Intro letters

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Joey Camb

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Hi when DH and I went away last march we stayed at a place that did an intro letter telling you about the place and events that were on locally both when we were there as well as if you come back later in the year there is this on ...... It was written in an interesting and chatty style. Would like to do this as I think it is a nice personal touch but could not be mail merging every day but would it look naff to simply write it on? the name that is.
Does anyone do anything similar? pro's and con's?
thanks Cam
 
We had an entire notebook full of that sort of information in each of our guest rooms. Along with the appropriate brochures.
 
we have a folder but find about 1 in 200 read it thought maybe a personalised letter might actually get read.
 
During the summer I do a cruise-ship style letter that I leave on the bed when I do turn-down. It has the weather for the next three days and any local events .... bands playing, ghost walks etc.
It is NOT at the top of my priority list and doesn't always get done, so it's not advertised. It's one of those things that I provide as an added extra and is largely based on who's staying here. I have been known to have fun with it ....
 
During the summer I do a cruise-ship style letter that I leave on the bed when I do turn-down. It has the weather for the next three days and any local events .... bands playing, ghost walks etc.
It is NOT at the top of my priority list and doesn't always get done, so it's not advertised. It's one of those things that I provide as an added extra and is largely based on who's staying here. I have been known to have fun with it .....
that is the sort of thing I am thinking of but thought I might put a few things that are on later in the year in an attempt to lure them back. I can just do it when I can be bothered! lol
Also we get probably 50% of our guests here for a conference (ie work) so I am trying to get into their heads their heads the concept of a leisure break here as well. Trouble is they are like oh well we go to Harrogate for the ***** so we won't go again till next year or whenever that event returns. Trying to break that mind set!
 
During the summer I do a cruise-ship style letter that I leave on the bed when I do turn-down. It has the weather for the next three days and any local events .... bands playing, ghost walks etc.
It is NOT at the top of my priority list and doesn't always get done, so it's not advertised. It's one of those things that I provide as an added extra and is largely based on who's staying here. I have been known to have fun with it .....
that is the sort of thing I am thinking of but thought I might put a few things that are on later in the year in an attempt to lure them back. I can just do it when I can be bothered! lol
Also we get probably 50% of our guests here for a conference (ie work) so I am trying to get into their heads their heads the concept of a leisure break here as well. Trouble is they are like oh well we go to Harrogate for the ***** so we won't go again till next year or whenever that event returns. Trying to break that mind set!
.
Good idea about advertizing future events. Maybe with an incentive to book now before you fill up?
 
During the summer I do a cruise-ship style letter that I leave on the bed when I do turn-down. It has the weather for the next three days and any local events .... bands playing, ghost walks etc.
It is NOT at the top of my priority list and doesn't always get done, so it's not advertised. It's one of those things that I provide as an added extra and is largely based on who's staying here. I have been known to have fun with it .....
that is the sort of thing I am thinking of but thought I might put a few things that are on later in the year in an attempt to lure them back. I can just do it when I can be bothered! lol
Also we get probably 50% of our guests here for a conference (ie work) so I am trying to get into their heads their heads the concept of a leisure break here as well. Trouble is they are like oh well we go to Harrogate for the ***** so we won't go again till next year or whenever that event returns. Trying to break that mind set!
.
We only have 2 biz travelers who come back with their spouse at a different time of year. I know what you mean!
 
Our trouble is when it is busy here it is rammed so I want to encourage the people comming to the right events if you see what I mean for example we have one weekend where the crime festival. York Races and another conference overlap so I want crime people thurs, friday Sat and then the BAPO people Sunday-wed and I don't want the york race people who only want one night unless they slot in conveniently. it is all about picking the right groups and targeting them all about balance.
 
Our trouble is when it is busy here it is rammed so I want to encourage the people comming to the right events if you see what I mean for example we have one weekend where the crime festival. York Races and another conference overlap so I want crime people thurs, friday Sat and then the BAPO people Sunday-wed and I don't want the york race people who only want one night unless they slot in conveniently. it is all about picking the right groups and targeting them all about balance..
Can you set your online booking to not accept one nighters? We have a similar situation here with 2 colleges graduating the same weekend. We want the one set of parents for Th-Sat and the other for Sat-Mon, sometimes with overlap on Sat. I forgot to set up as 2-night min this year so I ended up with one family taking 2 rooms for one night, messing up the weekend. But, they've been coming for years, so I let it go.
 
Our trouble is when it is busy here it is rammed so I want to encourage the people comming to the right events if you see what I mean for example we have one weekend where the crime festival. York Races and another conference overlap so I want crime people thurs, friday Sat and then the BAPO people Sunday-wed and I don't want the york race people who only want one night unless they slot in conveniently. it is all about picking the right groups and targeting them all about balance..
Do you post these different events on your blog as a way to get guests to find you when searching for info about the event? If you format it by month or event type (whatever makes sense to you) you could print that out at appropriate times as your intro letter. That way you get double the use- online and in the room and you only have to enter it once and then just print it out.
With all of your rooms, I might just print it out and put it on the breakfast tables.
 
I am sure i read someone who did like little tent cards to put on the breakfast table like "did you know there is a crime festival in July?" etc which I thought was a good idea. I did have a good brain wave yesterday as we get a lot of free brochures from the Tourist information but they tend to be very posh looking so people don't take them as they think they arn't free. so i made little stickers that say please tax and 50% of them have gone! in one day! In the afternoon I had another brain wave to staple one of our cards inside each so if people take them to give to friends or say don't look at them for 6 months they have all our deails right there as well!
 
I am thinking about the breakfast table idea in that if I did something like a business card we have our menu that slots into a plastic clip so could easily pop a card in the front and they have to look at the menu.don't they? hmmm
 
I am sure i read someone who did like little tent cards to put on the breakfast table like "did you know there is a crime festival in July?" etc which I thought was a good idea. I did have a good brain wave yesterday as we get a lot of free brochures from the Tourist information but they tend to be very posh looking so people don't take them as they think they arn't free. so i made little stickers that say please tax and 50% of them have gone! in one day! In the afternoon I had another brain wave to staple one of our cards inside each so if people take them to give to friends or say don't look at them for 6 months they have all our deails right there as well!.
In the afternoon I had another brain wave to staple one of our cards inside each so if people take them to give to friends or say don't look at them for 6 months they have all our deails right there as well!
Excellent!!!
 
I am sure i read someone who did like little tent cards to put on the breakfast table like "did you know there is a crime festival in July?" etc which I thought was a good idea. I did have a good brain wave yesterday as we get a lot of free brochures from the Tourist information but they tend to be very posh looking so people don't take them as they think they arn't free. so i made little stickers that say please tax and 50% of them have gone! in one day! In the afternoon I had another brain wave to staple one of our cards inside each so if people take them to give to friends or say don't look at them for 6 months they have all our deails right there as well!.
thumbs_up.gif

 
The only problem I can see with this is people book then cancel. Just like graduations weekends, had another local call and try to book all the rooms, and I was firm, as it NEVER eventuates to a whole house booking, it always falls through, they are desperate and want to HOLD rooms, is all they want to do. I won't be bitten by that again, ever!
So...btw here is something. A guest booked three rooms individ to get the $10 off discount on each room instead of once, I am thrilled with the new system as they can book all the rooms at once, in one fell swoop. This was an advantage, but the cheap sobs still try to get the discount on each room. They try to outsmart to get the discount. Of course it is the same address, name and credit card details. One instance I changed it and said this is a booking for the same person, same details, only one discount.
Well guess what? They cancelled. According to my "stick to your policies" mood I was in, I charged each reservation # the $10 cancellation fee. I COULD have charged them three x one night deposits, since it is next weekend, but DH said to NOT DO IT, just charge them the fee. He knew it would not end up good doing that. Which is course infuriates me, and i wonder why I have policies at all (saying this to myself).
I am fed up with these people dropping off like this all the time. Wish I were full so I could have the guts to be bolder, but I always bend...always.
 
The only problem I can see with this is people book then cancel. Just like graduations weekends, had another local call and try to book all the rooms, and I was firm, as it NEVER eventuates to a whole house booking, it always falls through, they are desperate and want to HOLD rooms, is all they want to do. I won't be bitten by that again, ever!
So...btw here is something. A guest booked three rooms individ to get the $10 off discount on each room instead of once, I am thrilled with the new system as they can book all the rooms at once, in one fell swoop. This was an advantage, but the cheap sobs still try to get the discount on each room. They try to outsmart to get the discount. Of course it is the same address, name and credit card details. One instance I changed it and said this is a booking for the same person, same details, only one discount.
Well guess what? They cancelled. According to my "stick to your policies" mood I was in, I charged each reservation # the $10 cancellation fee. I COULD have charged them three x one night deposits, since it is next weekend, but DH said to NOT DO IT, just charge them the fee. He knew it would not end up good doing that. Which is course infuriates me, and i wonder why I have policies at all (saying this to myself).
I am fed up with these people dropping off like this all the time. Wish I were full so I could have the guts to be bolder, but I always bend...always..
Did they cancel BECAUSE they didn't get the extra online discount?
Here's the tricky part for me...not only do I have to figure out which rules I can't/don't want to bend, but I also have to be careful how my DH will handle it. It's much easier for him to say to me, no, don't bend (when it comes to $ he's got tunnel vision, even if it's a detriment) because he's not the one that has to have either a face to face interaction or even a phone interaction. Sometimes it's hard for him to see that sometimes a decision we don't like now will end up beiong better in the long run.
I think a lot of innkeepers have to tap dance around issues when it comes to spouses/partners and that can make us agonize even more about the decisions we've made.
 
My DH is like that he is always like just charge etc but he won't tell them or ring them no way so we have a rule if you have to do it you make the call (ie the call to charge or not) same with prices and discounts etc if you take the booking you make the decision and no second guessing.
 
My DH is like that he is always like just charge etc but he won't tell them or ring them no way so we have a rule if you have to do it you make the call (ie the call to charge or not) same with prices and discounts etc if you take the booking you make the decision and no second guessing..
LOL When confronted face to face, my DH folds like a cheap suit!
 
The only problem I can see with this is people book then cancel. Just like graduations weekends, had another local call and try to book all the rooms, and I was firm, as it NEVER eventuates to a whole house booking, it always falls through, they are desperate and want to HOLD rooms, is all they want to do. I won't be bitten by that again, ever!
So...btw here is something. A guest booked three rooms individ to get the $10 off discount on each room instead of once, I am thrilled with the new system as they can book all the rooms at once, in one fell swoop. This was an advantage, but the cheap sobs still try to get the discount on each room. They try to outsmart to get the discount. Of course it is the same address, name and credit card details. One instance I changed it and said this is a booking for the same person, same details, only one discount.
Well guess what? They cancelled. According to my "stick to your policies" mood I was in, I charged each reservation # the $10 cancellation fee. I COULD have charged them three x one night deposits, since it is next weekend, but DH said to NOT DO IT, just charge them the fee. He knew it would not end up good doing that. Which is course infuriates me, and i wonder why I have policies at all (saying this to myself).
I am fed up with these people dropping off like this all the time. Wish I were full so I could have the guts to be bolder, but I always bend...always..
Why don't you just allow the $10 off on each room? I don't get the thinking behind that. If it WAS 3 spearate guests booking, they'd all get the discount, so why is it that it's just one discount per credit card? 'Splain that one to me Ricky.
 
My DH is like that he is always like just charge etc but he won't tell them or ring them no way so we have a rule if you have to do it you make the call (ie the call to charge or not) same with prices and discounts etc if you take the booking you make the decision and no second guessing..
if you take the booking you make the decision and no second guessing.
Good one. I have to train myself to do that. I'm the one who gets all in a knot when it looks like we're losing out.
 
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