Airbnb Boycotting Google, Inns Ditch Pillows & Magazines, One Inn’s Fixed List Put Them On Page One

Inns Ditch Magazines and Pillows

A hallmark of hospitality at an inn is the personalized service. It’s the conversations over breakfast that create new friendships. It’s the homemade treats, cozy rooms. How are inns supposed to create this atmosphere in the middle of a pandemic?

The American Hotel & Lodging Association launched the Stay Safe initiative to assist the hospitality business during this difficult time. The Association of Lodging Professionals has adopted the initiative and created a page of COVID-19 resources. Implement these tips to keep your inn safe and enjoyable for your guests:

1. Look for ways to go contactless. Have room keys available in a sealed package for guests to pick up at check in. Offer individual toiletries.
2. Keep your distance at breakfast. Space tables 6 feet apart and stagger breakfast times to limit crowding in the breakfast area.
3. If it’s not easy to clean, it’s gone.” Heather Turner, marketing director for ALP, suggests getting rid of decorative pillows and extra trinkets. On a positive note, many guests may appreciate the clean and uncluttered look in your rooms. Think about other high contact items such as shared magazines or games. Ask guests to leave these items in their rooms after use so that they can be cleaned or quarantined.
4. Head outside. A colleague told Heather Turner, “If I can’t talk to my guests I might as well just close up forever.” But innkeepers and guests are still finding ways to connect, at a distance, while standing in the garden. Set up individual tables for a wine tasting on the lawn. Offer individually wrapped afternoon treats.

Post gentle reminders about rules. Monica Edwards, owner of Morehead Manor Bed & Breakfast, says, guests have “chosen a smaller, individually owned property because it makes them feel safer.” An email with what to expect before arrival will increase that feeling of safety. Tell people when and where masks will be required. Reassure guests by listing increased cleaning protocols.

So Much For Airbnb Rules

Dozens of the largest properties listed on Airbnb in Scotland are flouting Coronavirus guidance on the number of people allowed to stay there. STV News carried out an investigation, contacting 62 of Scotland’s largest Airbnbs and finding three quarters of them agreed to bookings that would violate the Government’s guidance. …one Airbnb owner told the news organization that it would be fine for 38 people to stay at their property. Although this is in Scotland, who knows what’s happening here? More

 

A Fix List That Put An Inn On Page One

Sometimes Great Things Happen – In this case we spent 10 hours “Fixing” an inn’s website and in a couple weeks they wound up on page one in important searches. Here are some of the things we did in 10 Hours:

1. Updated the title tags to get the best searches
2. Fixed the alt tags
3. Adjusted all the page headers for the best SEO
4. Moved policies off the homepage & room pages & created a new policy page
5. Added content and keywords to the homepage
6. Fixed the address on the site and added the schema
7. Filed a new site map with Google
8. Checked to see if the new page had been indexed yet – (It had been and in just a couple days! All the updates had been picked up by Google, too.)

Results – They now show up where they wanted to be. By adjusting the address exactly, adding schema and filing a new site map, they were picked up correctly by Google. In addition, due to the work done on content, title tags and page headers, they are showing up in broader tourist area searches. A big improvement over original searches which provided zero results.

Tell Me What You Can Fix On My Website

 

Airbnb Is Boycotting Google

Airbnb is Out of Google Vacation Rentals Search

Google’s travel pages started a standalone page for vacation rentals. Companies like Booking.com and Tripadvisor have been testing the waters to see if they want to participate while other companies, like Airbnb, seeming to be flip flopping in their decision.

Google vacation rentals names one vendor per listing. Participation is currently free for vendors. Airbnb was not an initial participant but it did jump in relatively early. Now it seems to be making a conscious choice to stand apart from Google’s offerings.

Airbnb’s New Strategy: Living Without Google So why the change of heart? Google has a strong hold on the travel market. Consumers are using it for flights, hotels, itineraries, and more. Airbnb no longer advertises on Google in an effort to show their independent advantage. This is especially important as Airbnb has recently filed to go public as a company.

Another consideration is the return on investment for advertising on the Google platform. While vendors can participate in the program for free there is no guarantee about how long that offer will stand. Companies like Airbnb need to consider whether or not they want their customers to build a reliance on outside access through Google.

 

Best Brunch Recipes – Dutch Baby Pancake with Caramelized Pears and Toasted Almonds

This pancake is beautifully photographed Here.

INGREDIENTS:

2 tablespoons sliced blanched almonds

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

2 large eggs, at room temperature

½ cup whole milk, at room temperature

½ cup all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons granulated sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon, divided

⅛ teaspoon kosher salt

⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg

1 ripe Bartlett pear–peeled, cored and sliced ¼ inch thick

2 tablespoons light brown sugar

Confectioners’ sugar, for dusting

Lemon wedges, for serving

More

Click Here For the Best Brunch Recipes in the country by Tasting Table