I know why locals don't know about us.

[toddburme]

A B&B owner is coming to Rio and wanted to know where to stay. I have learned more about our local hotel/B&B market in the last week while trying to help. I was horribly uninformed. I can only assume this is the norm also for our neighbors in Cann on Falls.

 

[Joey Camb]

I am a circus freek in my level of knowledge about accommodation in my town down to the size and capacity of the hotels function rooms, I could at a push tell you within a 1 room margin of error how big each of 110 or so Bed and breakfasts. But I am an exception as the accommodation industry is so fragmented its like 10 mile high walls between each sector. We also have a nightmare of problems working with the restaurant industry as they are even worce! they are trying to form a trade association but its slow going. It would be great if they could manage it in any form as it would make them as a whole easier for us to deal with them as B&B's but also a lot of the issues that affect B&B's also affect the restaurants such as tourism numbers and conference delegate numbers so would be good to have some kind of unified voice we could deal with where as at the moment we have to go to and deal with every restaurant individually and there are 243 places to eat in Harrogate so you can imagine what that would be like!
One of the ideas would be to have all members to have a window sticker and you would have a discount card you would show for say 10% off anywhere showing the symbol. B&B's would get a stack of discount cards as well as a list of participating restaurants to give to guests. There would also be a friends of Harrogate Food and Drink for locals where they would put in an email (ie join the mailing list) and they would receive email updates of events and activities ie if a restaurant was doing a themed night etc.
http://www.harrogatefoodanddrink.com/ the web site is excellent but its all about getting members now and revenue in for advertising and printing and a million other things!

 

[toddburme]

I just did not realise that as a local, we just go to the same places. And actual hotels were pretty much unknown to me.
Just to be clear, in the area around my B&B, I know all the lodging and restaurants but it is a small town. Here in Rio, I had no clue.

 

[Generic]

I just did not realise that as a local, we just go to the same places. And actual hotels were pretty much unknown to me.
Just to be clear, in the area around my B&B, I know all the lodging and restaurants but it is a small town. Here in Rio, I had no clue..

Well, I'm the one that is guilty for making Todd find out all these things he didn't know about Rio! (On the other side... I'm going to Rio...woohoo!)
It's funny how living in the big city there are so many things you don't pay attention to, in your own city. I have locals asking me for advice on restaurants because they get into a rut and well, go to the same places all the time. And I have to warn people about some of the restaurants that they see on TA because... well, because some places should come with caveats and explanations and don't suit everyone. (For example, one place that has a famous chef also plays loud heavy rock music. And another serves very heavy meat heavy meals, not the place for a vegetarian or someone who wants to eat "light".)
I know quite a few of the B&Bs in town and some of the hotels. I don't consider most of the B&Bs in town to be competition, because we all offer a different product. In the summer I refer people to other places, when we are full.
Good news is that we are all set. We reserved our B&B in Rio, we have our ticket and we have Todd's hints! Now we just get to do the running around town part.

 

[gillumhouse]

I just did not realise that as a local, we just go to the same places. And actual hotels were pretty much unknown to me.
Just to be clear, in the area around my B&B, I know all the lodging and restaurants but it is a small town. Here in Rio, I had no clue..

I am in a small city (pop 2300) and there are many who have no clue there is a B & B in town. Why? They do not read the paper (local dailies OR the town weekly) and do not go anywhere nor are they involved in anything beyond going to work and going home.

 

[JBloggs]

I sat at a table with 10 strangers. Around went the conversation about "what do you do?" and it came to me. I was asked 5 times "Oh do you serve dinner there as well?" No, I am a b and B. They never asked what kind of breakfasts, or anything like that, they all asked me about dinner. I do not know why. But they were mostly uninformed as to what a B&B is about. Our locals are beyond ignorant on this topic. I have brought some IN HERE and they still do not get it. I will let the internet (meaning ME) do our marketing.

On the other hand, people from all over DO know about us, DO know what we do here. Thanks for Twitter, Facebook, the blog, google plus, and linkedin.

 

[toddburme]

I just did not realise that as a local, we just go to the same places. And actual hotels were pretty much unknown to me.
Just to be clear, in the area around my B&B, I know all the lodging and restaurants but it is a small town. Here in Rio, I had no clue..

Well, I'm the one that is guilty for making Todd find out all these things he didn't know about Rio! (On the other side... I'm going to Rio...woohoo!)
It's funny how living in the big city there are so many things you don't pay attention to, in your own city. I have locals asking me for advice on restaurants because they get into a rut and well, go to the same places all the time. And I have to warn people about some of the restaurants that they see on TA because... well, because some places should come with caveats and explanations and don't suit everyone. (For example, one place that has a famous chef also plays loud heavy rock music. And another serves very heavy meat heavy meals, not the place for a vegetarian or someone who wants to eat "light".)
I know quite a few of the B&Bs in town and some of the hotels. I don't consider most of the B&Bs in town to be competition, because we all offer a different product. In the summer I refer people to other places, when we are full.
Good news is that we are all set. We reserved our B&B in Rio, we have our ticket and we have Todd's hints! Now we just get to do the running around town part.
.

You are going to have fun.

 

[Ice]

I sat at a table with 10 strangers. Around went the conversation about "what do you do?" and it came to me. I was asked 5 times "Oh do you serve dinner there as well?" No, I am a b and B. They never asked what kind of breakfasts, or anything like that, they all asked me about dinner. I do not know why. But they were mostly uninformed as to what a B&B is about. Our locals are beyond ignorant on this topic. I have brought some IN HERE and they still do not get it. I will let the internet (meaning ME) do our marketing.

On the other hand, people from all over DO know about us, DO know what we do here. Thanks for Twitter, Facebook, the blog, google plus, and linkedin..

Hope you had a good time, missed you!