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2ndLife

2ndLife

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Joined
Oct 28, 2014
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Just thought I should jump in and say hello! I've been lurking for about a week and thought it was time to get my feet wet and begin my innkeeper education :)
The inn has been in the family since 1975 but I just took over management this year: my 2ndlife, if you will. So far I have managed to get a lot of exterior renovation done,
was up and going for the season, and now I am trying to figure out the marketing end of things. I've been poring over the website design pages, gleaning any information and direction I can --
and I want to thank all of those who have contributed!
 
Welcome. Looking forward to hearing more from you.
 
:welcome:
I'll jump in with saying a good place to improve the marketing is to get realtime online reservations. Your location is fab! I bet you are super busy.
 
Hi and Welcome! Glad you found us. Search the site as there is lots of info on marketing. Things that work, things that don't. Thoughts on it all. Looking forward to reading your contributions too.
 
Welcome to the big puddle of innkeepers here on this forum, go ahead and make a splash!
 
welcome.gif
 
Welcome! What a beautiful place you have. We probably get some of your guests when they decide to "beach it" on their way to Boston!
 
Thanks all!
Madeline your point is well taken.... On the business end of things, this place is still back in 1975! Working on taking credit cards for the first time ever - but i don't have enough facility with the current site (all html code) to bring real time booking to the site....heck I can't even change a picture! So a new site is job one i think. Gulp!
 
2ndLife said:
Thanks all!
Madeline your point is well taken.... On the business end of things, this place is still back in 1975! Working on taking credit cards for the first time ever - but i don't have enough facility with the current site (all html code) to bring real time booking to the site....heck I can't even change a picture! So a new site is job one i think. Gulp!.
Click to expand...
Actually, with folks like Empty Nest and others, you could be up with something that will look good, works with the inexpensive Rez Key, and sets you up for success in no time.
We have done three websites in nine years, each better than the last. We did most of it ourselves. I have looked at several options for the latest switch and the path EN has encouraged looks like the best option when I factor in all the this and thats.
 
2ndLife said:
Thanks all!
Madeline your point is well taken.... On the business end of things, this place is still back in 1975! Working on taking credit cards for the first time ever - but i don't have enough facility with the current site (all html code) to bring real time booking to the site....heck I can't even change a picture! So a new site is job one i think. Gulp!.
Click to expand...
ReservationKey.com is real-time online reservation, affordable, and simply the addition of code which John will help you with. VERY affordable, easy to use, and has lots of reports, bells & whistles, and the best part - over an above affordable - is good excellent tech support. I have used it for several yeas now - many of us here use it and really like it.
 
2ndLife said:
Thanks all!
Madeline your point is well taken.... On the business end of things, this place is still back in 1975! Working on taking credit cards for the first time ever - but i don't have enough facility with the current site (all html code) to bring real time booking to the site....heck I can't even change a picture! So a new site is job one i think. Gulp!.
Click to expand...
Sounds like you have good plans. You can definitely search on here for any information you need on just about anything.
Or, just ask. Someone here knows how to do it.
Be cautious on the credit card thing if you haven't already signed up. There are some really awful processors out there.
 
Happykeeper - Got it! (note to self: Stalk EmptyNest posts!) lol
Madeleine, I get a ton of calls from people wanting to talk to me about my (nonexistent) merchant acct. really pushy types...I'm guessing these are from some of those awful processors! One was even pushing to come by the house, because it was easier to explain it in person than to understand it if they mailed the info to me... I acted very offended that she thought I couldn't read... and she finally gave up! Meantime, I was thinking I'd start with Paypal... which reminds me I need to search for posts on that too!
As for bookings -- I inherited Webervations, which I note many of you have dropped... and the way it is set up on my site...well, it seems rather useless to me... actually googling about its worth is how I found this site, I think.
Quick question: are RezKey and Reservation Key (both mentioned above) the same program or two different programs?
 
2ndLife said:
Happykeeper - Got it! (note to self: Stalk EmptyNest posts!) lol
Madeleine, I get a ton of calls from people wanting to talk to me about my (nonexistent) merchant acct. really pushy types...I'm guessing these are from some of those awful processors! One was even pushing to come by the house, because it was easier to explain it in person than to understand it if they mailed the info to me... I acted very offended that she thought I couldn't read... and she finally gave up! Meantime, I was thinking I'd start with Paypal... which reminds me I need to search for posts on that too!
As for bookings -- I inherited Webervations, which I note many of you have dropped... and the way it is set up on my site...well, it seems rather useless to me... actually googling about its worth is how I found this site, I think.
Quick question: are RezKey and Reservation Key (both mentioned above) the same program or two different programs?.
Click to expand...
same
 
2ndLife said:
Happykeeper - Got it! (note to self: Stalk EmptyNest posts!) lol
Madeleine, I get a ton of calls from people wanting to talk to me about my (nonexistent) merchant acct. really pushy types...I'm guessing these are from some of those awful processors! One was even pushing to come by the house, because it was easier to explain it in person than to understand it if they mailed the info to me... I acted very offended that she thought I couldn't read... and she finally gave up! Meantime, I was thinking I'd start with Paypal... which reminds me I need to search for posts on that too!
As for bookings -- I inherited Webervations, which I note many of you have dropped... and the way it is set up on my site...well, it seems rather useless to me... actually googling about its worth is how I found this site, I think.
Quick question: are RezKey and Reservation Key (both mentioned above) the same program or two different programs?.
Click to expand...
Several of us use Square for cc processing. Flat fee, money in back next day, verifiable (unlike processors), and if not used no fee (meaning no monthly charges). Just need an iPhone, Smartphone, or iPad (wifi) to use it. It has saved me a minimum of $22.90 per month (my last fees from the processor with no transactions for the month).
 

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