Netflix’s New Bed & Breakfast Design Show, Innkeepers Book Direct Campaign, Southern Living On Tipping Innkeepers, Egg Clouds

Watch This B&B Design Show & Come Up With a Good Idea for Your Bed & Breakfast

This new series on Netflix was geared toward struggling bed and breakfast hosts – especially, for those with 19,000 competitors in places like Brooklyn. Marketing and design help is offered by Pete Lorimer and former Trading Spaces designer Genevieve Gorder. The eye-popping design and before and after transformation will definitely take your breath away, whether it’s a beat-up Seattle houseboat, a 1740 Hudson, NY house or a cabin in the middle of a vineyard.

 

Sleeping With Books – “the Accommodation Bookshelf”

The “Accommodation Bookshelf” is called Book and Bed. It’s a hostel and offers 30 beds carved out of bookshelves. Several locations in Japan include Tokyo and Kyoto. This is a National Geographic Video that shows what its like but it’s quicker to take a look at their website

 

From what I can see it’s $55 a night, with shared baths.

 

What We Heard This Week

1. You Took Only 4 Hours to Fix My Website – “I called you guys to fix these things on my website. Thanks for getting this done in 4 hours!!!!”
   • Broken Links
   • Pages that returned a 4XX status code upon request
   • Images with no ALT text
   • Pages with no meta description tag
   • Missing unique meta description
   • Having a title tag that is too long
2. Best Summer – “This has been one of the best summer’s we’ve ever had. Lots of repeats and lots of new guests. We’ve had a full house since May. Not sure why business is so good but maybe it was the horrible winter.“ Arbor Hills, La Porte, Indiana
3. 84 More Reservations Per Year – “The regular monthly newsletters you send for us always result in 5-10 reservations.” Lucy (That averages 84 extra reservations a year.)
4. I Broke My Website – “I had a beautifully designed site but started doing my own edits. I messed up things and broke other things. Now that you are helping, it is beautiful again.”

 

Up to 60% of Travel Shoppers who go through an OTA might visit your website first.

 

More on Last Week’s “Letter to Guests” – Illegal Price Fixing

This excerpt below is more of last week’s feature by a Northeast innkeeper. He believes one way to get guests to book direct is by educating them – for instance, sending letters to guests to explain what’s really happening.

 

I shared this information at a seminar last week and the woman next to me was shocked at the 18% commission and said, “I hate Expedia and will never use them again. They kept me from finding out what the inn offered that I would have liked to take advantage of.”

 

From the Innkeeper
Some Countries in Europe Say Rate Parity Agreements Are Illegal
Although now deemed illegal in many parts of Europe, OTA contracts here in the US are still able to demand rate parity agreements. This means that, when listing with an OTA, a hotel is not permitted to offer you a lower rate as an incentive to book directly with them. In fact, in the US, the ubiquitous “Lowest or Best Rate Guarantees” would more accurately be termed “Equal Rate Guarantees”. Incentives other than rate are however permitted.

 

That Rate Parity Agreements have sustained legal challenges here in the USA is somewhat mystifying. In this country any form of price fixing is strictly illegal. The Federal Trade Commission’s own website defines price fixing as: “… an agreement (written, verbal, or inferred from conduct) among competitors that raises, lowers, or stabilizes prices or competitive terms”].
France beats Expedia – Expedia loses hotel rate parity case in France | Travel Weekly

More –

 

Bottom Line Innkeeper Wants Us All To Message – Every Traveler Can Help By Booking Direct

“If you have read this far, you may agree that booking direct is something you will want to consider when making your next hotel booking – wherever in the world that may be. We are collectively involved in a silent revolution.”

 

Southern Living Tells Bed & Breakfast Guests to Tip

The last word on tipping is always: “Yes, just do it. Don’t assume it’s extraneous, because tips can add up. They can make a big difference in the lives of the people who are working hard to make your stay a good one.” from the September issue of Southern Living.

 

EGG CLOUD ON PARMESAN CRISP

Featured on EggBoard – Recipe: Paul Sletten, chef-owner | Abreo | Rockford, IL
Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients:

• 2 cups shredded Parmesan cheese
• 4 eggs
• Salt to taste
• 1 cup tomato chutney (recipe follows)
• 1 teaspoon olive oil, divided

Directions:

1. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Lightly oil parchment.
2. On one baking sheet, using a four-inch ring mold, make four thin circular layers of Parmesan cheese.
3. Bake at 375° F for five minutes or until cheese has crisped. Set aside to cool.
4. Carefully separate eggs, putting whites into a stainless steel bowl and yolk in a separate bowl.
5. Whip whites and salt until stiff peaks form.
6. More