While chatting with B&B owners who are excited about being part of our brand new TV program, a couple of things stood out for me.

In a nutshell, they have one, two or all three challenges:

  • They want more guests without paying unnecessary commissions
  • They want to fill their rooms in the low season
  • They want to get more repeats, referrals and rave reviews

Can you relate?

ALL of these three common challenges can be solved in one go, when you decide who you will be for your guests?

Taking diverse groups of people may make you feel better that you have “all bases covered” but it doesn’t actually distinguish you from anyone else. You’re not special. You don’t stand out.

Conversely, when you focus on “being somebody” for a particular group of guests who can relate to you, who look to you for information and advice, and who refer you because of who you are, then those challenges I mentioned earlier will simply disappear.

Now I’m not saying I can just wave a magic wand and make this happen overnight. I can’t and it won’t.

It takes time to develop and emerge as “that person”. There will be some resistance, because it will mean doing things differently, and even “being” different. But what are the consequences for you, if you don’t embark on this journey? Same old, same old?

Are you ready to distinguish yourself? Here’s 3 things you can do right now.

1. Take a good long look at your past guests and ask yourself

a)     Who do I love the most and why?

b)     Who do I love the least and why?

c)     Which group of people can I best serve with my own knowledge, skills and passions?  Where can I find those people?

2. When you’ve done that, now ask yourself – what are the most pressing needs of that group of people?

3. Now take a look at your website and ask yourself

a)     Does my website stand out for the people I most want to serve?

b)     Is my website speaking to the needs of those people?

c)     What do I need to change to make sure I grab their attention as soon as they land?

Will you do it?

Practically no-one ever does this.  Almost all websites I come across are generic, with beautiful pictures and lots of spiel about the owners, their awards, their dog etc.

As soon as someone lands on your website, they are going to ask themselves these questions:

  1. What / where is it?
  2. What does it do?
  3. Is it for me?

All within 7 seconds, and if you don’t answer a resounding YES! you’ve lost them.

Yvonne Halling is known as the “Bed and Breakfast Queen” for taking her own B&B in France from making almost nothing to making over 6 figures in less than 2 years through building relationships and connections.  She gained 3 hospitality awards, and won a coveted online marketing award, and now coaches and mentors other small hospitality business owners to make more money and have more fun.

Why not start with Little Hotelier – an all-in-one system for B&B and small hotel owners


By Dean Elphick

Dean is the Senior Content Marketing Specialist of Little Hotelier, the all-in-one software solution purpose-built to make the lives of small accommodation providers easier. Dean has made writing and creating content his passion for the entirety of his professional life, which includes more than six years at Little Hotelier. Through content, Dean aims to provide education, inspiration, assistance, and, ultimately, value for small accommodation businesses looking to improve the way they run their operations (and live their life).