The Innkeeping Blog

That’s not a typo. It’s just a long acronym. It stands for “what have you done for me lately?” I suppose we’re not always best at tooting our own horn, but we have some fantastic things going on I want to share with everyone – a few things we’ve already announced and others that will be news to members. As I travel to state association meetings throughout the country, I’m often asked by non-members (including many former members) about what PAII is like today and what we are doing. Similarly, when we talk to busy members about renewing their membership, we find many have been too busy to really pay attention to what’s happening. You pay dues to PAII – so you should know what’s happening. Here’s a short list of what’s happening now. There’s a lot more in the on-deck circle, so stay tuned for more!

Prescription Drug Program
Soon PAII members will be receiving in the mail a letter and two cards that give you access to discount prices on prescription drugs at nearly all major pharmacies. We know being self-employed doesn’t always afford you the best health coverage, including many times weak or no pharmacy coverage. With this card, you and your family can enjoy attractive savings. If you don’t want to wait for the direct mail piece, simply go to http://www.sunrxdiscount.com/paii to print your own card now. At this web site you can go ahead and check the prices you’ll pay for your prescriptions – both over-the-counter and mail order. This is not an insurance program, but rather a nationwide discount program. If you have good prescription coverage, this program might not benefit you – but do yourself a favor and check it out! I’ve been using the card myself, and have enjoyed the savings.

IQ Circulation

Beginning this January, Innkeeping Quarterly magazine will be circulated to all innkeepers throughout the United States, not just PAII members. To date we’ve been sending this leading trade publication to members every quarter, as well as a different group of 3,000 non-member innkeepers. The advertisers want the greater reach, and we believe the entire industry should be reading the timely content in this publication. We’re looking for a few good writers! If you have significant writing experience and want to contribute to the industry’s only trade magazine, please email Ingrid Thorson at ingrid@paii.org

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The presence of TripAdvisor in our marketplace is the definitive double-edged sword, and a very sharp one at that. On one side of the sword you have the opportunity for exposure to millions and millions of visitors to their web site, and the chance for potential guests to read glowing reviews from REAL PEOPLE who stayed at your inn. And you don’t even have to pay membership fees or a commission on bookings! If you have frequent and recent positive reviews, you might even get a high ranking in your marketplace. Nothing like being able to say “Ranked #1 by TripAdvisor in XYZ City” on your web site. On the other side of the sword you have the frustration and fallout of negative reviews (real, embellished or just plain false – many times with no recourse). There are features of the site (both obvious and subtle) that move visitors away from properties that do not share a piece of the revenue with the triumvirate of Expedia.com, Hotels.com and/or TripAdvisor, and towards properties that do (by-and-large hotels). And how many of you have been simply threatened with negative reviews on TripAdvisor? A double-edged sword indeed.

TripAdvisor has been lightly involved with PAII, having attended our 2007 convention in Myrtle Beach as an exhibitor and speaker, and sending a representative to participate in our State of the Industry panel discussion at the 2008 event. I’ve had some chats with their senior staff about various issues from time-to-time. Recently, though, I approached TripAdvisor about having a better working relationship. After all, there are over 15,000 B&Bs and inns on their directory (we help bring traffic in their direction), and their impact on our industry is indisputable. I shared with the membership that I have been intending to step-up PAII’s dialogue with TripAdvisor. I’ve received several different opinions on the way in which we should or should not deal with TripAdvisor, ranging from organizing a class action lawsuit to seeking an official advisory position among their leadership. I’ve been advised that we should become close allies with them, as well as criticized for giving them more significant deference than the online review sites born in our own innkeeping industry. While the best path forward hasn’t been cleared yet, there is no arguing against the need for someone to represent the interests and concerns of our industry with TripAdvisor.

TripAdvisor has a power-grip on the online review phenomenon in the lodging industry, but there are indeed other players. BedandBreakfast.com has a robust online review system, and BnBfinder.com and iloveinns.com have opportunities for guests to leave reviews of properties listed with their directories. While I hope we don’t see more and more online review programs in our industry, thereby further frustrating innkeepers (who seem to have enough trouble suggesting guests leave reviews online in the first place), I do think innkeepers would do themselves and this industry a favor by supporting the review programs of online B&B directories. It wouldn’t take much to include links in your thank you emails and on your web sites to your review pages on BnBfinder.com, BedandBreakfast.com or iloveinns.com. Your most satisfied customers might want to leave positive reviews all over the internet, and your potential guests may want to read reviews on sites OTHER than TripAdvisor – so help them out! Plus, competition can be a good thing.

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As most of you know, the advent of the online guest review has made a big impact on our industry. Some days, as our board chairman says in today’s press release, it feels like the “Wild West.” Innkeepers are fearful of the impact of negative reviews, and at the same time enjoy the glow of positive reviews. Many inns, which had been heretofore hidden gems, might now be discovered on account of online guest reviews.

Our industry has been accused of being a place where fraudulent review-posting is more likely to happen than in the hotel market. PAII’s own keynote speaker at our conference suggested innkeepers leave positive reviews of their own properties, which was a shock to us as well. Innkeepers complain to us about how TripAdvisor ignores the needs of our industry. There are features and policies within the review sites that may or may not meet the needs of innkeepers, our guests and the industry at-large.

In the midst of what sometimes feels like chaos, the PAII Board of Directors felt it necessary to offer a public statement on the ethics and use of online reviews. I believe the press release and position statement explain how we are feeling, as well as provide some guidance on the matter. You should look to PAII as a both resource and voice for innkeepers. In that light, I encourage you to give us your opinions, stories, grievances, at-a-boys, etc. We want to hear from you, so that we can continue to be a valuable resource, as well as carry your message to those that have a big impact on our industry. Leave your comments on this blog, or the PAII Member Forum. The press release and statement are below.

Thank you for allowing us to serve and lead,

Jay

_____________________________________________________

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Here’s what happened. A ballroom full of innkeepers has gathered. It’s the first morning of the PAII conference. Our keynote speaker, Daniel Levine, is speaking about five social trends that are impacting our businesses. It’s a fresh, forward-thinking message. Then he drops a bomb on the audience.

Levine was talking about the social trend he calls, “Transparency Tyranny.” In brief, it has to do with the phenomenon of consumer-generated content on the internet. In our world of innkeeping, that mostly means online reviews, ala TripAdvisor, BedandBreakfast.com, etc. He gave a few other examples of how Web 2.0 is taking over the internet. One funny, but scary, example was www.rottenneighbor.com, where one can “Locate, Rate and Share Good and Bad Neighbors Before and After You Move.” In the context of this Web 2.0 discussion – and here’s the bomb – Levine suggested to innkeepers that they should essentially “game” the TripAdvisor system by leaving your own reviews of your own properties. In fact, he even suggests innkeepers should leave multiple reviews from different IP addresses or servers, so that TripAdvisor doesn’t catch you leaving multiple reviews. If you didn’t know, that breaks the rules TripAdvisor sets for innkeepers and hoteliers.

Personally, I was appalled. I looked around and wondered if everyone else heard what I had just heard. I didn’t think it was appropriate for me to stand up in the crowd and stop Levine during his presentation, but maybe I should have. The advice he offered was way off base. A few innkeepers walked out during his presentation. I was concerned that he lost all credibility at that moment, and that his main message was going to be lost.

The very next morning at the second general session of the conference, I delivered a formal rebuttal to Levine’s suggestion. I told the gathered innkeepers that PAII neither condones nor endorses what our speaker suggested. I shared my belief that it is perfectly ok to invite your guests to submit reviews of their experience, but within the bounds of good ethics. Apparently I struck a chord, because my comments were met with much applause. It was reassuring to see that the innkeeping community is by-and-large an ethical group of people. Furthermore, the conference was buzzing in the hallways and classrooms with this issue. Again, it was good to see that innkeepers care about doing the right thing and responded with shock to Levine’s comments.

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