How B&B owners are using websites to promote their business

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Most B&B websites include room rates, reservation information and contact details not surprisingly. But, forward thinking innkeepers are posting far more than that according to the Orbs.com study of 100 B&B websites. Orbs.com, a website builder, took a look at 100 Bed and Breakfast websites to find out what information innkeepers are posting on their websites.

Some items posted on websites were not surprising such as room rates, how to make a reservation, contact information and an “About the B&B” page. Also, almost all sites included pictures. Other items you might expect to find on a B&B website were not as prominent such as a map to the B&B (67), directions to the B&B (65) and B&B policies (63).

Specific to reservations, nearly all B&Bs listed a reservation phone number, while 88 inns also took reservations by email and 45 had a built-in online booking system from a third party. The most popular online booking systems were webervations.com and resnexus.com. Only a little over half the B&Bs showed the availability of their rooms for specific dates.

To help potential guests with their decision on where to stay, many B&Bs posted extra information about their services. Room descriptions appeared on 88 websites. Typical details included a photo, room theme, type of bed setup and washroom access. A list of amenities like air conditioning and Internet access was mentioned on 72 B&B websites. Just over one-third posted special packages like wedding, golf and group packages.

Some B&B websites included helpful information about the local area. Shopping information was featured on 33 B&B sites while 72 sites had a list of things to do. Additionally, 63 sites posted links to local attractions and restaurants.

“By far, most of the B&B websites are like a personal invitation to stay by the innkeepers,” said Emily Hirai, Director of Marketing for Orbs.com. “I remember 10 years ago there were not very many B&Bs with a website. Nowadays, it’s become a necessity and there are even many B&B directories online too where you can further promote your business. I still, however, see big differences in the quality of content among websites.”

The Orbs.com study was an unscientific look at 100 randomly chosen B&B websites found through Google Search and various B&B directories. For detailed advice and tips on what should be on a B&B website, take a look at the OrbsBlog.com post “What to Put on a B&B Website.”

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Theodore Koumelis

Co-Founder & Managing Editor - TravelDailyNews Media Network | + Articles

Theodore is the Co-Founder and Managing Editor of TravelDailyNews Media Network; his responsibilities include business development and planning for TravelDailyNews long-term opportunities.