An annual vacation can cut one's risk of heart attack by 50%. A vote for #travel is a vote for #health! #VoteTravel
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Kindness not only makes the coffee. Kindness says good morning.
So, the second place I called on Monday? No response. We were going there tomorrow. Now we're not. It's obvious nothing is open in that town in spite of the websites all saying 'open all year'.
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Everyday, for good or ill, we intersect with some else's story and become a part of it.
this is why I have changed over to MyUKtravel means i can advertisine in a bunch of places and it all updates each other automatically so I only have to deal with it when I take a booking over the phone or by email and then I only have to update my callender and it updates everything. It also gives me free online live booking through my web site as a side benefit so if I was out can tell them to book online through my web site. It also prints reg forms with all the stuff filled in for each day whic speeds up the checking in process and collects data for future reference. It also means should I be on holiday I can take reservations or rather the system will take reservations without me having to think about it at all. Would also set my email to auto respond we are on annual leave please book through the web site. I have my email accounts all connected up through my blackberry and reply to any emails usually within 5 minutes unless Im out then probably an hour max. People these days do not have patience and expect an instant reply.
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Don't mess with me today or I will kill you!!!!
I booked 2 rooms at a B&B just this morning, and it was interesting to follow the same steps the general public takes. Some of you might like to hear my thoughts as I went through the process.
We're headed to a small town a couple of hours from here where I've never spent the night before. I first Googled for a bed and breakfast in the town, and bed_&_breakfast dot_com came up first, listing 3 inns there.
A little more searching at the town's website confirmed that those are the only 3 B&B's there.
Then I went to each place's website and studied their layout and whether they have a ground floor room for easy access (my 89-y-o mother will be going with us).
Then I checked them all on TA.
Then I picked my inn based on all above and studied their rooms, made my room picks. They are powered by web-er-vations and I didn't like it much. It pulled up the list of rooms available on my dates (2-night stay) but it just lists the names of the rooms available, with no photos or descriptions, and I couldn't remember the names of the two rooms I wanted, so had to go back (it didn't open reservation page in a new window) and take better note of the room names, then had to start over entering my dates and other info to check availability.
I had to reserve one room at a time. Couldn't reserve multiple rooms and only enter contact info and CC number once the way I can on resKey.
Finally, after entering CC info I didn't like that I still don't have a reservation. Just a note that they will review my request and get back to me. When I go back now and check availability, the rooms I picked are still listed as available those nights. They aren't taken out of inventory until I am reviewed and confirmed by the owners. So I still don't know if I have reservations or not.
I realize this is just how many of you do things, and of course it's no big deal. Just not how I, as the one booking the rooms, like to do it.
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I booked 2 rooms at a B&B just this morning, and it was interesting to follow the same steps the general public takes. Some of you might like to hear my thoughts as I went through the process.
We're headed to a small town a couple of hours from here where I've never spent the night before. I first Googled for a bed and breakfast in the town, and bed_&_breakfast dot_com came up first, listing 3 inns there.
A little more searching at the town's website confirmed that those are the only 3 B&B's there.
Then I went to each place's website and studied their layout and whether they have a ground floor room for easy access (my 89-y-o mother will be going with us).
Then I checked them all on TA.
Then I picked my inn based on all above and studied their rooms, made my room picks. They are powered by web-er-vations and I didn't like it much. It pulled up the list of rooms available on my dates (2-night stay) but it just lists the names of the rooms available, with no photos or descriptions, and I couldn't remember the names of the two rooms I wanted, so had to go back (it didn't open reservation page in a new window) and take better note of the room names, then had to start over entering my dates and other info to check availability.
I had to reserve one room at a time. Couldn't reserve multiple rooms and only enter contact info and CC number once the way I can on resKey.
Finally, after entering CC info I didn't like that I still don't have a reservation. Just a note that they will review my request and get back to me. When I go back now and check availability, the rooms I picked are still listed as available those nights. They aren't taken out of inventory until I am reviewed and confirmed by the owners. So I still don't know if I have reservations or not.
I realize this is just how many of you do things, and of course it's no big deal. Just not how I, as the one booking the rooms, like to do it.
I don't use Webervations, and you can see the rooms clicking on the names on mine. I confirm reservations within 2-4 hours. And I would rather lose a potential reservation then have to call someone and tell them 'I am sorry, but we don't have the wine tour available. Your room is booked but you don't have a seat on the wine tour".
RIki
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Riki Goodell
Arcady Vineyard Bed & Breakfast
Arcady Vineyard Wine Tours
www.arcadyvineyard.com
Come! Let us show you the beautiful Monticello Appellation!
I answer the phone or reply by e-mail immediately or within an hour, take multiple room reservations, answer all questions, and confirm verbally and in writing twice (once immediately by e-mail and again by regular post once the deposit has been made.) This works for me and my guests but I know that many of you think I'm nuts.
I was telling a friend of mine that I am still waiting to know if the place we want to go on TUES, THIS WEEK, has any openings. She said they're probably on vacation. When I said the website says they're open year around she came back and said, 'Well YOU go on vacation, why shouldn't they?'
Yes, I go on vacation. And I still answer the phone and emails and accept reservations. All I want is the same consideration.
My guess? The email is in their spam folder.
Sorry, I'm ranting.
I think what you are doing is working for you and that's all that matters. You've got years under your belt and that's important.
I just went and checked my rez system against your list. No can do on the making multiple room reservations in one click. Hope that's something they're working on.
Also can't book a package deal.
But, you do get a real reservation, rooms are out of inventory, and the photos are there that show the rooms available for the nights you picked. (And, by golly, was I given heck when a guest said the photo on the booking system was not the exact same photo as on the website. Different quilt on the bed made the whole room wrong. Some people are just pick-y.)
The places I looked at didn't even have photos of the rooms on the website, much less on the non-existent online booking! But I'm sure they're as busy as they want to be. And, no, I still haven't heard from them.
I just went and checked my rez system against your list. No can do on the making multiple room reservations in one click. Hope that's something they're working on.
Also can't book a package deal.
They didn't have that ability a year ago, either. It doesn't seem like they're working on it too hard, if at all.
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Jeanne
I just went and checked my rez system against your list. No can do on the making multiple room reservations in one click. Hope that's something they're working on.
Also can't book a package deal.
They didn't have that ability a year ago, either. It doesn't seem like they're working on it too hard, if at all.
I know. I have a bad case of inertia in moving on to something that works better.
YOU GOT IT ARKIE!
Every time I plan a getaway I go through this and come to the forum and share this same experience. I am booking my getaway, let me do it, right now! Or you go through all of it and actually CAN book a room and they shoot the policies at you last minute, $50 cancellation fee no matter what, or something outrageous.
I like to share this with innkeepers who think frustrating guests before they arrive is a great idea. I tell them to plan a trip, anywhere, using B&Bs and see what happens. You end up going to TA and using them for location (maps) and online avail and reviews in the end. I hope people don't discount that this is what we do.
It is like me standing in a car lot with $45,000 cash in my pocket and no one shows me a thing, if they do, they don't have the price marked on the vehicle and will have to go and find someone to look it up. I walk away...they lose the sale. I will go to another lot that have their ducks in row. It is EASY to add photos to webers. If a B&B/Inn does not present it self professionally then they have NO IDEA HOW MANY GUESTS and HOW MUCH REVENUE THEY ARE LOSING.
Weberv 2.0 was the promised golden child where you could book more than one room at the same time with the same info, I begged and pleaded for Weberv to implement this. Another reason I chose Rezkey.
Now there is a blog article.
However, trying to book the rooms to take the vacation may cause the heart attack! I am looking for a place to stay in a rather out of the way town. There are, that I can find, 4 B&B's and a bunch of motels. The only B&B with online booking is closed for the winter. That site had the most information, so I used it to plan other things to do in the area.
The other 3 B&B's:
So, I emailed. And now I wait.
Almost 24 hours. Still waiting.
Almost 24 hours. Still waiting.
I got my confirmations about 5 hours after the online booking, so we're all set! This place promises "a big country breakfast" and just shows a photo, and mentions, one innkeeper on the website and he has 11 rooms. He surely has paid staff, or he's gonna run himself to death!
Death in the immediate family at the place I was looking at. (As in one of the innkeepers died.) Thus, not really focused on the B&B at the moment. Invited us to come up in the spring when things will be calmed down. Sounded like nice people.
Come see me. You will not beat the price!
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What happens when you turn your vacation home into a B&B? Hmmmmmmmmmmm
Your Dr. Brings you in for a mental check up!
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Bob
Crystal Cove Bed and Breakfast
www.crystalcovebranson.com
Headed out next week. Short trip to some place we've never been to do something silly...sample mustards. We always have to have something planned. Either to go see something or to sit on the beach. There just has to be a plan.
Or conversely, if you DON'T take one it increases your chances by 50%? LOL
Now before i show my wife this. I wonder of you take more than 1 vacation if it cuts the 50% in half again? So in other words. If you take a bunch of vacations, there is no chance of you having a heart attack! 
Maybe I see a fun year of vacations coming!
Maybe I see a fun year of vacations coming!
I think that theory should be tested!!! Let us know the outcome