If you find one takeaway from this column I hope it’s a commitment to work on increasing your average
stay. According to multiple reports, more than half of all respondents add personal travel days to their business travel “every trip” or to “most trips." Having Local Attractions or Itineraries on your website is an easy way to start to communicate options and activities for vacationers and business travelers. Blogging about these activities is another. When checking room availability on the phone train staff to find out the reason for the visit and make suggestions, letting guests know when they won’t have enough time to do everything. These things seem obvious, but in the busy course of running an inn, sometimes the obvious is overlooked.
Offering a special is a no fail way to tempt guests. A good example is L'Auberge Provencale’s More Is Special package: The Longer You Stay, The More You Save! Guests are encouraged to extend their stays and enjoy midweek savings at this French inspired inn. The longer guests stay, the more they save. And the longer they stay, the more unique Virginia Wine Country experiences they’ll get to have!
Increasing the average length of your guests’ stays brings multiple positive results to your bottom line. Not only do you turn over less rooms and lower your housekeeping efforts and expenses; the longer guests stay the more connected they feel, thus increasing the likelihood that they will be repeat guests and or refer others to your inn.
Maximizing revenue on an existing reservation while making for a better guest experience is a win-win every day!
Mary White is the Founder and CEO of BnBFinder.com, a top rated bed and breakfast online directory. White is also the author of Running a Bed and Breakfast For Dummies. As an authoritative voice on B&B travel, White is a go-to source in the bed & breakfast industry for opinions and advice.
A noted expert on bed & breakfasts, she has been involved in promoting and marketing B&Bs on the Web for more than
a decade. She has appeared in dozens of media outlets. Her site, BnBFinder.com, is hailed by professionals and consumers alike as one of the most informative B&B sites on the Web.
Follow her on Twitter at @Mary_White.