Update on BedandBreakfast.com placements on Trip Advisor

[JBanczak]

Over the past few months, many innkeepers have noticed that BedandBreakfast.com has been testing a number of different ways to get more exposure for the industry and our members with Trip Advisor. We had not announced anything as we were not sure how it was all going to work. After a few months of working with them, we have now finalized a plan and I wanted to get the word out since we have been getting so many questions.
Our plan is to have a link that shows up on the TripAdvisor page for every BedandBreakfast.com member that goes to directly to their detailed listing on BedandBreakfast.com. This will provide consumers with one-click access to each property’s detailed BedandBreakfast.com listing with your phone number, website url (and multiple links), availability calendar links (if you have them), high-res photos, video (if you have it), maps, etc. Previously if a consumer wanted to find a property’s website or phone number they would typically have to leave Trip Advisor and go look up the property on a search engine. Now they can just click a link and get directly to a detailed page on your property. Properties participating in the BedandBreakfast.com Online Reservations program were shown as bookable through Expedia, but no direct property information was given and properties not in the program had no links. You will see this new link on the right-hand side of a property page, titled “Official Website” which is part of the paid sponsor link area.
Given the confines that Trip Advisor works within, this is a great step forward for small properties. Since Trip Advisor has no self-serve model, or any way for individual properties to become advertisers, this should open a new doorway to help get more and better information available to consumers about our industry and specifically our member properties. BedandBreakfast.com will be updating the list of member properties with Trip Advisor each month so that all new members are promptly loaded, and any expired members are removed. So far over ten thousand consumers have clicked over to BedandBreakfast.com detailed listings since we launched this final placement confirming our thinking that if we find a way to more prominently get the information available, more travelers will easily find the properties.
If you have any questions on this, please let us know. We will continue to monitor these links and we plan on keeping this integration going now as a permanent member benefit of BedandBreakfast.com.

 

[JBloggs]

Thank you. The lack of a link on TA has been an issue. How much will this cost us? Sorry, a facetious question.
John where is the link? Map this hotel brought my listing to Expedia which only shows the two hotels in our area, not us. Wait, they must have just pulled the switch, I did it again and got my BandB.com listing. Hang on, I did it again and got Expedia, is TA alternating you with them?
YES! Way to go! I like it, I appreciate it! An incentive to get more specials on the BandB.com listing.

 

[Morticia]

Me too. The only inns with listings back to bandb in my town are ones with former Expedia listings.

 

[happykeeper]

That is great!

 

[NW BB]

So far over ten thousand consumers have clicked over to BedandBreakfast.com detailed listings since we launched this final placement confirming our thinking that if we find a way to more prominently get the information available, more travelers will easily find the properties.
If you have any questions on this, please let us know. We will continue to monitor these links and we plan on keeping this integration going now as a permanent member benefit of BedandBreakfast.com.

John, are you saying that this has already been implemented? If so, I don't see it on my TripAdvisor listing.
Good work making this happen!

 

[Don Draper]

Ok, I'm in the slow group again...can you tell me WHERE on the property's TA page I can find this link?
Thanx in advance

 

[JBanczak]

It is in the lower right-hand side of the screen. See below. This link is not on rotation like the others. Take a look below - this should show up on every BB.com member's listing. If it doesn't - let me know. There have been some data-matching issues, but TA is pretty fast about fixing them.

 

[swirt]

Please note that John said "Our plan is to have a link that shows up on the TripAdvisor page for every BedandBreakfast.com member that goes to directly to their detailed listing on BedandBreakfast.com."
I imagine that some people are seeing it now because it is part of the testing they were doing. TripAdvisor would be wise enough to do some form of split-testing where some page loads it shows up and other page loads something else shows up (like a link to Expedia). This way they can measure the value one against the other and decide how much to charge bedandbreakfast.com
So before everyone starts questioning where their specific link is, keep in mind that it sounds like this is not fully in place yet.

 

[Don Draper]

Thank you! Mine is working...it's great!

 

[JBloggs]

Thank you I see it now, Lowest Price Guarantee!

 

[Morticia]

Please note that John said "Our plan is to have a link that shows up on the TripAdvisor page for every BedandBreakfast.com member that goes to directly to their detailed listing on BedandBreakfast.com."
I imagine that some people are seeing it now because it is part of the testing they were doing. TripAdvisor would be wise enough to do some form of split-testing where some page loads it shows up and other page loads something else shows up (like a link to Expedia). This way they can measure the value one against the other and decide how much to charge bedandbreakfast.com
So before everyone starts questioning where their specific link is, keep in mind that it sounds like this is not fully in place yet..

Please note that John said "Our plan is to have a link that shows up on the TripAdvisor page for every BedandBreakfast.com member that goes to directly to their detailed listing on BedandBreakfast.com."
I imagine that some people are seeing it now because it is part of the testing they were doing. TripAdvisor would be wise enough to do some form of split-testing where some page loads it shows up and other page loads something else shows up (like a link to Expedia). This way they can measure the value one against the other and decide how much to charge bedandbreakfast.com
So before everyone starts questioning where their specific link is, keep in mind that it sounds like this is not fully in place yet.

I think my town was part of the original testing as all of the B&B's HAD the link back to bandb (if they were members). But that was weeks ago. It disappeared pretty quickly.

 

[Tim_Toad_HLB]

John,
Thanks for the hard work it must have taken to get this added feature done.
One gripe I have though is that the feature is located in the mish mosh of other paid placement ads and it looks just like them.
I also would have liked to have seen those of us participating in the online reservation system with you and them get a more distinctive identification to help consumers differentiate better between those other "great deals" ads and our link back to B&B.com.
Sure, all B&Bs with listings on your site should get that linkage, but those of us participating in the online reservation program should get a little more bang for our buck given the commision rates we pay you all.

 

[Morticia]

It is in the lower right-hand side of the screen. See below. This link is not on rotation like the others. Take a look below - this should show up on every BB.com member's listing. If it doesn't - let me know. There have been some data-matching issues, but TA is pretty fast about fixing them.

.

OK, I see that. Now I have a problem. That link says 'Official Website' and takes the guest to your website. Now they have to realize they are NOT on MY official website. And believe me, guests do NOT realize that. We regularly get calls from guests who INSIST they are looking at my website while they are quoting prices from 1990 and calling me 'Dolores' because that's the previous owner on some random website that pops up every now again.
Hopefully it will not become an issue so I'll wait and see. At least the guest can get more info if they get past the ads for the hotels.

 

[JBanczak]

All good points - all BB.com member properties should be showing up now, so if you don't see yours, let me know. Folks who participate in the online reservation program get more prominence - as they get the rate checking box, where others do not. Unfortunately our hands are a little tied in terms of flexibility. Trip Advisor has been great in getting something that works given the complexities of their business, but we don't really have a blank slate to work with. If anyone wants to discuss some more details on this, give me a call or shoot me an email. I'd feel a little more comfortable discussing specific property questions/concerns on this one through one-to-one communication.

 

[JBanczak]

Just an fyi gang - just when I thought we had everything settled... we heard that there were some complaints on the language of the placement on Trip Advisor. Unfortunately, Trip Advisor cannot easily change that language, so we have dropped out of that placement and are back in the "sponsored listing" area. This is both good and bad. The good news is that it is higher on the page, the bad news is that it is lumped together with other sponsors like Expedia, hotels.com, etc.
Since most properties do not show up on Expedia and hotels.com, we were hoping to have a differnt placement that signified it was a listing that the property approved of. Trip Advisor is going to see what they can do to accommodate more clear language like that, but for now we plan to remain in that sponsored area.

 

[Copperhead]

While I appreciate all the efforts bandb is doing to promote your members, I will have to say I did not like the "Official Website" wording at all.
No, I was not one of those that complained as I just read this info now and had to go to the post with the pic. to see what it had looked like. MY official website provides much more detail than my listing on bandb and it is confusing enough when I am speaking with a guest when they are looking at some listing and think they are on my website, without confusing them with that wording and directing them to my bandb listing. Hopefully some further negotiations with TA may provide a different more suitable approach.

 

[Morticia]

While I appreciate all the efforts bandb is doing to promote your members, I will have to say I did not like the "Official Website" wording at all.
No, I was not one of those that complained as I just read this info now and had to go to the post with the pic. to see what it had looked like. MY official website provides much more detail than my listing on bandb and it is confusing enough when I am speaking with a guest when they are looking at some listing and think they are on my website, without confusing them with that wording and directing them to my bandb listing. Hopefully some further negotiations with TA may provide a different more suitable approach..

I noticed the 'Official Website' tag was gone but it still shows 'My Inn' - Lowest Price Guaranteed in a better location than this was yesterday as it is ABOVE the hotel listings now. Still tough that it goes to bandb, which is not my website, but there is more info there than the TA listing shows.

 

[Copperhead]

While I appreciate all the efforts bandb is doing to promote your members, I will have to say I did not like the "Official Website" wording at all.
No, I was not one of those that complained as I just read this info now and had to go to the post with the pic. to see what it had looked like. MY official website provides much more detail than my listing on bandb and it is confusing enough when I am speaking with a guest when they are looking at some listing and think they are on my website, without confusing them with that wording and directing them to my bandb listing. Hopefully some further negotiations with TA may provide a different more suitable approach..

I noticed the 'Official Website' tag was gone but it still shows 'My Inn' - Lowest Price Guaranteed in a better location than this was yesterday as it is ABOVE the hotel listings now. Still tough that it goes to bandb, which is not my website, but there is more info there than the TA listing shows.
.

Yes, it says that for my inn as well (in spot #2) but then I also have: My Inn name - Low Hotel Prices Made Easy, link to Orbitz 1st on the list, My Inn Name - Great Rooms, Great Prices, link to Hotels 3rd on list, and then last no name just city name with Expedia. Note: I am listed on Orbitz and Hotels but not on Expedia (not through bandb)
At least in this way it looks like sponsored ads.

 

[Morticia]

While I appreciate all the efforts bandb is doing to promote your members, I will have to say I did not like the "Official Website" wording at all.
No, I was not one of those that complained as I just read this info now and had to go to the post with the pic. to see what it had looked like. MY official website provides much more detail than my listing on bandb and it is confusing enough when I am speaking with a guest when they are looking at some listing and think they are on my website, without confusing them with that wording and directing them to my bandb listing. Hopefully some further negotiations with TA may provide a different more suitable approach..

I noticed the 'Official Website' tag was gone but it still shows 'My Inn' - Lowest Price Guaranteed in a better location than this was yesterday as it is ABOVE the hotel listings now. Still tough that it goes to bandb, which is not my website, but there is more info there than the TA listing shows.
.

Yes, it says that for my inn as well (in spot #2) but then I also have: My Inn name - Low Hotel Prices Made Easy, link to Orbitz 1st on the list, My Inn Name - Great Rooms, Great Prices, link to Hotels 3rd on list, and then last no name just city name with Expedia. Note: I am listed on Orbitz and Hotels but not on Expedia (not through bandb)
At least in this way it looks like sponsored ads.
.

What I see for you is the Hotels.com listing, Orbitz listing, Your listing thru bandb.com and then an overall state hotels listing.
In your case, because you are on those booking sites, they will get listed first because that's where the money is. For me, I'm not on any of those sites, so I guess my bandb.com listing comes up first, then a slew of hotel booking sites. At least it's not my competition coming up in that list.