Your state association

[EmptyNest]

i just opened a year ago October and was charged the association membership fee and a quality assurance fee in which they are to come to your inn, inspect, and give a certificate. I have yet to be surveyed, have asked numerous times for my money to be returned, i do not have access to board member names, only the president who is doing the poor job of organizing the website. I have not had one person stay who found me by way of the association. I am very unhappy and would like to report them, but who to? I will not be a member again..

Hmmm I am very sorry to hear that. Do they have an association website? Are officers listed on it? I find this very disheartening and would hope associations are more professional than this.
Yes please let us know a state. Someone here may know who to contact.

 

[carlarso]

i just opened a year ago October and was charged the association membership fee and a quality assurance fee in which they are to come to your inn, inspect, and give a certificate. I have yet to be surveyed, have asked numerous times for my money to be returned, i do not have access to board member names, only the president who is doing the poor job of organizing the website. I have not had one person stay who found me by way of the association. I am very unhappy and would like to report them, but who to? I will not be a member again..

i just opened a year ago October and was charged the association membership fee and a quality assurance fee in which they are to come to your inn, inspect, and give a certificate. I have yet to be surveyed, have asked numerous times for my money to be returned, i do not have access to board member names, only the president who is doing the poor job of organizing the website. I have not had one person stay who found me by way of the association. I am very unhappy and would like to report them, but who to? I will not be a member again.

Which state? Maybe someone on here knows who you can contact.
.

I live in Minnesota, there are no officers listed on the website, I hate to go above their heads and complain, but i have emailed the President many times to no avail.

 

[gillumhouse]

i just opened a year ago October and was charged the association membership fee and a quality assurance fee in which they are to come to your inn, inspect, and give a certificate. I have yet to be surveyed, have asked numerous times for my money to be returned, i do not have access to board member names, only the president who is doing the poor job of organizing the website. I have not had one person stay who found me by way of the association. I am very unhappy and would like to report them, but who to? I will not be a member again..

I would really be interested in what State you are in. Please e-mail me off-Forum if you prefer.
Edited to say: Ooops. Had left to serve breakfast and posted before reading again.

 

[EmptyNest]

i just opened a year ago October and was charged the association membership fee and a quality assurance fee in which they are to come to your inn, inspect, and give a certificate. I have yet to be surveyed, have asked numerous times for my money to be returned, i do not have access to board member names, only the president who is doing the poor job of organizing the website. I have not had one person stay who found me by way of the association. I am very unhappy and would like to report them, but who to? I will not be a member again..

i just opened a year ago October and was charged the association membership fee and a quality assurance fee in which they are to come to your inn, inspect, and give a certificate. I have yet to be surveyed, have asked numerous times for my money to be returned, i do not have access to board member names, only the president who is doing the poor job of organizing the website. I have not had one person stay who found me by way of the association. I am very unhappy and would like to report them, but who to? I will not be a member again.

Which state? Maybe someone on here knows who you can contact.
.

I live in Minnesota, there are no officers listed on the website, I hate to go above their heads and complain, but i have emailed the President many times to no avail.
.

I don't see anything on that state's site either. I would forget the emails and pick up the PHONE!!!! Call and complain. Maybe the email address has changed or the spam filter caught it. Something like this should be discussed ..not emailed.

 

[Copperhead]

i just opened a year ago October and was charged the association membership fee and a quality assurance fee in which they are to come to your inn, inspect, and give a certificate. I have yet to be surveyed, have asked numerous times for my money to be returned, i do not have access to board member names, only the president who is doing the poor job of organizing the website. I have not had one person stay who found me by way of the association. I am very unhappy and would like to report them, but who to? I will not be a member again..

i just opened a year ago October and was charged the association membership fee and a quality assurance fee in which they are to come to your inn, inspect, and give a certificate. I have yet to be surveyed, have asked numerous times for my money to be returned, i do not have access to board member names, only the president who is doing the poor job of organizing the website. I have not had one person stay who found me by way of the association. I am very unhappy and would like to report them, but who to? I will not be a member again.

Which state? Maybe someone on here knows who you can contact.
.

I live in Minnesota, there are no officers listed on the website, I hate to go above their heads and complain, but i have emailed the President many times to no avail.
.

I don't see anything on that state's site either. I would forget the emails and pick up the PHONE!!!! Call and complain. Maybe the email address has changed or the spam filter caught it. Something like this should be discussed ..not emailed.
.

I don't see anything on that state's site either. I would forget the emails and pick up the PHONE!!!! Call and complain. Maybe the email address has changed or the spam filter caught it. Something like this should be discussed ..not emailed.

I agree here with Catlady, if the only contact has been via email (sometimes I miss facts by speed reading). - She is right too many emails are 'lost' in the system. But instead of calling or at least to follow up your call, I would send a letter, and if the first one does not stem an immediate reply (no more than 10-14 days), send another one certified (signature required). Sometimes it takes something written in black and white to get someone's attention. Attaching a copy of your emails to the letter(s) to show that this is not your initial request is a good idea as well because of the time factor here. (I worked for 20+ attnys for longer than I ever want to admit)
Then if you get no response or do not get the response you feel you deserve, then call your Attorney General's office. A brief discussion with one of the staff should provide you with information as to what should be your next step and with whom.

 

[gillumhouse]

One thing everyone needs to remember - an association is only as strong as its members make it. Members need to get involved and BE involved for an association to function and thrive. It is when everyone gets the "Let George do it syndtome" except for a core group who try and try and DO get tired and ask "wy am I knocking my head against the wall for people who do not care?" and quit trying, that an association starts to die.

 

[Copperhead]

One thing everyone needs to remember - an association is only as strong as its members make it. Members need to get involved and BE involved for an association to function and thrive. It is when everyone gets the "Let George do it syndtome" except for a core group who try and try and DO get tired and ask "wy am I knocking my head against the wall for people who do not care?" and quit trying, that an association starts to die..

Could not have said it better myself GH!

 

[egoodell]

We are lucky in that we have a good association. They have a super website that works for me.
By the way, El, I wanted to post on the blog on our website and can't figure out how to do it. When I sign in it takes me to my blog since I use the same site for my own. How do I enter information on it? I'm dense...
Riki.

And a new association web site is well on its way. I have been compiling stuff all morning for the new one It will be the best ever!!!!! You click here And click on COMMENT.
.

Catlady,
How do I enter a new topic on the Association's Blog? If I click on "comment" it is specifically for a comment about the topic already there.
RIki

 

[EmptyNest]

One thing everyone needs to remember - an association is only as strong as its members make it. Members need to get involved and BE involved for an association to function and thrive. It is when everyone gets the "Let George do it syndtome" except for a core group who try and try and DO get tired and ask "wy am I knocking my head against the wall for people who do not care?" and quit trying, that an association starts to die..

Exactly...however..there does come a time...and mine is coming quickly...that I need to pass that torch on to someone else

 

[happyjacks]

I'm a bit late in here because we're in the middle of leaf season but have to share this. I got an email last week from our provincial B&B association. It's renewal time and they are reducing their membership fee by more than half!
They are doing this as part of a strategic plan to significantly increase membership; and they realize the best way to do this is to make it affordable and accessible to every B&B.
They understand that in these economic times, they will lose members if they don't change their model. And of course losing members means losing $$ to support the association. They have also cut back on one of their biggest expenses by changing the format of their printed booklet to a map-style print piece. Of course they also have an online directory of members.
They are also adding price-reduction incentives for regional associations to join them. The goal is to grow the association--and to grow the coffers--on volume. The association has a small portion of the market and stand to do well. As more members join at the reduced cost, they will spread the word to their regional groups and it has the potential to grow exponentially. At the same time, the online directory will grow, making it a more useful tool to travellers and guests.
From my own experience talking to B&B's in my area, I can see this strategy working. Within my region I can count about 15 B&B's who do NOT belong to the provincial association and only 2 of us who do belong. Of the ones that don't belong, at least half of them have cited the cost of membership as being the reason. This is on the agenda for our regional AGM next week.
I really hope Eric & John of B&B.com are reading this and realizing that this is a viable, sound, pricing strategy for increasing the bottom line. It's win-win-win. The little B&B wins because they can afford to play withe big boys. The guests win because they have a robust directory to peruse. The organization wins because their revenue increases at a much higher rate than their expenses.
I'm not trying to re-beat a dead horse here. It's just perfect timing and makes me SO HAPPY to see that sometimes things actually work right.

 

[EmptyNest]

I'm a bit late in here because we're in the middle of leaf season but have to share this. I got an email last week from our provincial B&B association. It's renewal time and they are reducing their membership fee by more than half!
They are doing this as part of a strategic plan to significantly increase membership; and they realize the best way to do this is to make it affordable and accessible to every B&B.
They understand that in these economic times, they will lose members if they don't change their model. And of course losing members means losing $$ to support the association. They have also cut back on one of their biggest expenses by changing the format of their printed booklet to a map-style print piece. Of course they also have an online directory of members.
They are also adding price-reduction incentives for regional associations to join them. The goal is to grow the association--and to grow the coffers--on volume. The association has a small portion of the market and stand to do well. As more members join at the reduced cost, they will spread the word to their regional groups and it has the potential to grow exponentially. At the same time, the online directory will grow, making it a more useful tool to travellers and guests.
From my own experience talking to B&B's in my area, I can see this strategy working. Within my region I can count about 15 B&B's who do NOT belong to the provincial association and only 2 of us who do belong. Of the ones that don't belong, at least half of them have cited the cost of membership as being the reason. This is on the agenda for our regional AGM next week.
I really hope Eric & John of B&B.com are reading this and realizing that this is a viable, sound, pricing strategy for increasing the bottom line. It's win-win-win. The little B&B wins because they can afford to play withe big boys. The guests win because they have a robust directory to peruse. The organization wins because their revenue increases at a much higher rate than their expenses.
I'm not trying to re-beat a dead horse here. It's just perfect timing and makes me SO HAPPY to see that sometimes things actually work right..

Very interesting. We have discussed NOT doing a printed directory every year. I think they will bring this up to the membership for discussion at our annual meeting.
Unfortunately, we depend on our member dues to pay for our marketing and our staff..so cutting dues even though it sounds good.We have committed $$$ to a new web site for the coming year $25K at least...same to pay for printed directory..so this would not be the year for us to cut dues.
I am not sure would work for us. But I do see your point.
Also, our members must be inspected and approved and there are many inns out there who will not meet or want to change to meet our standards. So just because they are an inn, does not mean they will qualify to join our association. There are many we do NOT want:-(

 

[gillumhouse]

I'm a bit late in here because we're in the middle of leaf season but have to share this. I got an email last week from our provincial B&B association. It's renewal time and they are reducing their membership fee by more than half!
They are doing this as part of a strategic plan to significantly increase membership; and they realize the best way to do this is to make it affordable and accessible to every B&B.
They understand that in these economic times, they will lose members if they don't change their model. And of course losing members means losing $$ to support the association. They have also cut back on one of their biggest expenses by changing the format of their printed booklet to a map-style print piece. Of course they also have an online directory of members.
They are also adding price-reduction incentives for regional associations to join them. The goal is to grow the association--and to grow the coffers--on volume. The association has a small portion of the market and stand to do well. As more members join at the reduced cost, they will spread the word to their regional groups and it has the potential to grow exponentially. At the same time, the online directory will grow, making it a more useful tool to travellers and guests.
From my own experience talking to B&B's in my area, I can see this strategy working. Within my region I can count about 15 B&B's who do NOT belong to the provincial association and only 2 of us who do belong. Of the ones that don't belong, at least half of them have cited the cost of membership as being the reason. This is on the agenda for our regional AGM next week.
I really hope Eric & John of B&B.com are reading this and realizing that this is a viable, sound, pricing strategy for increasing the bottom line. It's win-win-win. The little B&B wins because they can afford to play withe big boys. The guests win because they have a robust directory to peruse. The organization wins because their revenue increases at a much higher rate than their expenses.
I'm not trying to re-beat a dead horse here. It's just perfect timing and makes me SO HAPPY to see that sometimes things actually work right..

Anyone who would cite our Assoc. dues as a reason to not join cannot afford to be open. I gulped when I heard what some States are paying! WHOA!!!
Our annual Directory is an important piece of marketing but the only way we can afford to print it each year is because of the advertising reimbursement program our State began and then - after almost ruining it - came back with an even better deal for the "little" guys.
I am glad to hear that an Assoc. is realizing they were pricing themselves out of reach of those who needed them the most. Kudos to your Association!!

 

[Morticia]

I'm a bit late in here because we're in the middle of leaf season but have to share this. I got an email last week from our provincial B&B association. It's renewal time and they are reducing their membership fee by more than half!
They are doing this as part of a strategic plan to significantly increase membership; and they realize the best way to do this is to make it affordable and accessible to every B&B.
They understand that in these economic times, they will lose members if they don't change their model. And of course losing members means losing $$ to support the association. They have also cut back on one of their biggest expenses by changing the format of their printed booklet to a map-style print piece. Of course they also have an online directory of members.
They are also adding price-reduction incentives for regional associations to join them. The goal is to grow the association--and to grow the coffers--on volume. The association has a small portion of the market and stand to do well. As more members join at the reduced cost, they will spread the word to their regional groups and it has the potential to grow exponentially. At the same time, the online directory will grow, making it a more useful tool to travellers and guests.
From my own experience talking to B&B's in my area, I can see this strategy working. Within my region I can count about 15 B&B's who do NOT belong to the provincial association and only 2 of us who do belong. Of the ones that don't belong, at least half of them have cited the cost of membership as being the reason. This is on the agenda for our regional AGM next week.
I really hope Eric & John of B&B.com are reading this and realizing that this is a viable, sound, pricing strategy for increasing the bottom line. It's win-win-win. The little B&B wins because they can afford to play withe big boys. The guests win because they have a robust directory to peruse. The organization wins because their revenue increases at a much higher rate than their expenses.
I'm not trying to re-beat a dead horse here. It's just perfect timing and makes me SO HAPPY to see that sometimes things actually work right..

I'm a bit late in here because we're in the middle of leaf season but have to share this. I got an email last week from our provincial B&B association. It's renewal time and they are reducing their membership fee by more than half!
They are doing this as part of a strategic plan to significantly increase membership; and they realize the best way to do this is to make it affordable and accessible to every B&B.
They understand that in these economic times, they will lose members if they don't change their model. And of course losing members means losing $$ to support the association. They have also cut back on one of their biggest expenses by changing the format of their printed booklet to a map-style print piece. Of course they also have an online directory of members.
They are also adding price-reduction incentives for regional associations to join them. The goal is to grow the association--and to grow the coffers--on volume. The association has a small portion of the market and stand to do well. As more members join at the reduced cost, they will spread the word to their regional groups and it has the potential to grow exponentially. At the same time, the online directory will grow, making it a more useful tool to travellers and guests.
From my own experience talking to B&B's in my area, I can see this strategy working. Within my region I can count about 15 B&B's who do NOT belong to the provincial association and only 2 of us who do belong. Of the ones that don't belong, at least half of them have cited the cost of membership as being the reason. This is on the agenda for our regional AGM next week.
I really hope Eric & John of B&B.com are reading this and realizing that this is a viable, sound, pricing strategy for increasing the bottom line. It's win-win-win. The little B&B wins because they can afford to play withe big boys. The guests win because they have a robust directory to peruse. The organization wins because their revenue increases at a much higher rate than their expenses.
I'm not trying to re-beat a dead horse here. It's just perfect timing and makes me SO HAPPY to see that sometimes things actually work right.

We tried to convince our local chamber group to follow this model...reduce rates and get more businesses to join. From what I heard last week, our rates went up $200.

 

[happyjacks]

I'm a bit late in here because we're in the middle of leaf season but have to share this. I got an email last week from our provincial B&B association. It's renewal time and they are reducing their membership fee by more than half!
They are doing this as part of a strategic plan to significantly increase membership; and they realize the best way to do this is to make it affordable and accessible to every B&B.
They understand that in these economic times, they will lose members if they don't change their model. And of course losing members means losing $$ to support the association. They have also cut back on one of their biggest expenses by changing the format of their printed booklet to a map-style print piece. Of course they also have an online directory of members.
They are also adding price-reduction incentives for regional associations to join them. The goal is to grow the association--and to grow the coffers--on volume. The association has a small portion of the market and stand to do well. As more members join at the reduced cost, they will spread the word to their regional groups and it has the potential to grow exponentially. At the same time, the online directory will grow, making it a more useful tool to travellers and guests.
From my own experience talking to B&B's in my area, I can see this strategy working. Within my region I can count about 15 B&B's who do NOT belong to the provincial association and only 2 of us who do belong. Of the ones that don't belong, at least half of them have cited the cost of membership as being the reason. This is on the agenda for our regional AGM next week.
I really hope Eric & John of B&B.com are reading this and realizing that this is a viable, sound, pricing strategy for increasing the bottom line. It's win-win-win. The little B&B wins because they can afford to play withe big boys. The guests win because they have a robust directory to peruse. The organization wins because their revenue increases at a much higher rate than their expenses.
I'm not trying to re-beat a dead horse here. It's just perfect timing and makes me SO HAPPY to see that sometimes things actually work right..

Very interesting. We have discussed NOT doing a printed directory every year. I think they will bring this up to the membership for discussion at our annual meeting.
Unfortunately, we depend on our member dues to pay for our marketing and our staff..so cutting dues even though it sounds good.We have committed $$$ to a new web site for the coming year $25K at least...same to pay for printed directory..so this would not be the year for us to cut dues.
I am not sure would work for us. But I do see your point.
Also, our members must be inspected and approved and there are many inns out there who will not meet or want to change to meet our standards. So just because they are an inn, does not mean they will qualify to join our association. There are many we do NOT want:-(
.

Our member B&Bs are inspected and approved before joining, too; and there would certainly be some that wouldn't meet the standards.
I think a major determining factor in whether or not this could work is the existing market penetration. If an organization has only a small % of the total market potential, then the pricing strategy is very likely to work.
If an organization already has a large portion of the market, then there is little room to grow, and the strategy becomes risky.
In the case of our provincial association, they only have about 10% of the market. That's to say that only about 10% of the B&Bs in the province are currently members. There is a LOT of room to grow that number. If the association gets even 25% of the market with the new strategy, it will be worth it. They're aiming for 100% of eligible B&Bs, and I think even 50% would be in fairly easy reach. It won't happen all at once, but it's the kind of thing that snowballs. Increasing membership by 500% while reducing fees by 57% is good math.
That's why I think it could work for B&B.com too. They seem to have only a small portion of the small-B&B market segment. Lots of room for growth there.

 

[Morticia]

I'm a bit late in here because we're in the middle of leaf season but have to share this. I got an email last week from our provincial B&B association. It's renewal time and they are reducing their membership fee by more than half!
They are doing this as part of a strategic plan to significantly increase membership; and they realize the best way to do this is to make it affordable and accessible to every B&B.
They understand that in these economic times, they will lose members if they don't change their model. And of course losing members means losing $$ to support the association. They have also cut back on one of their biggest expenses by changing the format of their printed booklet to a map-style print piece. Of course they also have an online directory of members.
They are also adding price-reduction incentives for regional associations to join them. The goal is to grow the association--and to grow the coffers--on volume. The association has a small portion of the market and stand to do well. As more members join at the reduced cost, they will spread the word to their regional groups and it has the potential to grow exponentially. At the same time, the online directory will grow, making it a more useful tool to travellers and guests.
From my own experience talking to B&B's in my area, I can see this strategy working. Within my region I can count about 15 B&B's who do NOT belong to the provincial association and only 2 of us who do belong. Of the ones that don't belong, at least half of them have cited the cost of membership as being the reason. This is on the agenda for our regional AGM next week.
I really hope Eric & John of B&B.com are reading this and realizing that this is a viable, sound, pricing strategy for increasing the bottom line. It's win-win-win. The little B&B wins because they can afford to play withe big boys. The guests win because they have a robust directory to peruse. The organization wins because their revenue increases at a much higher rate than their expenses.
I'm not trying to re-beat a dead horse here. It's just perfect timing and makes me SO HAPPY to see that sometimes things actually work right..

Very interesting. We have discussed NOT doing a printed directory every year. I think they will bring this up to the membership for discussion at our annual meeting.
Unfortunately, we depend on our member dues to pay for our marketing and our staff..so cutting dues even though it sounds good.We have committed $$$ to a new web site for the coming year $25K at least...same to pay for printed directory..so this would not be the year for us to cut dues.
I am not sure would work for us. But I do see your point.
Also, our members must be inspected and approved and there are many inns out there who will not meet or want to change to meet our standards. So just because they are an inn, does not mean they will qualify to join our association. There are many we do NOT want:-(
.

Our member B&Bs are inspected and approved before joining, too; and there would certainly be some that wouldn't meet the standards.
I think a major determining factor in whether or not this could work is the existing market penetration. If an organization has only a small % of the total market potential, then the pricing strategy is very likely to work.
If an organization already has a large portion of the market, then there is little room to grow, and the strategy becomes risky.
In the case of our provincial association, they only have about 10% of the market. That's to say that only about 10% of the B&Bs in the province are currently members. There is a LOT of room to grow that number. If the association gets even 25% of the market with the new strategy, it will be worth it. They're aiming for 100% of eligible B&Bs, and I think even 50% would be in fairly easy reach. It won't happen all at once, but it's the kind of thing that snowballs. Increasing membership by 500% while reducing fees by 57% is good math.
That's why I think it could work for B&B.com too. They seem to have only a small portion of the small-B&B market segment. Lots of room for growth there.
.

From what I gather, and the org is not very forthcoming, the major names (retailers) dropped out because the rates were too high (around $3000 for places making over $1m). They figured there is no need as everyone walks right by their store anyway. But, do the math on that...$3k on over $1m and they drop out. And yet we're expected to pay 1%+ of our earnings. They could get more buy in if the rates were lower, making the town look 'bigger' and more interesting. That's another dead horse I'm tired of beating. We'll drop the chamber this year and see if they improve marketing to the point that my subscription actually gets a return worth paying for.

 

[happyjacks]

I'm a bit late in here because we're in the middle of leaf season but have to share this. I got an email last week from our provincial B&B association. It's renewal time and they are reducing their membership fee by more than half!
They are doing this as part of a strategic plan to significantly increase membership; and they realize the best way to do this is to make it affordable and accessible to every B&B.
They understand that in these economic times, they will lose members if they don't change their model. And of course losing members means losing $$ to support the association. They have also cut back on one of their biggest expenses by changing the format of their printed booklet to a map-style print piece. Of course they also have an online directory of members.
They are also adding price-reduction incentives for regional associations to join them. The goal is to grow the association--and to grow the coffers--on volume. The association has a small portion of the market and stand to do well. As more members join at the reduced cost, they will spread the word to their regional groups and it has the potential to grow exponentially. At the same time, the online directory will grow, making it a more useful tool to travellers and guests.
From my own experience talking to B&B's in my area, I can see this strategy working. Within my region I can count about 15 B&B's who do NOT belong to the provincial association and only 2 of us who do belong. Of the ones that don't belong, at least half of them have cited the cost of membership as being the reason. This is on the agenda for our regional AGM next week.
I really hope Eric & John of B&B.com are reading this and realizing that this is a viable, sound, pricing strategy for increasing the bottom line. It's win-win-win. The little B&B wins because they can afford to play withe big boys. The guests win because they have a robust directory to peruse. The organization wins because their revenue increases at a much higher rate than their expenses.
I'm not trying to re-beat a dead horse here. It's just perfect timing and makes me SO HAPPY to see that sometimes things actually work right..

Very interesting. We have discussed NOT doing a printed directory every year. I think they will bring this up to the membership for discussion at our annual meeting.
Unfortunately, we depend on our member dues to pay for our marketing and our staff..so cutting dues even though it sounds good.We have committed $$$ to a new web site for the coming year $25K at least...same to pay for printed directory..so this would not be the year for us to cut dues.
I am not sure would work for us. But I do see your point.
Also, our members must be inspected and approved and there are many inns out there who will not meet or want to change to meet our standards. So just because they are an inn, does not mean they will qualify to join our association. There are many we do NOT want:-(
.

Our member B&Bs are inspected and approved before joining, too; and there would certainly be some that wouldn't meet the standards.
I think a major determining factor in whether or not this could work is the existing market penetration. If an organization has only a small % of the total market potential, then the pricing strategy is very likely to work.
If an organization already has a large portion of the market, then there is little room to grow, and the strategy becomes risky.
In the case of our provincial association, they only have about 10% of the market. That's to say that only about 10% of the B&Bs in the province are currently members. There is a LOT of room to grow that number. If the association gets even 25% of the market with the new strategy, it will be worth it. They're aiming for 100% of eligible B&Bs, and I think even 50% would be in fairly easy reach. It won't happen all at once, but it's the kind of thing that snowballs. Increasing membership by 500% while reducing fees by 57% is good math.
That's why I think it could work for B&B.com too. They seem to have only a small portion of the small-B&B market segment. Lots of room for growth there.
.

From what I gather, and the org is not very forthcoming, the major names (retailers) dropped out because the rates were too high (around $3000 for places making over $1m). They figured there is no need as everyone walks right by their store anyway. But, do the math on that...$3k on over $1m and they drop out. And yet we're expected to pay 1%+ of our earnings. They could get more buy in if the rates were lower, making the town look 'bigger' and more interesting. That's another dead horse I'm tired of beating. We'll drop the chamber this year and see if they improve marketing to the point that my subscription actually gets a return worth paying for.
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One of our regional tourism associations (not B&B-specific) increased their rates 2 years ago by 400% for my level of membership! I phoned and emailed and talked to the director and explained if I did that to my guests I'd be out of business. We hammered out an agreement whereby I could join at the lower (cheaper) level and then add on a couple things a la carte. The agreement extended to the other members in my little B&B association, but by then everyone else was fed up and none of them renewed. This year when the membership renewal came around, I saw they added one of my a la carte extras to the lower level membership, so maybe they aren't too dense to learn from their mistakes afterall. Still frustrating to have to deal with.