Hot Deals

[EmptyNest]

Ok, so a friend asked me to ask all of you.
Do you do the Hot Deals at bandb.com? If so, do you ever get any takers from this listing. In all the time this inn has done it...NOTHING..NADA...ZIP...and it is updated regularly.
So what's so hot about that "hot deal" thing?

 

[The Farmers Daughter]

In 12 years of business, I can not recall 1 booking that came to me via 'not so hot' deals.

 

[EmptyNest]

In 12 years of business, I can not recall 1 booking that came to me via 'not so hot' deals..

So then ...what is the big deal with it??? I am not familiar with it as I never used bandb.com when we were open. DO you have to be a certain level to do it? Do they promise you more visibility??? What is the deal and why would you do it???

 

[birdwatcher]

I've done this as well but never had any bites either...do they really send it to all those potential "guests" on their e-mail accounts??

 

[Hangfive]

I run them often with out result. We try like hell not to discount our rooms so we put together a package and discount the stuff in the package to get to the 20% saving requirement. We get calls from folks that have seen us on the hot deal...they alway ask for a discount off the room rate without the stuff ...sorry no can do.

 

[JBloggs]

Hot deals is a waste of time. You have to commit to a certain discount, you can't just make your own. I was on it for years and never had one guest take me up on it before. Speaking with others in out state none had any takers either.
I used to subscribe to it for our state and an adjoining state to see what specials other inns offered. It comes to you as a newsletter.

 

[seashanty]

yes, i did it and yes i got bookings from them.
not a lot .. but some. and i also got inquiries not invoving the hot deal.
mostly i did it so it got my name in the emailing ... but i didn't do it every week ... i would look at my upcoming bookings and decide. i think you had to decide the week before each mailing.
i had another email address (my personal one) on the mailing list so i could check. yes, the mailings were reliable.
i also participated in my state tourism site's specials and my listing on bbonline always had a couple specials so i'd turn up in those searches.
it didn't cost me any more to participate, i am sure i was not at any high level .... it seemed i was always running some kind of special ... when you are in a market where you have to draw people in, you use the tools available. and i was always working to bring people in. there were very few times when i would be completely booked. and my overhead in that big old building was crushing.
i would say, if you are going to run a special that fits their guidelines, and you have a listing with them, get your special in the hot deals for the upcoming timeframe. use the tools that are available.

 

[Don Draper]

It's a good concept, to offer a discount on rooms that might sit empty anyway. Unfortunately we've never had any bites on them. We usually run them in the off-season. I don't think I've ever gotten so much as an inquiry from it.

 

[JeannineIrish]

Never have and hope not to have to because we are "busy enough". If I have an empty room, I go sleep in it so my DH down't have to listen to my snoring,

 

[muirford]

We used to participate; never got a bite with an actual reservation and only ever got one inquiry. Who wanted the deal when it wasn't available, of course. Since the levels have changed this year, participation in hot deals is no longer allowed at the Bronze level, which is what we are now. We don't miss it.
They only send the hot deals out to people who have asked for your state. I think the number of people on the mailing list is indicated on the bottom(?). For some of us, that turned out to be not-very-many people who even saw the hot deals in the first place.

 

[swirt]

Right, it only gets sent to those who sign up for it. I think a larger portion of the people signed up are innkeepers keeping tabs on the competition.

 

[seashanty]

Right, it only gets sent to those who sign up for it. I think a larger portion of the people signed up are innkeepers keeping tabs on the competition..

haha, swirt, you might be right!!

 

[GeorgiaGirl]

I've booked 2 rooms through the b&b.com Hot Deals. You can sign up for a specific region or city and receive the hot deals for them. I still have a favorite place on my hot deals list to watch just out of curiosity.

 

[bbinnsitters]

Ditto what GAgirl said - as a B&B stayer I get the weekly e-mail and may base my stay on what the deal is. As an Inn-sitter I have been at a place that posts weekly and she did get calls from it. It can't hurt and I don't think B&B.com charges extra for the service.

 

[muirford]

Ditto what GAgirl said - as a B&B stayer I get the weekly e-mail and may base my stay on what the deal is. As an Inn-sitter I have been at a place that posts weekly and she did get calls from it. It can't hurt and I don't think B&B.com charges extra for the service..

It can't hurt and I don't think B&B.com charges extra for the service.

They do not have a charge per se for the service but you cannot participate in it if your listing is at the Bronze level. Above the Bronze you can submit your deals. Of course it can't hurt, but after using it for five years I never got a single reservation from it. I wouldn't pay extra for the silver listing because of access to the hot deals. Although it is unclear from the current description of the membership levels on bandb.com which has not been updated to reflect the current terms, the price difference to move from Bronze to Silver is at least $10 per month.

 

[Samster]

I did it for awhile in the Summer when we were slow. Nothing came of it and they were very good deals. I get the hot deals for my State though....maybe I'll be able to get away some day.....

 

[Breakfast Diva]

Sorry, I won't discount my rooms 20%. I'll do 10% at the most and will only do it on last minute specials on webervations. I don't want my guests looking specifically to stay at my place at a discount. It's an attitude thing we've discussed in the past. I have found that the more attitude I have about the experience you receive as my guest is worth what I'm charging, the better my business gets.

 

[cherry64]

I have never book a deal on Hot Deals, but I get the email, and I have found a B&B that I did stay at through the email. The deal had caught my eye, but I wasn't able to go when it was active. But because I had research the inn at that time, I was willing to book a full price room later in the year.

 

[swirt]

I have never book a deal on Hot Deals, but I get the email, and I have found a B&B that I did stay at through the email. The deal had caught my eye, but I wasn't able to go when it was active. But because I had research the inn at that time, I was willing to book a full price room later in the year..

I have never book a deal on Hot Deals, but I get the email, and I have found a B&B that I did stay at through the email. The deal had caught my eye, but I wasn't able to go when it was active. But because I had research the inn at that time, I was willing to book a full price room later in the year.

And that's a good point. In the case of participating in the hot deal..most innkeepers would know that someone came because of the hot deal, because the person making the reservation typically has to ask for the "deal." But as you describe, it would be nearly impossible to track if someone eventually booked with you because they saw you in a hot deal that may not have been active at the time of the visit.

 

[gillumhouse]

Did - no longer - Nothing ever!