by Steve Short | Jan 24, 2019 | Frictionless Innkeeper Podcasts
For episode #9 of the Frictionless Innkeeper podcast series, we speak with Isabelle Chicoine and Karim Houry, owners of the Woodstocker B&B in Woodstock, Vermont, who discuss their property selection process, transition from the business world to being innkeepers, how they continually aim to improve the guest experience, and their Airbnb strategy.
In having conversations with other innkeepers, we have learned that property owners can come from a variety of professional backgrounds, and some bring a wide range of business experiences that can be leveraged successfully in the B&B arena.
Former marketing communications and financial services executives, Isabelle and Karim are great examples of this. When these professionals decided to leave the corporate world but weren’t sure what type of business to pursue, they took a business-like approach to help them decide to become innkeepers.
Their business background also helped them use an analytical and strategic approach in determining which property to buy and operate. This led them to Woodstock, Vermont and the purchase of the Woodstocker B&B in March 2018.
After a brief apprenticeship at another B&B and then opening last summer, the couple dove right into the local community and fully embraced their new professional lifestyles. For example, they have designed specialized, season-specific guest experience packages for hiking and other outdoor activities, and are involved with the Woodstock town council regarding policies for short-term rentals. They have also developed a strategy for effectively using Airbnb and OTAs to improve their booking volume and revenue stream.
In this podcast, Isabelle and Karim share their innkeeper story:
· Isabelle and Karim’s background and how they came to be innkeepers. (:54)
· How they found and purchased the Woodstocker B&B. (5:00)
· More about the Woodstocker B&B property. (13:03)
· How Isabelle and Karim differentiate themselves and appeal to Millennials. (16:55)
· The continuous focus on enhancing the guest experience. (20:57)
· Their overall Airbnb strategy for increasing bookings. (24:14)
· What the future holds for the Woodstocker B&B. (32:49)
We would like to thank Isabelle and Karim for sharing their innkeeper story. You can learn more about the Woodstocker B&B by visiting their website.
by Steve Short | Dec 20, 2018 | Frictionless Innkeeper Podcasts
For Episode #8 of the Frictionless Innkeeper podcast series, we speak with Linda Smith, Owner and Operator of Rachael’s Dowry Bed & Breakfast in Baltimore, Maryland, who discusses her innkeeper story, important new legislation happening in Baltimore with regards to Airbnb, and her perspective on OTAs.
Innkeepers often come from diverse backgrounds and Linda Smith is a prime example of a professional who underwent the transformation to becoming an innkeeper, bringing with her a high level of business savvy. As a former telecommunications executive, her previous experience provides her with the skills to effectively market and manage her property, as well as to help influence legislation to positively impact her industry.
She has been involved with the recent legislation in Baltimore that requires hosts using short-term rental platforms to register with city authorities and pay the equivalent of a hotel tax on Airbnb-style stays.
Linda notes that the main goal of the legislation is to prevent investors from offering a large number of properties on Airbnb, HomeAway and other websites. As we highlighted in a former podcast interview, these types of home-stay offerings can damage communities – with South Haven, Michigan, being a prime example.
She also discusses the realities of using OTAs to bring new guests to her property while working toward getting return guests to book directly.
In this podcast, Linda shares her candid insights into Baltimore’s new legislation and how she uses OTAs to her best advantage:
- Linda’s background and how she came to be an innkeeper. (1:00)
- Details about the Rachael’s Dowry Bed & Breakfast property. (3:00)
- Linda’s involvement and perspective on the new Airbnb legislation in Baltimore. (9:53)
- How the legislation compares to the way that other cities have dealt with investor-driven short-term stay issues. (14:23)
- The impact of Airbnb on innkeepers like Linda. (18:06)
- How Linda utilizes OTAs for driving new bookings. (27:01)
- Linda’s post-stay marketing and relationship-building efforts to enhance guest loyalty. (30:24)
We would like to thank Linda for sharing her story about the new legislation in Baltimore regarding Airbnb and her insights into using OTAs. You can learn more about Rachael’s Dowry Bed & Breakfast by visiting her website.
by Steve Short | Nov 7, 2018 | Frictionless Innkeeper Podcasts
For Episode #7 of the Frictionless Innkeeper podcast series, we speak with Elaine Herbert, Owner and Operator of the Yelton Manor Bed & Breakfast in South Haven, Michigan, who discusses why innkeepers need to determine who their ideal guests are, and why Millennials fit the bill perfectly for her property.
A major component for developing a brand vision for any inn comes down to determining your ideal guest demographic. While it may sound cliché, different generations have personality traits, spending power, and guest preferences when they stay at independent properties.
Elaine finds that Millennial guests at the Yelton Manor Bed & Breakfast are ideal. She feels that these guests are trouble-free, respect policies and boundaries, and are warm and friendly overall. Conversely, she feels that Baby Boomers are not a perfect fit for her property, and have more specialized needs and demands.
In this podcast, Elaine shares her candid insights into why Millennials are the perfect guest for her property. Here some highlights from our conversation:
- The background and history of the Yelton Manor. (1:00)
- Elaine’s perspective on Millennial guests. (2:00)
- How Elaine markets to Millennials. (8:42)
- Insights into why Millennials want to stay at B&Bs. (16:50)
- Why trust is important for Millennials. (26:44)
As always, we would like to thank Elaine for sharing her candid insights, and be sure to listen to her previous interview about how Airbnb has ruined communities worldwide. You can also learn more about the Yelton Manor Bed & Breakfast by visiting their website.
by Steve Short | Oct 18, 2018 | Frictionless Innkeeper Podcasts
For Episode #6 of the Frictionless Innkeeper podcast series, we speak with Elaine Herbert, Owner and Operator of the Yelton Manor Bed and Breakfast in South Haven, Michigan, about the negative impact of Airbnb on her B&B, community, and tourist destinations around the world.
The impact of Airbnb on both innkeepers and their communities is not always apparent to most people, since much of the media focuses on how larger hoteliers deal with this competitive landscape.
The reality is that Airbnb can negatively affect innkeepers and communities throughout the world. As Elaine highlights in this podcast interview, the home-sharing provider has both challenged her B&B’s ability to thrive and had dire consequences on her community of South Haven, Michigan, where she and her husband have lived for more than 30 years.
The arrival of Airbnb has impacted South Haven in many ways — incentivizing long-term residents to sell their homes to investors, decreasing tax revenues in various forms, creating a tenuous and sometimes threatening local political atmosphere, and causing overcrowding by visitors with a penchant for partying — ultimately resulting in what Elaine describes as a true “battle for the soul of the town.”
In this podcast, Elaine shares her candid insights into how Airbnb’s home-sharing approach has changed the face of South Haven and impacted tourism-based communities around the world. Here are some highlights from our conversation:
- The background and creation of the Yelton Manor Bed and Breakfast. (:50)
- More about the Yelton Manor property and its extraordinary history of guests’ experiences. (5:52)
- Airbnb’s negative impact on the South Haven community and beyond. (9:30)
- How Elaine and other communities have fought to combat residential rentals. (20:50)
We would like to thank Elaine for sharing her candid insights about Airbnb. We look forward to providing a future podcast where she discusses the appeal and her admiration of Millennial guests. You can learn more about the Yelton Manor Bed and Breakfast by visiting their website.
by Steve Short | Oct 8, 2018 | Frictionless Innkeeper Podcasts
For Episode #5 of the Frictionless Innkeeper podcast series, we speak with Debbi Fotsh, the owner and operator of Woodridge B&B, located outside of Slidell, Louisiana, about the challenges and opportunities she faces in dealing with Online Travel Agencies (OTAs).
You can also listen to the podcast at blogtalkradio.
For many innkeepers, dealing with OTAs can be both a blessing and a curse. While these channels can help provide more booking opportunities, they often come with a price, which includes high commissions, lack of direct access to guest information, a slow payment cycle, and bookings coming from fraudulent credit cards.
On a more positive note, OTAs have the marketing resources and guest search traffic to help enhance overall bookings – especially during slower times of the year. Debbi has a great amount of experience dealing with these issues and opportunities since 2010.
In this podcast, Debbi shares her candid insights on utilizing OTAs to the maximum benefit of innkeepers. Here some highlights from our conversation:
- The background and history of Woodridge B&B. (1:00)
- Debbi’s experiences in working with OTAs. (2:40)
- Debbi’s timeline in working, and not working, with OTAs. (7:35)
- Fraudulent bookings and other OTA issues that Debbie had to manage. (15:23)
- Why innkeepers need to do things on their own behalf when dealing with OTAs. (19:24)
- Debbie’s tips for how innkeepers can improve their interactions with guests while working with OTAs. (27:16)
We would like to thank Debbi for sharing her candid insights about dealing with OTAs. You can learn more about Woodridge B&B by visiting their website.
