Attracting Guests to Your B&B

January 23, 2023 Justine. S
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Bed and breakfast, hotel, holiday home. All of them are very different kinds of accommodations with completely different vibes. In this article, I would like to focus on the B&Bs for a moment.

The thing with B&B is that you never know what you can expect, and you need to win them over. How to win them over you can read below.

Don’t be something you are not

You are not a hotel, so you will always need to accept that you have a different approach and presence. Some people would choose hotels above B&Bs because, in my opinion, you have hotel people and B&B people.

Some people might be scared off by the idea of small intimate settings in which you feel the need you must socialize during breakfast.

But being smaller does not mean you have to be less ‘out there’. If you are not online yet, go get yourself a website! Seriously, if you are not online yet, you a missing out on a lot of business.

If a website is not within the budget at the moment, make yourself a Facebook page. There are a lot of web developers out there who can make you a basic yet clean website with low maintenance. Tip: we can provide you with a kick-ass website as well.

When you do go online

Okay, so you have got yourself a website and you are ready to get yourself out there. Before you start, just sit back for a minute, make yourself a cup of coffee and strategize your plan.

Why? Because it is one thing to be online, but you need to be online in the right way. Within 4 seconds a potential guest decides if they trust the website enough to spend money on this place. A few tips go make your homepage attractive:

  1. Use attractive pictures. This is probably a logical thing to say but professional pictures make a huge difference. Lighting, the angle, everything is important in this case. You want people to look at a picture of your bedrooms and think: ‘That bed looks way comfy!’
  2. Language. Spelling, grammar and writing style. Imagine if this article was full of spelling mistakes. To be honest, I am wildly dyslexic so I have these articles checked before I hand them in. Because nobody would trust a page filled with bad spelling. You can do two things when you know your spelling and grammar is not your strongest point. You can make mnemonic’s like I did for the word ‘necessary ‘ (never, eat, cake, eat, salmon, sandwiches, and, remain, young), or you let someone check you spelling for you. Ask someone you know to read over it and take in tips and tricks with a smile.
  3. Social Media. It is obvious that social media is a great tool to build relationships with fans and customers. By using social media platforms and also being active on it, shows your customers that you are serious, know your stuff and can be trusted. A lack of trust kills your conversation and social media is a great way to have cheap, effective and efficient conversations with your guests.

Use your strong points and not the strong point you give yourself but ask your guests what it is that makes you different and better. Maybe the food, the comfort or location. In fact, offering up local recommendations without being intrusive is a must. So if you run a Mississippi bed and breakfast, suggesting things to do in the area via your social media profiles will show guests that you’re on the ball in this regard, without feeling obliged to follow your recommendations.

Be predictably unpredictable

Hotels seem to be a bit more predictive then B&B’s. When you go to a Marriott, you know the quality is on the high end. A B&B is unique and private, not comparable. Because B&B’s usually stay a little more on the down low, massive campaigns and offline advertising is usually not something you would use.

Mouth to word advertising and online reviewing is what will make or break your B&B. Also, people want to know what makes you different to the other B&B’s so why not show them. Tell your guest about nearby activities or special places they really must visit.

Now you have a few tips and tricks to update your current online status. Are you a B&B owner? What do you do to set yourself apart from the rest?

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Justine. S

Justine is a Content Manager at RoomRaccoon, bringing her background in language and communication studies to the SaaS world. When she's not writing about the latest trends in the industry, she's probably out exploring the world or indulging her love of pink.

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