriber to Business Listings, you can now feature any promotion or deal that you want on your TripAdvisor listing page.  This could be half-price upgrade, Labor Day special, business traveler special – anything you want, and you can change it as often as you like.  When potential guests are browsing a listing of B&Bs on TripAdvisor, those who offer a “special deal” of some kind (and it doesn’t have to be a discount) will stand out.  This is what you want – to stand out in the crowd of B&Bs being considered.

Plus, on the Hotels page, where I imagine most TripAdvisor visitors find themselves before clicking on the B&B tab, your property’s “special deal” is featured on the right bar.  Only up to 5 special deals will show at one time, so if you’re in a city that has less than 5 total special deals (and at this point, that is likely), then your deal will remain on the hotels page.  Once the total goes above 5, then the special deals will rotate as the pages are clicked or refreshed.  Before this change, there really was no practical way for an individual B&B to get exposure on the hotels page.  It’s a nice way to try and reel in folks who might not otherwise have thought of you.

Also, on the pages that list all B&Bs in a city, you now have a Contact Info image in your small space.  Those who don’t subscribe to Business Listings don’t have that.

While TripAdvisor still is not a pay-to-play site completely, because you will still have a listing and reviews without paying a fee, there are quickly becoming available tools that separate the more “mature looking” listings (my words here – not TripAdvisor’s) from those that are basic.  BedandBreakfast.com figured this out long ago by offering three or four levels of membership.  PAII moved to a tiered membership structure.  Even the old printed Yellow Pages had basic listings and those that stood out more.  This is no different really.   In our highly-competitive, price-and-value-comparison lodging industry, it helps to stand out among the crowd.

On a related note, TripAdvisor has introduced another PAII-Only discount for Business Listings that is good only until August 31.  If you’re a PAII member, you can get 35% off Business Listings.  To get the coupon code for your discount, click here.  You may have to log in to www.innkeeping.org first.  Their ongoing discount for any lodging property has slowly been getting smaller and smaller throughout the year.  Right now their site promotes 20% off  – so take advantage of the PAII-Only pricing.  Rumor has it that pricing will go to rack rate come 2011, so now is the time to get on board and check it out.  Remember that TripAdvisor will refund the balance of your annual subscription if you decide you want to remove the Business Listings in case you’re not satisfied.  Become a Silver Member of PAII, and you’ll more than pay for your membership dues with just this discount.

• Be careful when taking nice photos of your inn – make sure they are flattering, but also reflect reality http://tinyurl.com/298ypw5 #
• Urge NYGov @NYTaxpayer to veto "Illegal Hotels" bill. B&Bs will be deemed illegal. http://tinyurl.com/26vt4wa and http://tinyurl.com/2fel2z4 #
• Link to contact today NY Gov @NYTaxpayer to veto bad legislation making NYC B&Bs illegal http://www.state.ny.us/governor/contact/index.html #
• RT @sewatch Will Social Media Get Governor David Paterson of New York to Veto a Bad Bill? @SEWatch http://bit.ly/b5PqpE #
• RT @laurably: NY governor signs ban on short-term/vacation rentals into law: http://bit.ly/baNtiN What a shame… #

This past week I was glad to lend a hand to a PAII member asking for help.  Vinessa Milando, owner of Ivy Terrace B&B in New York, NY, informed me about a bill (click here for bill’s full text) that had just made it through the New York State Senate that would essentially make illegal all short-term lodging facilities that were not bona fide hotels, i.e. B&Bs and vacation rentals.  The law, if signed by Governor David Paterson, would make it illegal for a property owner of an apartment, condo, B&B, etc., to take money from guests who stay less than 30 days.  But the issue brings up a touchy subject – the lack of laws, regulations and/or ordinances that properly define B&Bs.

In New York City, it seems that those who have been running B&Bs out of residential buildings have been able to do so because the language that described their type of dwelling was vague enough to allow for it.   Since 2003, according to Milando, innkeepers came forward and began paying the city’s occupancy taxes – just like hotels.  Supporters of the bill argue that loud, obnoxious, dirty tourists don’t mix well with “permanent” residents in the city, where permanent housing is apparently scarce.  And, they’re saying that some property owners are scamming tourists into unsafe places.  With the quick rise of the vacation rental market and sites like Craigslist, where it’s easy to advertise a couch or room for rent, there is no doubt going to be scammers and irresponsible purveyors out there.  But I would imagine that the lion share of travelers and those who operate B&Bs and vacation rentals are legitimate people wanting to do the right thing.  A law like this should not pass on account of the rotten apples, because the law would essentially kill ALL the apples – the proverbial baby AND bath water.

Property owners (innkeepers among them) quickly rallied this past week and certainly got their message out.  Check out www.protect-vacation-rentals.com to see what they were able to do, including rallying 500 folks at City Hall.  I wrote a letter to Governor Paterson urging him to veto the bill (he’s mentioned an intent to veto, but you never know) and to Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who supports the bill, maybe due to heavy ear-bending by the hotel lobby.  TripAdvisor CEO, Steve Kaufer, also submitted a letter to the Governor.  Several main stream press have been covering the story, such as USA Today, New York Times, Budget Travel and more.

I’m not saying that the current situation with ambiguous language is the right solution.  Those who want to be legitimate B&B operators and legitimate owners of vacation rental properties should be allowed to make a living from such activity, but it seems to serve everyone’s interests well in a city like the Big Apple when clear language allowing and defining a B&B or similar lodging property is codified.  Such codification is not necessary in all towns and cities across North America.  But if you find yourself in a possibly vulnerable situation due to there being no language that acknowledges your existence and that treats you appropriately (we’re not hotels, remember) and fairly, then you should get proactive and try to get something in place.  Some might say, “Let a sleeping dog like,” but I say you might want to wake that sleeping dog, but have a leach and doggie treat ready in hand.   Don’t wait for some rogue councilman or legislator to introduce something harmful on account of an interest that might not be in line with your own interests.

Have you hired someone since Feb 3, 2010 who was unemployed at the time?  If so, you might be eligible for a payroll tax credit.  Here are the guidelines under the Hiring Incentives to Restore Employment Act of 2010.  Thanks to Deb Mosimann of the Swiss Woods Bed and Breakfast for bringing it to my attention.

Below is what’s on Wikipedia about it, and here’s a link to the official IRS page about it.

The Hiring Incentives to Restore Employment (HIRE) Act of 2010 (Pub.L. 111-147, 124 Stat. 71, enacted June 2010, 03) is a law in the 111th United States Congress to provide payroll tax breaks and incentives for businesses to hire unemployed workers. Often characterized as a “jobs bill,”[1][2][3] the Democrats in Congress insist that it is only one piece of a broader job creation legislative agenda, along with the Travel Promotion Act and other bills.

Legislative history

The Senate passed the bill on February 24, 2010 by a vote of 70-28. The House of Representatives followed on March 4, 2010, passing an amended version (in compliance with new pay-as-you-go rules) by a vote of 217-201. On March 17, the Senate agreed to the House’s amendment by a vote of 68-29, and sent the bill to President Barack Obama, who signed the bill on March 18, 2010.[4]

Provisions

Employers are eligible for a payroll tax credit when the employer hires certain new employees after February 3, 2010, and before January 1, 2011.[5] In order to take the payroll tax credit, the employee must have either been unemployed for at least 60 days prior to hire or worked fewer than 40 hours for another employer during the previous 60 days.[6] Employers do not pay the employer portion of social security tax, which is 6.2 percent, on wages paid to eligible new hires.[5] In addition, employers receive a general business income tax break if the employer continues to employ the new hire for at least 52 weeks.[5] The tax break is the lesser of $1,000 or 6.2 percent of wages paid to the new employee during the 52-week period.[5] Household employers are ineligible for both tax benefits, as are new employees who are related to the employer.[7] Also ineligible are employees who earn more than $106,000 per year and employees who displace a current employee, unless the first employee resigned or was terminated for cause.[8] Employers may claim the credit after an eligible employee signs a statement affirming their previous unemployed status, such as Form W-11.[9][10]

The Act also extends the $250,000 deduction limit under section 179 through 2010,[11] authorizes $20 billion for highway and transit projects,[12] and makes reforms to municipal bonds.[1]

To offset the costs of the Act, there will be a 30-percent withholding tax on income from U.S. financial assets held by foreign banks who have not agreed to disclose their American account holders’ balances, receipts, and withdrawals.[2] Owners of these foreign-held assets on their tax returns if they are worth more than $50,000.[2] Individuals who do not disclose these assets will be subject to a 40-percent penalty.[2] The Act also closes a tax loophole that investors had used to avoid paying any taxes on dividends by converting them into dividend equivalents.[13]

BedandBreakfast.com®, the largest international travel website in the B&B industry and a division of HomeAway, Inc., has partnered with the Professional Association of Innkeepers International (PAII) to become a Platinum Key Supporter and the organization’s largest patron.  The partnership aims to help the organization grow and promote awareness that B&Bs are a “Better Way to Stay” than a cookie-cutter hotel.

“By signing on as our newest Platinum Key Supporter, BedandBreakfast.com demonstrates its commitment to PAII and our goals to best serve our membership and the industry,” says Jay Karen, PAII’s president and chief executive officer.  “BedandBreakfast.com has always been at the forefront of promoting the industry, and this relationship is another great example of being an advocate for B&Bs,” finished Karen.

“We feel that over the last several years Jay Karen has taken PAII to new heights and we believe that if the organization and BedandBreakfast.com join efforts, we can together convince more consumers to try B&Bs and inns as a great alternative to chain hotels,” says John Banczak, vice president of BedandBreakfast.com at HomeAway,  “Once a traveler tries a B&B, they become B&B customers for life – our mission is to get more travelers to make that first B&B trip, ” says Banczak.

To kick off the new partnership, PAII was able to secure the largest member promotion BedandBreakfast.com  has had with an industry association.  Any PAII member who has not previously had a membership with BedandBreakfast.com during the past 90 days may join at the Silver Level for just $199 for a year – a savings of 47% in the first year.  PAII members who are current members of BedandBreakfast.com have the choice of either a half-price one year upgrade to either a Silver, Gold, or Platinum membership  (a savings of up to $162), or receive  a $25 credit towards a Featured Property Auction.

In addition to these great offers, PAII secured a similar offer for non-PAII members.  In addition to these great offers, PAII secured a similar offer for non-PAII members.  Innkeepers who are members of neither PAII nor BedandBreakfast.com members can now join both organizations at the Silver Level for just $289 – a savings of 47% in the first year.  Both promotions end Friday, August 20, 2010.  BedandBreakfast.com will also sponsor a part of the “Better Way to Stay” campaign over the next year and contribute half of the proceeds from new members that sign-up for PAII and BedandBreakfast.com towards promoting the “A Better Way to Stay” campaign.

“BedandBreakfast.com’s pricing offer to both existing and new PAII members is truly unprecedented,” commented Karen.  “We’ve known that membership in BedandBreakfast.com has been a wise business investment for tens of thousands of innkeepers since their founding in 1995, and now at these prices it would surprise me why any innkeeper wouldn’t want to take advantage of both BedandBreakfast.com and PAII.  We are really looking forward to seeing how much more we can boost the industry together over the next year.”

To explore the limited-time advantages, click here.

About BedandBreakfast.com:

BedandBreakfast.com, based in Austin, Texas, is a leading specialty travel website with detailed information on more than 11,000 bed-and-breakfast properties worldwide. The site helps travelers find the ideal B&B or small inns through informative descriptions, photos and more than 100,000 consumer reviews, and make confirmed reservations instantly at nearly 2,000 properties. In addition, BedandBreakfast.com offers gift cards welcomed at more than 4,000 B&Bs in the United States and Canada, with no restrictions or blackout dates. The company also operates RezOvation, the industry leader in property management systems, online reservations, website design and internet marketing for the inn and B&B market.  BedandBreakfast.com is owned and operated by HomeAway, Inc., the worldwide leader in online vacation rentals, representing more than 475,000 paid vacation rental home listings across 120 countries.

About PAII:

The Professional Association of Innkeepers International, founded in 1988, is the innkeeping industry’s largest trade association. PAII is committed to fostering a knowledgeable, caring and conscientious community of professional innkeepers, networking with each other throughout the world. PAII provides education, communications, public relations, advocacy, networking, and research services to its membership and the greater industry. PAII hosts the world’s largest annual gathering of innkeepers, The Innkeeping Conference & Trade Show, and publishes the industry’s leading trade publication, Innkeeping Quarterly (IQ), which reaches over 17,000 innkeepers and is poised to launch a new international B&B branding campaign entitled “A Better Way to Stay”.

• RT @garthmansion: ? of the day. "How many nights do you have to stay when there is a 2 night minimum?" ~just 1, but you have to pay for 2! #

Ok, so I have to confess about something.  Everyone who knows me and PAII also knows that you would be hard-pressed to find someone more out front than moi with regard to representing the B&B industry’s interest on most matters – especially the phenomenon of online consumer reviews.  Two years ago I engaged our industry in the discussion and began “lobbying” various entities (i.e. TripAdvisor, Yelp, etc) for changes I felt were needed.  At the same time, I brought up a criticism to BedandBreakfast.com’s top brass, Eric Goldreyer and John Banczak, about their review policies.  We were actually having drinks in the historic Driskill Hotel in Austin, just blocks from their office, having pretty lengthy and serious discussion about many matters.

My criticism at the time was this:  I did not particularly like the fact that they required a guest to furnish proof of stay when wanting to post a negative review about a B&B, but didn’t necessarily require it of those wanting to write a positive review.  While I realize this was an “innkeeper friendly” policy, and noted that they aimed to please innkeepers, but felt in the long run it might be a disservice.   My concern was two fold.  First, I felt it in someway violated the “spirit” of Web 2.0.  Why treat one guest differently than another?  Web 2.0 is supposed to be this great “democratization” of web content, right?  But I was also concerned that their site would be filled almost exclusively with positive reviews, because it was more difficult to post a negative review.  Who was going to spend time digging up a receipt or other form of proof of stay?  If guests browsing the site only saw positive reviews everywhere, when they anticipated encountering a spectrum of reviews, they might not consider the review portion of BedandBreakfast.com very legitimate.

After a couple of years of hindsight and speaking or emailing with hundreds of innkeepers on the topic of online reviews, I think requiring proof of stay when wanting to post a negative review is a good policy, simply because the damage that a false negative review can cause is too detrimental.  I think the online review phenomenon is certainly a net-positive for our industry – no question about it.  But when transgressions can be prevented, they should be prevented.  Innkeepers work too hard to fall victim to fraudulent, false reviews.  Maybe I was thinking as much as a consumer as an industry representative…concerned that I wouldn’t see negative reviews that might have made it to the site if it weren’t for a restrictive procedure.

I understand the challenges that TripAdvisor would face if they started requiring proof of stay for any negative reviews, since there are over 50,000 hotels and 19,000 B&Bs on their site.  They would have to add a heck of a lot of staff to verify the negative reviewers; and even then the system would not be foolproof.  A challenge, indeed.

Maybe what the NFL is doing at www.nfl.com is a happy medium.  If the buyer actually bought the product (i.e. a Philadelphia Eagles jersey) from their site, then the site indicates the reviewer is a “Verified Buyer.”  People can still review an NFL product, but if they didn’t buy through NFL, then the “Verified Buyer” badge is omitted.  I like this, because as a consumer I can choose to read only the Verified Buyer reviews…or all of them.  The verification adds legitimacy to those reviews, and that’s a good thing.

In the end, the B&B has everything to lose and the reviewer has nothing to lose.  So, it’s a good thing to offer some protections to those who have everything to lose.

• Looking forward to #PAII board meeting Wednesday. Some hard-working people we have! We have a long way to go! Spread the word about PAII. #

As most PAII members and blog followers know, for nearly two years I have been meeting with TripAdvisor about the B&B industry’s issues with their web site.  With tens of millions of visitors each month, there has been no question about the importance of their system to even the smallest B&Bs around the continent and beyond.  It is in our industry’s interest that I meet with them and share our perspective on a host of issues.  I met with senior members of their team on May 20th at their offices outside Boston, and here is my “brief” report on the issues we discussed.

Keep in mind that the issues below represent a portion of the ongoing matters we discuss.  There are some larger issues at play (i.e. not requiring proof of stay from the reviewer when an innkeeper protests a fraudulent review) that we will often discuss, but the list I try to bring to the table involves impactful issues that I think could be changed in the near or foreseeable future, if our case is compelling enough.

Availability Search

Issue:

95% of B&B/Inns don’t offer online inventory to TA’s commerce partners.  It’s likely a lot of people use the availability search tool when doing a generic search.  Travelers will see 0% of B&B/Inns available in nearly 100% of search results – leads them to think no B&B/Inns are really available, since they may not be aware it is both date-sensitive and only shows properties with inventory on sites like Expedia.  People see TripAdvisor as a site for ALL properties, not just those paying to provide online availability.  It’s not intuitive for people to click the “Not confirmed” radio button to see all B&B/Inns regardless of availability.  It appears that all Vacation Rentals appear, even though availability is not confirmed.

Suggestion:

Treat B&B/Inns the same as you do Vacation Rentals. Allow the traveler to “Contact Manager” to inquire about availability.  Or change the “Confirmed v. Not Confirmed” language to something more indicative of the true availability situation.  Or build an API integration with B&B availability systems to capture availability data.

Update:

TA reps acknowledged this is an issue, but they also said that those who show up in the availability search results are paying a premium (through commissions to Expedia, Hotels.com, etc).  On one hand, I get their point.  Those who pay more, get more.  But, when 95% of an industry is left out, there should be a solution.  We discussed the possibility of bridging their availability system with systems that aggregate B&B availability data (i.e. RezStream, Webervations, RezOvation, SuperInn, Reservation Nexus, Availability Online, BookingCenter, Innkeepers Advantage, etc.) and bypass the GDS platform.  It wouldn’t necessarily be a live booking opportunity, but rather a sharing of availability data, so that most B&Bs with available rooms would show up in the results set.  The guest could contact the innkeeper directly to make a booking.  The TA staff is interested in this idea; their CEO said the same at our New England conference last fall.  No promises on this one, but this may be discussed behind closed doors at their HQ in the coming weeks.  There certainly has to be a good business case for it, and I’m quite confident one could be made.

“Map this Hotel” Link

Issue:

This link on most B&B/Inn pages leads to an Expedia map that doesn’t show the B&B/Inn property anywhere on a map. The B&B/Inn only shows if that property happens to give inventory to Expedia.  This might be about 5% of all B&B/Inns. Using the “Map this Hotel” is “bait and switch” for 95% of B&B/Inns.  And, it’s a bad customer experience.  They’re expecting to see a map of that B&B/Inn.  Another strange thing is that some properties have the link at the top, and others don’t.

Suggestion:

Any one of a few options are better for both the property and the visitor.

1. Make it much more obvious on this map where the property in question is actually located.
2. If they’re not on Expedia, show a Google map instead when the link is clicked.
3. Omit the link altogether if the property is not offering inventory on Expedia, and omit the “bait and switch.”
4. Change name of link to something more accurate, such as “Map of Area.”

Update:

While I was at the office, I had their team click on the link to show what I was talking about.  We discovered that there was not even a crosshair symbol to mark where the address in question was, which used to be the case.  So, the Map this Link feature is useless and misleading for B&B/Inns that are not on Expedia.  To their credit, they said they would look into this, because it’s not a good user experience.  But, some form of a map that shows nearby properties on sites like Expedia will likely remain because it’s a revenue source.

Average Price per Night Display

Issue:

Some B&B/Inns display an average rate, and others do not.  Oftentimes the average rate displayed is incorrect by a large margin.  This misinformation could cause some properties to lose business.  There has never been a clear answer on how an innkeeper can get this information corrected, if it’s wrong.  Why does it show on some B&B/Inns, but not others?

Suggestion:

Only display if it’s a real-time feed from live inventory information.  Or, allow innkeepers to edit the price – they’ll always want it to be accurate.  Or display as a price range – many inns have both inexpensive and expensive rooms.

Update:

This is an area that still seems to be a bit cloudy.  If a property is engaging in commerce with an online commerce partner (like Expedia), the system pulls data into TA that reveals an average of prices being offered on those sites – in one fashion or another.  Again, this is still a bit confusing to me.  If you do not provide live data to a commerce partner, then some third-party system is able to find your rates (maybe scanned on your availability calendars?) and averaged for your TA listing.  Then there are some properties that don’t show any average rate.  I’m not sure anything will be changed about this.  If an innkeeper finds the displayed rate is way off, they can contact TA for a fix.

Missing B&B/Inn Reviews

Issue:

On “Tourism Pages” and attraction pages (“Things to Do”), only hotel reviews are displayed on the “Recently Reviewed” box on the left bar.

Suggestion:

Include B&B/Inns wherever there is a collection of reviews of lodging properties.

Update:

I was wrong.  There is a formula used for displaying hotel or B&B/Inn reviews in these boxes.  In cities where B&B/Inns outnumber hotels, you’re more likely going to see B&B/Inn reviews than hotel reviews.  I must have been testing the site in cities where hotels far outnumber B&B/Inns.  So, they’ve taken into account the local ratio of B&Bs-to-hotels for this, which is good.  They do the same for the “Top Rate” hotels and B&Bs on Tourism Pages.  In cities where B&B/Inns outnumber hotels, “Top Rated B&Bs/Inns” show before “Top Rated Hotels.”  This makes for a better user experience, because users are more likely looking for a B&B/Inn in those cities.

Ubiquitous Use of “Hotels”

Issue:

The word “hotels” is used throughout the site as the least common denominator term for all kinds of lodging. B&B/Inns are not hotels, but we are found only behind the word “hotels.”  It puts first in the mind of the traveler to consider or only look for hotels.  An innkeeper summed it up well in an email to me:

A bed and breakfast is not a hotel, and should never be confused as one.  A hotel has an operator and front desk that is open 24/7, a bed and breakfast does not.  A hotel always accepts walk-in customers at any hour of the day or not, a bed and breakfast does not.  A hotel may offer a “breakfast buffet or breakfast bar”, a bed and breakfast offers gourmet meals prepared fresh each morning.  Whenever I get a call late at night and I am feeling generous by offering to get out of bed to accommodate a guest, I am usually rewarded by preparing a breakfast for people who decide they would rather sleep in.  What’s more is that my rates reflect the extra work and amenities I provide.  I constantly get phone calls from guests concerned only with the price.  When I try to explain that a bed and breakfast is, by nature, not a hotel, I am informed that I should not be listed under hotels.  So, long story short, it would be helpful if TripAdvisor did not list my property in a way that misleads the customer.  It is a disservice to me and a disservice to the customer.

Another innkeeper said:

We send a follow-up message to every guest and in it put a request that they place a review on TripAdvisor and/or BedandBreakfast.com.  I can’t tell you the number of people who tell us “I didn’t know you could review B&B’s on Trip Advisor, I thought it was only for Hotels.” The majority of these folks are from the over 50 generation who aren’t as computer literate as the younger folks and won’t go past the first page to find out that B&Bs are listed and reviewable.

Suggestion:

Use Accommodations, Lodging or Hotels/B&B/Inns instead.  Or, add “B&B/Inns” to the top and side bars where “Hotels” and “Vacation Rentals” are shown.

Update:

This might be a losing battle, folks.  The TA staff say that “hotels” is an overall much better term for generic lodging searches.  They say it translates better for the international crowd.  And, TA is heavily into the SEO game and seem to have their site optimized around the term “hotels.”  Maybe rather than asking them to change the ubiquitous term, they should consider getting “B&Bs/Inns” listed beside “Hotels” and “Vacation Rentals” on some of the prime real estate areas of their site.  We’re listed side-by-side once someone hits the “Hotels” link for a particular city, but to get more people thinking about B&B/Inns as a legitimate FIRST option, rather than a SECONDARY option, we should be seen more easily.  More innkeepers would likely patronize TA’s Business Listings program, if we were brought out of the woodwork.

Not All Reviewers are the Same

Issue:

Someone who didn’t stay at a property can review elements such as cleanliness, rooms, sleep quality and value.  Doesn’t seem fair to the property owner, because it likely impacts their rating/scores on TripAdvisor.

Suggestion:

Ask the question “Did you stay here?”  If the answer is no, remove part of the survey that only someone who stayed there would have experienced.

Update:

The TA technical staff that was at our meeting liked my approach to this issue.  He said it made a lot of sense and would talk to his folks more about it.

Dates of Stay and Review Gap

Issue:

TripAdvisor currently allows people to leave reviews up to three years between date of stay and date of review.  There are two problems with posting a review of an experience that was long ago. First, allowing such a gap between stay and review will allow for more inaccurate reviews. When the moniker says, “Reviews you can trust,” how trustworthy can someone’s memory be 36 months later?  Secondly, reviews of old stays shouldn’t be seen as “new” reviews. Currently, the new review will automatically be listed chronologically by date of review, NOT date of stay, so it could come up first on the list. A visitor to the site might easily mistake it as a review of a recent stay, if he or she doesn’t pay close attention and find the “date of stay” information.   Anyone who takes time to author a review 3 years after they stayed is likely either on a vendetta or is being asked to stack the deck.

Suggestion:

When someone leaves a review today of a stay from 8 months ago, the review should automatically be listed in chronological order by date of stay – not date of review. Limit the time delay between a date of stay and date of review to one year.

Update:

Their technical folks said they would look into making the date of stay more obvious on the review.  Sounds like they might not be interested in changing this particular policy.  They couldn’t confirm or deny if a recent review of an old stay was treated like a new review or old review when it comes to the algorithm used for the Popularity Index.   They did counter my hypothesis that anyone writing a review today of a stay 2 years ago was on the attack with the possibility that maybe the guest wants to share a story about a fantastic stay.  True.  Nevertheless, even though I don’t think it’s a big issue for B&B/Inns or hotels, I think the gap should be shortened even more.

Business Listings

Issue:

The hyperlink, which costs between $300 and $500 this year with various discounts ($600 – $1,000 next year?) is a “no-follow” link, meaning the innkeeper gets no SEO help from the link.  Some internet marketers in our industry will tell innkeepers that if the link was a “follow” link, the annual price might be worth it, even if no one clicks on it, simply for the “link juice” from such a well-ranked site.  On the same token, the widgets and badges TripAdvisor wants B&B/Inns to use on their web sites have“follow” links back to TripAdvisor, and won’t work if you try making them “no-follow.”  Meaning, TA is getting “link juice” from you by you having the widgets on your site.  Even with this, I still like seeing TA and BedandBreakfast.com widgets on B&B web sites.

Suggestion:

Remove “no follow” from hyperlink code.  Earn some goodwill.  No other paid listing services in our industry have “no-follow” links.

Update:

No changes are likely on this one, at least in the short term.  TA competes with the very properties on their site in the SEO world.  For example, if you search for “Swiss Woods B&B” on Google, of course the Swiss Woods web site is ranked first in the organic listings.  But not far below it is the TA page for Swiss Woods, right there on page 1.  Obviously TA is hoping people will click on their link too, if not instead.   I don’t necessarily hold a grudge against them for this; after all, their business was partly built on successful SEO implementation.  Nevertheless, I wonder how negatively their SEO strategy vis-à-vis small B&B properties would really be impacted by taking the “no follow” code out of these links.  I don’t think there would be any noticeable impact.  As TA continues to press our industry to get on the Business Listings train (which PAII has promoted this year in a 50% deal with TA, and TA continues to advertise the program through our web site and email newsletters), finding more ways to increase the value of the paid listing will be important.  They are adding value to the program in other ways, which is great, so maybe this won’t be much of an issue in the long run.  Nevertheless, I’m not sure the folks at TA saw this one coming.  Despite this issue, I still think the Business Listings program is worth signing up for this year and capturing traffic that might have left your TA listing and not returned.

Star Rating

Issue:

Some B&B/Inns have a star rating next to their name, and some don’t.  There is no explanation as to what this means, except for it saying “Hotel Class” on the property page (but not on the listings page).  Is it quality?  What criteria is used?  This could certainly be misleading, when everything else around them on this page hints to either user ratings or scoring.  Everyone sitting around our table knew that the star rating has to do with the type of property and services offered – not quality.  For example, a 3-star property (which most B&B/Inns are) do not have restaurants, but 4-star properties do.  And since everything around the page has to do with quality or ratings (the reviews, scores, Traveler Rating, Popularity Index, etc.), it is easy to see why someone might think that a particular B&B/Inn is ranked 3 out of 5 stars based on scores and ratings.  It is confusing and possibly misleading.

Suggestion:

Remove it for B&B/Inns (it seems only about 1 in 20 or so have the stars), or have a quick, accessible link to explain what it means.

Update:

The TA staff said they would look into somehow adding an explanation on their site about the “Hotel Class” system.

Do reviews marked as “helpful” get more weight in the Popularity Index?

Issue:

A question was recently brought to me – do negative reviews get marked as “helpful” more often by travelers than positive reviews?  TA allows travelers to rate other reviews as “helpful,” and you can see how often a particular review has been rated as such.  My instinct tells me that negative reviews are more often rated as “helpful,” because these reviews more likely reveal information about an experience that helped other travelers in their research, and maybe ultimately avoid a property.  Positive reviews might provide details that are similarly found in other positive reviews, i.e. the breakfast was great, the beds were comfy, etc.  I suppose for highly-ranked properties on TA, travelers expect to see such comments, thereby rendering those reviews as not as helpful as the occasional negative review.  This in itself is not really much of an issue, except when I place it in the context of the Popularity Index, which has a complicated, secret formula behind it.  I wondered out loud to the TA staff if reviews that are rated as “helpful” by more travelers weigh more in the algorithm of their Popularity Index.

Suggestion:

Because negative reviews might be more often ranked as “helpful”, don’t allow the “helpful” count to impact the Popularity Index.  If it does, then it stands to reason that negative reviews might be more impactful on the Popularity Index than positive reviews.

Update:

This was a new one to the TA staff, so they didn’t have much of a response.  Plus, when it comes to the Popularity Index, they are often tight-lipped.   I asked if they could do a little internal research to find out if in fact within the total count of reviews that were rated as “helpful”, if the negative reviews are more often rated as “helpful” than positive reviews.  I don’t think this is a major issue, but you can possibly see why a helpful, negative review could be quite damaging.  And, since false or embellished negative reviews can still get past their fraud detectors, it’s important to keep tabs on these kinds of things.

Conclusion

Well folks, that’s it for now.  I continue to give the staff at TA a lot of credit for having spent several half-days with me going over our laundry list of issues.  Over time, they have made some changes and always earnestly listen to what we have to say.  In order to stay relevant to both their traveler base and the property owners, they have to be ever-changing, ever-improving.  I like to think of our little visits as helping them in that quest, but at the same time bringing as much parity to B&B/Inns as possible.

They have recently restructured some of their internal teams, so that property owners will get more dedicated staff for their needs and interests, as well (I imagine) to solicit more participation in Business Listings.  This is good; they realize more and more the importance of keeping the property owners happy.  If innkeepers are happy, they are probably more likely to use and promote TA in their marketing strategies.  The more our industry is seen as a both a strong segment of the lodging universe, as well as a revenue source in their business model, the more important our meetings will become.

There is a reason you see TripAdvisor at the Innkeeping conferences and trade shows, advertising their services in our magazine, etc.  They deem B&B/Inns and innkeepers as an important customer base.  Therefore, our dialogue will continue and I’m guessing you’ll see many more changes as the months and years come.

Not a member of PAII?  I encourage you to join and support the association and our efforts.  We’re the only association, as far as I know, as deeply committed to working with entities like TripAdvisor on behalf of the B&B industry.  Your support is vital, and we deliver a fantastic portfolio of benefits and education in return.  Go to www.innkeeping.org to learn more.

• Visiting SCBBA Board in a.m. Among other things, we will discuss 2011 Innkeeping Show in Charleston, SC – Jan 10-13. http://www.innkeepingshow.com #

• Speaking to Tourism Leadership Council of Savannah re "Mastering Online Reviews & Reputation Mgmt." Staying at Azalea Inn & Gardens 2nite #
• RT @TripAdvisor: TA adds special offers capability to Business Listings; properties can post deals on TA sites: http://bit.ly/bE8bV1 #
• @goldreyer Finally the industry you wish you worked in! in reply to goldreyer #

• Good blog post by B&B Team on the need for videos on B&B sites http://bit.ly/drUKHV #

• Way to go #PAII member White Gull Inn! B&Bs rock breakfast! Good Morning America's Best Breakfast Contest Winner! http://bit.ly/dbsnoE #
• RT @TA_Watch: A Cautious Thumbs-Up for TripAdvisor http://bit.ly/bELRbN #travel #
• Good mtg with #TripAdvisor at their HQ today. B&B issues are loud and clr. Some positive changes on the path. Will blog details soon. #paii #
• Good article for innkeepers on Rise of the Small Wedding in Spring issue of Innkeeping Quarterly. Check it out: http://bit.ly/cJZGMm #paii #
• Good article for innkeepers on Rise of the Small Wedding in Spring issue of Innkeeping Quarterly. Check it out: http://bit.ly/cJZGMm #paii #