Room descriptions on website

TA?  TA?... Oh! Trip Advisor. And here I thought... oh, never mind....

Anyway, back to the topic. Since our place is not a typical B&B, our room descriptions point out what our rooms *don't* have in addition to what is special about them. We're not a chintz 'n' lace Victorian; we're a Colorado ski lodge. In effect, we put enough information on our site so that potential guests can "self-filter" in case they were looking for a more high-end place. 

DW and I had a quarrel about that before we did it. But it has been a godsend. And it has proven a surprisingly effective marketing tool, as well. Sort of counter-intuitive, but I can't tell you how many times guests have told us, "I never would have considered staying at a B&B before I looked at your website." We tend to attract younger guests (more than half are no older than their early 30s) and more active people of all ages. 

I suppose the lesson is that we have been successful in our marketing efforts to attract the kind of guests we want to attract. More demanding people with higher expectations go somewhere else and annoy our competitors. 

Tom

I did the google images and guess who was there?  Junie B Jones!   Cute, I think she wants to stay with me.

It is on my list for this afternoon as I have had all the rooms pictures taken Woo Hoo only 3 check in's this afternoon so I am going to try and go to a needlework fair My mum is sittiing in till 2pm!

 Cambs please tell me you have added your own photos now?  TA allows you to add them from the mgmt side and they sit right there with the guests photos, the more you post the better!  Then they will come up on your city/town page as well.  I mentioned this a while back...

MY only TA picture is of room 2 which always was what I called my problem child room ( you know it can be amazing and is not reaching its full potential) and it is how it used to look. I have fully refurbished it and it looks good but I am stuck with the crap photo LOL

Don't forget y'all when you add your photos, please don't put "image1.jpg" make them readable by google/seo...ie "Canopy Room at The Garden Inn" or "Relax in the spacious canopy room at the Garden Inn"

                      Now here is your homework assignment should you choose to take it on.  Go into google images and type in your inn name (and various searches, ie Garden Inn, Garden Inn B&B, Garden Inn Bed and Breakfast...) and click google IMAGES (instead of web search) and see what comes up. 

Bullets are favored by google/seo and make it quick and easy for a guest to see what each room offers.  Simple adjectives not superfluous descriptions, are well read.

Also giving the reader the information on why each room is unique is also helpful. Perhaps there is just one guest room with:

• a fireplace
• or flat screen tv
• or mountain view
• or jacuzzi tub.  
• or a private entrance

I believe in highlighting these features.  

This is all good stuff everyone, keep it coming.  Sometimes it is our small talk here that actually prompts action on our web presence...

It is going to be hard to explain what I mean but I would be more interested in the feel I got for the innkeeper from the description do you see what I mean? Ie was it written by the owner or by a flash PR company? do they seem to care about the little details? or do they just seem to do the basics?

Sure sell what you have the best way you can, no doubt about it.  Brands of linens and thread counts are not something I personally look for.  If it is between two inns, there is usually much more to the equation than that.  There really is never a close comparison between two inns that I have ever found.

In fact, I would LOVE IT if anyone has a spare moment to give us two comparables and let us see why we would choose one over the other.   A mini research study, if you will.   If anyone knows of two in similar markets, ie price points, size of the inn, location.  That would be fun!  

How much is too much????  - Information that is!!! 

It is a big yoyo struggle!  Providing enough information to attract the viewer into becoming a guest, yet not going so overboard that you loose the viewer in the process.   As JB said, pictures say 1000 words so use the pictures to create the best sells package, and let the words fill in where the picture lets off!  Nice descriptive words without giving the small detail tell the rest of the story - or you will loose them in the process. 

For the ones that need these fine details, and we all know there are some that do, they will call or email and ask - they are usually not shy!

Some things are common sense and I think some things are worth mentioning ie ground floor rooms, disabled access/bathrooms, extra large beds (for the larger and taller than average) special facilities ie whirlpool bath, pool, spa services, sauna, outside tub etc but frankly in this day and age all sheets should be reasonable to good especially the kind of places we run. It is easier to know if your property is star rate in this country as to be 4 star and above you have to have 100% cotton sheets but more and more places are not rated but are excellent and I am sure have a keen eye to what the customer wants.

To each his own.  If the website is not up to par I could care less what thread count they boast.  If the place itself does not look inviting, in all aspects, the room descriptions are the least of my worries.

I don't want guests looking for super plush here, they will need to pay an additional $75-150 a night for super plush.  They are better to keep looking.

 We just mention high count linens. We use any shade of cream so they can mix. I could not keep up with a specific set to be expected in a specific room. I would wonder too why the big deal over the linens.

We put up great photos and describe the amenities more that come with the room so guests can see we offer more with the room than our competitors. And we mention room size since ours are large, and we mention king beds as most here offer queen.

Riki

 Photos and info on the room, nothing about colors that is self explanatory. A photo is worth 1000 words.  Get some good 'real' photos of your rooms on your website and that should work well. 

I think it is very important to include "certain" details.  For example, stating thread count may lure certain folks.  Or, the desire for 100% cotton certainly.  But, I am equally un-nerved Morticia by the idea of a description so precise that one recognizes the exact sheet set from the description. 

 I do not think there is a need to be ultra descriptive of the fashion of the room, unless it is a theme room. ( Madras anyone?) Ours is simply King, Queen or Twin.

BBBBob