Then....and Now

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happykeeper

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When you find yourself in the INNKEEPERS WAY BACK MACHINE, what is the difference between then and now?
 
Then... 2005.. we started with one of those brown binders with sheets by the month. Recorded all the information on a sheet of paper.
Now... We are totally automated online and we push guests to reserve through our website. If we do take a phone reservation, it is typed into the computer live and nothing ends up on paper until they receive their portfolio at check out.
 
No paper back up? What happens when the cloud crashes? The internet goes down? You lose power?
Sad to say, fellow innkeepers down the street made no paper backups and when their Rez system lost all their data, they had an extremely tense, embarrassing, expensive season, not knowing who, what, and when was booked. The nightmare of all nightmares.
We are luxuriating in the cloud these days, but would not dream of NOT printing every reservation and keeping it in a file box. Far too many weather events here and having to rely on 4G is not fun, fast, or feasibly efficient.
 
No paper back up? What happens when the cloud crashes? The internet goes down? You lose power?
Sad to say, fellow innkeepers down the street made no paper backups and when their Rez system lost all their data, they had an extremely tense, embarrassing, expensive season, not knowing who, what, and when was booked. The nightmare of all nightmares.
We are luxuriating in the cloud these days, but would not dream of NOT printing every reservation and keeping it in a file box. Far too many weather events here and having to rely on 4G is not fun, fast, or feasibly efficient..
Then... we would have ran off to get paper backups immediately.
Now... not so much.
 
No paper back up? What happens when the cloud crashes? The internet goes down? You lose power?
Sad to say, fellow innkeepers down the street made no paper backups and when their Rez system lost all their data, they had an extremely tense, embarrassing, expensive season, not knowing who, what, and when was booked. The nightmare of all nightmares.
We are luxuriating in the cloud these days, but would not dream of NOT printing every reservation and keeping it in a file box. Far too many weather events here and having to rely on 4G is not fun, fast, or feasibly efficient..
You mean like right now when the power is flickering on and off? I've got the book of who's coming in, but that's all I know. If the power is off I'd have to calculate what's owed, etc.
But the difference between then and now is I know I don't have to take guests who don't fit our model. I realize it sounds like i never turn anyone away given the issues we've had but I do draw the line.
 
No paper back up? What happens when the cloud crashes? The internet goes down? You lose power?
Sad to say, fellow innkeepers down the street made no paper backups and when their Rez system lost all their data, they had an extremely tense, embarrassing, expensive season, not knowing who, what, and when was booked. The nightmare of all nightmares.
We are luxuriating in the cloud these days, but would not dream of NOT printing every reservation and keeping it in a file box. Far too many weather events here and having to rely on 4G is not fun, fast, or feasibly efficient..
Then... we would have ran off to get paper backups immediately.
Now... not so much.
.
Paper backups from where? Their data was already gone, POOF! Too late. And if one can not physically access the cloud database due to various types of outages, how can one run and make paper backups?
Just saying, this is a true story and the scores of lodging establishments in this town now wisely make sure they have a paper backup, because it can and did happen. Aspirings, beware!
 
I still keep index cards as I did then (they do not take up a lot of space). I also now have automatic back-up on my files. I now have online reservations. I now have 1 private ensuite guestroom.I no longer use a credit card machine. I no longer have ANY full-size beds. I now have a "guest service area" with fridge & nuker. I now have coffee/tea available 24 hours in the dining room.
I no longer offer dinners (Monday night was a now corrected oversight). And in 19 years, my prices have almost tripled - I like that.
 
No paper back up? What happens when the cloud crashes? The internet goes down? You lose power?
Sad to say, fellow innkeepers down the street made no paper backups and when their Rez system lost all their data, they had an extremely tense, embarrassing, expensive season, not knowing who, what, and when was booked. The nightmare of all nightmares.
We are luxuriating in the cloud these days, but would not dream of NOT printing every reservation and keeping it in a file box. Far too many weather events here and having to rely on 4G is not fun, fast, or feasibly efficient..
You mean like right now when the power is flickering on and off? I've got the book of who's coming in, but that's all I know. If the power is off I'd have to calculate what's owed, etc.
But the difference between then and now is I know I don't have to take guests who don't fit our model. I realize it sounds like i never turn anyone away given the issues we've had but I do draw the line.
.
Yes, power is flickering isn't it? Since we've been here, our town has been hit by two destructive mean microbursts (straight-lined wind tornados) without any warning, not to mention thunderstorms, hurricanes, blizzards, ice storms, cars hitting telephone poles, and random squirrels blowing up transformers, all resulting in significant outages, some for days. Luckily, no earthquakes, floods, etc.
We oft use dynamic flex pricing depending on demand, I can't remember what we charged, who has add-on packages, if they are late arrivals, Dietary Restrictions, etc. What are the last four digits of their phone number for the keypad code? ('spose we could punt on this.) Or how do we even contact them to tell them we have lost power if we can't access info?
And recently RezKey keeps losing resi's I've manually entered and saved. Just happened yesterday. Left only with last four digits of credit card and address in the database. Thank goodness, for the printed paper backup. Live and learn.
 
No paper back up? What happens when the cloud crashes? The internet goes down? You lose power?
Sad to say, fellow innkeepers down the street made no paper backups and when their Rez system lost all their data, they had an extremely tense, embarrassing, expensive season, not knowing who, what, and when was booked. The nightmare of all nightmares.
We are luxuriating in the cloud these days, but would not dream of NOT printing every reservation and keeping it in a file box. Far too many weather events here and having to rely on 4G is not fun, fast, or feasibly efficient..
Then... we would have ran off to get paper backups immediately.
Now... not so much.
.
Paper backups from where? Their data was already gone, POOF! Too late. And if one can not physically access the cloud database due to various types of outages, how can one run and make paper backups?
Just saying, this is a true story and the scores of lodging establishments in this town now wisely make sure they have a paper backup, because it can and did happen. Aspirings, beware!
.
I was just trying to get back on topic.
 
No paper back up? What happens when the cloud crashes? The internet goes down? You lose power?
Sad to say, fellow innkeepers down the street made no paper backups and when their Rez system lost all their data, they had an extremely tense, embarrassing, expensive season, not knowing who, what, and when was booked. The nightmare of all nightmares.
We are luxuriating in the cloud these days, but would not dream of NOT printing every reservation and keeping it in a file box. Far too many weather events here and having to rely on 4G is not fun, fast, or feasibly efficient..
Then... we would have ran off to get paper backups immediately.
Now... not so much.
.
Paper backups from where? Their data was already gone, POOF! Too late. And if one can not physically access the cloud database due to various types of outages, how can one run and make paper backups?
Just saying, this is a true story and the scores of lodging establishments in this town now wisely make sure they have a paper backup, because it can and did happen. Aspirings, beware!
.
I was just trying to get back on topic.
.
I know, sorry for hijacking your thread, but as you can see am a bit passionate about this, having witnessed the consequences!
We too, used to hand-write each reservation, then enter it into QRes. I even hand-edited each confirmation letter up until last year when we went with RezKey. When we first started in 2006, we actually snail-mailed confirmations. Went online in '07 with Weber.
And like Mort, we too, have found the flexibility to just say no, if it seems not to be the right fit.
 
Then:
Snail mail reservation confirmations
Spend a long time on the phone explaining what the rooms look like and what days they're available
No worries about bad reviews
Spend a lot of $ on stationary & brochures
Spent a few hundred dollars on a new thing called a website and try to get listed in travel books
Had more free time with no worries about how I'm getting behind on blogging, FB, Twitter, etc.
Ahhhhhh...I really think it was more care free
 
Then:
Snail mail reservation confirmations
Spend a long time on the phone explaining what the rooms look like and what days they're available
No worries about bad reviews
Spend a lot of $ on stationary & brochures
Spent a few hundred dollars on a new thing called a website and try to get listed in travel books
Had more free time with no worries about how I'm getting behind on blogging, FB, Twitter, etc.
Ahhhhhh...I really think it was more care free.
Great look at THEN..are you willing to share the year?
 
Then:
Snail mail reservation confirmations
Spend a long time on the phone explaining what the rooms look like and what days they're available
No worries about bad reviews
Spend a lot of $ on stationary & brochures
Spent a few hundred dollars on a new thing called a website and try to get listed in travel books
Had more free time with no worries about how I'm getting behind on blogging, FB, Twitter, etc.
Ahhhhhh...I really think it was more care free.
Great look at THEN..are you willing to share the year?
.
happykeeper said:
Great look at THEN..are you willing to share the year?
I started in 2001. I think we were one of the first in our state to offer online reservations maybe a year after we started. What a concept it was back then!
 
Then:
Snail mail reservation confirmations
Spend a long time on the phone explaining what the rooms look like and what days they're available
No worries about bad reviews
Spend a lot of $ on stationary & brochures
Spent a few hundred dollars on a new thing called a website and try to get listed in travel books
Had more free time with no worries about how I'm getting behind on blogging, FB, Twitter, etc.
Ahhhhhh...I really think it was more care free.
Great look at THEN..are you willing to share the year?
.
happykeeper said:
Great look at THEN..are you willing to share the year?
I started in 2001. I think we were one of the first in our state to offer online reservations maybe a year after we started. What a concept it was back then!
.
I occasionally think about THEN and the whole idea and how much there was to learn about it. I actually put together our website on something called Namo Web Editor 5.5 and then later 6.0 etc. Back then the dream was to figure out how to use Dreamweaver. Never happened despite considerable effort. We really couldn't afford to have someone do it.
NOW I am hoping there are enough brain cells left to figure out social media influencers. When the review sites are no longer considered 3rd party enough, we'll be right back where we started WOM
omg_smile.gif

 
Not inn-related, but a full courseload for my master's degree at a state university was $1400/semester (1988) then. Now it is $10,000. That is over 700% increase...
 
Breakfast Diva said:
Then:
Snail mail reservation confirmations
Spend a long time on the phone explaining what the rooms look like and what days they're available
No worries about bad reviews
Spend a lot of $ on stationary & brochures
Spent a few hundred dollars on a new thing called a website and try to get listed in travel books
Had more free time with no worries about how I'm getting behind on blogging, FB, Twitter, etc.
Ahhhhhh...I really think it was more care free
YES -
When we started (1999) our mentor, bless her heart, gave us all her marketing contacts, books and personal notes of does/don'ts. They had a website but really didn't
wink_smile.gif
. When they closed (different place) they snail mailed each of their guests to thank them for their loyalty and told them about our place.

Constantly being on the phone.
Lots of money spent on paper style marketing.

Lots of money being members of every directory, organization etc. possible.
NO time combating negative publicity, yet we still knew that negative word of mouth traveled faster than positive.

Less picky guests. By this I mean they enjoyed what they had, not complain because the room's carpet was not the color they wanted.
 
We back up our stuff. We always have current copies. No paper trail here.
 
Then...had to be on every directory.
Now...on one or less *as we are wiser to which ones work and which ones blow smoke
Then...was very involved to see where our referrals and bookings came from, "google analytics"
Now...I don't even look at it, ever.
Then...allowed people to walk over us and regret it. Like the lady who demanded a tour as we final had a moment to eat and sat in our kitchen table together. Jumped up gave a tour of every room and she opened every closet and never reserved for her "family" reunion.
Now...make an appt.
 
Breakfast Diva said:
Then:
Snail mail reservation confirmations
Spend a long time on the phone explaining what the rooms look like and what days they're available
No worries about bad reviews
Spend a lot of $ on stationary & brochures
Spent a few hundred dollars on a new thing called a website and try to get listed in travel books
Had more free time with no worries about how I'm getting behind on blogging, FB, Twitter, etc.
Ahhhhhh...I really think it was more care free
YES -
When we started (1999) our mentor, bless her heart, gave us all her marketing contacts, books and personal notes of does/don'ts. They had a website but really didn't
wink_smile.gif
. When they closed (different place) they snail mailed each of their guests to thank them for their loyalty and told them about our place.

Constantly being on the phone.
Lots of money spent on paper style marketing.

Lots of money being members of every directory, organization etc. possible.
NO time combating negative publicity, yet we still knew that negative word of mouth traveled faster than positive.

Less picky guests. By this I mean they enjoyed what they had, not complain because the room's carpet was not the color they wanted..
Ohhhhh, I forgot about these:
Paper newsletters that we had to print up at the office store, then print labels, sort and take to the post office!
No dietary restrictions!
 
20 seasons ago:
taking reservations by phone and hand.
cleaning all 10 cottages by myself and raising baby twins while doing it. ( I now wonder how good a job I did with either, because I sure cannot do it today at 59)
no website, and, apparently being overly enthusiastic about the place, thus disappointing a handful of guests, which still haunts me to this day
Until I got my bearings in season 2, renting to anyone who came in. Quickly learning that not everyone is my desired guest, and changing that immediately
more, but I cannot remember now
 
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