happykeeper
Well-known member
- Joined
- Dec 11, 2008
- Messages
- 1,758
- Reaction score
- 0
When you find yourself in the INNKEEPERS WAY BACK MACHINE, what is the difference between then and now?
Then... we would have ran off to get paper backups immediately.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.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..
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?Then... we would have ran off to get paper backups immediately.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..
Now... not so much.
.
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.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.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..
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.
.
I was just trying to get back on topic.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?Then... we would have ran off to get paper backups immediately.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..
Now... not so much.
.
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 know, sorry for hijacking your thread, but as you can see am a bit passionate about this, having witnessed the consequences!I was just trying to get back on topic.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?Then... we would have ran off to get paper backups immediately.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..
Now... not so much.
.
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!
.
.
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?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.
.
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!happykeeper said:Great look at THEN..are you willing to share the year?
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.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.
.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!happykeeper said:Great look at THEN..are you willing to share the year?
.
YES -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
Ohhhhh, I forgot about these:YES -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
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. 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..
Enter your email address to join:
Enter your email address to join:
Register today and take advantage of membership benefits.
Enter your email address to join: