96% to 4% of the traveling public. This number is skewed because there are FAR less B&Bs than hotel/motels. A better number would be to compare occupancy rates..
I introduced the topic to allow for all variables, ideas, solutions, explanations, etc. to freely flow and hopefully for the benefit of spurring new ideas for our fellow contributors from the B&B directory sites.
Thanks for starting things off with a good idea.
A couple very obvious ones for me come from a response I gave to JBanczak in another thread.
"Only 4% of consumers stay at B&B's. Why?"
"Because the small, modern, professionally run B&B is a relative newcomer to the lodging world as compared to the corporately owned and heavily marketed world of hotels and motels.
The sheer independence of and small size of B&Bs puts them at an extraordinary exposure and organizing disadvantage compared to the mega chains, multi-national hosptaility corporations, hotel associations, giant hospitality focused advertising firms, etc."
I'll try and dig up some revenue numbers for even just the top ten hotel corporations and their marketing budgets just to illustrate why the average consumer demographics skew the way they do.
My bigger point in all of this is that it isn't necessarily deficiencies or glaring lack of consistency or quality on our parts that created the trend, its a classic david vs. goliath dynamic in my opinion. And one that has been in place in every economic sector since capitalism was created.
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Tim_Toad_HLB said:
My bigger point in all of this is that it isn't necessarily deficiencies or glaring lack of consistency or quality on our parts that created the trend, its a classic david vs. goliath dynamic in my opinion. And one that has been in place in every economic sector since capitalism was created.
First, let me say that I have very strong and mixed opinions about how bandb.com and other directories have brought our industry more to the forefront of the consumer. They have tried and been relatively successful in helping to bring B&Bs in to the mainstream. but at what price? A lot of us have spent major money adding the luxuries to our properties to create high end rooms, private baths, etc so we can compete with hotels. When I started my career as an innkeeper nearly 9 years ago there was not this pressure to have "hot deals", specials, commissions, and bargains. Too often those who want us to be in the mainstream encourage us to cheapen our rooms, play in the same ball park (expedia, hotels.com, etc) as the big boys. It's my opinion, and I know that some will disagree, that it has actually hurt us as an industry.
It was
we innkeepers who transitioned the norm of a B&B from "granny's house" to what it is today, a high quality lodging choice. As you said,
In most cases its not necessarily deficiencies or glaring lack of consistency or quality on our parts that created the trend.
So, the question is how do we inform the traveling public that we are here and we are a good fit for those who have never stayed at a B&B before?
The past few years I have been very successful in crossing over from the B&B crowd to the "mainstream". I get a huge percentage of guests who have never been to a B&B before and have chosen to stay with us because we offer the privacy they need along with the extra little details that can't be found in a hotel. I market to highlight the privacy. My B&B is not the "typical" B&B since we deliver breakfast to their room and we have created a different "feel" of a traditional B&B. This is what works for us and we have a much higher occupancy rate than the other B&Bs in our region.
I'm not looking down on or thinking negatively of any of you who are more traditional. This is what works for us....we seem to give the traveling public what they want....we have the numbers to prove it. We are all different.
Here's my suggestion; look at all the lodging establishments around where you live. Who is the busiest? Hotel? Motel? B&B? Camping? See if you can make adjustments to your place and/or change a few of your steadfast views of what a "B&B should be" and I think you'll take a bigger chunk out of the 96% of the hotel crowd.
At a conference I went to once, there was a speaker who said that you needed to look at the traveling public as if it were a pie. So, the wedge of pie for B&Bs is 4%. There are only two ways to increase the size of that wedge...either you have to get a bigger pie (not likely) or make your wedge bigger within that pie. For me, I choose to make my wedge bigger and that means grabbing those hotel people (NOT motel people), but to do that you have to offer them what they want.
Needless to say, that the only real way you can bring in more guests is to spend money on marketing. Spend wisely and it will pay off.
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