Improving your B&B Website to Increase Bookings

Copyright © 2014 Leonardo Worldwide Corporation
Technical Difficulties?
Contact
Citrix GoToWebinar
1-800-263-6317
support@citrixonline.com
How to Improve Your
B&B Website and
Drive More Bookings
August 27, 2015
Darlene Rondeau, VP, Best Practices, Online Merchandising, Leonardo
Mark Hayward, Digital Marketing Consultant and Former Innkeeper
Cecilia Williams, Owner, Hillard House Inn
Technical Difficulties?
Contact
Citrix GoToWebinar
1-800-263-6317
support@citrixonline.com

Darlene Rondeau
Vice-President,
Best Practices, Online Merchandising
Leonardo
@darlenerondeau

Follow:
@VFMLeonardo
Tweets & Questions:
#LeoWebinar

Mark Hayward
Digital Marketing Consultant and
Former Innkeeper
@mark_hayward

Cecilia Williams
Owner
Hillard House Inn

 Feature the benefits & debunk the
myths
 74% of leisure travelers use the
internet as a travel planning
source
 Beat out your hotel competition
with value
Why Your B&B’s Website is Critical
#LeoWebinar

 Pursued my dream to own a
B&B in the Caribbean
 No marketing or hospitality
experience
 No bookings, no cash flow, and
no real online presence
 Nobody knew we existed
(except my mom)
 Needed to meet large monthly
mortgage
My B&B Story

Top 5 Goals I Wanted to Achieve
Direct BookingsGuest
Engagement
Revenue A Better Web
Presence
Receive Great
Reviews

My Marketing Strategy
Create my
own website
Learn everything
about web
marketing
Start
blogging
Respond to
all reviews
Get active on
social media

 Website design and development
 Search engine optimization
 24/7 technical support
 Optimization across all devices
 Security
 Copywriting
 Promotions, specials, TripAdvisor reviews
 Booking engine integration
What I Didn’t Know About
Web Marketing

 Search engine optimization
 Web & mobile experiences are the same
 Loads quickly
 Visual first to really grab attention
 Navigation easy to use and figure out
 Descriptive text
 Frictionless booking options
 Knowing your target guest
Website Best Practices

The Big Picture: My Results
Ranked on the front
page of Google
Featured in travel
magazines and
newspapers
Direct bookings
increased
exponentially
Maintained a Top
TripAdvisor ranking
for five years

Key Takeaways
#LeoWebinar
You’re not out there alone
Tell your story visually
Establish goals and measure
Set guest expectations early
Ensure your website works on all devices
Encourage and promote reviews online
Don’t forget what people came for: Bookings!

 We bought the property in 1999
 Started operating it as a B&B in
2006
 3 guestrooms and a suite
 Self-taught in digital marketing and
technology
 Online presence is our most
important marketing expenditure
History of Hillard House Inn

 First website designed by a
family member
 Adequate for the time (2006) but
very basic
 Few pictures; no videos
 No maps
 No booking button
 Free website template
 Added slide shows, thumbnails of
rooms, reviews and Google
Maps
 Program was difficult to work with
 Customer support was non-
existent
Our 2nd WebsiteOur 1st Website

Updated, clean, visually-oriented
desktop and mobile websites
A method to easily update my
information and make changes on
social media sites and OTAs quickly
User-friendly system and personal
support in a timely manner
3 Objectives to Improve My Website
Before

Updated, clean, visually-oriented
desktop and mobile websites
A method to easily update my
information and make changes on
social media sites and OTAs quickly
User-friendly system and personal
support in a timely manner
3 Objectives to Improve My Website
After

Our Biggest Challenges
 In the past two years, over
1,000 hotel rooms have been
added to the area
 Need to visually convey what
we have to offer and why
travelers should stay with us
 Improve social media
marketing

 New visually-driven website
that’s easy to use and update
 Expanding our online marketing
on Facebook
 Using Vizlly, Leonardo’s Digital
Marketing System
 Absolutely love the professional
and dedicated Success Coach
How We’re Solving
These Challenges

 “I remember this from
your website”
 Makes the unfamiliar,
familiar
 Virtual tours and
videos establish a
connection with travel
shoppers
The Importance of
Our Visual-First
Website

Facebook Apps
 Increase social conversations
with guests
 Book directly from Facebook
 Everything managed in one
place makes it quick and easy
to keep up-to-date

 Mobile to reach 1/3 of all
U.S digital travel sales by
2017
 83% of leisure travelers
have had a poor experience
on a mobile travel site
 Only 23% of those who
have encountered a mobile
site that wasn't optimized
actually pushed through
The Importance of Mobile

Results To Date
 Increase in online
bookings for business
travelers during the week
 Travel shoppers are better
engaging with our content

Website Tips for B&B Innkeepers
 Your website is a travel shopper’s
first impression – make it as
pleasant as your B&B
 Use quality photos
 Look for a simple and clean web
design
 Booking button on every page
 Online marketing is getting more
complex – take advantage of
professional expertise

Key Takeaways
#LeoWebinar
 Commit to digital and stick with it to stay curre
 Clean, visually dominant websites make a
difference
 What’s in and around you is key
 What your guests say about you matters
 Leverage digital marketing to fill in the gaps
 Support is available

 About Leonardo
 Invitations to
upcoming webinars
 Recording of this
webinar
 Share it with your
colleagues
It’s a Wrap

Connect With Us!
leonardo.com
1.877.593.6634
@VFMLeonardo
blog.leonardo.com
mark-hayward.com
mark.w.hayward@gmail.com
@mark_hayward
hillardhouseinn.com
hillardhouse@verizon.net
Mark Hayward Cecilia Williams

Improving your B&B Website to Increase Bookings

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