December specials?

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JunieBJones (JBJ)

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Are you running any specific December specials to bring folks in during your slower season?
BOGO midweek, or add ons like a manicure or pedicure GC from a local spa?
 
I dropped prices by $10-15 (and that was after already dropping prices). Some other perks may be necessary.
 
We redeem a lot of GCs in December
confused_smile.gif
. People who have let them go until the last minute. Our weekends through the first half of December still get pretty full with Christmas events going on.
I am walking a massage therapist around tomorrow morning to the rooms, though - I will try that for the winter as an add-on package. I do accept the Iloveinn BOGOs during mid-week already.
 
We redeem a lot of GCs in December
confused_smile.gif
. People who have let them go until the last minute. Our weekends through the first half of December still get pretty full with Christmas events going on.
I am walking a massage therapist around tomorrow morning to the rooms, though - I will try that for the winter as an add-on package. I do accept the Iloveinn BOGOs during mid-week already..
I haven't had any calls to BUY GC's for this Christmas. Ouch.
 
I have ONE room booked for December! It is a GC purchased last year. After this week-end it just drops right off.
A local radio statoin called to argue that if we only bought air time we would be booked solid! I told her "the town drives past this place every single day, they know we are here, thank you" This is NOT the time to waste money. She thinks ALL of our guests come from within the town.
I contacted Travelzoo and will wait and see what happens and the cost involved. If it is a percent of their 14 million subscribers, then that will be a-ok with me. Gotta do something in the off-season.
 
I have ONE room booked for December! It is a GC purchased last year. After this week-end it just drops right off.
A local radio statoin called to argue that if we only bought air time we would be booked solid! I told her "the town drives past this place every single day, they know we are here, thank you" This is NOT the time to waste money. She thinks ALL of our guests come from within the town.
I contacted Travelzoo and will wait and see what happens and the cost involved. If it is a percent of their 14 million subscribers, then that will be a-ok with me. Gotta do something in the off-season..
JunieBJones (JBJ) said:
A local radio statoin called to argue that if we only bought air time we would be booked solid! I told her "the town drives past this place every single day, they know we are here, thank you" This is NOT the time to waste money. She thinks ALL of our guests come from within the town.
I'd want stats on that one! How, exactly, does she know that? Did another B&B sign up and they are booked solid? (I know you don't want to engage them, but sometimes it's interesting to find out why they think what they do.)
As for spending money...we just joined 2 chambers and bought an ad in a tourist pub. Still less than what it would cost me to join my own town chamber (and I still have about $500 left to spend). And we still can't get them to give us a printout of where the money goes and how much money comes in.
I just had a call for this week. 3 nights. No breakfast. I offered them $20 off the total stay, but nothing doing. I think they figured breakfast is $10/person at least (given what hotels charge for the buffet) and for 3 nights I should have given them $60 off.
At this time of year they can hit the hotels...$99/night and no breakfast included.
 
I have ONE room booked for December! It is a GC purchased last year. After this week-end it just drops right off.
A local radio statoin called to argue that if we only bought air time we would be booked solid! I told her "the town drives past this place every single day, they know we are here, thank you" This is NOT the time to waste money. She thinks ALL of our guests come from within the town.
I contacted Travelzoo and will wait and see what happens and the cost involved. If it is a percent of their 14 million subscribers, then that will be a-ok with me. Gotta do something in the off-season..
JunieBJones (JBJ) said:
A local radio statoin called to argue that if we only bought air time we would be booked solid! I told her "the town drives past this place every single day, they know we are here, thank you" This is NOT the time to waste money. She thinks ALL of our guests come from within the town.
I'd want stats on that one! How, exactly, does she know that? Did another B&B sign up and they are booked solid? (I know you don't want to engage them, but sometimes it's interesting to find out why they think what they do.)
As for spending money...we just joined 2 chambers and bought an ad in a tourist pub. Still less than what it would cost me to join my own town chamber (and I still have about $500 left to spend). And we still can't get them to give us a printout of where the money goes and how much money comes in.
I just had a call for this week. 3 nights. No breakfast. I offered them $20 off the total stay, but nothing doing. I think they figured breakfast is $10/person at least (given what hotels charge for the buffet) and for 3 nights I should have given them $60 off.
At this time of year they can hit the hotels...$99/night and no breakfast included.
.
Bree said:
JunieBJones (JBJ) said:
A local radio statoin called to argue that if we only bought air time we would be booked solid! I told her "the town drives past this place every single day, they know we are here, thank you" This is NOT the time to waste money. She thinks ALL of our guests come from within the town.
I'd want stats on that one! How, exactly, does she know that? Did another B&B sign up and they are booked solid? (I know you don't want to engage them, but sometimes it's interesting to find out why they think what they do.)
As for spending money...we just joined 2 chambers and bought an ad in a tourist pub. Still less than what it would cost me to join my own town chamber (and I still have about $500 left to spend). And we still can't get them to give us a printout of where the money goes and how much money comes in.
I just had a call for this week. 3 nights. No breakfast. I offered them $20 off the total stay, but nothing doing. I think they figured breakfast is $10/person at least (given what hotels charge for the buffet) and for 3 nights I should have given them $60 off.
At this time of year they can hit the hotels...$99/night and no breakfast included.
She said she would still like to come over and see what I have done with the place. YEAH I BET.
I ran a local tv ad that rotated on and off for 3 months, it brought ZERO local business, ZERO. Calls for functions - yes and people who wanted to talk.
 
Is this typically a slower season for most or is it exacerbated by the notion of a poorer economy?
 
Is this typically a slower season for most or is it exacerbated by the notion of a poorer economy?.
penelope said:
Is this typically a slower season for most or is it exacerbated by the notion of a poorer economy?
For us it's a slower time of year. BUT, not this slow. Last Dec was horrible and this one looks to be worse. If we get some good weather it may help. We have a prime weekend coming up (2 actually) and we're less than 50% for those weekends. They are normally 100% with a waiting list. The season here has contracted substantially. Going from a solid 9 month season down to a sketchy 5 month season.
Right now I'd say it's the gloom and doom in the media. Not that that isn't real gloom and doom. A certain sector of the economy is suffering and that sector happens to be my market. Whether they are perceiving the suffering or really experiencing it, they are retrenching.
 
We redeem a lot of GCs in December
confused_smile.gif
. People who have let them go until the last minute. Our weekends through the first half of December still get pretty full with Christmas events going on.
I am walking a massage therapist around tomorrow morning to the rooms, though - I will try that for the winter as an add-on package. I do accept the Iloveinn BOGOs during mid-week already..
I haven't had any calls to BUY GC's for this Christmas. Ouch.
.
I just got my first one yesterday - it was a good one, though.
 
Nothing on the books after this weekend - but that is normal for me for this time of year. I have not decided what I am gong to offer - doesn't matter much because it will not change things. I have a Christmas Parade & Concert on the 6th (but I also have a 90th birthday party to go to on the 7th and doing a breakfast will screw that up) and a Christmas Cantata on the 13th. I have posted my Christmas and New Year's Eve packages though.
 
I am contemplating some kind of special but don't know what. No more gas promotion - gas is half the price that it was 2 months ago!
Our bookings drop off Dec 1st too, except for some room nights mid month :-(
 
I am contemplating some kind of special but don't know what. No more gas promotion - gas is half the price that it was 2 months ago!
Our bookings drop off Dec 1st too, except for some room nights mid month :-(.
OUr gas is down to $1.65 ...I expect it to be $1.50 by Christmas YIPPEE...a bright light in this otherwise dismal economic times.
 
I am contemplating some kind of special but don't know what. No more gas promotion - gas is half the price that it was 2 months ago!
Our bookings drop off Dec 1st too, except for some room nights mid month :-(.
OUr gas is down to $1.65 ...I expect it to be $1.50 by Christmas YIPPEE...a bright light in this otherwise dismal economic times.
.
catlady said:
OUr gas is down to $1.65 ...I expect it to be $1.50 by Christmas YIPPEE...a bright light in this otherwise dismal economic times.
Yes I am rejoicing even with the 10% ethanol here in our state, it is lower than it was 5 years ago. We can at least be happy about that!
 
All,
We are holding to our rates except that we are discounting more situationally. This is based on our recent strength getting crossover hotel business. I did notice that our friendly competitor (the Alps Inn in Boulder) bumped their booking engine "internet special" discount 5% to 20%. This is not seasonal for them. They are also offering 25% off for a slew of market segments (military, firefighters, etc.). Our other competitor (the Bradley Boulder) seems to just have their seasonal discounting going on. We don't discount seasonally.
That's the story for Boulder Colorado B&Bs.
 
We probably had 6 nights booked this month, one a g/c. Next booking in January. Sold one g/c this month.

Carol
 
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