| Featured B&B Cities: Powerful Destination Marketing |
| Our twice-monthly B&B Travel Newsletter is delivered to potential guests, recommending cities, things to do, what to eat and so much more. Most importantly, we take great lengths to feature member properties, highlighting your current specials. Our featured destinations are in-depth, helpful and one of the most popular sections to consider your area as a Featured Destination and inclusion in an issue of the B&B Travel Newsletter. We’ll get your inn’s name in front of thousands of potential guests who have requested to hear about B&B getaways and specials (we throw in a few recipes for fun). We’d like to know what makes your location special and a few things to do or see that you recommend. |
| Inbound Links to your Website |
| Co-Authored by Thomas Brown, SEO Expert and Psychologist About This Series: SEO stands for “search engine optimization.” Google is the world’s best-known search engine, but there are others, including Yahoo and MSN. SEO is the art of designing the content of a web page for optimal find-ability by a search engine-designing it in a way that makes it easy for a user to find, using a search engine. For innkeepers, SEO means designing an inn’s site in a way that makes it easy for a potential guest to find it, using a search engine like Google, Yahoo, MSN, Ask, or any other. The following article outlines the 4th ongoing installment of 10 ways to design websites for maximum search engine optimization in the long term. #4. Highly Targeted, Relevant Inbound Links The number and quality of 3rd party websites that link to your website (in essence, recommend your website) might just be the defining factor that boosts your website into the public’s view. ยป In the bed and breakfast industry, you need your site connected to large directories with high page ranking, travel blogs, travel news, travel weather, area accommodations, destination features and anything else travel, hospitality or accommodation oriented that will help you rise with the tide. |
| Ask Pamela |
 Pamela, I’m opening a B&B, should I join my local association. Would you recommend I do this now or later? – Georgia Walsh Aspiring Innkeeper Dear Georgia, Thank you for contacting me and congratulations on taking the 1st steps to becoming an innkeeper. What an amazing journey this is going to be for you. Innkeeping is one of the most honorable professions in the world. I feel that welcoming people into your home and ensuring they have a good experience is a fundamental way to “give back and provide a much needed respite in this busy, modern world.” Your question is close to my heart as I’ve been supporting this industry for over 25 years and continue to actively find ways to support innkeepers like you with my daughter and business partner, Marie Lanier. We both feel that the 1st step in opening an Inn is to learn from and consult your fellow innkeepers that have been in the business for several years and know the ropes. Part of our philosophy at BBIGI is that Inns are best served by being members of their own local and state association. Why? Because we feel that innkeepers flourish when they have an opportunity to benefit from each other’s expertise and guidance. We have always supported the independent nature of the innkeeping community and the level of professional accountability that comes from joining with your peers in a non-profit, regional association. It is for this reason that we offer new innkeepers, that are members of their local or state association, a 10% discount from our anual membership fee. So yes, absolutely join your local and state B&B associations. If they allow you to join before you purchae your Inn, do that. If not, join as soon as you possibly can. You may also want to join us this coming January 2009 on the Seminar at Sea where we’ll be working one on one with innkeepers and aspiring innkeepres on marketing initiatives, efficiency and so much more. We believe in this industry and the lifestyle, comradery and fellowship that those in the hospitality industry both enjoy and share with the traveling public. We’re excited to hear you want to open a B&B and will help you in any way we can. |
| Inn the News: Love Struck in the Library |
Polly was the new girl in school in Farmington, MI in the fall of 1943. Carl was the shy, quiet student who befriended Polly and was uncharacteristically outgoing and funny when Polly was in the room. Love struck in the school library. On June 18th, 1950 the high school sweethearts married, celebrating their union on a 1-week honeymoon canoeing along the Muskegon River when not a single house or person inhabited the riverbank. Soon thereafter Carl, a recent graduate of Aeronautical Engineering, accepted a job with Boeing and moved his new wife to Seattle, WA. Polly acquired her bachelor’s in Humanities and eventually her Masters in Library Science. She established a Children’s Library in Kirkland, WA and soon thereafter became pregnant with their first child. Polly attended the 1st childbirth education classes led by Dr. Virginia Larson at the YWCA in downtown Seattle which she says was a turning point in her life as natural childbirth was contrary to what she and her peers were taught. Eric, their 1st child, was brought home on their one year wedding anniversary. Eventually, Polly combined her motherhood and library experience to help start a parent cooperative nursery school, one of the 1st of its kind. 11 years later daughter Julie was born. At the age of 50, with a successful career under her belt and children grown, Polly decided she needed to do something different. Her goal, to reach at least 100 years of age and she needed something to help her get there. Polly ventured to England to visit fellow childhood girl scout Madge, backpacking throughout England and Scotland visiting libraries along the way. It was on this trip that Poly discovered bed and breakfasts. She thought they were wonderful, more personable and friendly than big hotels. This was just what she needed, and on that trip, she decided that somehow she would open her own B&B in Washington. |
