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I've noted this before and don't mean to sound like a broken record... but this brings up a great point. Think about how many of the people who stay at your property depend on reviews in their lives now or will soon as sites have been launching on all of them.
Doctors
Contractors
Chefs/Restaurants
Lawyers
Accountants
Every local business like spas/salons/barbers
Every small goods manufacturer - period - from cars to electronics to sporting goods to everything
The list goes on and on... And I forget the latest stat, but something like 3/4's of travelers rate them as their most important criteria along with a photo and the map to the property!
My point in all this is that people don't mind being asked nicely in some way (follow-up email, link, at check-out, etc.) to leave a review..
JBanczak said:
The list goes on and on... And I forget the latest stat, but something like 3/4's of travelers rate them as their most important criteria along with a photo and the map to the property!
My point in all this is that people don't mind being asked nicely in some way (follow-up email, link, at check-out, etc.) to leave a review.
I wonder what the percentage would be if most people knew or were told in advance how badly these review venues are being manipulated and jaked by the very businesses and industry advocates benefitting the most from consumer driven reviews?
Of course you think people don't mind, your business benefits from more people giving reviews. The question for me has always been, do any of us mind begging, prodding and coaching our guests who come to us for a respite from the cookie cutter, corporate business model which always favors more, more, more, bigger is better, consolidate similar businesses, expand markets, get bigger databases of potential customer information, etc., etc..?
Just a few years ago, TA barely had a "specialty lodging" tab, now its added vacation rentals, more business traveler data, etc.. I think Sweetie Pie's opinion that they will not stop until every category of and individual lodging establishment is listed and somehow "partnered"
I for one, do mind. My guests don't owe me zilch at the end of their stay except their tariff, and hopefully but not required, an affirmative that they thoroughly enjoyed themselves when asked.
Here we all are, beating our brains out trying to distinguish ourselves as a viable, affordable alternative to corporate-owned hotels while offering a unique and more personalized expereince, yet we are constantly told by industry advocates that in order to be successful and competitive, we must act just like the model we are in direct opposition to and in competition with.
When researching my own travel options, I'm far more interested in the veracity, originality, integrity and objectivity of the reviews I read than the sheer volume. My informal research with guests and friends shows me that many people feel the same way.
When confronted with a choice between a B&B like one in my area with 225+ reviews and more added nearly every day and a property that gets reviewed in what appears to be in a naturally occurring frequency with the qualities I just described but far fewer reviews, I myself and people I speak with trust the information about the latter more than the other.
 
I've noted this before and don't mean to sound like a broken record... but this brings up a great point. Think about how many of the people who stay at your property depend on reviews in their lives now or will soon as sites have been launching on all of them.
Doctors
Contractors
Chefs/Restaurants
Lawyers
Accountants
Every local business like spas/salons/barbers
Every small goods manufacturer - period - from cars to electronics to sporting goods to everything
The list goes on and on... And I forget the latest stat, but something like 3/4's of travelers rate them as their most important criteria along with a photo and the map to the property!
My point in all this is that people don't mind being asked nicely in some way (follow-up email, link, at check-out, etc.) to leave a review..
JBanczak said:
The list goes on and on... And I forget the latest stat, but something like 3/4's of travelers rate them as their most important criteria along with a photo and the map to the property!
My point in all this is that people don't mind being asked nicely in some way (follow-up email, link, at check-out, etc.) to leave a review.
I wonder what the percentage would be if most people knew or were told in advance how badly these review venues are being manipulated and jaked by the very businesses and industry advocates benefitting the most from consumer driven reviews?
Of course you think people don't mind, your business benefits from more people giving reviews. The question for me has always been, do any of us mind begging, prodding and coaching our guests who come to us for a respite from the cookie cutter, corporate business model which always favors more, more, more, bigger is better, consolidate similar businesses, expand markets, get bigger databases of potential customer information, etc., etc..?
Just a few years ago, TA barely had a "specialty lodging" tab, now its added vacation rentals, more business traveler data, etc.. I think Sweetie Pie's opinion that they will not stop until every category of and individual lodging establishment is listed and somehow "partnered"
I for one, do mind. My guests don't owe me zilch at the end of their stay except their tariff, and hopefully but not required, an affirmative that they thoroughly enjoyed themselves when asked.
Here we all are, beating our brains out trying to distinguish ourselves as a viable, affordable alternative to corporate-owned hotels while offering a unique and more personalized expereince, yet we are constantly told by industry advocates that in order to be successful and competitive, we must act just like the model we are in direct opposition to and in competition with.
When researching my own travel options, I'm far more interested in the veracity, originality, integrity and objectivity of the reviews I read than the sheer volume. My informal research with guests and friends shows me that many people feel the same way.
When confronted with a choice between a B&B like one in my area with 225+ reviews and more added nearly every day and a property that gets reviewed in what appears to be in a naturally occurring frequency with the qualities I just described but far fewer reviews, I myself and people I speak with trust the information about the latter more than the other.
.
Tim_Toad_HLB said:
JBanczak said:
The list goes on and on... And I forget the latest stat, but something like 3/4's of travelers rate them as their most important criteria along with a photo and the map to the property!
My point in all this is that people don't mind being asked nicely in some way (follow-up email, link, at check-out, etc.) to leave a review.
Here we all are, beating our brains out trying to distinguish ourselves as a viable, affordable alternative to corporate-owned hotels while offering a unique and more personalized expereince, yet we are constantly told by industry advocates that in order to be successful and competitive, we must act just like the model we are in direct opposition to and in competition with.
When researching my own travel options, I'm far more interested in the veracity, originality, integrity and objectivity of the reviews I read than the sheer volume. My informal research with guests and friends shows me that many people feel the same way.
When confronted with a choice between a B&B like one in my area with 225+ reviews and more added nearly every day and a property that gets reviewed in what appears to be in a naturally occurring frequency with the qualities I just described but far fewer reviews, I myself and people I speak with trust the information about the latter more than the other.
Those are good points, but we don't want to tell anyone to be just like a hotel, but we do think it is wise to listen to travelers. Only 4% of consumers stay at B&B's. Why?
Well, when we asked them, we found out that they are uncertain to the quality, afraid of the unknown, etc. and are a lot less likely to stay with someone who doesn't have reviews... You can have a unique and special property, yet still listen to consumers and get them the information they want. The same goes with online bookings - one of the chief complaints of consumers is that it is hard to book, they don't like to have to do requests, and there is no central place to see availability. Providing this functionality isn't necessarily conforming to hotels, it is making it easy for consumers to find out how great B&B's are by giving them the tools they need to want to book with you.
When I did a presentation in Napa - I asked the group (all BB owners) where they were staying... half the group was from out of town. All but one answered Embassy Suites or Marriott... BB owners. Why? They said it was too hard to book a BB and they didn't have time to find out which ones were available or good... No kidding! Think how consumers feel if BB owners don't even want to do it! A decade ago, it was tough to convince a lot of innkeepers they needed a website. Before that it was 800 numbers, and one can say the same thing about private bathrooms, wireless internet, etc.
Nothing about a property has to change to conform like a hotel, consumers are just used to more information in this day and age, so why as an industry would we want to keep it from them. It is a blessing to small businesses - because there is very little that separates the marketing tools available to a 5000 room hotel or a 1 room B&B now... and that has been a giant change on the web.
One of the fundamental tenants of marketing is "never assume you behave like anyone else on the planet..." meaning always make your decisions based on research, not your own thoughts or experience. This is to be taken with a grain of salt, but in this case the research is pretty overwhelming.
 
You know what's funny about reviews? I hear the same thing you do about guests who read the reviews and decide this is the place for them. You know who has the best occ in town? The place with the bad reviews. I can't figure that one out!
 
You know what's funny about reviews? I hear the same thing you do about guests who read the reviews and decide this is the place for them. You know who has the best occ in town? The place with the bad reviews. I can't figure that one out!.
And they probably put an awful lot of money and effort into marketing too.
 
I agree with JBanczak. If you're doing a good job, you're guests will be quite happy to write a review for you. If they love you, they will want other people to know it. While I send an email to all departing guests, the majority do not write a review...even if they left a glowing note in the room journal. Mostly the email is a "thanks for staying with us, we appreciate your business, it's nice people like you that continue to make innkeeping such a pleasure for us...by the way, if you have a moment, we would appreciate you reviewing your stay for other travelers" kind of thing (fluffed up, of course). After that one email, I don't pester.
I know many Innkeepers don't ask because they're afraid of what the reviews will say...and some take it very personally if even one tiny little negative is mentioned...even in a positive overall review...so they would rather nothing get posted at all. But, the overwhelming majority use reviews to decide where to stay...I know my guests do...in fact the couple I just checked in said "It was obvious to us by reading your reviews that this was the place for us". You really can't buy that kind of positive exposure (well, I guess you could, if you were a cheater).
It's just another form of self-marketing, and one that costs you nothing. If you're confident in yourself and your place, then there's nothing to lose. Like review sites, or hate them, they're sticking around and people are going to continue to use them, so you may as well use them to YOUR advantage.
 
I know many Innkeepers don't ask because they're afraid of what the reviews will say..
No, because many of us do not want to ask the guests for something, we give to them and do not feel right asking them to "DO" something, it negates all that we feel we have done for them here.
That is what I have heard many of the innkeepers on this forum say. They are not worried, they give outstanding service as their presence on this forum demonstrates - always being ahead of the pack, they do not want to put that obligation on the guest.
 
I've noted this before and don't mean to sound like a broken record... but this brings up a great point. Think about how many of the people who stay at your property depend on reviews in their lives now or will soon as sites have been launching on all of them.
Doctors
Contractors
Chefs/Restaurants
Lawyers
Accountants
Every local business like spas/salons/barbers
Every small goods manufacturer - period - from cars to electronics to sporting goods to everything
The list goes on and on... And I forget the latest stat, but something like 3/4's of travelers rate them as their most important criteria along with a photo and the map to the property!
My point in all this is that people don't mind being asked nicely in some way (follow-up email, link, at check-out, etc.) to leave a review..
JBanczak said:
The list goes on and on... And I forget the latest stat, but something like 3/4's of travelers rate them as their most important criteria along with a photo and the map to the property!
My point in all this is that people don't mind being asked nicely in some way (follow-up email, link, at check-out, etc.) to leave a review.
I wonder what the percentage would be if most people knew or were told in advance how badly these review venues are being manipulated and jaked by the very businesses and industry advocates benefitting the most from consumer driven reviews?
Of course you think people don't mind, your business benefits from more people giving reviews. The question for me has always been, do any of us mind begging, prodding and coaching our guests who come to us for a respite from the cookie cutter, corporate business model which always favors more, more, more, bigger is better, consolidate similar businesses, expand markets, get bigger databases of potential customer information, etc., etc..?
Just a few years ago, TA barely had a "specialty lodging" tab, now its added vacation rentals, more business traveler data, etc.. I think Sweetie Pie's opinion that they will not stop until every category of and individual lodging establishment is listed and somehow "partnered"
I for one, do mind. My guests don't owe me zilch at the end of their stay except their tariff, and hopefully but not required, an affirmative that they thoroughly enjoyed themselves when asked.
Here we all are, beating our brains out trying to distinguish ourselves as a viable, affordable alternative to corporate-owned hotels while offering a unique and more personalized expereince, yet we are constantly told by industry advocates that in order to be successful and competitive, we must act just like the model we are in direct opposition to and in competition with.
When researching my own travel options, I'm far more interested in the veracity, originality, integrity and objectivity of the reviews I read than the sheer volume. My informal research with guests and friends shows me that many people feel the same way.
When confronted with a choice between a B&B like one in my area with 225+ reviews and more added nearly every day and a property that gets reviewed in what appears to be in a naturally occurring frequency with the qualities I just described but far fewer reviews, I myself and people I speak with trust the information about the latter more than the other.
.
Tim_Toad_HLB said:
JBanczak said:
The list goes on and on... And I forget the latest stat, but something like 3/4's of travelers rate them as their most important criteria along with a photo and the map to the property!
My point in all this is that people don't mind being asked nicely in some way (follow-up email, link, at check-out, etc.) to leave a review.
Here we all are, beating our brains out trying to distinguish ourselves as a viable, affordable alternative to corporate-owned hotels while offering a unique and more personalized expereince, yet we are constantly told by industry advocates that in order to be successful and competitive, we must act just like the model we are in direct opposition to and in competition with.
When researching my own travel options, I'm far more interested in the veracity, originality, integrity and objectivity of the reviews I read than the sheer volume. My informal research with guests and friends shows me that many people feel the same way.
When confronted with a choice between a B&B like one in my area with 225+ reviews and more added nearly every day and a property that gets reviewed in what appears to be in a naturally occurring frequency with the qualities I just described but far fewer reviews, I myself and people I speak with trust the information about the latter more than the other.
Those are good points, but we don't want to tell anyone to be just like a hotel, but we do think it is wise to listen to travelers. Only 4% of consumers stay at B&B's. Why?
Well, when we asked them, we found out that they are uncertain to the quality, afraid of the unknown, etc. and are a lot less likely to stay with someone who doesn't have reviews... You can have a unique and special property, yet still listen to consumers and get them the information they want. The same goes with online bookings - one of the chief complaints of consumers is that it is hard to book, they don't like to have to do requests, and there is no central place to see availability. Providing this functionality isn't necessarily conforming to hotels, it is making it easy for consumers to find out how great B&B's are by giving them the tools they need to want to book with you.
When I did a presentation in Napa - I asked the group (all BB owners) where they were staying... half the group was from out of town. All but one answered Embassy Suites or Marriott... BB owners. Why? They said it was too hard to book a BB and they didn't have time to find out which ones were available or good... No kidding! Think how consumers feel if BB owners don't even want to do it! A decade ago, it was tough to convince a lot of innkeepers they needed a website. Before that it was 800 numbers, and one can say the same thing about private bathrooms, wireless internet, etc.
Nothing about a property has to change to conform like a hotel, consumers are just used to more information in this day and age, so why as an industry would we want to keep it from them. It is a blessing to small businesses - because there is very little that separates the marketing tools available to a 5000 room hotel or a 1 room B&B now... and that has been a giant change on the web.
One of the fundamental tenants of marketing is "never assume you behave like anyone else on the planet..." meaning always make your decisions based on research, not your own thoughts or experience. This is to be taken with a grain of salt, but in this case the research is pretty overwhelming.
.
JBanczak said:
When I did a presentation in Napa - I asked the group (all BB owners) where they were staying... half the group was from out of town. All but one answered Embassy Suites or Marriott... BB owners. Why? They said it was too hard to book a BB and they didn't have time to find out which ones were available or good... No kidding!
Cancellation Policies!
Most of us don't know if we can even make it to a conference until last minute so the policies are what put many off. Guests tell me this ALL THE TIME, the 14 day or worse cancellation policy puts them off BnB's!
 
I know many Innkeepers don't ask because they're afraid of what the reviews will say..
No, because many of us do not want to ask the guests for something, we give to them and do not feel right asking them to "DO" something, it negates all that we feel we have done for them here.
That is what I have heard many of the innkeepers on this forum say. They are not worried, they give outstanding service as their presence on this forum demonstrates - always being ahead of the pack, they do not want to put that obligation on the guest..
OK, let me rephrase by inserting one little word and deleting one.
I know Innkeepers who don't ask because they're afraid of what the reviews will say..
These are Innkeeps who get so PO'd about one bad review that they can't see straight. Not speaking for anyone on this forum, I don't know any of you well enough to say that, now do I? Good lord.
 
I've noted this before and don't mean to sound like a broken record... but this brings up a great point. Think about how many of the people who stay at your property depend on reviews in their lives now or will soon as sites have been launching on all of them.
Doctors
Contractors
Chefs/Restaurants
Lawyers
Accountants
Every local business like spas/salons/barbers
Every small goods manufacturer - period - from cars to electronics to sporting goods to everything
The list goes on and on... And I forget the latest stat, but something like 3/4's of travelers rate them as their most important criteria along with a photo and the map to the property!
My point in all this is that people don't mind being asked nicely in some way (follow-up email, link, at check-out, etc.) to leave a review..
JBanczak said:
The list goes on and on... And I forget the latest stat, but something like 3/4's of travelers rate them as their most important criteria along with a photo and the map to the property!
My point in all this is that people don't mind being asked nicely in some way (follow-up email, link, at check-out, etc.) to leave a review.
I wonder what the percentage would be if most people knew or were told in advance how badly these review venues are being manipulated and jaked by the very businesses and industry advocates benefitting the most from consumer driven reviews?
Of course you think people don't mind, your business benefits from more people giving reviews. The question for me has always been, do any of us mind begging, prodding and coaching our guests who come to us for a respite from the cookie cutter, corporate business model which always favors more, more, more, bigger is better, consolidate similar businesses, expand markets, get bigger databases of potential customer information, etc., etc..?
Just a few years ago, TA barely had a "specialty lodging" tab, now its added vacation rentals, more business traveler data, etc.. I think Sweetie Pie's opinion that they will not stop until every category of and individual lodging establishment is listed and somehow "partnered"
I for one, do mind. My guests don't owe me zilch at the end of their stay except their tariff, and hopefully but not required, an affirmative that they thoroughly enjoyed themselves when asked.
Here we all are, beating our brains out trying to distinguish ourselves as a viable, affordable alternative to corporate-owned hotels while offering a unique and more personalized expereince, yet we are constantly told by industry advocates that in order to be successful and competitive, we must act just like the model we are in direct opposition to and in competition with.
When researching my own travel options, I'm far more interested in the veracity, originality, integrity and objectivity of the reviews I read than the sheer volume. My informal research with guests and friends shows me that many people feel the same way.
When confronted with a choice between a B&B like one in my area with 225+ reviews and more added nearly every day and a property that gets reviewed in what appears to be in a naturally occurring frequency with the qualities I just described but far fewer reviews, I myself and people I speak with trust the information about the latter more than the other.
.
Tim_Toad_HLB said:
JBanczak said:
The list goes on and on... And I forget the latest stat, but something like 3/4's of travelers rate them as their most important criteria along with a photo and the map to the property!
My point in all this is that people don't mind being asked nicely in some way (follow-up email, link, at check-out, etc.) to leave a review.
Here we all are, beating our brains out trying to distinguish ourselves as a viable, affordable alternative to corporate-owned hotels while offering a unique and more personalized expereince, yet we are constantly told by industry advocates that in order to be successful and competitive, we must act just like the model we are in direct opposition to and in competition with.
When researching my own travel options, I'm far more interested in the veracity, originality, integrity and objectivity of the reviews I read than the sheer volume. My informal research with guests and friends shows me that many people feel the same way.
When confronted with a choice between a B&B like one in my area with 225+ reviews and more added nearly every day and a property that gets reviewed in what appears to be in a naturally occurring frequency with the qualities I just described but far fewer reviews, I myself and people I speak with trust the information about the latter more than the other.
Those are good points, but we don't want to tell anyone to be just like a hotel, but we do think it is wise to listen to travelers. Only 4% of consumers stay at B&B's. Why?
Well, when we asked them, we found out that they are uncertain to the quality, afraid of the unknown, etc. and are a lot less likely to stay with someone who doesn't have reviews... You can have a unique and special property, yet still listen to consumers and get them the information they want. The same goes with online bookings - one of the chief complaints of consumers is that it is hard to book, they don't like to have to do requests, and there is no central place to see availability. Providing this functionality isn't necessarily conforming to hotels, it is making it easy for consumers to find out how great B&B's are by giving them the tools they need to want to book with you.
When I did a presentation in Napa - I asked the group (all BB owners) where they were staying... half the group was from out of town. All but one answered Embassy Suites or Marriott... BB owners. Why? They said it was too hard to book a BB and they didn't have time to find out which ones were available or good... No kidding! Think how consumers feel if BB owners don't even want to do it! A decade ago, it was tough to convince a lot of innkeepers they needed a website. Before that it was 800 numbers, and one can say the same thing about private bathrooms, wireless internet, etc.
Nothing about a property has to change to conform like a hotel, consumers are just used to more information in this day and age, so why as an industry would we want to keep it from them. It is a blessing to small businesses - because there is very little that separates the marketing tools available to a 5000 room hotel or a 1 room B&B now... and that has been a giant change on the web.
One of the fundamental tenants of marketing is "never assume you behave like anyone else on the planet..." meaning always make your decisions based on research, not your own thoughts or experience. This is to be taken with a grain of salt, but in this case the research is pretty overwhelming.
.
JBanczak said:
When I did a presentation in Napa - I asked the group (all BB owners) where they were staying... half the group was from out of town. All but one answered Embassy Suites or Marriott... BB owners. Why? They said it was too hard to book a BB and they didn't have time to find out which ones were available or good... No kidding!
Cancellation Policies!
Most of us don't know if we can even make it to a conference until last minute so the policies are what put many off. Guests tell me this ALL THE TIME, the 14 day or worse cancellation policy puts them off BnB's!
.
Joe Bloggs said:
Cancellation Policies!
Most of us don't know if we can even make it to a conference until last minute so the policies are what put many off. Guests tell me this ALL THE TIME, the 14 day or worse cancellation policy puts them off BnB's!
A VERY good point, although no one in this particular group mentioned that, but that is a big one to think about as well, although my feelings are more mixed on that than reviews.
 
I know many Innkeepers don't ask because they're afraid of what the reviews will say..
No, because many of us do not want to ask the guests for something, we give to them and do not feel right asking them to "DO" something, it negates all that we feel we have done for them here.
That is what I have heard many of the innkeepers on this forum say. They are not worried, they give outstanding service as their presence on this forum demonstrates - always being ahead of the pack, they do not want to put that obligation on the guest..
Joe Bloggs said:


No, because many of us do not want to ask the guests for something, we give to them and do not feel right asking them to "DO" something, it negates all that we feel we have done for them here.
That is what I have heard many of the innkeepers on this forum say. They are not worried, they give outstanding service as their presence on this forum demonstrates - always being ahead of the pack, they do not want to put that obligation on the guest.
Wow!
thumbs_up.gif

 
I've noted this before and don't mean to sound like a broken record... but this brings up a great point. Think about how many of the people who stay at your property depend on reviews in their lives now or will soon as sites have been launching on all of them.
Doctors
Contractors
Chefs/Restaurants
Lawyers
Accountants
Every local business like spas/salons/barbers
Every small goods manufacturer - period - from cars to electronics to sporting goods to everything
The list goes on and on... And I forget the latest stat, but something like 3/4's of travelers rate them as their most important criteria along with a photo and the map to the property!
My point in all this is that people don't mind being asked nicely in some way (follow-up email, link, at check-out, etc.) to leave a review..
JBanczak said:
The list goes on and on... And I forget the latest stat, but something like 3/4's of travelers rate them as their most important criteria along with a photo and the map to the property!
My point in all this is that people don't mind being asked nicely in some way (follow-up email, link, at check-out, etc.) to leave a review.
I wonder what the percentage would be if most people knew or were told in advance how badly these review venues are being manipulated and jaked by the very businesses and industry advocates benefitting the most from consumer driven reviews?
Of course you think people don't mind, your business benefits from more people giving reviews. The question for me has always been, do any of us mind begging, prodding and coaching our guests who come to us for a respite from the cookie cutter, corporate business model which always favors more, more, more, bigger is better, consolidate similar businesses, expand markets, get bigger databases of potential customer information, etc., etc..?
Just a few years ago, TA barely had a "specialty lodging" tab, now its added vacation rentals, more business traveler data, etc.. I think Sweetie Pie's opinion that they will not stop until every category of and individual lodging establishment is listed and somehow "partnered"
I for one, do mind. My guests don't owe me zilch at the end of their stay except their tariff, and hopefully but not required, an affirmative that they thoroughly enjoyed themselves when asked.
Here we all are, beating our brains out trying to distinguish ourselves as a viable, affordable alternative to corporate-owned hotels while offering a unique and more personalized expereince, yet we are constantly told by industry advocates that in order to be successful and competitive, we must act just like the model we are in direct opposition to and in competition with.
When researching my own travel options, I'm far more interested in the veracity, originality, integrity and objectivity of the reviews I read than the sheer volume. My informal research with guests and friends shows me that many people feel the same way.
When confronted with a choice between a B&B like one in my area with 225+ reviews and more added nearly every day and a property that gets reviewed in what appears to be in a naturally occurring frequency with the qualities I just described but far fewer reviews, I myself and people I speak with trust the information about the latter more than the other.
.
Tim_Toad_HLB said:
JBanczak said:
The list goes on and on... And I forget the latest stat, but something like 3/4's of travelers rate them as their most important criteria along with a photo and the map to the property!
My point in all this is that people don't mind being asked nicely in some way (follow-up email, link, at check-out, etc.) to leave a review.
Here we all are, beating our brains out trying to distinguish ourselves as a viable, affordable alternative to corporate-owned hotels while offering a unique and more personalized expereince, yet we are constantly told by industry advocates that in order to be successful and competitive, we must act just like the model we are in direct opposition to and in competition with.
When researching my own travel options, I'm far more interested in the veracity, originality, integrity and objectivity of the reviews I read than the sheer volume. My informal research with guests and friends shows me that many people feel the same way.
When confronted with a choice between a B&B like one in my area with 225+ reviews and more added nearly every day and a property that gets reviewed in what appears to be in a naturally occurring frequency with the qualities I just described but far fewer reviews, I myself and people I speak with trust the information about the latter more than the other.
Those are good points, but we don't want to tell anyone to be just like a hotel, but we do think it is wise to listen to travelers. Only 4% of consumers stay at B&B's. Why?
Well, when we asked them, we found out that they are uncertain to the quality, afraid of the unknown, etc. and are a lot less likely to stay with someone who doesn't have reviews... You can have a unique and special property, yet still listen to consumers and get them the information they want. The same goes with online bookings - one of the chief complaints of consumers is that it is hard to book, they don't like to have to do requests, and there is no central place to see availability. Providing this functionality isn't necessarily conforming to hotels, it is making it easy for consumers to find out how great B&B's are by giving them the tools they need to want to book with you.
When I did a presentation in Napa - I asked the group (all BB owners) where they were staying... half the group was from out of town. All but one answered Embassy Suites or Marriott... BB owners. Why? They said it was too hard to book a BB and they didn't have time to find out which ones were available or good... No kidding! Think how consumers feel if BB owners don't even want to do it! A decade ago, it was tough to convince a lot of innkeepers they needed a website. Before that it was 800 numbers, and one can say the same thing about private bathrooms, wireless internet, etc.
Nothing about a property has to change to conform like a hotel, consumers are just used to more information in this day and age, so why as an industry would we want to keep it from them. It is a blessing to small businesses - because there is very little that separates the marketing tools available to a 5000 room hotel or a 1 room B&B now... and that has been a giant change on the web.
One of the fundamental tenants of marketing is "never assume you behave like anyone else on the planet..." meaning always make your decisions based on research, not your own thoughts or experience. This is to be taken with a grain of salt, but in this case the research is pretty overwhelming.
.
JBanczak said:
When I did a presentation in Napa - I asked the group (all BB owners) where they were staying... half the group was from out of town. All but one answered Embassy Suites or Marriott... BB owners. Why? They said it was too hard to book a BB and they didn't have time to find out which ones were available or good... No kidding!
Cancellation Policies!
Most of us don't know if we can even make it to a conference until last minute so the policies are what put many off. Guests tell me this ALL THE TIME, the 14 day or worse cancellation policy puts them off BnB's!
.
Cancellation policies...we changed ours from 14 to 7 days.
Another reason innkeepers might have chosen the hotels in Napa is the price of a B&B in Napa! I'm guessing there was some sort of negotiated rate at the hotels. Does anyone ever contact B&B's near a convention site and ask if they are willing to give a better rate for professionals in the same field?
 
I've noted this before and don't mean to sound like a broken record... but this brings up a great point. Think about how many of the people who stay at your property depend on reviews in their lives now or will soon as sites have been launching on all of them.
Doctors
Contractors
Chefs/Restaurants
Lawyers
Accountants
Every local business like spas/salons/barbers
Every small goods manufacturer - period - from cars to electronics to sporting goods to everything
The list goes on and on... And I forget the latest stat, but something like 3/4's of travelers rate them as their most important criteria along with a photo and the map to the property!
My point in all this is that people don't mind being asked nicely in some way (follow-up email, link, at check-out, etc.) to leave a review..
JBanczak said:
The list goes on and on... And I forget the latest stat, but something like 3/4's of travelers rate them as their most important criteria along with a photo and the map to the property!
My point in all this is that people don't mind being asked nicely in some way (follow-up email, link, at check-out, etc.) to leave a review.
I wonder what the percentage would be if most people knew or were told in advance how badly these review venues are being manipulated and jaked by the very businesses and industry advocates benefitting the most from consumer driven reviews?
Of course you think people don't mind, your business benefits from more people giving reviews. The question for me has always been, do any of us mind begging, prodding and coaching our guests who come to us for a respite from the cookie cutter, corporate business model which always favors more, more, more, bigger is better, consolidate similar businesses, expand markets, get bigger databases of potential customer information, etc., etc..?
Just a few years ago, TA barely had a "specialty lodging" tab, now its added vacation rentals, more business traveler data, etc.. I think Sweetie Pie's opinion that they will not stop until every category of and individual lodging establishment is listed and somehow "partnered"
I for one, do mind. My guests don't owe me zilch at the end of their stay except their tariff, and hopefully but not required, an affirmative that they thoroughly enjoyed themselves when asked.
Here we all are, beating our brains out trying to distinguish ourselves as a viable, affordable alternative to corporate-owned hotels while offering a unique and more personalized expereince, yet we are constantly told by industry advocates that in order to be successful and competitive, we must act just like the model we are in direct opposition to and in competition with.
When researching my own travel options, I'm far more interested in the veracity, originality, integrity and objectivity of the reviews I read than the sheer volume. My informal research with guests and friends shows me that many people feel the same way.
When confronted with a choice between a B&B like one in my area with 225+ reviews and more added nearly every day and a property that gets reviewed in what appears to be in a naturally occurring frequency with the qualities I just described but far fewer reviews, I myself and people I speak with trust the information about the latter more than the other.
.
Tim_Toad_HLB said:
JBanczak said:
The list goes on and on... And I forget the latest stat, but something like 3/4's of travelers rate them as their most important criteria along with a photo and the map to the property!
My point in all this is that people don't mind being asked nicely in some way (follow-up email, link, at check-out, etc.) to leave a review.
Here we all are, beating our brains out trying to distinguish ourselves as a viable, affordable alternative to corporate-owned hotels while offering a unique and more personalized expereince, yet we are constantly told by industry advocates that in order to be successful and competitive, we must act just like the model we are in direct opposition to and in competition with.
When researching my own travel options, I'm far more interested in the veracity, originality, integrity and objectivity of the reviews I read than the sheer volume. My informal research with guests and friends shows me that many people feel the same way.
When confronted with a choice between a B&B like one in my area with 225+ reviews and more added nearly every day and a property that gets reviewed in what appears to be in a naturally occurring frequency with the qualities I just described but far fewer reviews, I myself and people I speak with trust the information about the latter more than the other.
Those are good points, but we don't want to tell anyone to be just like a hotel, but we do think it is wise to listen to travelers. Only 4% of consumers stay at B&B's. Why?
Well, when we asked them, we found out that they are uncertain to the quality, afraid of the unknown, etc. and are a lot less likely to stay with someone who doesn't have reviews... You can have a unique and special property, yet still listen to consumers and get them the information they want. The same goes with online bookings - one of the chief complaints of consumers is that it is hard to book, they don't like to have to do requests, and there is no central place to see availability. Providing this functionality isn't necessarily conforming to hotels, it is making it easy for consumers to find out how great B&B's are by giving them the tools they need to want to book with you.
When I did a presentation in Napa - I asked the group (all BB owners) where they were staying... half the group was from out of town. All but one answered Embassy Suites or Marriott... BB owners. Why? They said it was too hard to book a BB and they didn't have time to find out which ones were available or good... No kidding! Think how consumers feel if BB owners don't even want to do it! A decade ago, it was tough to convince a lot of innkeepers they needed a website. Before that it was 800 numbers, and one can say the same thing about private bathrooms, wireless internet, etc.
Nothing about a property has to change to conform like a hotel, consumers are just used to more information in this day and age, so why as an industry would we want to keep it from them. It is a blessing to small businesses - because there is very little that separates the marketing tools available to a 5000 room hotel or a 1 room B&B now... and that has been a giant change on the web.
One of the fundamental tenants of marketing is "never assume you behave like anyone else on the planet..." meaning always make your decisions based on research, not your own thoughts or experience. This is to be taken with a grain of salt, but in this case the research is pretty overwhelming.
.
JBanczak said:
When I did a presentation in Napa - I asked the group (all BB owners) where they were staying... half the group was from out of town. All but one answered Embassy Suites or Marriott... BB owners. Why? They said it was too hard to book a BB and they didn't have time to find out which ones were available or good... No kidding!
Cancellation Policies!
Most of us don't know if we can even make it to a conference until last minute so the policies are what put many off. Guests tell me this ALL THE TIME, the 14 day or worse cancellation policy puts them off BnB's!
.
Cancellation policies...we changed ours from 14 to 7 days.
Another reason innkeepers might have chosen the hotels in Napa is the price of a B&B in Napa! I'm guessing there was some sort of negotiated rate at the hotels. Does anyone ever contact B&B's near a convention site and ask if they are willing to give a better rate for professionals in the same field?
.
We have a meeting at another inn in December - weekday. I was going to make the rez until I found out about the non-refundable $100 deposit. Not ready to make that commitment yet - yeesh!
 
I've noted this before and don't mean to sound like a broken record... but this brings up a great point. Think about how many of the people who stay at your property depend on reviews in their lives now or will soon as sites have been launching on all of them.
Doctors
Contractors
Chefs/Restaurants
Lawyers
Accountants
Every local business like spas/salons/barbers
Every small goods manufacturer - period - from cars to electronics to sporting goods to everything
The list goes on and on... And I forget the latest stat, but something like 3/4's of travelers rate them as their most important criteria along with a photo and the map to the property!
My point in all this is that people don't mind being asked nicely in some way (follow-up email, link, at check-out, etc.) to leave a review..
JBanczak said:
The list goes on and on... And I forget the latest stat, but something like 3/4's of travelers rate them as their most important criteria along with a photo and the map to the property!
My point in all this is that people don't mind being asked nicely in some way (follow-up email, link, at check-out, etc.) to leave a review.
I wonder what the percentage would be if most people knew or were told in advance how badly these review venues are being manipulated and jaked by the very businesses and industry advocates benefitting the most from consumer driven reviews?
Of course you think people don't mind, your business benefits from more people giving reviews. The question for me has always been, do any of us mind begging, prodding and coaching our guests who come to us for a respite from the cookie cutter, corporate business model which always favors more, more, more, bigger is better, consolidate similar businesses, expand markets, get bigger databases of potential customer information, etc., etc..?
Just a few years ago, TA barely had a "specialty lodging" tab, now its added vacation rentals, more business traveler data, etc.. I think Sweetie Pie's opinion that they will not stop until every category of and individual lodging establishment is listed and somehow "partnered"
I for one, do mind. My guests don't owe me zilch at the end of their stay except their tariff, and hopefully but not required, an affirmative that they thoroughly enjoyed themselves when asked.
Here we all are, beating our brains out trying to distinguish ourselves as a viable, affordable alternative to corporate-owned hotels while offering a unique and more personalized expereince, yet we are constantly told by industry advocates that in order to be successful and competitive, we must act just like the model we are in direct opposition to and in competition with.
When researching my own travel options, I'm far more interested in the veracity, originality, integrity and objectivity of the reviews I read than the sheer volume. My informal research with guests and friends shows me that many people feel the same way.
When confronted with a choice between a B&B like one in my area with 225+ reviews and more added nearly every day and a property that gets reviewed in what appears to be in a naturally occurring frequency with the qualities I just described but far fewer reviews, I myself and people I speak with trust the information about the latter more than the other.
.
Tim_Toad_HLB said:
JBanczak said:
The list goes on and on... And I forget the latest stat, but something like 3/4's of travelers rate them as their most important criteria along with a photo and the map to the property!
My point in all this is that people don't mind being asked nicely in some way (follow-up email, link, at check-out, etc.) to leave a review.
Here we all are, beating our brains out trying to distinguish ourselves as a viable, affordable alternative to corporate-owned hotels while offering a unique and more personalized expereince, yet we are constantly told by industry advocates that in order to be successful and competitive, we must act just like the model we are in direct opposition to and in competition with.
When researching my own travel options, I'm far more interested in the veracity, originality, integrity and objectivity of the reviews I read than the sheer volume. My informal research with guests and friends shows me that many people feel the same way.
When confronted with a choice between a B&B like one in my area with 225+ reviews and more added nearly every day and a property that gets reviewed in what appears to be in a naturally occurring frequency with the qualities I just described but far fewer reviews, I myself and people I speak with trust the information about the latter more than the other.
Those are good points, but we don't want to tell anyone to be just like a hotel, but we do think it is wise to listen to travelers. Only 4% of consumers stay at B&B's. Why?
Well, when we asked them, we found out that they are uncertain to the quality, afraid of the unknown, etc. and are a lot less likely to stay with someone who doesn't have reviews... You can have a unique and special property, yet still listen to consumers and get them the information they want. The same goes with online bookings - one of the chief complaints of consumers is that it is hard to book, they don't like to have to do requests, and there is no central place to see availability. Providing this functionality isn't necessarily conforming to hotels, it is making it easy for consumers to find out how great B&B's are by giving them the tools they need to want to book with you.
When I did a presentation in Napa - I asked the group (all BB owners) where they were staying... half the group was from out of town. All but one answered Embassy Suites or Marriott... BB owners. Why? They said it was too hard to book a BB and they didn't have time to find out which ones were available or good... No kidding! Think how consumers feel if BB owners don't even want to do it! A decade ago, it was tough to convince a lot of innkeepers they needed a website. Before that it was 800 numbers, and one can say the same thing about private bathrooms, wireless internet, etc.
Nothing about a property has to change to conform like a hotel, consumers are just used to more information in this day and age, so why as an industry would we want to keep it from them. It is a blessing to small businesses - because there is very little that separates the marketing tools available to a 5000 room hotel or a 1 room B&B now... and that has been a giant change on the web.
One of the fundamental tenants of marketing is "never assume you behave like anyone else on the planet..." meaning always make your decisions based on research, not your own thoughts or experience. This is to be taken with a grain of salt, but in this case the research is pretty overwhelming.
.
JBanczak said:
When I did a presentation in Napa - I asked the group (all BB owners) where they were staying... half the group was from out of town. All but one answered Embassy Suites or Marriott... BB owners. Why? They said it was too hard to book a BB and they didn't have time to find out which ones were available or good... No kidding!
Cancellation Policies!
Most of us don't know if we can even make it to a conference until last minute so the policies are what put many off. Guests tell me this ALL THE TIME, the 14 day or worse cancellation policy puts them off BnB's!
.
Cancellation policies...we changed ours from 14 to 7 days.
Another reason innkeepers might have chosen the hotels in Napa is the price of a B&B in Napa! I'm guessing there was some sort of negotiated rate at the hotels. Does anyone ever contact B&B's near a convention site and ask if they are willing to give a better rate for professionals in the same field?
.
We have a meeting at another inn in December - weekday. I was going to make the rez until I found out about the non-refundable $100 deposit. Not ready to make that commitment yet - yeesh!
.
muirford said:
We have a meeting at another inn in December - weekday. I was going to make the rez until I found out about the non-refundable $100 deposit. Not ready to make that commitment yet - yeesh!
Sometimes we're our own worst enemies! But, think about it...you would have made that rez and then possibly cancelled, so they deterred you for someone who is 'certain'.
I have a few week-long bookings coming up. I dread these as a cancellation will more than likely mean I don't make all of those nights back. I'd rather the 2-nighters! 3 of them are for a conference, but the others are all vacationers.
 
I've noted this before and don't mean to sound like a broken record... but this brings up a great point. Think about how many of the people who stay at your property depend on reviews in their lives now or will soon as sites have been launching on all of them.
Doctors
Contractors
Chefs/Restaurants
Lawyers
Accountants
Every local business like spas/salons/barbers
Every small goods manufacturer - period - from cars to electronics to sporting goods to everything
The list goes on and on... And I forget the latest stat, but something like 3/4's of travelers rate them as their most important criteria along with a photo and the map to the property!
My point in all this is that people don't mind being asked nicely in some way (follow-up email, link, at check-out, etc.) to leave a review..
JBanczak said:
The list goes on and on... And I forget the latest stat, but something like 3/4's of travelers rate them as their most important criteria along with a photo and the map to the property!
My point in all this is that people don't mind being asked nicely in some way (follow-up email, link, at check-out, etc.) to leave a review.
I wonder what the percentage would be if most people knew or were told in advance how badly these review venues are being manipulated and jaked by the very businesses and industry advocates benefitting the most from consumer driven reviews?
Of course you think people don't mind, your business benefits from more people giving reviews. The question for me has always been, do any of us mind begging, prodding and coaching our guests who come to us for a respite from the cookie cutter, corporate business model which always favors more, more, more, bigger is better, consolidate similar businesses, expand markets, get bigger databases of potential customer information, etc., etc..?
Just a few years ago, TA barely had a "specialty lodging" tab, now its added vacation rentals, more business traveler data, etc.. I think Sweetie Pie's opinion that they will not stop until every category of and individual lodging establishment is listed and somehow "partnered"
I for one, do mind. My guests don't owe me zilch at the end of their stay except their tariff, and hopefully but not required, an affirmative that they thoroughly enjoyed themselves when asked.
Here we all are, beating our brains out trying to distinguish ourselves as a viable, affordable alternative to corporate-owned hotels while offering a unique and more personalized expereince, yet we are constantly told by industry advocates that in order to be successful and competitive, we must act just like the model we are in direct opposition to and in competition with.
When researching my own travel options, I'm far more interested in the veracity, originality, integrity and objectivity of the reviews I read than the sheer volume. My informal research with guests and friends shows me that many people feel the same way.
When confronted with a choice between a B&B like one in my area with 225+ reviews and more added nearly every day and a property that gets reviewed in what appears to be in a naturally occurring frequency with the qualities I just described but far fewer reviews, I myself and people I speak with trust the information about the latter more than the other.
.
"I think Sweetie Pie's opinion that they will not stop until every category of and individual lodging establishment is listed and somehow "partnered"
Just for clarification that wasn't just my opinion. TA stated that in the webinar as their goal - to list every accommodation on the planet.
 
I agree with JBanczak. If you're doing a good job, you're guests will be quite happy to write a review for you. If they love you, they will want other people to know it. While I send an email to all departing guests, the majority do not write a review...even if they left a glowing note in the room journal. Mostly the email is a "thanks for staying with us, we appreciate your business, it's nice people like you that continue to make innkeeping such a pleasure for us...by the way, if you have a moment, we would appreciate you reviewing your stay for other travelers" kind of thing (fluffed up, of course). After that one email, I don't pester.
I know many Innkeepers don't ask because they're afraid of what the reviews will say...and some take it very personally if even one tiny little negative is mentioned...even in a positive overall review...so they would rather nothing get posted at all. But, the overwhelming majority use reviews to decide where to stay...I know my guests do...in fact the couple I just checked in said "It was obvious to us by reading your reviews that this was the place for us". You really can't buy that kind of positive exposure (well, I guess you could, if you were a cheater).
It's just another form of self-marketing, and one that costs you nothing. If you're confident in yourself and your place, then there's nothing to lose. Like review sites, or hate them, they're sticking around and people are going to continue to use them, so you may as well use them to YOUR advantage..
I think you're assuming a lot, that all guests are nice, normal people like us. I think that there is a silent backlash building to all of this, for lack of a better word "review mongering".
I always ask the guest if they enjoyed their stay before even bringing up the possibility of a review. I generally hear positive feedback. However, when it comes to the subject of a review it is often a different story. One gentleman replied, "If I did writie one, it would be the first one." He was telling the truth - no review even though they had a wonderful time.
Another tack I've seen recently is that they graciously say they will and if pressed further by handing them a card then get very uncomfortable. They don't write anything, but at least they don't write anything bad either.
Finally, there seems to be a new class emerging on TA which I'll call, for lack of a better word, "the "spoilers". I'll see large prominent places with tons of 5 star reviews and sprinkled among them are these very negative 1 star reviews about nit-picky little things. It's like these reviewers wouldn't be happy anywhere they were staying, or they just can't stand to see a place have all positive reviews - so they have to be the ones to break the truth to the world.
Obviously, these places can't be writing all of their positive reviews, no matter how big their staffs are. So, I think this overemphasis on reviews is creating its own unique set of problems.
 
I agree with JBanczak. If you're doing a good job, you're guests will be quite happy to write a review for you. If they love you, they will want other people to know it. While I send an email to all departing guests, the majority do not write a review...even if they left a glowing note in the room journal. Mostly the email is a "thanks for staying with us, we appreciate your business, it's nice people like you that continue to make innkeeping such a pleasure for us...by the way, if you have a moment, we would appreciate you reviewing your stay for other travelers" kind of thing (fluffed up, of course). After that one email, I don't pester.
I know many Innkeepers don't ask because they're afraid of what the reviews will say...and some take it very personally if even one tiny little negative is mentioned...even in a positive overall review...so they would rather nothing get posted at all. But, the overwhelming majority use reviews to decide where to stay...I know my guests do...in fact the couple I just checked in said "It was obvious to us by reading your reviews that this was the place for us". You really can't buy that kind of positive exposure (well, I guess you could, if you were a cheater).
It's just another form of self-marketing, and one that costs you nothing. If you're confident in yourself and your place, then there's nothing to lose. Like review sites, or hate them, they're sticking around and people are going to continue to use them, so you may as well use them to YOUR advantage..
"If you're doing a good job, you're guests will be quite happy to write a review for you. If they love you, they will want other people to know it."
Now if that were really true, wouldn't 99% of us doing a good or great job, have guests who first ask us "how can I help promote your B&B?", then rush home and flood every review venue with glowing reviews?
We have guests who have been here 8 or 9 times in four years and didn't write a review for us until after their last stay. We've still never asked them to do it either. We just don't feel its our right to expect anything of or obligate our guests any further than the payment for the room, sharing whatever camaraderie they feel comfortable sharing with us while here and letting us know if there is anything we can do make their stay more enjoyable.
"Mostly the email is a "thanks for staying with us, we appreciate your business, it's nice people like you that continue to make innkeeping such a pleasure for us...by the way, if you have a moment, we would appreciate you reviewing your stay for other travelers" kind of thing (fluffed up, of course)."
That seems like a very nice way of putting it.
We have done a similar thank you but only put the review request in the one for people who volunteered that they found us and chose us because of reviews they read or online directories that offer reviews. We do give out the review card that B&B.com supplies us with, but I 'd say its about 1 out of 50 that take the time to fill it out.
"After that one email, I don't pester."
I would think most guests really appreciate the lack of pressure you apply.
"I know many Innkeepers don't ask because they're afraid of what the reviews will say...and some take it very personally if even one tiny little negative is mentioned...even in a positive overall review...so they would rather nothing get posted at all."
I can't agree with or begin to understand that mindset. We don't associate with any innkeepers who are that fixated on TA or in garnering reviews to begin with. Our closest colleagues and us share a very similar approach to both innkeeper and honoring the intended and inferred objectivity of consumer driven reviews.
I actually have grown to appreciate the two negative reviews out of 58 we've received on TA. They serve as warning flags to the same kind of inconsiderate, rude, drunken, disrespectful louts who wrote them to pick somewhere else to stay. They also act as proof to all the potential great guests out there who have had to share a B&B with lousy guests that we are innkeepers who have enough self-respect for ourselves and our other guests staying here that really bad behavior will not be tolerated even with the veiled or overt threat of a bad review hanging over our heads.
"But, the overwhelming majority use reviews to decide where to stay..."
I don't doubt that for a minute and it is our experience here as well. But that isn't the points or what i borught up in my response to John's post. I was posing questions about why most people DON"T write reviews. I think the reasons are a lot more innocent than what you've just suggested.
"It was obvious to us by reading your reviews that this was the place for us".
Like I said, if I had a nickel for every guest who has told us that and NOT written a review themselves, we'd be retired already. Which hopefully not to get too circular leads us back to the original source of comments.
"You really can't buy that kind of positive exposure (well, I guess you could, if you were a cheater).
"It's just another form of self-marketing, and one that costs you nothing."
No, its supposed to be a free, consumer driven portal designed to allow travelers the opportunity to share their experiences that deserves a lot more respect by business owners than it is currently receiving. Its been hijacked by manipulative, opportunistic business owners who feel entitled to claim it as a "form of self-marketing" to the detriment of its veracity and utlimately its trustworthiness. Its a golden goose whose integrity should be honored way more than I see happening.
"If you're confident in yourself and your place, then there's nothing to lose."
Confidence in one's self and business has no bearing on us all being entitled to manipulate the process in any way for our own ends.
 
I know many Innkeepers don't ask because they're afraid of what the reviews will say..
No, because many of us do not want to ask the guests for something, we give to them and do not feel right asking them to "DO" something, it negates all that we feel we have done for them here.
That is what I have heard many of the innkeepers on this forum say. They are not worried, they give outstanding service as their presence on this forum demonstrates - always being ahead of the pack, they do not want to put that obligation on the guest..
Joe Bloggs said:


No, because many of us do not want to ask the guests for something, we give to them and do not feel right asking them to "DO" something, it negates all that we feel we have done for them here.
That is what I have heard many of the innkeepers on this forum say. They are not worried, they give outstanding service as their presence on this forum demonstrates - always being ahead of the pack, they do not want to put that obligation on the guest.
Wow!
thumbs_up.gif

.
I was at the PAII conference in Atlanta this year. TA did not give themselves the "800 lb gorilla" name, the folks st the conference did. It was a joke. There was someone suited up as a gorilla at the panel discussion that TA participated at. The name has stuck.
As mentioned before, TA and other review venues are NOT going away. Love 'em or hate 'em, they are tools that I rely on when I travel. I have never stayed at a #1 rated place, and I have often stayed at places that have had negative reviews. The management responses are the most useful tool for me, as I am able to see the temperment of the owner/manager to get a feel for the "fit".
TA is there for the traveler, not the owner, and the traveler's needs will always be their focus. Their research shows that management response to reviews are very important to their users. People polled said that the response was always more important to them than the negative review, so I guess I am not alone in my use of these responses. Most users are also tuned in to the fact that a property with nothing but tons of flowery reviews is a warning sign that something is fishy or not real.
If owners can get past not being ranked #1, and get over the hurt and anger of a bad review, justified or not, they can begin to learn the fine art of marketing to the kind of guests they want to attract by thoughtful response to a negative review.
My two pesos worth.
 
I agree with JBanczak. If you're doing a good job, you're guests will be quite happy to write a review for you. If they love you, they will want other people to know it. While I send an email to all departing guests, the majority do not write a review...even if they left a glowing note in the room journal. Mostly the email is a "thanks for staying with us, we appreciate your business, it's nice people like you that continue to make innkeeping such a pleasure for us...by the way, if you have a moment, we would appreciate you reviewing your stay for other travelers" kind of thing (fluffed up, of course). After that one email, I don't pester.
I know many Innkeepers don't ask because they're afraid of what the reviews will say...and some take it very personally if even one tiny little negative is mentioned...even in a positive overall review...so they would rather nothing get posted at all. But, the overwhelming majority use reviews to decide where to stay...I know my guests do...in fact the couple I just checked in said "It was obvious to us by reading your reviews that this was the place for us". You really can't buy that kind of positive exposure (well, I guess you could, if you were a cheater).
It's just another form of self-marketing, and one that costs you nothing. If you're confident in yourself and your place, then there's nothing to lose. Like review sites, or hate them, they're sticking around and people are going to continue to use them, so you may as well use them to YOUR advantage..
"If you're doing a good job, you're guests will be quite happy to write a review for you. If they love you, they will want other people to know it."
Now if that were really true, wouldn't 99% of us doing a good or great job, have guests who first ask us "how can I help promote your B&B?", then rush home and flood every review venue with glowing reviews?
We have guests who have been here 8 or 9 times in four years and didn't write a review for us until after their last stay. We've still never asked them to do it either. We just don't feel its our right to expect anything of or obligate our guests any further than the payment for the room, sharing whatever camaraderie they feel comfortable sharing with us while here and letting us know if there is anything we can do make their stay more enjoyable.
"Mostly the email is a "thanks for staying with us, we appreciate your business, it's nice people like you that continue to make innkeeping such a pleasure for us...by the way, if you have a moment, we would appreciate you reviewing your stay for other travelers" kind of thing (fluffed up, of course)."
That seems like a very nice way of putting it.
We have done a similar thank you but only put the review request in the one for people who volunteered that they found us and chose us because of reviews they read or online directories that offer reviews. We do give out the review card that B&B.com supplies us with, but I 'd say its about 1 out of 50 that take the time to fill it out.
"After that one email, I don't pester."
I would think most guests really appreciate the lack of pressure you apply.
"I know many Innkeepers don't ask because they're afraid of what the reviews will say...and some take it very personally if even one tiny little negative is mentioned...even in a positive overall review...so they would rather nothing get posted at all."
I can't agree with or begin to understand that mindset. We don't associate with any innkeepers who are that fixated on TA or in garnering reviews to begin with. Our closest colleagues and us share a very similar approach to both innkeeper and honoring the intended and inferred objectivity of consumer driven reviews.
I actually have grown to appreciate the two negative reviews out of 58 we've received on TA. They serve as warning flags to the same kind of inconsiderate, rude, drunken, disrespectful louts who wrote them to pick somewhere else to stay. They also act as proof to all the potential great guests out there who have had to share a B&B with lousy guests that we are innkeepers who have enough self-respect for ourselves and our other guests staying here that really bad behavior will not be tolerated even with the veiled or overt threat of a bad review hanging over our heads.
"But, the overwhelming majority use reviews to decide where to stay..."
I don't doubt that for a minute and it is our experience here as well. But that isn't the points or what i borught up in my response to John's post. I was posing questions about why most people DON"T write reviews. I think the reasons are a lot more innocent than what you've just suggested.
"It was obvious to us by reading your reviews that this was the place for us".
Like I said, if I had a nickel for every guest who has told us that and NOT written a review themselves, we'd be retired already. Which hopefully not to get too circular leads us back to the original source of comments.
"You really can't buy that kind of positive exposure (well, I guess you could, if you were a cheater).
"It's just another form of self-marketing, and one that costs you nothing."
No, its supposed to be a free, consumer driven portal designed to allow travelers the opportunity to share their experiences that deserves a lot more respect by business owners than it is currently receiving. Its been hijacked by manipulative, opportunistic business owners who feel entitled to claim it as a "form of self-marketing" to the detriment of its veracity and utlimately its trustworthiness. Its a golden goose whose integrity should be honored way more than I see happening.
"If you're confident in yourself and your place, then there's nothing to lose."
Confidence in one's self and business has no bearing on us all being entitled to manipulate the process in any way for our own ends.
.
God, there is nothing more annoying than someone who feels that they need to take every single sentence that you write and refute it, statement by statement. And that's all I'm gonna say about that!
 
I've noted this before and don't mean to sound like a broken record... but this brings up a great point. Think about how many of the people who stay at your property depend on reviews in their lives now or will soon as sites have been launching on all of them.
Doctors
Contractors
Chefs/Restaurants
Lawyers
Accountants
Every local business like spas/salons/barbers
Every small goods manufacturer - period - from cars to electronics to sporting goods to everything
The list goes on and on... And I forget the latest stat, but something like 3/4's of travelers rate them as their most important criteria along with a photo and the map to the property!
My point in all this is that people don't mind being asked nicely in some way (follow-up email, link, at check-out, etc.) to leave a review..
JBanczak said:
The list goes on and on... And I forget the latest stat, but something like 3/4's of travelers rate them as their most important criteria along with a photo and the map to the property!
My point in all this is that people don't mind being asked nicely in some way (follow-up email, link, at check-out, etc.) to leave a review.
I wonder what the percentage would be if most people knew or were told in advance how badly these review venues are being manipulated and jaked by the very businesses and industry advocates benefitting the most from consumer driven reviews?
Of course you think people don't mind, your business benefits from more people giving reviews. The question for me has always been, do any of us mind begging, prodding and coaching our guests who come to us for a respite from the cookie cutter, corporate business model which always favors more, more, more, bigger is better, consolidate similar businesses, expand markets, get bigger databases of potential customer information, etc., etc..?
Just a few years ago, TA barely had a "specialty lodging" tab, now its added vacation rentals, more business traveler data, etc.. I think Sweetie Pie's opinion that they will not stop until every category of and individual lodging establishment is listed and somehow "partnered"
I for one, do mind. My guests don't owe me zilch at the end of their stay except their tariff, and hopefully but not required, an affirmative that they thoroughly enjoyed themselves when asked.
Here we all are, beating our brains out trying to distinguish ourselves as a viable, affordable alternative to corporate-owned hotels while offering a unique and more personalized expereince, yet we are constantly told by industry advocates that in order to be successful and competitive, we must act just like the model we are in direct opposition to and in competition with.
When researching my own travel options, I'm far more interested in the veracity, originality, integrity and objectivity of the reviews I read than the sheer volume. My informal research with guests and friends shows me that many people feel the same way.
When confronted with a choice between a B&B like one in my area with 225+ reviews and more added nearly every day and a property that gets reviewed in what appears to be in a naturally occurring frequency with the qualities I just described but far fewer reviews, I myself and people I speak with trust the information about the latter more than the other.
.
Tim_Toad_HLB said:
JBanczak said:
The list goes on and on... And I forget the latest stat, but something like 3/4's of travelers rate them as their most important criteria along with a photo and the map to the property!
My point in all this is that people don't mind being asked nicely in some way (follow-up email, link, at check-out, etc.) to leave a review.
Here we all are, beating our brains out trying to distinguish ourselves as a viable, affordable alternative to corporate-owned hotels while offering a unique and more personalized expereince, yet we are constantly told by industry advocates that in order to be successful and competitive, we must act just like the model we are in direct opposition to and in competition with.
When researching my own travel options, I'm far more interested in the veracity, originality, integrity and objectivity of the reviews I read than the sheer volume. My informal research with guests and friends shows me that many people feel the same way.
When confronted with a choice between a B&B like one in my area with 225+ reviews and more added nearly every day and a property that gets reviewed in what appears to be in a naturally occurring frequency with the qualities I just described but far fewer reviews, I myself and people I speak with trust the information about the latter more than the other.
Those are good points, but we don't want to tell anyone to be just like a hotel, but we do think it is wise to listen to travelers. Only 4% of consumers stay at B&B's. Why?
Well, when we asked them, we found out that they are uncertain to the quality, afraid of the unknown, etc. and are a lot less likely to stay with someone who doesn't have reviews... You can have a unique and special property, yet still listen to consumers and get them the information they want. The same goes with online bookings - one of the chief complaints of consumers is that it is hard to book, they don't like to have to do requests, and there is no central place to see availability. Providing this functionality isn't necessarily conforming to hotels, it is making it easy for consumers to find out how great B&B's are by giving them the tools they need to want to book with you.
When I did a presentation in Napa - I asked the group (all BB owners) where they were staying... half the group was from out of town. All but one answered Embassy Suites or Marriott... BB owners. Why? They said it was too hard to book a BB and they didn't have time to find out which ones were available or good... No kidding! Think how consumers feel if BB owners don't even want to do it! A decade ago, it was tough to convince a lot of innkeepers they needed a website. Before that it was 800 numbers, and one can say the same thing about private bathrooms, wireless internet, etc.
Nothing about a property has to change to conform like a hotel, consumers are just used to more information in this day and age, so why as an industry would we want to keep it from them. It is a blessing to small businesses - because there is very little that separates the marketing tools available to a 5000 room hotel or a 1 room B&B now... and that has been a giant change on the web.
One of the fundamental tenants of marketing is "never assume you behave like anyone else on the planet..." meaning always make your decisions based on research, not your own thoughts or experience. This is to be taken with a grain of salt, but in this case the research is pretty overwhelming.
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JBanczak said:
When I did a presentation in Napa - I asked the group (all BB owners) where they were staying... half the group was from out of town. All but one answered Embassy Suites or Marriott... BB owners. Why? They said it was too hard to book a BB and they didn't have time to find out which ones were available or good... No kidding!
Cancellation Policies!
Most of us don't know if we can even make it to a conference until last minute so the policies are what put many off. Guests tell me this ALL THE TIME, the 14 day or worse cancellation policy puts them off BnB's!
.
Cancellation policies...we changed ours from 14 to 7 days.
Another reason innkeepers might have chosen the hotels in Napa is the price of a B&B in Napa! I'm guessing there was some sort of negotiated rate at the hotels. Does anyone ever contact B&B's near a convention site and ask if they are willing to give a better rate for professionals in the same field?
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Bree said:
Cancellation policies...we changed ours from 14 to 7 days.
Another reason innkeepers might have chosen the hotels in Napa is the price of a B&B in Napa! I'm guessing there was some sort of negotiated rate at the hotels. Does anyone ever contact B&B's near a convention site and ask if they are willing to give a better rate for professionals in the same field?
Also time frames to be at the conference or meetings on time. Not sure what time they were held. Most BnB's are flexible, not all. Maybe the BnB's had a minimum stay as well? Price, like you say is a big factor. I would not stay at a BnB without my S.O.
 
I agree with JBanczak. If you're doing a good job, you're guests will be quite happy to write a review for you. If they love you, they will want other people to know it. While I send an email to all departing guests, the majority do not write a review...even if they left a glowing note in the room journal. Mostly the email is a "thanks for staying with us, we appreciate your business, it's nice people like you that continue to make innkeeping such a pleasure for us...by the way, if you have a moment, we would appreciate you reviewing your stay for other travelers" kind of thing (fluffed up, of course). After that one email, I don't pester.
I know many Innkeepers don't ask because they're afraid of what the reviews will say...and some take it very personally if even one tiny little negative is mentioned...even in a positive overall review...so they would rather nothing get posted at all. But, the overwhelming majority use reviews to decide where to stay...I know my guests do...in fact the couple I just checked in said "It was obvious to us by reading your reviews that this was the place for us". You really can't buy that kind of positive exposure (well, I guess you could, if you were a cheater).
It's just another form of self-marketing, and one that costs you nothing. If you're confident in yourself and your place, then there's nothing to lose. Like review sites, or hate them, they're sticking around and people are going to continue to use them, so you may as well use them to YOUR advantage..
"If you're doing a good job, you're guests will be quite happy to write a review for you. If they love you, they will want other people to know it."
Now if that were really true, wouldn't 99% of us doing a good or great job, have guests who first ask us "how can I help promote your B&B?", then rush home and flood every review venue with glowing reviews?
We have guests who have been here 8 or 9 times in four years and didn't write a review for us until after their last stay. We've still never asked them to do it either. We just don't feel its our right to expect anything of or obligate our guests any further than the payment for the room, sharing whatever camaraderie they feel comfortable sharing with us while here and letting us know if there is anything we can do make their stay more enjoyable.
"Mostly the email is a "thanks for staying with us, we appreciate your business, it's nice people like you that continue to make innkeeping such a pleasure for us...by the way, if you have a moment, we would appreciate you reviewing your stay for other travelers" kind of thing (fluffed up, of course)."
That seems like a very nice way of putting it.
We have done a similar thank you but only put the review request in the one for people who volunteered that they found us and chose us because of reviews they read or online directories that offer reviews. We do give out the review card that B&B.com supplies us with, but I 'd say its about 1 out of 50 that take the time to fill it out.
"After that one email, I don't pester."
I would think most guests really appreciate the lack of pressure you apply.
"I know many Innkeepers don't ask because they're afraid of what the reviews will say...and some take it very personally if even one tiny little negative is mentioned...even in a positive overall review...so they would rather nothing get posted at all."
I can't agree with or begin to understand that mindset. We don't associate with any innkeepers who are that fixated on TA or in garnering reviews to begin with. Our closest colleagues and us share a very similar approach to both innkeeper and honoring the intended and inferred objectivity of consumer driven reviews.
I actually have grown to appreciate the two negative reviews out of 58 we've received on TA. They serve as warning flags to the same kind of inconsiderate, rude, drunken, disrespectful louts who wrote them to pick somewhere else to stay. They also act as proof to all the potential great guests out there who have had to share a B&B with lousy guests that we are innkeepers who have enough self-respect for ourselves and our other guests staying here that really bad behavior will not be tolerated even with the veiled or overt threat of a bad review hanging over our heads.
"But, the overwhelming majority use reviews to decide where to stay..."
I don't doubt that for a minute and it is our experience here as well. But that isn't the points or what i borught up in my response to John's post. I was posing questions about why most people DON"T write reviews. I think the reasons are a lot more innocent than what you've just suggested.
"It was obvious to us by reading your reviews that this was the place for us".
Like I said, if I had a nickel for every guest who has told us that and NOT written a review themselves, we'd be retired already. Which hopefully not to get too circular leads us back to the original source of comments.
"You really can't buy that kind of positive exposure (well, I guess you could, if you were a cheater).
"It's just another form of self-marketing, and one that costs you nothing."
No, its supposed to be a free, consumer driven portal designed to allow travelers the opportunity to share their experiences that deserves a lot more respect by business owners than it is currently receiving. Its been hijacked by manipulative, opportunistic business owners who feel entitled to claim it as a "form of self-marketing" to the detriment of its veracity and utlimately its trustworthiness. Its a golden goose whose integrity should be honored way more than I see happening.
"If you're confident in yourself and your place, then there's nothing to lose."
Confidence in one's self and business has no bearing on us all being entitled to manipulate the process in any way for our own ends.
.
God, there is nothing more annoying than someone who feels that they need to take every single sentence that you write and refute it, statement by statement. And that's all I'm gonna say about that!
.
"God, there is nothing more annoying than someone who feels that they need to take every single sentence that you write and refute it, statement by statement. And that's all I'm gonna say about that!"
I didn't read it..but I can feel your annoyance and I agree
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