I like the wildflower idea...
Our Inn was already decorated & named when we took it over. The room names have absolutely nothing to do with anything. I think the former owners just wanted to do a particular set of decorations & then named it after that - Marilyn Monroe, Cabin, Sports, Garden, Lighthouse... they have nothing to do with the 1890's history of the home. But, it's nice to have completely different themes that suit different personalities. And it's fun when a walk-in has a tour and gets excited trying to pick which room they want.
As for the name of your inn - is the area referred to as Catawba River area? If that is a very recognizable name in your area that would have instant recognition, I would definitely keep it in the name. We are named after the city we're in - Blue Ridge Inn. It's a no brainer. The people who come here come specifically to experience Blue Ridge, so we are able to capitalize on that. Easy to remember - in the town of Blue Ridge, there's the Blue Ridge Inn.
Inn vs. Farm - from your pictures & description, it looks like "Farm" might be more appropriate. It conveys a completely different feel than "Inn" and that's probably where you want to lean. An "Inn" can be anything anywhere, but a "Farm" brings a completely different visual..
But Farm does not say B & B or lodging although that could be taken care of with page titles.
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You see K that is my dilemma - you are so RIGHT, it will be a farm, a farm stay but it will be a B n B, offering both cottages/cabins, and traditional B n B accommodations. Albeit the B n B part won't happen until year two or three, the cabins are there now. The farm part will start as soon as I have the barn cleared out, and some additional cross fencing in.
I am so torn on this, do I do..... Barns at ...... Farm
Barns at ...... Inn
B N B at ..... River (with or without the Farm)
I did as Cams suggested and said it all day yesterday out loud.
I just couldn't get my tongue around any of then except
Barns at ...... River
no farm, no inn, no b n b
just plain Barns @ Cataw ba Ri ver
It might not say it all but it isn't a mouthfull when answering the phone or sending an email.
Oh and let me just add this, (I can hear you all screaming now - I know what I am in for) there will be weddings and events.
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Weaver said:
You see K that is my dilemma - you are so RIGHT, it will be a farm, a farm stay but it will be a B n B, offering both cottages/cabins, and traditional B n B accommodations. Albeit the B n B part won't happen until year two or three, the cabins are there now. The farm part will start as soon as I have the barn cleared out, and some additional cross fencing in.
I am so torn on this, do I do..... Barns at ...... Farm
Barns at ...... Inn
B N B at ..... River (with or without the Farm)
I did as Cams suggested and said it all day yesterday out loud.
I just couldn't get my tongue around any of then except
Barns at ...... River
no farm, no inn, no b n b
just plain Barns @ Cataw ba Ri ver
It might not say it all but it isn't a mouthfull when answering the phone or sending an email.
Oh and let me just add this, (I can hear you all screaming now - I know what I am in for) there will be weddings and events.
Go with the name that feels and says right to YOU! In your page titles, key words, pages, listinfs you will be able to get yourself known for all the things you will be doing and as you phase in the next offering. Get yourself established with each phase as it comes. When you start the next phase - COMING SOON!! and blog the heck out of it. You may find you want another domain for the rest of the project. You CAN have more than one domain name/web site/phone number for the same business. You may decide to have a separate "parent" trousers with separate "pockets" for your various components. This would protect one from what the other does. Where is it written this must be one enterprise with one name?
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You are so right, it is not written I must commit to one name or domain.
Thanks to Cams I really did just keep saying it. The tell tale sign was when I was organizing all my various word and excel files, and killing drafts and marking ones as final and so forth I kept doing it natually without the farm or the inn. Just ......River.
I can always have little baby divisions as things grow, but for phase one which will be not only the killer but set the tone I think I just go with my gut!
Thanks K, for reminding me what I already knew. Sometimes it is hard when so bogged down in the details to see the big picture.
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Just a thought Cabins at C..River Ranch?
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white pine said:
Just a thought Cabins at C..River Ranch?
That rolls off the tongue nicely. I will be saying that one all afternoon!
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Glad you liked it I thought how nice it sounded " Yes, we are staying at The Cabins at Cat a bwa River Ranch--we are in the Prarie Rose"....
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WP - Love it. I have as one of the temporary names of the main barn/lodge/building thingy - for lack of a better term....The Prairie Barn.
Plus I like alliterations, River Ranch feels good!
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Weaver said:
WP - Love it. I have as one of the temporary names of the main barn/lodge/building thingy - for lack of a better term....The Prairie Barn.
Plus I like alliterations, River Ranch feels good!
In re the overall name of the place (not the indiv rooms), what you want to do is practice it on unsuspecting people. You have to use it on the phone to see how garbled/clear it is to the person on the other end. We have a place here whose name sounds like a mouthful of marbles over the phone. I end up having to spell it out, say it again, spell it again. It's a pain to try to refer people there.
You also want random people to tell you what they expect to find based on the name. If you call it 'The Barns at...' I am not thinking I'm going to have bed & breakfast, I'm thinking it's a stable only. 'The Cabins at...' makes me think I'm getting a cabin, but probably self-catering, not B&B.
You could make sure all your materials say 'The Cabins at... A Farmstay B&B'. BUT, 'farmstay' makes me think I have to work on the farm and that it's not going to be the higher end place you're talking about. 'A Cowboy B&B' has a ring to it.
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M - very good points and well taken, that is why I have yet to make a choice.
I want it to convey the atmosphere, without overwhelming the person listening to my 12 word name.
I like ranch, but it will be more of a farm, I like farm but it will be more of an Inn, I like Inn but it conveys a different message to a point than B n B.
What about The Bed and Breakfast at C at awba River (Farm, Inn, Ranch, Barn, Cabins, blank)
But that is 8 flipping words!
Can I just go back to picking furniture now? Or mowing the lawn that seems to be growing at the rate of a foot a day? Anything but picking a name. They all sound good, but they are all .........?
Maybe I should just invite you all down when we settle and let you take a vote! ;-) 'Cause I sure ain't makin no progress.
If anyone is interested email me and I will send you the link to the video and photo tour and maybe that will give you some insight and me an answer.
I watch the video about 10 times a day, trying to figure out who I am going to be.
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