|
I've spent a lot of money developing my web site,
I don't want anything that doesn't look like my place. | You have obviously spent a lot of time, thought and money on the design of your web site. The look and feel of the room availability tools will look like it is part of your site. Guests are not taken off your site and the links all point back to your home page. |
Won't I miss opportunities because Guests won't call and I know I can change
their minds about dates. | You can customize the response to the guest when you are fully booked.
One: If you want to talk to the Guests no matter what your availability is - you can!
Two: During your high season when you don't have a lot of time to talk to guests because you are fully booked - you can opt not to.
Three: If you want, the response can automatically suggest alternative dates when you do have rooms available!
Four: You can also tell the Assistant to automatically check room availability at other nearby B&B's who are also participating and refer the Guest to that Innkeeper. And the Assistant will save the e-mail address of the guest for you to use in the future to market to when you do have availability. |
| I don't want to do reservations on-line. | You won't - these are not reservation systems. These systems provide an information service to the Guest to make it easier to decide to stay with you. They don't get in the middle of any financial transaction or commit you in any way. |
| I still want to speak to my Guests before they book. | You still do! These systems are designed to increase the chance that the Guest contacts you in the first place. |
| I don't want to pay Commissions. | You won't. There are NO COMMISSION CHARGES. You only pay a small annual software licensing fee. |
I don't need more things
to do - I need more Guests. | This will actually increase the chance that your property will be selected. The system keeps things fair for all members who are listed on a Chamber or Association's Web site. The list of available properties rotates - so everyone gets a chance to be listed first when a Guest inquires about availability. |
| I already have high occupancy. Why should I be interested in having on-line availability checking? | Even those properties with have high occupancy rates love these tools. The reasons why these tools are great include:
One: Guests love being able to quickly find out if you have rooms available.
Two: When you do not have any rooms available, you don't have a lot of time to spend with people you can't accommodate.
Three: If you are a member of an association or chamber that is participating, you can be the recipient of an automatic referral when another Innkeeper is unavailable.
Four: When you get a late cancellation, you can quickly update your calendar to fill that vacancy.
|
|
| I want to be in Control. | You are - nothing is booked until you complete the call and confirm the reservation. All Guests who use the system are informed that they "will not have a confirmed reservation until you have made payment arrangements with the Innkeeper". |
| I can't spend the time to update - too much trouble. | It's easy to do and will only take a few minutes. During your busiest times, it's more likely to give you more time to spend with Guests you have, rather than having to spend a lot of time talking with Guests you can't accommodate. |
| I get lots of e-mail. How often do I have I have to check it and how will I know the e-mail is from this service?
| The assistant will answer for you IMMEDIATELY so that when you check e-mail you will have the confidence that the inquiry has been acknowledged and responsed to. The subject line of the e-mails from our service will indicate that it is from us. Therefore you will know that these are e-mails that you need to respond to first.
The frequency of checking is really up to you. However it is just like returning phone messages. Even though the guests know that you have rooms available, they may have emailed or called other Innkeepers. The quicker you respond by phone and/or email and complete the transaction, the better your chances of booking the guest. |
| I don't want to allow non-guests (and other Innkeepers) to view my availability. | You have flexibility! You have a choice of which tool to use: the calendar or the date request form. The calendar easily displays what is/isn't available. Alternatively the date request form is date specific and the system follows your instructions about answering the inquiry. For example, if you don't have any availability for a specific date, you can tell your Assistant to not tell guests that you are full, but just to thank them and to let the guest know that you will contact them shortly. (This gives you the opportunity to get to talk with the guest to offer alternative dates.) The Assistant only provides answers to questions about specific days - just the way you would. The tool requires a valid e-mail address to be entered before a response is sent. You have a complete record of what is said. |
If I don't get a chance to talk with the Guest, won't
I loose the opportunity to market my property. | By using the Assistant on your website you will actually increase your opportunities to market to the Guest in the future. In fact you can TRIPLE your chance of getting a guest whom you could not accommodate for this trip to come back and book with you on another trip in the future! |
| Okay - so what does it cost? Is it more to have availability by room? | There are various levels - the range is a monthly fee $6.66 (billed $80 annually; availability links on your site and your Group's site) to $9.20 (billed $110 annually; 4 availability links: your site, your Group's and added exposure from bbgetaways.com and find-a-room-at-the-inn.com. The fee is the same for General availability or individual room availability. Individual room availability does provide greater information for the Guest, but it does require you to update the status of each room - your choice. |
