One of my big draws has become my competitor :-(

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Proud Texan

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One of the big draws for our area is a local winery/vineyard. The wine part of this operation is mediocre, but what they do on the weekends has filled our rooms many times. On Saturday night they have live music and dinner under the stars. This is great and I promoted the heck out of these events on my own website.
Recently, the vineyard has opened their own B&B. Their price point is a bit higher and their rooms are fancier than our rustic cottages. The B&B experience would be totally different than ours so they are probably going to appeal to a different demographic.
These are really good people, but I'm now torn as to how to promote them without sending business away from us. Any ideas?
 
Keep stressing the uniqueness and value of your property. Staying on good terms and acting in the spirit of cooperation with the winery will also keep your name on the tip of their tongue in the event of them being fully booked and vice versa.
The bottom line is that these folks will attract more traffic and interest to the area and their marketing efforts will have some spillover to your place as their exposure on the web will naturally provide coincidental linkage to you in geographical searches.
We've always noticed that the other B&Bs in our area that we refer overflow guests to will reciprocate, so we always prioritize our referrals to those properties and ask anyone we are referring to tell the other property who sent them there.
Within the last year, one of the neighboring native american tribes in partnership with Hilton opened a 400+ room destination resort with a casino, music venue, convention center, wedding chapel, etc..
It is five minutes from us and while the resort crowd is different from our tyipcal guest, we've gotten at least one booking every time a bigger name musical/comedy, etc. act has played there. For the really big conferences they host, the entire resort will book up and we'll get some overflow from that.
The resort also has at least six different restaurants and that alone has increaded the options for dinner our guests have to choose from in our immediate area.
 
Do not look at them as competitors. You have several things they do not. You have DW, you have you, you have only 2 units. Look at them as being your overflow. I would continue to promote the things they do because it brings people to you. It fills your beds. You offer a different experience - rustic. Keep up wht has worked for you up to now and do not worry about it.
When I posted about the B & B that just opened in the next town, I was not upset that they had opened (although the folks in the B & B across the street may have been), it was because they were calling themselves B & B without offering a breakfast (there will probably be danish available and you can fix your own breakfast in the kitchen), no web site, and rates comparable with the no-tell. I want another B & B in MY town.
 
I'm on good terms with the owner. Perhaps I should point out to him what a big booster I've been for his business and ASK him to remember us for the overflow. After all, as has been mentioned numerous times in this forum, people are always looking for the bargain. WE ARE THE BARGAIN!
 
I would do a PPC campaign using their keywords. XYZ winery keywords and your B&B will be on the sponsored links. Take advantage of it. Let them do more advertising for your area and you will benefit also.
Like GH said, don't consider yourself competition.
 
THey are not competitors. Everyone offers their own niche and there are PLENTY of folks to go around:) They only have so many rooms and so do you..so when one or the other is filled, refer back and forth. You will both win in the end. Give them a call and talk about it. They already know you are sending folks to the winery and you should be on pretty good terms with them because of that. Don't sweat this!! And don't panic...they will not be taking away your guests.
Continue to promote the winery and their events. You don't have to say anything about their B & B.
 
I would do a PPC campaign using their keywords. XYZ winery keywords and your B&B will be on the sponsored links. Take advantage of it. Let them do more advertising for your area and you will benefit also.
Like GH said, don't consider yourself competition..
I wouldn't waste the money on PPC. He will be just fine.
 
I love wine, but I am uber casual and would not love a "fancy" or overly expensive b&b. If I could get the down home comfort and hospitality of you & your cottages PLUS the wine/concert...I'd be a happy camper. Emphasize the convenience and ease, and your longer time in business.
I love Gillum's philosophy...she reminds us all the we have NO competition...no one else has you or DW or your hospitality...promote the heck out of it!
 
I'm on good terms with the owner. Perhaps I should point out to him what a big booster I've been for his business and ASK him to remember us for the overflow. After all, as has been mentioned numerous times in this forum, people are always looking for the bargain. WE ARE THE BARGAIN!.
Proud Texan said:
I'm on good terms with the owner. Perhaps I should point out to him what a big booster I've been for his business and ASK him to remember us for the overflow. After all, as has been mentioned numerous times in this forum, people are always looking for the bargain. WE ARE THE BARGAIN!
That's good. I'd give him a chance to send you some overflow before pointing anything out. That could easily misconstrued and if they did start the B&B in order to wrestle market share from you, they'll now perceive that its having an impact even if it isn't. No sense encouraging them to go mercenary on you.
Bargain hunters are always looking for a bargain.
We get plenty of folks who are more than willing and able to pay full freight.
Many of these folks make the connection that our rooms are fairly priced given all we offer and even if only a first time stay, want to make sure they are pampered without any sense that the well of our good nature has been poisoned by them pressing for a discount that might insult us.
Bargain hunters don't have that sensitivity or consideration, its all about them.
I'm actually seeing this as an opportunity for you to eventually raise your rates by the sheer fact that when you were the only frame of reference for consumers to gauge price with, they accepted that was the "going rate".
In fact, hopefully the winery B&B will go and up theirs even more and assume the risk of elevating the "going rate" for both of you. Rising tides and all.
 
You might have to work on some packages without naming the winery. I have a similar situation as the place with the moonlight trail rides also has a couple BnB rooms! So I never listed them by name, it was ridiculous, but I won't name any other BnB within an hour radius of me on our website. Bad enough people call and ask about other places and waste my time. :)
With your marketing people will google them and get you - 1) this is good they might book with you instead, 2) this is bad they just want info on the other place to book over there at your expense (marketing)
 
I'm on good terms with the owner. Perhaps I should point out to him what a big booster I've been for his business and ASK him to remember us for the overflow. After all, as has been mentioned numerous times in this forum, people are always looking for the bargain. WE ARE THE BARGAIN!.
After all, as has been mentioned numerous times in this forum, people are always looking for the bargain. WE ARE THE BARGAIN!
Exactly.
 
As others have said, they are not your competition. Keep using them as one of YOUR draws. If together you make the area more of an attraction and draw in more people, thats great.
One thing that may or may not apply....There are several wineries that started up in our area trying to be both a winery and a B&B. More than half killed off the B&B after the first couple of years. (too much work, too diversified, winery too successful.... I'm not sure of all the reasons) You never know, they may end up doing the same thing.
 
I don't think this will impact you negatively. competition is good. In our area there are 4 motels/lodging establishments and we are all friends actually. We always send business to oneanother. If I feel that the person who called me won't be happy with my product, I send them on to where I think they belong. I want people to come to these parts, eventually, we all fill our rooms.
 
What is the live music scene like in Salem, Oregon and nearby cities? I sing and my boyfriend is a drummer. We plan to move out of CA partly because the music scene here seems to be going back to the disco days of DJ's, with rap and hip-hop leading the way. Please tell me there is somewhere where people still love live music (and are offering more than tips!).[/h1]
 
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