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Hello All!
Long gone are the days of Summer and now the
Winter season is in full swing. It is our goal to assist
you in achieving your marketing forecasts and to
enlighten you with new ideas. So get a cup of
coffee, sit back and enjoy the updates!
From all of us at Oates & Bredfeldt, LLC
| Yield Management? Not!! |
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Written by Howard Levitan
I was looking at the December edition of PAII's
Innkeeping this morning, and had a thought that I
wanted to pass on. Clearly this falls in the range
of “for what it is worth.”
I have heard Bill Carroll talk several times on Yield
Management, including at last year’s PAII
Conference. He is clearly a bright and thoughtful
professor. However, this discussion turns me off
every time I hear it. It seems to be all about the
money and not about the guest. It seems to be the
antithesis of the kind of hospitality that we strive for
as Innkeepers. Even mentioning the possibility of
overbooking rooms and having different rates for the
same type of rooms on the same days, makes me
cringe.
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| Tweaking your E-Mail Marketing |
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We are on the e-mail list of many marketing
companies. Recently, we received an e-mail from
Cooler E-Mail, an e-mail marketing company. We
enjoyed the content and their ideas regarding email
marketing really
made sense. With that in mind, we thought that
you would enjoy it as well. Every new idea is worth
exploring!
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| Niche Marketing |
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Would you like to tap into a $65 billion dollar market?
There is a new website which was launched late last
Summer. Pinkchoice.com is a new website which
targets gay travelers. We went onto the website
and were surprised that there are not many New
England Inns listed on the site. This market is
affluent and always looking for up-to-date
information about gay-friendly accommodations.
Could this be a niche market for your Inn? If so,
check it out at
www.pinkchoice.com.
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| The Pitfalls of Travel Websites |
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Have you ever received a scathing review on Trip
Advisor? Is your Inn’s online identity being ruined by
a couple of bad reviews on travel websites? Do other
Inns of questionable standards receive 5-star reviews
and you know they are not deserved? As an
Innkeeper working hard to give your guests the best
experience possible, it is frustrating to read such
reviews. Often times these reviewers have never
even stayed at your Inn. Clearly, the reviews on
such sites should be read with caution. We recently
read an article discussing
some of the pitfalls of travel websites and we
thought
you may enjoy reading it...
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Newsletter written by Rebecca Levitan and Kim
Averill-Demeny
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Even a Bed & Breakfast Needs Food Safety Training |
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It is taken for granted that restaurants have to worry
about food service safety, but it doesn’t stop there!
Anyone serving any type or quantity of food to the
general public should be concerned as well.
It never occurred to me when I owned a bed and
breakfast the harm that could be done by simple
procedures, such as breaking eggs into a bowl and
leaving them on the counter or defrosting frozen
food. However, harmful bacteria doesn’t need much
time in a warm environment to grow and therefore
potentially making your guest sick. Better yet, the
proper sanitation of countertops and hands is equally
important. We strongly encourage anyone serving
food to enroll in a food service safety class, such as
ServSafe. This is a nationally recognized organization
which is known by all health inspectors nationally.
When the health inspector is at your door and things
are not going well, you will gain their respect and a
few extra points for taking a food service safety
class and becoming better informed. So don’t wait!
Be proactive and you’ll be surprised by the
information you will learn and better understand the
goals of health inspectors.
Call or e-mail us and we will assist you in finding a
food safety class near you. Just call 207-563-2772 or
email
rlevitan@oatesbredfeldt.com
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