Summer packages

When you travel to somewhere you have never been do you like to sign up for a local package? Things to 'get you started' that you might not have known existed? (I will say that we get guests going both ways on this - 'Holy cow! Look at all the stores!' or 'Holy cow! We didn't know there was waterfront!' So it seems guests book based on what they naturally lean toward.)
If you would like a little 'help me out here' package what sorts of things would you like it to include?
I'm thinking:

• a pass for an outdoor 'adventure' like kayaking or SUP or skeet shooting (your pick, not mine)
• dinner
• something for after sundown like a movie (we roll up the streets after sundown, sometimes before)
• a pass for admittance to a state park (yes, we charge for this stuff, NJ is often fond of telling us how it is there)
• a pass to rent a bicycle or canoe (delivered to guest or shoreline)
• local snacks

I'm really casual about this. If you called to book and didn't want to do something, I'd take it out and reduce the price. One thing. Not half the package. I've done this with our inn to inn for vegans who don't want to 'hunt' dinner.
What say you? What sorts of things would you like in a 'local' package. (Only one thing in the above list requires you get in your car, everything else is a walk or it gets delivered.)

If your ears were burning I was telling someone about your place and things to do nearby. This all came about from the word PUFFIN.
If it were me I would select a categorized package like "Birding".
But what I would really value is your innside innformation. Best place to such and such attraction. Example: everyone can share a list of lighthouses if you are in a costal location, what is your favorite, or what would be the easiest to get to (without a huge hike) or your choice for most scenic.
in a local package it would be a "live like a local" and would include local dives for regional specialty food. Not Mobile rated retaurants.

This was a lively discussion at our innkeepers' meeting yesterday. One suggestion was that you only tie packages to your less expensive rooms because the most expensive rooms sell themselves.
In my experience, it's the other way around. The inexpensive rooms go first in our house.
The other suggestion is not to discount your room in order to pay for the add on. Charge for both. Ask for a 10% off from the canoe or bicycle vendor.

JBloggs said:

If your ears were burning I was telling someone about your place and things to do nearby. This all came about from the word PUFFIN.
If it were me I would select a categorized package like "Birding".
But what I would really value is your innside innformation. Best place to such and such attraction. Example: everyone can share a list of lighthouses if you are in a costal location, what is your favorite, or what would be the easiest to get to (without a huge hike) or your choice for most scenic.
in a local package it would be a "live like a local" and would include local dives for regional specialty food. Not Mobile rated retaurants..

Click to expand...

I got caught out on that 'best place' thing because I go everywhere in the off season. Had a guest come back, after I extolled the glories of this lighthouse and gave them a 'route map' for all these things to see and do along the way, to tell me they turned around after they sat in traffic for an hour. Holy cow. I never sit in traffic. I had no idea the line of cars would be backed up for an hour! Matter of fact, I've only once paid to get in.
Now I have to revamp my puffin talk to tell them it's at least an hour and a half to get there. Traffic! Who woudda thunk.

Morticia said:

JBloggs said:

If your ears were burning I was telling someone about your place and things to do nearby. This all came about from the word PUFFIN.
If it were me I would select a categorized package like "Birding".
But what I would really value is your innside innformation. Best place to such and such attraction. Example: everyone can share a list of lighthouses if you are in a costal location, what is your favorite, or what would be the easiest to get to (without a huge hike) or your choice for most scenic.
in a local package it would be a "live like a local" and would include local dives for regional specialty food. Not Mobile rated retaurants..

Click to expand...

I got caught out on that 'best place' thing because I go everywhere in the off season. Had a guest come back, after I extolled the glories of this lighthouse and gave them a 'route map' for all these things to see and do along the way, to tell me they turned around after they sat in traffic for an hour. Holy cow. I never sit in traffic. I had no idea the line of cars would be backed up for an hour! Matter of fact, I've only once paid to get in.
Now I have to revamp my puffin talk to tell them it's at least an hour and a half to get there. Traffic! Who woudda thunk.
.

Click to expand...

Morticia said:

I got caught out on that 'best place' thing because I go everywhere in the off season. Had a guest come back, after I extolled the glories of this lighthouse and gave them a 'route map' for all these things to see and do along the way, to tell me they turned around after they sat in traffic for an hour. Holy cow. I never sit in traffic. I had no idea the line of cars would be backed up for an hour! Matter of fact, I've only once paid to get in.
Now I have to revamp my puffin talk to tell them it's at least an hour and a half to get there. Traffic! Who woudda thunk.

Click to expand...

there is that.
how close is close and how far is far. The answer: it depends.
i know we discuss this here where people commute twice as long as it is for us to go to theatre and airport and malls, and or hiking and sight seeing, making it worthwhile outing wise. I literally put the drive time on ever single item on our sites of interest page and even in room hiking list. Theynstill aks, where to go? I ask if theynsaw the list "i put togerher" forbthem. And then, to be honest people get lost, so maybe they are going three hours for a 45 munite drive.
But for me, asking you, i know you know how far it is. Traffic aside, don't leave so late, head out early, or not so early.

Morticia said:

JBloggs said:

If your ears were burning I was telling someone about your place and things to do nearby. This all came about from the word PUFFIN.
If it were me I would select a categorized package like "Birding".
But what I would really value is your innside innformation. Best place to such and such attraction. Example: everyone can share a list of lighthouses if you are in a costal location, what is your favorite, or what would be the easiest to get to (without a huge hike) or your choice for most scenic.
in a local package it would be a "live like a local" and would include local dives for regional specialty food. Not Mobile rated retaurants..

Click to expand...

I got caught out on that 'best place' thing because I go everywhere in the off season. Had a guest come back, after I extolled the glories of this lighthouse and gave them a 'route map' for all these things to see and do along the way, to tell me they turned around after they sat in traffic for an hour. Holy cow. I never sit in traffic. I had no idea the line of cars would be backed up for an hour! Matter of fact, I've only once paid to get in.
Now I have to revamp my puffin talk to tell them it's at least an hour and a half to get there. Traffic! Who woudda thunk.
.

Click to expand...

I did a 60 mile circle around my place and route to that. I include everything in that circle. Some things are a bit farther but not by much. It still keeps them occupied for most of the day. The covered bridges for instance, there are 3 to 4 of them on each route. The farthest out is in the 60 mile range. The motorcycle day trips are farther but still have things to see and do if they are interested in more than just riding. Most of my packages have a packed lunch included (restaurants may be a sparse commodity) on some (most) routes.

JBloggs said:

Morticia said:

JBloggs said:

If your ears were burning I was telling someone about your place and things to do nearby. This all came about from the word PUFFIN.
If it were me I would select a categorized package like "Birding".
But what I would really value is your innside innformation. Best place to such and such attraction. Example: everyone can share a list of lighthouses if you are in a costal location, what is your favorite, or what would be the easiest to get to (without a huge hike) or your choice for most scenic.
in a local package it would be a "live like a local" and would include local dives for regional specialty food. Not Mobile rated retaurants..

Click to expand...

I got caught out on that 'best place' thing because I go everywhere in the off season. Had a guest come back, after I extolled the glories of this lighthouse and gave them a 'route map' for all these things to see and do along the way, to tell me they turned around after they sat in traffic for an hour. Holy cow. I never sit in traffic. I had no idea the line of cars would be backed up for an hour! Matter of fact, I've only once paid to get in.
Now I have to revamp my puffin talk to tell them it's at least an hour and a half to get there. Traffic! Who woudda thunk.
.

Click to expand...

Morticia said:

I got caught out on that 'best place' thing because I go everywhere in the off season. Had a guest come back, after I extolled the glories of this lighthouse and gave them a 'route map' for all these things to see and do along the way, to tell me they turned around after they sat in traffic for an hour. Holy cow. I never sit in traffic. I had no idea the line of cars would be backed up for an hour! Matter of fact, I've only once paid to get in.
Now I have to revamp my puffin talk to tell them it's at least an hour and a half to get there. Traffic! Who woudda thunk.

Click to expand...

there is that.
how close is close and how far is far. The answer: it depends.
i know we discuss this here where people commute twice as long as it is for us to go to theatre and airport and malls, and or hiking and sight seeing, making it worthwhile outing wise. I literally put the drive time on ever single item on our sites of interest page and even in room hiking list. Theynstill aks, where to go? I ask if theynsaw the list "i put togerher" forbthem. And then, to be honest people get lost, so maybe they are going three hours for a 45 munite drive.
But for me, asking you, i know you know how far it is. Traffic aside, don't leave so late, head out early, or not so early.

.

Click to expand...

That's a good point - to put the drive time. I jokingly tell guests we are '45 minutes' from 'everything'. Beach, nearest lighthouse, etc.
Odd, I think about drive times like this...it takes me 20 minutes to get to my dentist but it is a drive in the woods. I never realize it's going to take me almost as long as a sitcom on TV. Really, you sit still for that but won't drive that long to see the natural beauty? Yikes!
Living where we do, and lots of places are like this, it's nothing to me to drive an hour to hop on a boat and sail out into the bay for some of the BEST nature photos ever. Some people sit on the train for an hour to go 30 miles. I'm psyching myself up for another whale watch this year. LOVE going out on the boat. Bonus is seeing whales! Wish I could figure out how to add that as a package option.

Anyhoo, I added a package. It may get zero buys but maybe it gets some lookie lous who figure they;ll stay without buying anything extra.

Morticia said:

JBloggs said:

If your ears were burning I was telling someone about your place and things to do nearby. This all came about from the word PUFFIN.
If it were me I would select a categorized package like "Birding".
But what I would really value is your innside innformation. Best place to such and such attraction. Example: everyone can share a list of lighthouses if you are in a costal location, what is your favorite, or what would be the easiest to get to (without a huge hike) or your choice for most scenic.
in a local package it would be a "live like a local" and would include local dives for regional specialty food. Not Mobile rated retaurants..

Click to expand...

I got caught out on that 'best place' thing because I go everywhere in the off season. Had a guest come back, after I extolled the glories of this lighthouse and gave them a 'route map' for all these things to see and do along the way, to tell me they turned around after they sat in traffic for an hour. Holy cow. I never sit in traffic. I had no idea the line of cars would be backed up for an hour! Matter of fact, I've only once paid to get in.
Now I have to revamp my puffin talk to tell them it's at least an hour and a half to get there. Traffic! Who woudda thunk.
.

Click to expand...

I always tell people what the drive time is and then add "without traffic". It's up to them to figure out that in the summer the tourist traffic will delay them a lot.

But there is so much there! How about a shop n sail - mentioning the obvious shopping but also the cruises and the lobster? Spend a day on the water, spend a day in the shops ... are you allowed to mention the name of a big feature in town?
You're in such a great place.

seashanty said:

But there is so much there! How about a shop n sail - mentioning the obvious shopping but also the cruises and the lobster? Spend a day on the water, spend a day in the shops ... are you allowed to mention the name of a big feature in town?
You're in such a great place..

Click to expand...

I generally add a gc from that store in my packages.