Innkeeper Industry Blogposts

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.

We know that it is not always possible for everyone to make the time to attend our Weekly Webinars. So, after popular demand, we are now going to be recording up to one hour on most of our Weekly Webinar class sessions. 

- These recordings will be great for those Innkeepers who did attend, but want to Re-Listen to a particular section for reiteration and clarification.

- The weekly recording will be available for 7 Days, and then will be replaced with the next weeks  recording.

- These recording will typically NOT include the Live Question and Answers, and will cut off at one hour.  So while these videos do not replace attending Live, they do help if you need to go over the information at your leisure, or if you simply can't be there.

As always, we appreciate your feedback, so once you give today’s session a listen …


..  please “Like” this post, or drop me an E-Mail at info@acorn-is.com!


Access: http://www.acorn-is.com/after-hour-webinars/
Access is Password Protected.

If you are a Club 60 Member or registered to attend today’s class, check your E-Mail.  You should already have an E-Mail with this access information provided.

Client Services Customers, please watch for your next scheduled report, access information will be provided in your report.

This service is available for active Acorn IS Customers only.  If you are an active Acorn IS Customer and would like access to these After-Hour Weekly Webinar videos, please E-Mail annie@acorn-is.com.

Lisa Kolb
President and Co-Founder Acorn Internet Services
Educating our Industry One Innkeeper at a Time!

GOING MOBILE

Three out ten cell phones in use in the United States are now “smartphones” with Internet connectivity. And one of the most intriguing questions facing travel service marketers is how travelers are using these devices to plan, purchase and share information about both destinations and travel service suppliers. The results of our new 2010 Portrait of American TravelersSM provide some insightful answers.

As reflected in the table below, nearly two in ten travelers have downloaded a travel-related application (app) to their smartphone. Among them, nearly one-half have navigated a destination using the built in GPS functionality or searched for the latest information on flight schedules and delays. Nearly three in ten have compared airfares or hotel rates or shared information or photos about their travel experiences using their smartphone. Approximately one in six has booked air travel or lodging or viewed a virtual visitor guide that provides information on things to do and see while visiting a destination. Finally, more than one in ten active travelers has used their smartphone to download and redeem mobile coupons, while one in twenty has downloaded an audio walking tour of a specific destination:

Clearly, mobile devices are destined to play an increasingly important role in the distribution and sale of travel services in years ahead. For a more comprehensive summary of these and other findings from the 2010 Portrait of American TravelersSM please visit the Publications section of www.ypartnership.com.

Save $100 if you Register by August 31st, 2010

Click Here to Get the Details

I received a PAII alert on August 30th, 2010 announcing that they were offering a $100 discount for the January Conference in Charleston if you register by August 31st, 2010.

At the time of registration, please make sure to choose from one of our Pre-Conference sessions (AM class or PM class).  Read below for more details!



I also wanted to take a moment and thank everyone who responded to the survey I sent out a month ago asking for your thoughts and input on the Pre-Conference sessions.

The replies were AWESOME, with so many great ideas and insights!  We are working on bringing into play many of those ideas in 2010 at Nashua, and 2011 in Charleston.  Again, THANK YOU to everyone who took the time to share this information with us.


•    Approximately 60%-75% of Innkeepers said they were planning to attend an upcoming PAII conference.
•    ¾ of Innkeepers indicated that $50 or less per person for Acorn IS Education and Dining was acceptable.
•    Innkeepers LOVE the 1-on-1 time we provide.  They enjoy the time to meet and have a chance for a face to face discussion in a quiet location of a hospitality suite.


In Austin, we wanted to support PAII by sponsoring something at the conference, so we chose to sponsor the neck badges.

And just as any Innkeeper knows, putting your logo on something that others wear is totally Fun and Exciting!

This year we’ve decided, based on the feedback from the survey, that we want to use our budget on the Pre-Conference session, and offer this educational Internet marketing class to all Innkeepers at NO ADDITIONAL CHARGE! 




Another bit of feedback from our survey shared that NOT all Innkeepers are able to get to the conference by the morning of the Pre-Conference day.  And then some Innkeepers indicated that any conference is also a chance for them to get a much needed break and getaway, so they’d like to have the afternoon open on the Pre-Conference day to do some sight-seeing!  So we decided to hold the Acorn-IS Pre-Conference session two times.  One session in the morning and a repeat session in the afternoon, allowing you to plan your first day at the conference how you prefer!


We look forward to seeing you at the conference.  And if you find yourself simply unable to attend in person this year, we are discussing the possibility of a virtual offering for those Innkeepers who just can’t travel.  It will be a first for an Acorn-IS session at a PAII conference!

Finally, we are working on some additional FUN and EXCITING opportunities.  As soon as we have more information, we’ll pass it along!  Stay tuned!

Lisa Kolb
President and Co-Founder Acorn Internet Services
Educating our Industry One Innkeeper at a Time!

• 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:

At the end of our Club 60 Webinar yesterday, I asked the Innkeepers in attendance to share their thoughts and ideas about HOW and WHY they make the time to keep up with their online marketing.  

What is Club 60?  It’s a group of Acorn IS Innkeepers who are dedicated to spending an hour a day on their marketing.  We meet once a month for a cutting edge Webinar session that includes the latest and greatest ideas out there on the Internet today.  We call these Innkeepers “Club 60ers”.  Named for the 60 minutes a day they set aside to maintain and grow their online presence.

Find Out What These Innkeepers KNOW!


Andon-Reid Inn Bed and Breakfast

Rachel Reid
Waynesville, NC
Acorn Customer Since 2006

A Waynesville North Carolina Bed and Breakfast

In answer to your question about finding time:

- In between breakfast courses.
- Between 2-3pm before check- ins.
- After check-ins 7:30-9pm.

Of course everyday changes but I can grab one of the above 3 times at least everyday.

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Carriage Way Bed and Breakfast

Bill Johnson and family, Larry, John and Jeanie
St. Augustine, FL
Acorn Customer Since 2010

A St Augustine Bed and Breakfast

When do we find time?  After Breakfast, Before Check-In, Before Dinner and Before Bed

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Garden Gate Get-A-Way Bed & Breakfast

Carol Steffey
Millersburg, OH
Acorn Customer Since 2009

An Ohio Bed and Breakfast

Anyone who wants to be a successful innkeeper shouldn’t think about “finding the time” to work on their web presence, but the need to “make the time” to work on their web presence.  I used to Google ways to improve web presence.  Today I save myself time by taking webinars from Acorn-IS and belonging to Club 60 and optimizing my choices of what I do.  I have found better results using the methods that I learn from Acorn-IS.

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Grape Arbor B&B

Peggy Hauser
North East, PA
Acorn Customer Since 2008

A North East Bed and Breakfast


You asked why I (try to) work on my website...goal is every day; but in reality in the busy season, a bit less. I think back to when I started in this business, 8 years ago. Many innkeepers still did not have websites!  And I think of the changes that have happened from then until now.  I always knew that the website was, outside of the building and myself, the most important asset of the business.  We started out from scratch, and the vast majority of business is pulled in through the website.

We clean rooms everyday; we keep the building in good shape; why wouldn't you put effort on your other public face to make it as current and viable as possible?  Knowledge is power, and although I haven't done everything that think I should or want to on the site---every little bit is more than there was before.  Your webinars help me decide how I want to allocate the time that I have.

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Harvest Moon Bed and Breakfast

Carl and Marlies Kosko
Lancater County, PA
Acorn Customer Since 2004

A Lancaster Bed and Breakfast

I find it all too important to keep up with all forms of social media. Yes, I realize that we are all busy with the running of the inn however, I truly believe though that this is the direction that the world is (has been) moving.  There is no doubt, that if I don't keep up, I will be left behind. I choose to be in the know. With the tangled mess of information we call the web, it has changed the way the world now markets. We need to keep in tune with those changes... on a daily basis! It must be one of the many hats I where.... I am no longer just a baker, gardener, bed maker or greeter... I am also an internet marketer! 

When do I find the time to do my social media? I keep up with it during the day as I check email. Drop a post on Twitter, Write a quick blog, Find a friend on Facebook, or like something in the area to establish a connection. Each time I do this, the amount of time accumulated does total up. I am always researching new and exciting ways to become more involved. I figure, the more involved I am the better off I will be in understanding how to harness the powers of the internet. Next challenge... Mobile!!

Thank you Lisa and team for being a leader and educator in our industry!!!

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Lodge at Mark Twain Lake

Carol Wibbenmyer
Stoutsville, MO
Acorn Customer Since 2009

Mark Twain Lake Lodging


I want the B&B to go over so much I'll do what ever it takes.  I listen to all of you at Acorn.  All of you provide the missing key (internet info) that I have (make that had) no knowledge about.

I also knew that I had to promote the area.  The lake chamber is just promoting the fishing.

I know it will take off, because I LOVE what I am doing, and I have a great place!  Blogging, Facebook and Twitter makes it so easy to "tell the world"!

I know the day I don't have time to do blogging, Facebook or Twitter will be the day I have all the business I need or want, and I don't see that happening any time soon.

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Night Swan Intracoastal B&B

Martha Nighswonger

New Smyrna Beach, FL
Acorn Customer Since 2008

A New Smyrna Beach Bed and Breakfast

Here are my comments to people who say they don't have time for the "extra stuff" or the "new stuff".

If you don't try to keep up with the new stuff, you are falling behind.  (This happened to us before we had our new website.)

When we had the opportunity to hire someone, we made sure that it was someone who knows more about Social Media than I do.  It is working very well.

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Lisa Kolb
President and Co-Founder Acorn Internet Services
Educating our Industry 1 Innkeeper at a Time!

When I get a surprise visit from friends or neighbors and I can talk them into staying for dinner I often resort to this quick and tasty meal. Served with a salad it is very easy.

INGREDIENTS

1 1/2 lb. of large fresh or frozen raw shrimp, shells on
2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
a 1 inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and finely chopped
2 limes, zest and juice
8 oz. of un-sweetened coconut milk, I use canned
4 Tbsp. of fresh Cilantro, finely chopped
Salt and Pepper to taste

Luigini for 4, cooked al dente and kept hot.

DIRECTIONS

Defrost shrimp under cold water if they are frozen and pat dry with paper towels. If they are fresh rinse under cold water and pat dry with paper towels.
Zest the limes before squeezing the juice. Set both aside.
In a large wok or frying pan add olive oil and heat until hot but not smoking. Add chopped ginger and saute until fragrant. Add shrimp, lime zest and juice and saute until they turn pink. This shouldn't take more than than 3 - 4 minutes. With a slotted spoon remove just the cooked shrimp and keep warm. Return the pan with the ginger and lime juice to the stove. Add coconut milk and cook for 2-3 min until slightly reduced. Add salt and pepper to taste. While the sauce is cooking peel the shrimp and return to the pan. Remove sauce from heat, adjust seasoning to taste, add chopped cilantro and serve over hot pasta.

Brampton Inn
http://www.bramptoninn.com 
Danielle Hanscom Bed and Breakfast Foodie

I have been experimenting with this kind of tart for a long time. Here is the result of many tries that our guests have been enjoying for afternoon tea.

INGREDIENTS:
for the crust:
1cup unbleached flour
1/4 cup yellow corn meal
2 teaspoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons cold, unsalted butter cut into 12 pieces
4 tablespoons sour cream
1/3 cup ice water

for the apple topping:
2 large Golden Delicious Apples
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 lemon zest and juice

DIRECTIONS:
In a small bowl mix sour cream and ice water. Keep refrigerated.
In the bowl of a food processor mix flour, cornmeal, sugar and salt. Pulse a couple of times to mix well.
Sprinkle butter pieces over flour mixture and pulse until the butter pieces are the size of peas.
Add sour cream mixture and pulse until the dough barely holds together. Dump onto a clean work surface and gently pat together using as little additional flour as possible until it dough is formed. Don't over do it. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least one hour.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Meanwhile prepare the apples. Peel, core and slice apples. Add lemon zest, sugar and 2 tablespoons of lemon juice. Reserve leftover juice for another use. Toss apples gently and set aside.

When dough is pretty firm roll it out into a 12 inch diameter circle. It doesn't have to be perfect. Move the circle onto a cookie sheet lined with a piece of parchment paper. Leaving a 2 1/2 inch edge arrange apples on top of dough circle. This does not have to be very exact. Fold edges of dough over the apples towards the center leaving about a 6 inch opening in the middle. Sprinkle top with coarse sugar and bake for approx. 40 min. until top is golden and the apples are done.

Let cool on cookie sheet for 10 min. before removing to a cooling rack or a plate.

Serve warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.



Brampton Inn
www.bramptoninn.com 
Danielle Hanscom
Bed and Breakfast Foodie

Wine & Hospitality Ezine

To ensure delivery add ezine@OTLConsulting.com and Margie@OTLConsulting.com to your address book.

For those who have not yet tried Google Local Places Tags, Google is extending the 30 Day Free Trial. A tag is an eye-catching little yellow arrow image that can be added to your Google Places Listing (formerly known as Google Local Business Listings) to highlight and draw attention to your listing, as seen here on Andon Reid Inn's listing:

The tags cost $25 per month, but Google is trying to draw business by offering a 30 day free trial offer. You can learn more about the tags, watch a video, and even sign up for the free offer here: Google Tags


Annie Buck
Pre-Development Manager
Acorn Internet Services

Wine & Hospitality Ezine

To ensure delivery add ezine@OTLConsulting.com and Margie@OTLConsulting.com to your address book.

Not only are the eight broads great friends and colleagues, but we enjoy a terrific community of innkeepers from around North America.  I think the idea for grilled pineapple originated with Lynnette (one of the Broads).  I initially started with pineapple spears marinated in a honey lemon sauce that were grilled on the stove in butter.  I served with coconut sprinkled on top and guests loved it.


Then I stayed with friends and colleagues Ashley and Glenn Mon at Hamanassett Bed & Breakfast in the Brandywine Valley area of Pennsylvania.  Ashley served grilled pineapple that morning and I immediately came back to The Beechmont and started my own version.  It certainly deserves a nod to Ashley!


I was not raised in Hawaii, so my knowledge of pineapples is from experience and from reading.  Pineapples have to travel to those of us on the mainland from quite a distance and it's hard to judge freshness.  Some are flown in while others arrive via boats or trucks whether from the Honduras, Mexico, Costa Rica, or Puerto Rico.  The trip can take a few hours or several days.


It's a myth, as I understand, to assume you can pull a leaf from the top and judge its freshness (the easier to pull the leaf the fresher the pineapple: not true).  Starting at the base, look for a yellow color, which should indicate more flavor and sugar content.  There should be a pleasant, mild pineapple aroma at the base and a firm or perhaps gently yielding give to the touch.  Do not purchase a pineapple that smells moldy.  An overripe pineapple might be wrinkled or cushiony, and you certainly do not want one that leaks, has cracks in it, is brown, or has withered leaves.


INGREDIENTS

One pineapple
Brown sugar (approximately 1/2 cup for a whole pineapple)
Cinnamon
Freshly grated nutmeg
Strawberries, raspberries, mandarin oranges for garnish
Coconut for garnish
Lemon sorbet or coconut gelato for garnish

DIRECTIONS

Kathryn White
Bed and Breakfast Foodie

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

Yvonne Martin, owner and Innkeeper at The White Oak Inn, a Danville, OH Bed and Breakfast, came to Acorn Internet Services for a new web site.  Yvonne had specific ideas for parts of the site, and left other pieces up to our designer. Yvonne provided beautiful photography and well-written verbiage for the individual pages, and had Acorn's marketing team SEO (search engine optimize) the site.

Take a look:


The day after the site launched, we received this email from Yvonne:

"I just booked a small wedding today.   She saw the new website last night and was blown away! Talk about fast results!!! Thanks all for your hard work."

Amazing! Then, when I asked Yvonne if I could use that quote for this blog, she replied:

"Absolutely fine by me. Wish I had time to write you a longer quote but I can't get to it because THE PHONE IS RINGING SO MUCH!   Big smile here."

We can't ask for a better quote than that!

Annie Buck
Pre-Development Manager
Acorn Internet Services

You may wonder how a Wedding Analogy has anything at all to do with a Mobile Site vs. Web Site discussion.   We encourage you to take a few moments and read through this post to find out the answer!

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Sharon Rowe, Professional Client Services Manager for Acorn Internet Services, wrote an article that was featured in the Summer 2010 PAII (Professional Association of Innkeepers) IQ Journal.

Mobile Friendly Websites: Why You Need Them and How They are Found.


We Often Have Customers Ask Us: Is our Web site Mobile Friendly?

To answer that question, let us walk you through a short analogy:

The Big Formal Wedding vs. A Small Elopement. 

Think about your Web site as a Formal Event such as a Wedding.  As the Bride and Groom To Be, you want your wedding day to be glorious, with all the bells and whistles you can afford.  You search for a Designer Gown, Formal Tuxes for the Groom and Groomsmen, Incredible Band, Gourmet Menu and so on.  Planning a Formal wedding is similar to an Innkeeper planning a Professional Web site design. 

You want the Best Photography for your property as part of a flash presentation, polished and professional design, including video and social media to support your business.  And just like the guests at the Big Formal Wedding, the guests that visit your Web site expect to be WOW’ed! 


Now, let’s consider the alternative of a Big Formal Wedding - - A Small Elopement.  

Instead of the Big Formal Wedding, you may choose to simply go to the Justice of the Peace with one or two attendants.  The outcome is still the same.  You will walk away with a signed marriage certificate, but the advance planning and actual experience of an Elopement at the Justice of the Peace’s office will be very much scaled down as compared to a Big Formal Wedding. 

You’ll be coming to a small office, not a large church or gathering place.  You won’t have room for 500 attendees, and the overall scheme will be smaller and more streamlined.   You can compare an Elopement to a Mobile Site.  You should not expect to squeeze all the bells and whistles of your Professional Web site into the standards of a Mobile site design.  In the case of a Mobile design, the page options must be streamlined, easy to navigate and fast to load based on the requirements of the Mobile World.

Now, granted, you could invite 500 people to attend your Justice of the Peace wedding, but it wouldn’t be the best idea to attempt to fit them all in a small Justice of the Peace office.  Just as guests who use mobile phones are “TECHNICALLY” able to see your full Web Site design on devices such as iPhones, Blackberries and Droids, and any of the hundreds of data ready phones on the market, it’s not the best idea to load all the bells and whistles of your Web Design on the handheld device. Some of these features such as Flash or JavaScript are omitted completely when seen on a Mobile device. Users end up having to zoom, scroll, and experience extended load times as compared to the navigation and load time of an abbreviated Mobile site.

So, the Moral of the Story Is

Plan and Design your Web Site to be glorious with the intent to be seen on a desktop PC or laptop.  Then build a separate Mobile site to provide those using Mobile devices the very best hand-held experience they have come to expect.  -- Fast, easy to view and navigate without zooming or scrolling, so they may easily contact you and book a room. 

And remember, a Mobile site is great for helping potential guests find you when they are already on the road.  This can be useful for people looking for last minute bookings, or even those who have booked early, and have forgotten to print directions or write down the address.

Click Here to learn more about building a Mobile Site for your business!

Lisa Kolb
President and Co-Founder Acorn Internet Services, Inc.
Educating our Industry One Innkeeper at at Time!

Dan and Penny Cote, the new owners/innkeepers of Inn Victoria, a  Chester, Vermont Bed and Breakfast, worked with us in stages. We started with moving the old web site over to Acorn IS hosting, then built up with Social Media and Search Engine Optimization, all the while moving forward with a new site design. Dan and Penny were learning how to be successful innkeepers while at the same time working with Acorn IS to make their web presence more robust.

The new web site launched a few weeks ago, taking Dan by surprise as we showed it to the attendees on one of our learning webinars!:


We really appreciate Dan's comments about the whole process:

"The words "thank You" simply do not portray how Penny and I feel about this new site and most important, the people from Acorn who made it happen.  Your team is professional in their ability to get the technical side done appropriately.  Most important, your team made it easy for us to communicate and work through the process.  Your team has customer service down pat, with gracious character and patience at that!  Thank you Acorn Team for making this process less daunting, more fun and customer friendly than I could have imagined.  In my previous life as an executive with an insurance company, web development was a nightmare...not so in this case.

Thank You Mark for making our transition from the previous web development company to Acorn an apparent seamless success!  I know you had a lot of work just to get this site transferred over...Thank You.  Penny and I are very happy with the partnership we have developed with Acorn and consider ourselves blessed to have done so!

take care,  and I do look forward to our continued partnership..... be patient with me, I have a steep learning curve ahead of me.

Dan"

Dan and Penny, we look forward to working with you in the future!

Annie Buck
Pre-Development Manager
Acorn Internet Services

More than just recipes!  The 8 broads are a really fun bunch of ladies with over 150 years of innkeeping experience between them. So, in addition to the recipes that we are posting .. at an admittedly slower rate during our busy summer months.. we are going to share a little more about ourselves, our kitchens and the amazing amount of fun we have doing what we do. 
Danielle  (that's her in the facebook profile pic this week hanging onto a Maryland Blue Crab, a specialty in her neck of the woods, the Chesapeake) innkeeper at The Brampton is not far from the water and there is boating, fishing and I am sure, crabbing galore.  On a recent .. ok. so there was snow flying .. we gathered in her bright and cheery keeping room, laughed as we downed amazing biscotti and mountains of the best cookies ever. Her kitchen was abuzz with more cookies being made, shirred eggs  ready for the oven and truly Swiss Birchermuesli. Had it been the right time of year breakfast on the most amazing front porch ever would have truly been in order. 


When asked this morning what her favorite kitchen tool/appliance was .. this was her response:
After cooking for 24 an a-la-carte breakfast in less than an hour this morning (it seemed that there was a conspiracy for everybody to sit down at once) I would say that my favorite appliance is my 6 burner, 24 inch griddle top, 2 oven Vulcan stove. It's 19 years old beauty, (old enough to vote), but I couldn't live without it.
A voting Vulcan!  Gotta love that. I bet that stove has stories to tell!

The Brampton Inn
http://www.bramptoninn.com
 Danielle Hanscomb
Bed and Breakfast Foodie

On Friday, January 15, 2010 we posted the following Blog Entry:
Social Media posts quick and easy - Keeping it simple for our Customers!


As part of this post, we provided “Way 1” step by step instructions for auto-feeding your Blog posts (Google Blogger or Wordpress) to your Facebook Business Page Wall.


Way 1 - Set Facebook Business Fan Page to automatically post your Blog post on the main wall.

   1. Log into Facebook
   2. Click on "Ads and Pages" in left column
   3. Scroll down to the "Notes" section and click the "Edit" link
   4. Click on "Edit import settings" on the bottom of left column
   5. Enter the RSS feed URL for your blog into the "Web URL:" box
   6. Check the box to agree with Facebook's blog import policies
   7. Click on "Start Importing" button
   8. View your Wall to make sure that the feed is working correctly
   9. Click "Confirm" at top of page


How to find your RSS FEED ADDRESS…

Depending on the web browser you're using, you may see an icon like this:   or this:  on the right-hand side of the address bar. Clicking on this will open your RSS feed.  You can then copy the URL from your address bar.

Willie Louthen Brown, Development Manager
Acorn Internet Services, Inc.
Educating our Industry 1 Client at a Time!

Wine & Hospitality Ezine

To ensure delivery add ezine@OTLConsulting.com and Margie@OTLConsulting.com to your address book.