More discounts

[user 26]

no need to 'flip' jbj

i thought the comment was a little offensive, too.
we all have our own way of doing business. some of us choose to offer a discount or two, some choose to offer many. as long as it is a discount the innkeeper is comfortable with, i see no problem.
there is a segment of the population that responds to deals and discounts. that is their nature, that is a fact of doing business as i learned it in marketing 101. when people flock to a store that is having a sale, it is often just a part of the store's marketing strategy. as a shopper you have to be aware that sometimes a sale does not mean lower prices ..... but does that stop the bargain hunter from taking a look? no.
most of my guests pay the regular room rate.
but if potential guests walk across the road (literally) and stay there because i won't give them a small discount that would make them happy and cover my overhead plus a profit, and that room of mine stays empty,it is not a smart business practice to turn them away. it doesn't matter to me why they are asking for a discount. the idea of 'if you can't afford it, stay home' to me is judgmental and silly. and that is MY opinion.

 

[stephanie]

Stephanie has it right without a question. It isn't the actual price, it's the fact that people think they are getting a deal that causes them to book. This is one of the basic tenants of marketing, which is why so many B&Bs do offer discounts. It works. Look at the gas promotions B&Bs have been running the last few months. Instead of giving guests a discount, here's a $20 USD Gas Card (let's say that's a 10% discount if we were to break it down for arguments sake). Now, that $20 Gas Card promotion, along with the name of your B&B is appearing on a near daily basis in all of the major news outlets. If you call it a '10% Discount', no one cares. If you put it out there as 'Gas Savings' or 'Welcome Home Soldiers' then the promotion is something people right about and something guests take advantage of.
It isn't the monetary value, it's the emotional value that makes discounts work..

Exactly! Personally, I love getting a good deal. There's something so much more satisfying about getting a $100 room for 20% off than getting the $80 room next door. Ha!
OTOH there's the emotional value of not discounting. If I have to spend $300 a night to stay at your luxury destination, I'd want to know that I won't be hanging out all weekend with the family of 4 that crammed into the next room with a 50% off last-minute deal. It sounds snobby, but that's the point of a $300 spa. Embrace what you are!
JBJ, I think your discounts are quite tasteful and thoughtful and they seem to work very well for you. I didn't mean you at all when I mentioned that I've seen a couple of B&Bs (not on this forum!) with a full page of discounts, linked off their homepage. There was one that had a discount for practically each month of the year, all posted year-round in garish colors. Convenient, sure, but I'd worry that it just says to some guests: "no one in their right mind comes here in January through April, so we'll take anything we can get."

 

[JunieBJones (JBJ)]

It isn't the monetary value, it's the emotional value that makes discounts work.
Aaaahhhh that is just so lovely. Good bang for your buck. If the small discount makes them happy and they can put it toward dinner, then EXCELLENT!
I think it is a given, that discounts work. Or we might have to shut down every after Christmas, Thanksgiving, Labor Day, yada yada sale across the country.
I am not wanting anyone to cheapen the experience of a B&B, my no means at all.
Did you know I had one of the wealthiest people in America stay with us, he and his wife took a lesser priced room AND took the $10 book online discount. I mentioned him before, as they were wonderful sweet people. She sent me a hand inked thank you note on her personal stationary a few weeks after their stay.
The other guests had no idea who these folks were - nor their so-called status. They were here for an anniversary party of a couple long time friends.
How did I know this? I googled him and discussed a little bit of their life over coffee.

 

[JunieBJones (JBJ)]

OTOH there's the emotional value of not discounting. If I have to spend $300 a night to stay at your luxury destination, I'd want to know that I won't be hanging out all weekend with the family of 4 that crammed into the next room with a 50% off last-minute deal.
We don't accept kids, we have one bed per room and we don't offer 50% off last minute deals. Maybe this is what needs to be clarified, TASTEFUL vs TACKY discounting of B&B rooms. BY JOVE I THINK YOU'VE GOT IT!

 

[Samster]

OTOH there's the emotional value of not discounting. If I have to spend $300 a night to stay at your luxury destination, I'd want to know that I won't be hanging out all weekend with the family of 4 that crammed into the next room with a 50% off last-minute deal.
We don't accept kids, we have one bed per room and we don't offer 50% off last minute deals. Maybe this is what needs to be clarified, TASTEFUL vs TACKY discounting of B&B rooms. BY JOVE I THINK YOU'VE GOT IT!.

There you go! I think maybe we've come to an understanding with some of the other folks here that are not getting the "discount" thing. Here's a perfect example: I would rather do a $10/night online booking discount on my rooms (rates $155-$205 btw) that have a max occupancy of 2 persons per each guest bedroom (except one room that has 2 Queen beds where the max is 3 people) than to cram a bunch of people in there on rollaways, etc. It's less wear and tear on my rooms and doesn't fit our style of B&B. Because my husband and I are both military veterans and we live in a City with a large military installation, I choose to offer those folks a military discount. I only offer one seasonal discount and it's to encourage folks to learn about us since we're new. We do not have location, location, location like some people here on the forum.