For episode #11 of the Frictionless Innkeeper podcast series, we speak with Wendy Collins, co-owner of The Mission Inn in Cape May, NJ, who discusses how she takes a “high-tech, high-touch” approach to pleasing guests.
As with other corporate professionals entering the innkeeper arena, there is much to be drawn from prior work experiences that can help to differentiate a property on many levels.
For Wendy Collins and Laura Shaddock, this means fully leveraging technology for both pleasing guests, and effectively running The Mission Inn.
After acquiring the property in 2016, Wendy and Laura quickly automated pre- and post-stay emails that provide insights on their favorite events around town, and encourage guests to leave positive online reviews, respectively. They also use a new cloud-based guest booking engine that allows them to manage guest bookings from their mobile devices.
In addition, Wendy and Laura have expanded their 2,000 Facebook followers into Instagram, which allows them to appeal to younger guests. The property also has an email database of more than 5,000 people for their ongoing e-blasts, which have an open rate of 40 to 45 percent – whereas the industry email open rate is only 10 percent.
Another way The Mission Inn differentiates itself is through its in-house concert series – where they have top musical talent perform at the property. Wendy and Laura use these concerts as a great way to draw people to the property during the winter months, and it enhances overall word-of-mouth marketing – with people actually booking their stays when there is a concert.
As a result of these efforts, The Mission Inn has built a loyal following, which allows them to do 100 percent of their bookings direct – without needing to rely on OTAs.
In this podcast, Wendy shares her innkeeper story, and how they truly focus on providing specialized guest experiences:
Insights about how Wendy and Laura became innkeepers. (1:00)
Details about The Mission Inn and the B&B landscape in Cape May, NJ. (2:14)
How and why they take a “high-tech, high-touch” approach. (4:30)
Insights into their use of social media for connecting with guests and bringing in new guests. (7:11)
How they balance the use of technology with personally interacting with their guests. (11:30)
Putting on monthly house concerts during October through April. (12:10)
How they built guest loyalty to the point where they don’t need to rely on OTAs. (16:30)
How Wendy defines “guest experience,” and how they deliver on providing a great stay. (21:10)
We would like to thank Wendy for sharing her innkeeper story. You can learn more about The Mission Inn by visiting their website.
For episode #10 of the Frictionless Innkeeper podcast series, we speak with Kenni Ball, the hired innkeeper for the Wallingford Victorian Inn in Wallingford, CT, who discusses her love for hospitality and what it’s like to be an outsourced innkeeper.
While we assume that all innkeepers own and operate their properties, there are B&Bs out there that rely on outsourced talent to manage the day-to-day work.
This is the case with the Wallingford Victorian Inn, which is a property that is taking advantage of a talented young professional who has a deep passion for hospitality and pleasing guests.
For the past two years, Kenni (who is currently 25 years-old) has managed the property for the owners, but she is not your run-of-the-mill employee. Since the age of 13, she has worked in the B&B arena, and officially became an innkeeper at the ripe old age of 19. She also did a brief stint at a larger hotel, but found the B&B lifestyle more suited to her personality and work style.
As a result, she enjoys interacting and helping Wallingford Victorian Inn guests to build great memories from their stays, and be the face of the property.
She also believes that her real world experience – as opposed to studying hospitality in a university setting – has allowed her to better advance her career. In terms of growth, she ultimately wants to own and operate her own B&B.
In this podcast, Kenni shares her innkeeper story:
Kenni’s background and how she got into the hospitality arena. (:52)
Why Kenni finds herself to be more suited for B&Bs, as opposed to larger hotel chains. (2:20)
How she learned how to be an innkeeper through hands-on experience. (4:33)
The challenges and opportunities she has as a 25-year-old innkeeper. (6:42)
What drew Kenni to the Wallingford Victorian Inn and the dynamics of her day-to-day work. (8:42)
Kenni’s longer-term goal of owning her own B&B. (13:20)
Kenni’s suggestions for what innkeepers should look for when outsourcing talent like her. (18:22)
We would like to thank Kenni for sharing her innkeeper story. You can learn more about the Wallingford Victorian Inn by visiting their website.
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.
For Episode #8 of the Frictionless Innkeeper podcast series, we speak with Linda Smith, Owner and Operator ofRachael’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 therecent 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 aformer 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 herwebsite.
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.
