Hi Guys, this is Heather, you posted my 25 ideas for blogging for inns, thank you! I hope you got some useful ideas from it.
I do have a question for Morticia (Bree?) I love feedback from innkeepers and appreciate the points you make as they are all true, the calls were very much staged and directed. I would appreciate a comment on my post if you have time as it does encourage future discussion. In this particular case it was a fact finding mission only.
When I personally call to book a reservation at a B&B somewhere, I generally do my own research as to what, where etc. and I don't grill the innkeepers. Whether I book is whether the innkeeper is friendly and smiling over the phone. I have not made a rez at places where you wouldn't believe the tone of voice and greeting used. Fortunately that hasn't happened often.
The "Hello, this is the @@@@@ Inn" whadya want?" did kind of floor me recently though. LOL
"And yet, I can have very encouraging conversations with guests who get all the info and never call back, and, unlike the blogger, will not tell me who they are so I can call back to see if they're still interested. Or find out where they went instead."
I do hear this from many innkeepers and I think similar to being in any type of service business, you do get a lot of people fishing. I know its impossible to get contact info for everyone, (one of the reasons I love caller ID) but I do know alot of the inns I work with frequently forget to try to ask for contact info and thats why I encourage them to use postits or someother form of visual reminder.
"I also disagree with some of the points she made. Guests may ask what your favorite room is, but they may not have the same taste you do. Guests, and we all get them, may want the price and that's it, no upselling. (Altho, she does, with her questions indicate she is wanting an upsell.) Most guests are not prepared, as she was, to know what they want. They say, 'What's your place like?' If you return with, 'What would you be interested in knowing about- our rooms, the location, the breakfast?' I get back, 'Whatever.'
In regards to the "
whatever" you get back from people, Like selling in any industry, giving options back to the customers sometimes is overload, As is answering a question with a question. I would suggest running up an elevator pitch (under 3 minutes) for people so when you get a vague question like that you are prepared to reel off. "Our guests are welcome to enjoy our B&B, which has 6 rooms decorated with Shaker Style furniture, 4 with gas fireplaces, 3 great restaurants within walking distance etc etc. and Share something interesting about yourself." There's a nice aticle about pitching here
http://www.elevatorpitchessentials.com/essays/ElevatorPitch.html.
