The Importance of Doing Things Your Way in Your Bed and Breakfast, Guest House or Inn

Hi, I’m Yvonne Halling and in this video, I want to talk to you about the importance of doing things YOUR way in your B&B, Guest House or Inn, so if you’ve been asking others about how to run things and not feeling right about what they’re saying, then today’s video will help you to understand why.

If you’re just starting out, then it’s understandable that you’re looking for advice on how to do things properly. But first, you’ll need to understand the difference between principles or frameworks and opinions from other owners.  

For example, you may be asking what’s the best reservations system to use. And you’ll get dozens of opinions from other owners.  

The principle is that in today’s world, you need an online reservation system. The best one for you will depend on many factors, such as how many rooms you have, how many and which online travel agents you’re using or want to use, where you’re based in the world etc. There’s no one-size fits all. Yes, it’s good to get opinions from others, but they are just opinions – you’ll need to decide for yourself.

Someone locally may be telling you that you need to list with Airbnb because they’re doing really well with it.

The principle is that you’ll need to attract guests, but is Airbnb the best source of guests for you and your business? That will depend on what type of guests you want to attract and why, how you’ve set yourself up to take care of those guests, and whether or not you’re already good at attracting guests yourself.

Another owner may be saying that Instagram is the place to be right now, because they’re getting lots of enquiries from it. But is that where your ideal guests hang out? Could you do better engaging in some specific Facebook groups where your ideal guests are having conversations?

The principle is that you need to know who YOUR guests and why you want to attract them, and then find out where they’re gathering together online. That may or may not be Instagram for you.

Can you see how the principles are more important than the opinions or tactics of others?

So you might be asking yourself, so what are the principles of running a B&B, guest house or inn?

There are just 4.

#1 - Know who you want to welcome and why, based on three factors – where you’re geographically located, why people come to your area and your own expertise, knowledge and interests.

#2 – Set up your storefront meaning your website and online presence to attract those ideal guests to you, making you the obvious choice for the specific guests you want to welcome.

#3 – Consistently deliver the experience they’re expecting, so they write great reviews and some of them become raving fans and refer you to their friends and family.

#4 – Build your business on solid foundations with the 3 timeless, universal business systems – a system to attract guests yourself, a system to sell more to them, and a system to have them coming back again, so you’re not at the mercy of online travel agents forever.

When you put these 4 principles in place, you’ll know exactly the right thing to do for your business, and not what everyone else is telling you to do.  

If you liked this video and you want to know more about how to build a B&B, guest house or inn that works for you, instead of you working for it, then click below to register for my next Masterclass, where I’ll show you how to add at least 25% extra to your income in one season, while working less.

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