The Innkeeping Blog

Recently some changes were being tested on TripAdvisor’s “Tourism Pages” and it seemed there was a threat that B&Bs would be obscured on these all-important pages.  Tourism Pages (or city pages, as I like to call them) are where many travelers go to learn about a destination – many times before even thinking about where they’re going to stay.  I had a recent fantasy of taking my wife to Cinque Terre, Italy, (after a great recommendation to go there from the fantastic innkeeper at Akwaaba DC, Kristin Singleton), and I started my homework on Cinque Terre on TripAdvisor.  The Tourism Page is where I started my homework.  I imagine a lot of travelers do the same, although I’m sure many already know about your inn and go directly to TripAdvisor to read reviews.  Nevertheless, exposure for B&Bs on the Tourism Pages is very important, which is why some innkeepers reported concern that “Top-Rated B&Bs” were disappearing from some Tourism Pages.  Only “Top-Rated Hotels” were showing.  This was all during what appeared to be some beta testing by TripAdvisor, because it was happening in some cities, but not others.

TripAdvisor started to hear the complaints right away from innkeepers.  Our Innkeeping Forum was buzzing with discussion, and some innkeepers were encouraging folks to start a campaign to get as many innkeepers as possible to submit grievances.  And this was all happening at the same time TripAdvisor was offering a 50% off deal to innkeepers on their relatively new Business Listings program.  You can read all about that here, but the gist is – pay an annual fee and have your phone, email and web link added to your TripAdvisor property page.  Innkeepers on the fence about Business Listings were scratching their heads – why pay for Business Listings if B&Bs can’t be readily found on the Tourism Pages like they had been for years?

I give credit to TripAdvisor.  They have some senior staff who are involved with PAII.  Brian Payea, their Trade Relations Manager, pops in from time-to-time on our forum to offer innkeepers advice, clear up misunderstandings and to announce things like the changes made earlier this week to the Tourism Pages.  They listen to what innkeepers have to say.  I’ve been meeting with them regularly for nearly two years, and they’ve always been willing to listen – and have made some improvements to their site based on our ongoing dialogue.  So, what changes were made this week?  First of all, “Top-Rated B&Bs” are back on the pages.  Thank you, TripAdvisor!  Furthermore, if you go to a Tourism Page that has more B&Bs than hotels, you’ll notice that “Top-Rated B&B”s are shown above “Top-Rated Hotels.”  This makes good sense for the web site visitor, because if they’re checking out a town with more B&Bs than hotels, they’re probably more interested in B&Bs.  This is TripAdvisor’s way of improving the experience for the web site visitor.  When doing homework on Cape May, New Jersey, it makes good sense to showcase the B&Bs first.

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I’ll admit it. My family has recently been patronizing the Golden Arches more than we probably should. When you are in my situation (two kids under 4, a kitchen that is operational, but still a construction zone, and a financial ground that has shifted under me), sometimes the path of least resistance is taken. Of course, being the fiscal conservative I am, the concept of cheap food can also be appealing. But it just occurred to me on our last trip that a trip to Mickey-D’s costs me upwards of $16. Wait a second! I thought you could feed a family at McDonald’s for something like eight bucks. How is this happening, and what the heck does this have to do with innkeeping?

Caught red-handed eating McDonald’s at Midway Airport on my way home
from the Heartland Innkeepers Conference. Shhh. Don’t tell my wife.

I’m a consumer and my antenna is now officially up. While my antenna was down, the price of fast food crept up. Peter Yesawich, a noted authority on travel trends and speaker at the upcoming Innkeeping Show, recently observed that affluent travelers (defined by household incomes greater than or equal to $75,000) will be comparison shopping MORE than their less affluent counterparts. Antennas are up. People are paying close attention to how they are spending their hard-earned, and seemingly less valuable, dollars. Isn’t it counterintuitive to think that the more affluent will be comparison shopping MORE than the less affluent? Yesawich also just released an interesting stat yesterday – his Traveler Sentiment Index is showing its first signs of upward momentum since January 2008, meaning travelers are feeling more positive about near-term travel possibilities than a year ago.

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I recently spoke at the Mid Atlantic Innkeepers conference at The Homestead in Hot Springs, Virginia. It was great seeing innkeepers and vendors at this event.

I felt compelled to share the photo I took below. Upon entering my room, my eyes were drawn to the little jar of jelly beans. “How cute,” I thought. After seeing the price tag of “$15″ for the little jar of jelly beans, I didn’t think it was very cute.

Now is a GREAT time for innkeepers to remind potential guests about all the wonderful amenities you provide at no extra charge. While hotels are cutting back their amenities or charging for them (sometime an arm and a leg), we should capitalize on what’s happening and tell our story.

Also, I wanted to share with you a message that Scott Bushnell sent to his friends and clients in the innkeeping world about what innkeepers should be doing in this difficult environment. I have pasted it below.

Onward and upward, my innkeeping friends!

Jay______________________________________________________Email from Scott Bushnell:A couple of weeks ago I sent out a note suggesting your attendance at the Mid-Atlantic Innkeepers Conference and Trade Show in Virginia. I would like to pass on the BIGGEST LEARNING I picked up at the conference. The conference was packed with workshops and ideas on how to deal with the business of innkeeping, especially in this time of economic challenges.

Jay Karen, president of PAII, held a Town Hall Meeting and discussed the latest trends in the travel industry. But it was the results of the latest PAII business activity survey, summarizing the industry’s performance from September through November that really caught my attention.

Of the 218 innkeepers reporting their fall business levels, 30.3% reported stronger business than the same period the prior year and 19.3% reported about the same level. Half of the inns reported business as not as good as last year. But the REAL LEARNING came with the reasons why they feel their business was either up or down:

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