5 Big Mistakes B&B Owners Make and How To Avoid Them, Part 2

At WebReserv we have been working with the B&B industry for several years trying to provide the best service to our clients. We know that a good booking system is a valuable tool for the B&B owner, but we are also aware that there are many other aspects (marketing, communication, sales, accounting, etc.) that the business needs to refine and improve in order to be successful.

Yvonne Halling is a B&B owner and a WebReserv client. She runs a successful B&B, and wants to share her experience and knowledge with other B&B’s.  She writes about the 5 most common mistakes that B&B owners often make.  Each week, we will discuss one mistake and give tips on how to avoid them. Here is the 2^nd mistake.

“Do you know what your guests want, what they really want?

Many B&B owners I speak to insist that having “stars” or ratings by organisations who grade them are the most important reason people choose them, and I’m here to tell you today, that it’s not!

Not at all!

But hey, I thought that too, and I fell into the same trap as everyone else and got a rating from my national organisation, Gites de France.  Gites de France came to my B&B, focussed on all the things I didn’t have, like TV in the rooms, private parking, difficult access etc. etc. and gave me a 2 star rating.  They then told me how much I could charge which was around €60 euros a night, which is about $40.  Well €60 a night wasn’t going to cut it as far as my bills were concerned, so I dumped Gites de France, who didn’t bring me any of my ideal guests anyway (more on how to determine your ideal guest in another article) and put my prices up to €92,50 a night!  And my business exploded!

Guests are not interested in your grading, your stars, or your awards.  What they really want is an emotional connection with you, and now, if you know what you’re doing, you can easily create this using the power of video, online technology and mankind’s greatest invention so far…. The internet.

• First you need to have a proper CRM (Customer Relationship Management) system so that you can capture guests’ details when they book.
• Next, take a quick video of yourself speaking to the camera, smiling and introducing you and your B&B, and how you’re very much looking forward to meeting them soon.  Pop this on your website.
• Create a follow up sequence of emails for your incoming guests, and link the first one back to your website where they can see the video of you.
• All this builds trust and connection before your guests arrive, and makes them much more pre-disposed to spending more money with you.

Before you spend another penny on upgrading your bed linen, installing TVs or expensive toiletries, check out my free report here: http://bedandbreakfastcoach.com  You’ll be surprised with what I share with you.”

Yvonne Halling runs “Les Molyneux” Luxury B&B in the heart of the Champagne region of France.  Using her proven strategies, she helps B&B owners to become more successful and increase guest revenue, while at the same time create a fun and fulfilling B&B owner experience.  Find out how at http://bedandbreakfastcoach.com

More information about WebReserv on www.webreserv.com