PAII News You Can Use for 11-24-2015

We are committed to fostering a knowledgeable, caring and conscientious community of professional innkeepers, networking with each other throughout the world.  Your Weekly News & Updates News You Can Use - our weekly cruise thru the issues and topics  for the business of Innkeeping. "Your B&B looks so much better than the pictures" ... while no innkeeper wants create expectations or make promises they can't deliver, how many potential guests decided NOT to book because of less than appealing photos? Just a few?  Not according to our first articleTravellers Apparently Put Off Booking Accommodation if Photos are Bad which states  "Ove  r three quarters of those who were later shown a web page with spruced up image included said they would consider booking a stay, compared to 13% for the poorer quality photograph." And, the difference in what a guest would pay was less than half for the poorly portrayed room ($64 vs $136 after converting the British pound to the U.S dollar!) Hospitality consultant and blogger Chef Forfeng aka Heather Turner, who is also PAII's marketing & communications guru, chatted with TripAdvisor and posed your questions ... read about how Business Listings have gone from flat pricing to now where each property has an individually calculated price based on specific criteria and how these can be further refined or negotiated.  Meet Heather at the PAII Innkeeping Show in Austin this January! And with that segue, we'll note more breakout session topics have been finalized - soon to be added to the program posted on the innkeepingshow.com site. For innkeepers who just can't getaway for the entire conference, we've also posted the 1-day registration options.  'til next time! Kris Ullmer, PAII Executive Director Happy Thanksgiving from the Staff and Board of Directors at PAII! News You Can Use: Travelers apparently put off booking accommodation if photos are bad Read More..... Industry News: Q&A with Tripadvisor's Head of Industry Relations, Brian Payea Read More..... Social Media & SEO Changes Innkeepers Should be aware of: Introducing Twitter Polls Read More..... Featured Past PAII Webinar from our Archives: Hands On PR Check it out..... Innkeeping Recipes: From the Indiana Bed & Breakfast Association  Persimmon Bread from the Kitchen of the Lanning House and 1920 Annex Read More..... Upcoming Webinars (free for members) Please register at http://www.innkeeping.org/?page=webinars  (you will need to login to your PAII account) Wednesday, November 25, 2015, 2:00 PM EST B&B Photography DIY Tips & Tricks Part One Additional discussion to help finesse your food photography, again using what you have available. Emphasis will be on styling, arranging, props, accessories, and looking at the results with a ruthless eye! Also we'll talk about the factors under your control that either make or break a good food shot. -Peter Billard Photography   Wednesday, December 2, 2015, 2:00 PM EST How to sharpen your online pricing strategy? To run a successful business, innkeepers must maximise their profit opportunities while ensuring they don't frighten their guests by being perceived as expensive. How do you work out a well-founded pricing strategy and policy. How do you set the 'right' price?  During this webinar, you will gain insights in the components that influence price, and get to know the different steps of an optimal pricing process and innovative price determination. ... If your pricing policy is not as strategic as it might be, you may want to use some tools to help you both design it and implement it.  -Xotelia    Wednesday, December 9, 2015 (rescheduled from October 14) Top 3 Challenges for Bed &Breakfast's and Strategies to Increase Business   In a recent poll we asked B&B's their greatest business challenges and what strategies they used to overcome them. Hear real life strategies and pain points from LivingSocial's featured Travel Customer (TBA) and the Director of Travel, Dustin Warr. Learn how to maximize your marketing programs and generate more business. Don't miss out on this engaging webinar. -Living Social    Wednesday, December 16, 2015 Bring in more guests and increase RevPar with Off Season Booking Promotions  Many inns are fully booked during the high season but have trouble filling openings in mid- week and off-season. Extending your season by several weeks or getting a few more mid-week bookings  can dramatically increase your RevPar.  This webinar will show you how to use the power of unusual holidays and special events to create booking promotions that will attract and delight your guests. It will include live examples of successful promotions implemented by innkeepers. -Fully Booked Inn Please Click Here To See A Full List of Upcoming Webinars for 2015 Professional Association of Innkeepers International 295 Seven Farms Drive, Suite 236-C Charleston, SC 29492 Phone: (856) 310-1102 http://www.innkeeping.org

PAII News You Can Use 10-20-2015

We are committed to fostering a knowledgeable, caring and conscientious community of professional innkeepers, networking with each other throughout the world. Your Weekly News & Updates News You Can Use - our weekly cruise thru the issues and topics for the business of Innkeeping. News You Can Use – whether immediately, or kept in mind for a future need, we at PAII are all about sending timely industry information your way!  As you operate your business, you are continually being tugged by social media demands, how to (or whether to) maximize your TripAdvisor presence, to pick a few from this issue. These and virtually all topics that affect your enjoyment of Innkeeping – and your ability to make it profitable – will be explored at our aptly named Innkeeping Conference & Trade Show in just over 2 months!  And, before you leave the comfort of your inn for Austin, check out the How to Network in Person webinar that we’ve included! Til next week! Kris Ullmer, PAII Executive Director PAII Q&A Webinar: You still have a few minutes to sign up for this afternoon's B&B.com webinar (you can join in after the webinar has started as well) Join members of the Professional Association of International Innkeepers for an in-depth question and answer session about the state of the industry. BedandBreakfast.com and PAII open Q&A. https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/6391378998507245314 (this webinar is being recorded and will be available for later review if you miss it!) News You Can Use: 5 Ways Lodging Operators Leveraged Guest Feedback to Improve on TripAdvisor https://www.revinate.com/blog/2015/08/5-ways-hotels-leveraged-guest-feedback-improve-tripadvisor/ Industry News: Hotels vs. bed and breakfasts [INFOGRAPHIC]  (also a good comparision about what a B&B offers vs Airbnb) http://www.bedandbreakfast.com/info/travelers/travel-inspiration-guides/hotels-vs-bed-and-breakfasts Social Media & SEO Changes Innkeepers Should be aware of: Facebook Is Testing Tweaks In The Design For Brand Pages http://marketingland.com/facebook-is-testing-tweaks-in-the-design-for-brand-pages-141758 Featured Past PAII Webinar from our Archives: How to Work a Room (Or How to Network in Person) https://vimeo.com/user17593333/review/105168965/c3a88c3794   Innkeeping Recipes: From the California Association of Boutique & Breakfast Inns https://www.cabbi.com Raspberry Pikelets with Mascarpone from the kitchen of The Bissell House https://www.cabbi.com/recipes/detail/29   Conference Vendor Spotlight: Comphy http://paiiinnkeepers.blogspot.com/2015/10/conference-partner-spotlight-comphy.html Upcoming Webinars(free for members) Please register at http://www.innkeeping.org/?page=webinars (you will need to login to your PAII account) Wednesday, October 21, 2015, 2:00 PM EST 10 tax tips for B&Bs We will discuss the tax treatment of Bed & Breakfasts and give 10 tax tips every B&B owner should know.  We will discuss entity selection, maximizing deductions, tax minimization strategies, and long-term planning for the B&B owner. -Legare, Bailey and Hinske, LLC Wednesday, October 28, 2015, 2:00 PM EST Mobile Armageddon Has Come and Gone - Were You Left Behind? In the wake of the recent Google Mobile Update, some innkeepers may be wondering what happened to their sites in the Google results. Come to this webinar to have Lisa Kolb test your site to rate its mobile effectiveness, and learn more about the necessity of a mobile display in the new Mobile Age! -Acorn Internet Wednesday, November 4, 2015, 2:00 PM EST Yield Management Utilizing yield management in regard to your rates can help you increase profit without doing anymore work. How does that sound? Maybe a better question is, how does that work? In this webinar, we will show you how to use basic yield management practices to increase your profit. Some you of you may be doing it without realizing so. Do you have different weekend and midweek rates? Or do you have different rates based on peak season and low season? If you do, then you've already started practicing yield management! This session will dive a bit deeper on other ways you can increase your profit. Are you 90% occupied on weekends throughout the year? Time to raise price! Are you 100% occupied for a local graduation? Time to raise price! These are just a few examples of when you should raise price and let that additional $20, $30, or $50 go straight to the bottom line! -Q4Launch For additional webinars scheduled into next year please visit http://paiiinnkeepers.blogspot.com/p/upcoming-webinars.html Don’t forget, We have set up an e-mail address questions@PAII.org for you to ask questions and make comments directly to your board. Professional Association of Innkeepers International 295 Seven Farms Drive, Suite 236-C Charleston, SC 29492 Phone: (856) 310-1102 http://www.innkeeping.org