B ed & bRe akfast dot.com?

Bed & Breakfast / Short Term Rental Host Forum

Help Support Bed & Breakfast / Short Term Rental Host Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

Hillbilly

Well-known member
Joined
Oct 22, 2011
Messages
939
Reaction score
17
For those of you who advertise on this site, I just noticed something that is really getting under my skin. I pay almost $800 a year to be near the top. I am in a very touristy area. I just noticed properties above mine that are from towns outside of ours. So I called them and asked about this. They said its because those properties have paid for a secondary listing. I really do not have a problem with that. The problem I have with that is this. I do not think a secoundary listing should ever be allowed to be above a properties primary listing. Am I wrong for thInking this way?
 
No, you are right.
Same with the for sale listing, put 'possible" inn and clutter up those who are for sale. any house could be considered a possible inn. Heck even yurts and storage containers!
The other thing is that they put "as the crow flies" so the distance to the other inn will be say 12 miles, but if you took it by road it would be 35 miles away, and no where near the place it is listed as.
 
You are right Bob!!! I have this problem here as well. I am the only B&B here but there is a big tourist city 30 min away. I use to appear 1st even though I have a Silver listing as they use to put 2ndary listings after local listings. Now I am #26 or so.
This just goes to show you they are only looking for the $$signs of what they can make NOW, and not that of their customers. People go to their site to search for lodging in the city they are searching not for those in other areas, unless there are none. As with my example no one would think to scroll down that far to find a local B&B, they will think there are none in the area. I have had people find me using other methods or just a simple G oogle search but say they 1st tried this directory - why aren't I listed.
If this continues, people will become frustrated and become wise enough to search without using a directory. Maybe that is why the directory is grabbing the green while they can. But they will be the death of their own business in the end.
 
It is simply $$. They have seen the writing on the wall - people know they can do a Goo gle on where they want to go and it will show what is there if they have nay web presence at all.
Be advised - Purple Roofs does not believe in ranking. If you pay you get more words and photos but EVERY city alpha-wise ahead of YOUR city will be listed before you even if they are free listings.. I got more from that web site BEFORE I paid for a listing - Shinnston is WAY DOWN the alphabet!!
 
It's all about the $$$. They don't care about making it better for the properties or for that matter about the guest looking for those properties.
I have informed them about properties that are listed that DO NOT offer breakfast. What the heck are they doing on a bed and breakfast directory? They will not take them off. They do not care....it's all about the $$$.
 
I'm hopeful if enough of us complain about it maybe they will do something about it. I would not make a bet on that! I'm hoping some day I can drop them!
 
I'm hopeful if enough of us complain about it maybe they will do something about it. I would not make a bet on that! I'm hoping some day I can drop them!.
Bob said:
I'm hopeful if enough of us complain about it maybe they will do something about it. I would not make a bet on that! I'm hoping some day I can drop them!
Don't count on it. We had a few doozy go-rounds with that directory when Eric still owned it. A few things changed then, but not a lot - but that was when an individual owned it. Now it is owned by a mega-corp that has its fingers in every pie in the tourism industry. I do not think they give a rip about B & Bs other than thinking of ways to up the ante and get them to ante up. I could not believe how many bought into that Diamond Collection they came up with. Had everyone stood their ground, things would be different. There are too many who believe they cannot make it without that particular directory. I am just grateful it is their money and not mine.
 
I'm hopeful if enough of us complain about it maybe they will do something about it. I would not make a bet on that! I'm hoping some day I can drop them!.
Bob said:
I'm hopeful if enough of us complain about it maybe they will do something about it. I would not make a bet on that! I'm hoping some day I can drop them!
We actually were able to affect some changes earlier on. This directory is now owned by a corporation that can afford Super Bowl ads. Don't count on the little guy being heard or cared about. Even when you cancel your listing they don't care to know why. We are small potatoes compared with the vacation rental listings.
 
I'm hopeful if enough of us complain about it maybe they will do something about it. I would not make a bet on that! I'm hoping some day I can drop them!.
Bob said:
I'm hopeful if enough of us complain about it maybe they will do something about it. I would not make a bet on that! I'm hoping some day I can drop them!
We actually were able to affect some changes earlier on. This directory is now owned by a corporation that can afford Super Bowl ads. Don't count on the little guy being heard or cared about. Even when you cancel your listing they don't care to know why. We are small potatoes compared with the vacation rental listings.
.
They called me today!! I have been closed 7 years now...give me a break. Wanted to list the B & B as a vacation rental...HUH??? Yeah they sponsor a week on Wheel of Fortune too. They don't care about the little guy just show 'em the money!
 
I'm hopeful if enough of us complain about it maybe they will do something about it. I would not make a bet on that! I'm hoping some day I can drop them!.
Bob said:
I'm hopeful if enough of us complain about it maybe they will do something about it. I would not make a bet on that! I'm hoping some day I can drop them!
We actually were able to affect some changes earlier on. This directory is now owned by a corporation that can afford Super Bowl ads. Don't count on the little guy being heard or cared about. Even when you cancel your listing they don't care to know why. We are small potatoes compared with the vacation rental listings.
.
They called me today!! I have been closed 7 years now...give me a break. Wanted to list the B & B as a vacation rental...HUH??? Yeah they sponsor a week on Wheel of Fortune too. They don't care about the little guy just show 'em the money!
.
This was the WOF week. Guests were watching and wanted to know if we were one of the prizes.
 
Something else interesting... In my little town, BBdotcom has not been an issue for me because there are so few B&B's around. A new B&B opened up last month and about the only thing they have subscribed to is BBdotcom. (I don't list with them at all). One of my guests was showing me his iPhone with SIRI. When he was sitting in my living room he asked Siri to find him a B&B, and the new one came up as #1 and I came in #2. It's possible that it's alphabetical, but the new people don't have any reviews yet. Is Siri in bed with the gorilla?
 
Something else interesting... In my little town, BBdotcom has not been an issue for me because there are so few B&B's around. A new B&B opened up last month and about the only thing they have subscribed to is BBdotcom. (I don't list with them at all). One of my guests was showing me his iPhone with SIRI. When he was sitting in my living room he asked Siri to find him a B&B, and the new one came up as #1 and I came in #2. It's possible that it's alphabetical, but the new people don't have any reviews yet. Is Siri in bed with the gorilla?.
I can't answer the question you asked but most 'search engines' prefer places with connections to 'brand names'. It's like the Good Housekeeping seal of approval. Someone 'big' is vouching for you even tho we know they don't do anything but take your money. As long as you pay you could be a corner of Hell and they don't care.
 
Back
Top