Time wasters and video of our inn

Bed & Breakfast / Short Term Rental Host Forum

Help Support Bed & Breakfast / Short Term Rental Host Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

JBloggs

Well-known member
Joined
Oct 7, 2008
Messages
17,744
Reaction score
9
"VENT...and tongue in cheek sarcasm warning"
I can't figure out why but I am so not into inn videos, I can't bear them. I apologize to those of you who have them, but it just rubs me wrong, not sure why. I like funny videos and goofy videos and all that, click if you wish, but those who try to SELL ME SOMETHING via video turn me off. Oh but you can see the inn this way, sure but why not add some photos for me to look into?
So got another email in all bold giant font telling me I know nothing if I don't have a video of our place on our website. Also had three phone calls just today telling me they can get my website on page 1 of google, doofuses we are on page 1. Anywho...btw I have the machine answering on the first ring, this is how i have to live now with marketers wasting my time. Another time waster was PamelaLaniers group, calling multiple times...here is a clue if I DROPPED THE DIRECTORY and DO NOT RETURN YOUR CALLS leave me alone!
So back the "professional" video thing, it is worth $4500 but we can have 3 minutes for $500.
Maybe this is some secret marketing technique, next time a room calls I will say "This room is worth $500 but you can have it for $150. Oh but you only get it for 3 minutes."
I don't know about y'all but do they think we just fell off the back of a pumpkin truck? We seemed to have a partial reprieve from these marketers attacking us telling us we are idiots if we don't have our name on the red plastic cup at Luigi's Pizza...but they are back in full force and they need to take a hike...and not a nice scenic Blue Ridge hike, a hike off a short pier!
 
Good grief...there are folks out there advertising $199 or some ridiculously low price for doing an inn video. L A N I E R....forget about her...all she is after is your money
 
That is all they ALL are after - our money. And they do NOT care if we get nothing from it - they got their money.
There is a site that had free listings and Paid listings were available. I guess I did not do my due diligence. Turns out all I got for my PAID listing was more text that people do not read and a couple of photos. BUT the kicker is that I am thinking PAID gets placement - WRONG. This group does not believe in that. So since my city began with S EVERY darn city in the State that came before my city alphabeticly - even if they were free listings - came up before mine. They did not care - they HAD MY MONEY!
 
I'm not impressed by videos on B&B websites. Give me great pictures of the guest rooms & their baths, common areas, the outside of the inn, and the food! I don't have the attention span to watch a video. They can be fun on blogs, though.
 
ditto against the videos.
i don't like them.
at least, if you're determined to show videos on your site, have them hosted on your own site or photobucket ... but not on youtube. some place that shall remain nameless had a porn video and a joke / rude video come up on the same page when you clicked the link to bring you to the b&b video on youtube. not a professional image ... not good for prospective guests to see.
 
Me too, I just find them all to look very fake and my attention span is just way too short. Give me clear, detailed photos any time. And for heaven's sake show me the bathroom...yes your quilts and decorations are lovely, but how big is the john, are you not showing it because it's done in 1970's yellow linoleum??? Missing bathroom pics make me move on.
 
I'm with you folks on videos on web sites.
I find most of them condescending, with photos I can look at what I want to look at, what's important to me, with a video you are forced to look at what the owner wants to show you.
 
Here is a photo of a real inn in action...this is just half of the breakfast cups/glasses/parfaits from our 8am seating. Around here if someone doesn't empty the dishwasher it is 50 lashes.
DH said I am weird, you take the weirdest photos...I said, I know, I will somehow blog this...
lrg_Dishes.jpg
 
I'm with you folks on videos on web sites.
I find most of them condescending, with photos I can look at what I want to look at, what's important to me, with a video you are forced to look at what the owner wants to show you..
Highlands John said:
I'm with you folks on videos on web sites.
I find most of them condescending, with photos I can look at what I want to look at, what's important to me, with a video you are forced to look at what the owner wants to show you.
And in short spirts, not allowing you the time to see details. With a picture you can dive in and really become part of it and determine if you will be a good fit. The worst ones to me are the ones that are recorded with voice and as they walk you can hear their breathing, sometimes almost panting. I am thinking 'how far did he walk to get to this room?'
Pictures of the loo... these are just so difficult to shoot at least for me @ my place! I sure as heck do not want the thrown to be the focal point.
 
I'm with you folks on videos on web sites.
I find most of them condescending, with photos I can look at what I want to look at, what's important to me, with a video you are forced to look at what the owner wants to show you..
Highlands John said:
I'm with you folks on videos on web sites.
I find most of them condescending, with photos I can look at what I want to look at, what's important to me, with a video you are forced to look at what the owner wants to show you.
And in short spirts, not allowing you the time to see details. With a picture you can dive in and really become part of it and determine if you will be a good fit. The worst ones to me are the ones that are recorded with voice and as they walk you can hear their breathing, sometimes almost panting. I am thinking 'how far did he walk to get to this room?'
Pictures of the loo... these are just so difficult to shoot at least for me @ my place! I sure as heck do not want the thrown to be the focal point.
.
I usually end up standing on chairs to get the best shots of bathrooms.
 
Me too, I just find them all to look very fake and my attention span is just way too short. Give me clear, detailed photos any time. And for heaven's sake show me the bathroom...yes your quilts and decorations are lovely, but how big is the john, are you not showing it because it's done in 1970's yellow linoleum??? Missing bathroom pics make me move on..
I thought I was the only one that had to see the bathroom photos....
wink_smile.gif

 
Here is a photo of a real inn in action...this is just half of the breakfast cups/glasses/parfaits from our 8am seating. Around here if someone doesn't empty the dishwasher it is 50 lashes.
DH said I am weird, you take the weirdest photos...I said, I know, I will somehow blog this...
lrg_Dishes.jpg
.
That is great! I remember those days very well, but it would be good to have taken some photos. No one really believes you when you tell them how many dishes it takes to feed breakfast to 14 people. I mean we're only baking a few muffins, right? hahaha....
I don't think that's a weird photo at all....
 
Here is a photo of a real inn in action...this is just half of the breakfast cups/glasses/parfaits from our 8am seating. Around here if someone doesn't empty the dishwasher it is 50 lashes.
DH said I am weird, you take the weirdest photos...I said, I know, I will somehow blog this...
lrg_Dishes.jpg
.
Joey Bloggs said:
Here is a photo of a real inn in action...this is just half of the breakfast cups/glasses/parfaits from our 8am seating. Around here if someone doesn't empty the dishwasher it is 50 lashes.
DH said I am weird, you take the weirdest photos...I said, I know, I will somehow blog this...
lrg_Dishes.jpg
It's all in a day of a Innkeeper!
 
I'm a bit baffled by the unanimity of the anti-video sentiment here. There are good videos and bad videos - no different than good photos and bad photos....good web sites and bad web sites.
PAII conducted a study with Texas Tech University 2 years ago. In the study we asked 300 innkeepers - what do you think is important to have on your web site? Then we asked 300 B&B guests - what do you think is important to see on a B&B web site? Needless to say, there were plenty of variances. One of the big variances - meaning things that your potential guests WANT to see on your site, but you don't think are relatively important - was information about food - they want to see more photos of food, explanations of the kinds of things you will serve, etc.
Relevant to this thread, B&B guests want to see videos more than innkeepers feel it's important to provide them. You can do a highly-produced or over-produced video that feels too much like a commercial, or you can "keep it real" with the tone and the kind of things you include. It would be hard to completely avoid the "I feel like I'm being sold to" feeling one might get when looking at a video, but anyone clicking on a video on a B&B web site probably expects to see something that was made for the purpose of convincing them to make a reservation.
I think video can do things that some photos can't - you can hear about the inn in the innkeeper's own voice - that plays nicely with the "authentic" kind of experience many innkeepers try to deliver. Video of the grounds and house sometimes "feels" more real than what you see in a still photo.
Here's just one example of some innkeepers who have kept their videos from feeling, IMHO, "over-produced."
http://www.fortyputneyroad.com/videos
The newer generation of your guests - Gen X and Gen Y - love watching videos on line. We do it all the time, probably several times a day. Keep in mind that the oldest Gen X folks are now in their mid-40s, so it's no longer really the future generation of guests. They're really the "now" guests.
Just some food for thought as you keep getting messages/solicitations to have video on your web sites.
Jay
 
I'm a bit baffled by the unanimity of the anti-video sentiment here. There are good videos and bad videos - no different than good photos and bad photos....good web sites and bad web sites.
PAII conducted a study with Texas Tech University 2 years ago. In the study we asked 300 innkeepers - what do you think is important to have on your web site? Then we asked 300 B&B guests - what do you think is important to see on a B&B web site? Needless to say, there were plenty of variances. One of the big variances - meaning things that your potential guests WANT to see on your site, but you don't think are relatively important - was information about food - they want to see more photos of food, explanations of the kinds of things you will serve, etc.
Relevant to this thread, B&B guests want to see videos more than innkeepers feel it's important to provide them. You can do a highly-produced or over-produced video that feels too much like a commercial, or you can "keep it real" with the tone and the kind of things you include. It would be hard to completely avoid the "I feel like I'm being sold to" feeling one might get when looking at a video, but anyone clicking on a video on a B&B web site probably expects to see something that was made for the purpose of convincing them to make a reservation.
I think video can do things that some photos can't - you can hear about the inn in the innkeeper's own voice - that plays nicely with the "authentic" kind of experience many innkeepers try to deliver. Video of the grounds and house sometimes "feels" more real than what you see in a still photo.
Here's just one example of some innkeepers who have kept their videos from feeling, IMHO, "over-produced."
http://www.fortyputneyroad.com/videos
The newer generation of your guests - Gen X and Gen Y - love watching videos on line. We do it all the time, probably several times a day. Keep in mind that the oldest Gen X folks are now in their mid-40s, so it's no longer really the future generation of guests. They're really the "now" guests.
Just some food for thought as you keep getting messages/solicitations to have video on your web sites.
Jay.
I have a video on my web site - it is 20 seconds of touring my city and 10 seconds of our inn - with the folks you see in the beginning on bicycles sitting at my breakfast table......
I will now go beef up my food portion of the web site.....
 
How about posting your inn video on your FB account and Blog, to me that is a place someone would want to view the video.
Don't get me wrong, I HAVE VIDEOS on our website, not innkeeper videos. To me, and again, just my opinion, they remind me of a mortuary ad. The music is always terrible, the innkeepers stiff and boring, it doesn't do justice to the inn. If people think photos are staged, an inn video is the umpteenth stage. Put something more FUN on youtube and share it on FB and Twitter and your blog.
Jay I just looked at the FortPutn first video and it makes me run away screaming. No I am not exaggerating. So they are there on the website if someone wants to view them, nervous guests, poor sound, earthy innkeepers in an very elegant setting, it is all just too ...not what I want, not what I want to represent our inn, not anything anyone I know is interested in.
Next study, if there is one, give them samples of a variety of inn videos, then give us their demographics and how many B&B's they visit per year, and price. If anyone wants to keep prodding and find a great Inn video, please post it, I want to see it, I really do.
 
How about posting your inn video on your FB account and Blog, to me that is a place someone would want to view the video.
Don't get me wrong, I HAVE VIDEOS on our website, not innkeeper videos. To me, and again, just my opinion, they remind me of a mortuary ad. The music is always terrible, the innkeepers stiff and boring, it doesn't do justice to the inn. If people think photos are staged, an inn video is the umpteenth stage. Put something more FUN on youtube and share it on FB and Twitter and your blog.
Jay I just looked at the FortPutn first video and it makes me run away screaming. No I am not exaggerating. So they are there on the website if someone wants to view them, nervous guests, poor sound, earthy innkeepers in an very elegant setting, it is all just too ...not what I want, not what I want to represent our inn, not anything anyone I know is interested in.
Next study, if there is one, give them samples of a variety of inn videos, then give us their demographics and how many B&B's they visit per year, and price. If anyone wants to keep prodding and find a great Inn video, please post it, I want to see it, I really do..
We were one of the first inns to have a video guests could view online. I think the vid was shot around 2003. It was horrible. Very 'stage-y' and I don't think it sold many room nights. One of the comments we heard was that the innkeepers looked like they were ready to retire.
I'd be all for putting something on my site like your recent interview. But we just do not photo well and audio would be worse. Who wants to hear my Bronx accent for a trip to Maine??? A funny video would be great. The best I can do for now is the slide show.
We are a riot in person, but we're very self-conscious on tape.
 
How about posting your inn video on your FB account and Blog, to me that is a place someone would want to view the video.
Don't get me wrong, I HAVE VIDEOS on our website, not innkeeper videos. To me, and again, just my opinion, they remind me of a mortuary ad. The music is always terrible, the innkeepers stiff and boring, it doesn't do justice to the inn. If people think photos are staged, an inn video is the umpteenth stage. Put something more FUN on youtube and share it on FB and Twitter and your blog.
Jay I just looked at the FortPutn first video and it makes me run away screaming. No I am not exaggerating. So they are there on the website if someone wants to view them, nervous guests, poor sound, earthy innkeepers in an very elegant setting, it is all just too ...not what I want, not what I want to represent our inn, not anything anyone I know is interested in.
Next study, if there is one, give them samples of a variety of inn videos, then give us their demographics and how many B&B's they visit per year, and price. If anyone wants to keep prodding and find a great Inn video, please post it, I want to see it, I really do..
I just looked at the video as well. Didn't do much for me either...but I guess if you were a GEN X'er it might attract you because of their laid back attitude and the bar:) Sorry, I like a more "produced" video compared to this one. But hey different strokes for different folks.
 
The setting was off putting to me on that, you have these uber casual innkeepers in flannel and piercings and then this overly elegant B&B. Now you know near us we have this hip little town, music festivals, hiking, groovy vegan food and all that, so I would guess the video would be produced a bit differently for that clientele.
Nothing against that inn or the innkeepers, I am sure it is indeed lovely and they are great people.
 
The setting was off putting to me on that, you have these uber casual innkeepers in flannel and piercings and then this overly elegant B&B. Now you know near us we have this hip little town, music festivals, hiking, groovy vegan food and all that, so I would guess the video would be produced a bit differently for that clientele.
Nothing against that inn or the innkeepers, I am sure it is indeed lovely and they are great people..
Oh yes I agree with you. They have their own niche I believe and probably do it very well. I think the fellow did the voice over for the video..at least that sounded like him...that tone I liked. I would have preferred to have less of them and more of the inn video with voice over.
 
Back
Top