Do you book a room or the B&B?

[JunieBJones (JBJ)]

Do you book a ROOM or the B&B?
It seems many inns have teensy dark or blurry room photos or just lame photos of their guest rooms. Are these innkeepers selling their rooms or their B&B's? What ultimately is a guest looking at when they book?
Guests have commented on websites that do not give them info on the B&B itself, is there a garden or porch? Where is it located actually, on a city street, on a country road? Guests like to know this beforehand.
What about common areas? Do we assume they exist then arrive to find none? Isn't a B&B an inn for the guest enjoyment or just a room rented like at a hotel?
Is a B&B an experience instead of a room rental? How well do you sell this on your website?

 

[Morticia]

Obviously I do not sell well. Even with a map of town with me and the number one attraction in close proximity I still get, 'How far are you from...? all the time. Even with a floorplan with all the guest rooms labeled, I still get, 'Is that room upstairs or downstairs? What's near it? Is it on the road?' Link on every page in multiple places to the calendar and availability? Still get calls asking if we have any rooms open on x date and what's the price? Even with a description of how many guests are allowed in each room, I still get asked if that room has 2 beds and can they put 3 kids and themselves in a room with a queen bed.
Maybe I should make the phone number harder to find and guests would LOOK before they call.
I really don't know how to make it easier.

 

[Samster]

I personally am looking for the experience. I want the whole package. But I've been staying at B&Bs for years.

As an innkeeper, the innkeepers are very important to me too. I don't expect them to chat me up and spend hours and hours, but I want to meet them.
Here are some comments from recent guests about why they booked here. This sometimes comes out when I ask, "How did you choose us?"
1) We usually stay in B&Bs and have found that we prefer smaller ones. Ten rooms or over is more like a hotel. We want to meet our hosts.
2) Your photos on your website are great. We could tell exactly what the rooms were like & that you had space to hang out in - we love porches. (We get quite a few guests coming here for important events where they are joined by a family member. I think there's an allure to the Southern porch. lol!)
3) We saw on your website that you had dogs. People that are animal lovers are usually nice folks. (Seriously, we get told this a lot!)
4) You showed quite a few things about your city. We figured you'd be able to help us do things with our family member when we were here and you'd know about the area.
Just a sample...

 

[Samster]

Yep, I won't fill out those forms usually. I may call if I like the place but I get irked if I can't book online.

I did fill one out for a Select Registry place where our son lives. They were supposed to get online booking but I see that they still have not.

 

[Morticia]

That's the one that irked me. Big place like that and I have to email and then wait? I'm still nailing down the dates anyway. Trying to get the parental units to meet me there and have a nice little get together. We did that once before when same daughter lived in Charlotte.

 

[muirford]

That's the one that irked me. Big place like that and I have to email and then wait? I'm still nailing down the dates anyway. Trying to get the parental units to meet me there and have a nice little get together. We did that once before when same daughter lived in Charlotte..

What's really annoying is that until this year, SR inns got a free membership on Webervations. So they could do online booking or at least availabiity for nothing. Seems as though a lot of them in that town use the contact forms - I saw at least two others like that.

 

[Samster]

That's the one that irked me. Big place like that and I have to email and then wait? I'm still nailing down the dates anyway. Trying to get the parental units to meet me there and have a nice little get together. We did that once before when same daughter lived in Charlotte..

What's really annoying is that until this year, SR inns got a free membership on Webervations. So they could do online booking or at least availabiity for nothing. Seems as though a lot of them in that town use the contact forms - I saw at least two others like that.
.

Ahhhhhhhh, you just explained it!! They were going to get Webervations. Now, I guess they'd have to pay for something.

 

[user 26]

in defense of the caller who asks questions easily answered on your website

staying at my sister's ... the phone is in one place, the computer in another. this is how her house is set up. her house is in a dead cell zone and she has those phones with the long cords, but not long enough to reach to the computer. she is constantly saying 'i am not at my computer right now'. i tried balancing my laptop on the washing machine near one of the phones in the laundry room ... nightmare. .... i bought her a cordless phone set for christmas and she gave it away!! and she requests phone books for different areas each year. actual phone books ........ don't ask!
the other thing is i have visited places that look nothing like their website ... unless ... wait ... if i stand ................................. way over here ............................ and look down that hallway ....................................... i can see the angle that picture of the dining area was taken from. and ................. wait ....................... if i go up to their attic and look down that way i can ............................ maybe .................................. see the woods? also, some folks s-t-r-e-t-c-h the limits of the description just a bit. after encountering this, prospective guests may want the assurance of hearing you tell them ... yes ... it really is across the road from xyz .... not across the road (a mile away with no sidewalks) this makes a big difference.

 

[ginocat]

When I'm looking I look at the room, then the house and any common areas, then the ammenities. If I can't see the room I will not book!! If the room is adequate I don't care about the common areas or the house. As for ammenities I want to see what they have so that I know what I need to bring. Oh yes, I also look at the price.

 

[Morticia]

OK, right now I am looking for a place to stay in NY. Do a search and tell me where you'd stay! One place that is always booked has a great special BUT you have to fill out a form to find out if they have any rooms open. DON'T make me do that. I WILL be forced to call and bother you!

 

[muirford]

OK, right now I am looking for a place to stay in NY. Do a search and tell me where you'd stay! One place that is always booked has a great special BUT you have to fill out a form to find out if they have any rooms open. DON'T make me do that. I WILL be forced to call and bother you!.

Wow, it looks like hardly any of the B&Bs in that town even have online availability, let alone booking. What a pain! Of course, some have been around forever - I stayed at one of those inns over 20 years ago, I think. It was nice then, for what that's worth.