Phrasing to eliminate any surprises

One room here with detached bath. Much lower price than any other room.
On room page it is stated in 3 different places. On the booking page it is in 1 place.
It's in the confirmation. It's in the reminder email.
And yet. Another week-long guest 'surprised' by the location of the bathroom.
Dh wants me to bold it everywhere. Wants me to add it a few more times on the room page.
Give me some examples of how this is phrased (and where) on your site if you have a room like this.
Or, as a guest, where you need to see this info.

Maddie, perhaps a map of the inn's rooms layout would clear this up. Some people just don't read but they might look at the map.

Silverspoon said:

Maddie, perhaps a map of the inn's rooms layout would clear this up. Some people just don't read but they might look at the map..

Click to expand...

I have one. Maybe I should add the link to it on every room page.

suggestion - if i go to your site and click on rooms, view all rooms, choose your favorite room - i can book from right there by choosing a room and going to the 'see availability calendar for exact rate'. as a guest, i've seen a picture, the rate looks good, i'm not bothering to read the detailed description. so right there, in the brief description where it says, queen bed, second floor - i would add 'private bath down the hall' or 'private bath for this room is across the hall' or something. i don't know that you need to put 'ensuite bath' for all the rest ... since the guests all assume their bathroom is en suite.
maybe it will help?

seashanty said:

suggestion - if i go to your site and click on rooms, view all rooms, choose your favorite room - i can book from right there by choosing a room and going to the 'see availability calendar for exact rate'. as a guest, i've seen a picture, the rate looks good, i'm not bothering to read the detailed description. so right there, in the brief description where it says, queen bed, second floor - i would add 'private bath down the hall' or 'private bath for this room is across the hall' or something. i don't know that you need to put 'ensuite bath' for all the rest ... since the guests all assume their bathroom is en suite.
maybe it will help?.

Click to expand...

It's a start. Not sure the guest would go on to read the blurb when they get to the booking page, but it's there, too.

Queen room (detached private bath) - Note that the bathroom is not attached to the room but in fact is down the hall.

Please verbalize it to me on the phone, if you call your reservations back prior to confirming. I also just look at pictures, and tend not to read. Tell me, and I will know. If you don't normally call guests before sending the confirmation email, maybe you can start calling just the people that book this room. Is that an option?

From the ROOMS Page:
The bathroom, renovated in 2006, is shared with the Harris Room and features a 60 inch shower. This bathroom has a deadbolt lock for when in use - only the innkeeper has the key. Luxury robes are in the closet, ready to be used.
Rosi's Room rate is 115.00 plus 6% WV sales tax per night. Rosi's Room is available as a private detached bath guestroom for the Private Bath rate of 130.00 + tax (Harris Room will not be rented). Please be aware that when booking through our Reservation Key system, you are making a "real time" reservation although we will call for credit card number before confirming the reservation.
And from the Book It Now:
NOTE: Rosi's Room may be rented as a private bath for a rate of $130.00 plus tax per night. The Harris Room would then be unavailable. The bathroom is 2 steps from the door of Rosi's Room. To book this option, enter code PRIVATEBATH in the code box on the reservation form.
Also, since I call for credit card numbers, I DO state - You are aware that is a shared bath. I got used to checking that oversight when we were 3 w/shared. I do not want unhappy campers.

Madeleine said:

Silverspoon said:

Maddie, perhaps a map of the inn's rooms layout would clear this up. Some people just don't read but they might look at the map..

Click to expand...

I have one. Maybe I should add the link to it on every room page.
.

Click to expand...

Yes, that might help them get there.

OK, I bolded it on the actual room page, in 2 locations. It's still in H1 font at the top of the page. I added the floor plan link in the description on every room page and added a button in the list of room names on the side of every room page.
I didn't add it on the one page where all the rooms are listed together. I think I would have to add the bath info to every room to balance it.
I'm going to bold the info on the page where you book the room.
And, when we sell, I'm going to suggest the new owners turn our bedroom into a guest room and make this silly room into a suite with the room next door AND then have an extra bathroom in the hall for whoever wants to use it.

Madeleine said:

OK, I bolded it on the actual room page, in 2 locations. It's still in H1 font at the top of the page. I added the floor plan link in the description on every room page and added a button in the list of room names on the side of every room page.
I didn't add it on the one page where all the rooms are listed together. I think I would have to add the bath info to every room to balance it.
I'm going to bold the info on the page where you book the room.
And, when we sell, I'm going to suggest the new owners turn our bedroom into a guest room and make this silly room into a suite with the room next door AND then have an extra bathroom in the hall for whoever wants to use it..

Click to expand...

Good job! Do you have any control over the description on your 3rd party booking sites? Could it be that folks never get to your web site but are booking from a location that is not as explicit about the differences in rooms? Or do you not list this room on those sites?

Silverspoon said:

Madeleine said:

OK, I bolded it on the actual room page, in 2 locations. It's still in H1 font at the top of the page. I added the floor plan link in the description on every room page and added a button in the list of room names on the side of every room page.
I didn't add it on the one page where all the rooms are listed together. I think I would have to add the bath info to every room to balance it.
I'm going to bold the info on the page where you book the room.
And, when we sell, I'm going to suggest the new owners turn our bedroom into a guest room and make this silly room into a suite with the room next door AND then have an extra bathroom in the hall for whoever wants to use it..

Click to expand...

Good job! Do you have any control over the description on your 3rd party booking sites? Could it be that folks never get to your web site but are booking from a location that is not as explicit about the differences in rooms? Or do you not list this room on those sites?
.

Click to expand...

Don't list that room on 3rd party sites.
It's all folks who booked it themselves. And a lot of them when all the other rooms are empty so it's a deliberate choice.
Dh thinks they 'play dumb' in front of the spouse because they didn't tell that person.

Madeleine said:

Silverspoon said:

Madeleine said:

OK, I bolded it on the actual room page, in 2 locations. It's still in H1 font at the top of the page. I added the floor plan link in the description on every room page and added a button in the list of room names on the side of every room page.
I didn't add it on the one page where all the rooms are listed together. I think I would have to add the bath info to every room to balance it.
I'm going to bold the info on the page where you book the room.
And, when we sell, I'm going to suggest the new owners turn our bedroom into a guest room and make this silly room into a suite with the room next door AND then have an extra bathroom in the hall for whoever wants to use it..

Click to expand...

Good job! Do you have any control over the description on your 3rd party booking sites? Could it be that folks never get to your web site but are booking from a location that is not as explicit about the differences in rooms? Or do you not list this room on those sites?
.

Click to expand...

Don't list that room on 3rd party sites.
It's all folks who booked it themselves. And a lot of them when all the other rooms are empty so it's a deliberate choice.
Dh thinks they 'play dumb' in front of the spouse because they didn't tell that person.
.

Click to expand...

Madeleine said:

Don't list that room on 3rd party sites.
It's all folks who booked it themselves. And a lot of them when all the other rooms are empty so it's a deliberate choice.
Dh thinks they 'play dumb' in front of the spouse because they didn't tell that person.

Click to expand...

Could be. I think they also play dumb hoping for an upgrade.

TheBeachHouse said:

Madeleine said:

Silverspoon said:

Madeleine said:

OK, I bolded it on the actual room page, in 2 locations. It's still in H1 font at the top of the page. I added the floor plan link in the description on every room page and added a button in the list of room names on the side of every room page.
I didn't add it on the one page where all the rooms are listed together. I think I would have to add the bath info to every room to balance it.
I'm going to bold the info on the page where you book the room.
And, when we sell, I'm going to suggest the new owners turn our bedroom into a guest room and make this silly room into a suite with the room next door AND then have an extra bathroom in the hall for whoever wants to use it..

Click to expand...

Good job! Do you have any control over the description on your 3rd party booking sites? Could it be that folks never get to your web site but are booking from a location that is not as explicit about the differences in rooms? Or do you not list this room on those sites?
.

Click to expand...

Don't list that room on 3rd party sites.
It's all folks who booked it themselves. And a lot of them when all the other rooms are empty so it's a deliberate choice.
Dh thinks they 'play dumb' in front of the spouse because they didn't tell that person.
.

Click to expand...

Madeleine said:

Don't list that room on 3rd party sites.
It's all folks who booked it themselves. And a lot of them when all the other rooms are empty so it's a deliberate choice.
Dh thinks they 'play dumb' in front of the spouse because they didn't tell that person.

Click to expand...

Could be. I think they also play dumb hoping for an upgrade.
.

Click to expand...

TheBeachHouse said:

Madeleine said:

Don't list that room on 3rd party sites.
It's all folks who booked it themselves. And a lot of them when all the other rooms are empty so it's a deliberate choice.
Dh thinks they 'play dumb' in front of the spouse because they didn't tell that person.

Click to expand...

Could be. I think they also play dumb hoping for an upgrade.

Click to expand...

I can do generous. But $240 worth of generous I'm not up for. Of course, the other room that was open for the same length of stay is now sitting idle for the same time frame so who am I kidding? ;-)

Madeleine said:

OK, I bolded it on the actual room page, in 2 locations. It's still in H1 font at the top of the page. I added the floor plan link in the description on every room page and added a button in the list of room names on the side of every room page.
I didn't add it on the one page where all the rooms are listed together. I think I would have to add the bath info to every room to balance it.
I'm going to bold the info on the page where you book the room.
And, when we sell, I'm going to suggest the new owners turn our bedroom into a guest room and make this silly room into a suite with the room next door AND then have an extra bathroom in the hall for whoever wants to use it..

Click to expand...

"...make this silly room into a suite with the room next door AND then have an extra bathroom in the hall for whoever wants to use it."
As you know, that was the solution that I did. I just knew that it would be a nightmare to rent a room with a detached bath, even though it was right across the hall. So, we left the adjoining door between the two rooms and made that room a suite. HUGE success! Locked that room & the bath up when the "main" room was rented alone though. I didn't want to be cleaning that hall bath unless someone was paying for it. ;-)
Could you make it a suite now under your ownership and see how it goes?

Samster said:

Madeleine said:

OK, I bolded it on the actual room page, in 2 locations. It's still in H1 font at the top of the page. I added the floor plan link in the description on every room page and added a button in the list of room names on the side of every room page.
I didn't add it on the one page where all the rooms are listed together. I think I would have to add the bath info to every room to balance it.
I'm going to bold the info on the page where you book the room.
And, when we sell, I'm going to suggest the new owners turn our bedroom into a guest room and make this silly room into a suite with the room next door AND then have an extra bathroom in the hall for whoever wants to use it..

Click to expand...

"...make this silly room into a suite with the room next door AND then have an extra bathroom in the hall for whoever wants to use it."
As you know, that was the solution that I did. I just knew that it would be a nightmare to rent a room with a detached bath, even though it was right across the hall. So, we left the adjoining door between the two rooms and made that room a suite. HUGE success! Locked that room & the bath up when the "main" room was rented alone though. I didn't want to be cleaning that hall bath unless someone was paying for it. ;-)
Could you make it a suite now under your ownership and see how it goes?
.

Click to expand...

Nope. No money for that kind of reno. And the silly room pays for itself. I couldn't raise the room rate on the suite high enough to cover the loss.
Someone coming in with fresh money could do it, tho.

Madeleine said:

Samster said:

Madeleine said:

OK, I bolded it on the actual room page, in 2 locations. It's still in H1 font at the top of the page. I added the floor plan link in the description on every room page and added a button in the list of room names on the side of every room page.
I didn't add it on the one page where all the rooms are listed together. I think I would have to add the bath info to every room to balance it.
I'm going to bold the info on the page where you book the room.
And, when we sell, I'm going to suggest the new owners turn our bedroom into a guest room and make this silly room into a suite with the room next door AND then have an extra bathroom in the hall for whoever wants to use it..

Click to expand...

"...make this silly room into a suite with the room next door AND then have an extra bathroom in the hall for whoever wants to use it."
As you know, that was the solution that I did. I just knew that it would be a nightmare to rent a room with a detached bath, even though it was right across the hall. So, we left the adjoining door between the two rooms and made that room a suite. HUGE success! Locked that room & the bath up when the "main" room was rented alone though. I didn't want to be cleaning that hall bath unless someone was paying for it. ;-)
Could you make it a suite now under your ownership and see how it goes?
.

Click to expand...

Nope. No money for that kind of reno. And the silly room pays for itself. I couldn't raise the room rate on the suite high enough to cover the loss.
Someone coming in with fresh money could do it, tho.
.

Click to expand...

I see what you mean...looked at your floor plan online. I couldn't remember the exact placement of that room. Looks like you've done what you could to make it clear on your site. Maybe put that room's BR in bold also on the floor plan? Just trying to come up with more ideas....