The Keys To Making Your B&B Look Professional

When a guest arrives at your B&B they are brimming with excitement and anticipation. But they are also arriving with a set of expectations, and top of the list is for your property to look and feel professional.

This doesn’t necessarily mean dressing staff in uniforms or installing a monochrome decor, but it does mean meeting industry standards and making sure you advertise your brand correctly.

Here are our key tips to convince guests your B&B is an industry leader…

Market To The Right People.

If you’re sending your advertisements out to anyone and everyone, you’ll look more like spam than a legitimate accommodation provider.

Running a successful B&B means creating targeted campaigns to reach customers who are in your ideal market segment.

Being professional also means ensuing that what you advertise is a true reflection of what guests will receive on arrival. If you boast about your mouth watering five-star gourmet breakfast, then it really needs to be a tastebud showstopper!

There’s nothing more damaging to your reputation than a disgruntled customer who feels like they have not received value for their money..

Impress On Review Sites

You might be showing your B&B’s best angles on your brand website and OTAs, but, considering 95% of respondents in a TrustYou survey read reviews before booking, if you are not managing your online reviews than your reputation can easily be undermined.

If you do receive a negative review make sure to respond and do your best to resolve the issue. Remember, these sites are public so your high standards of customer service should be reinforced through your tone.

Avoid Hotel Rate Disparity

Rate disparity occurs when lower rates are being offered on OTAs and other distribution channels than what you offering on your own website.

This can cause your guests to loose trust in you and damage your chances of traffic to your website booking direct.

Avoid rate disparity by monitoring your rates across all of your channels so your pricing is making sense.

Make A Positive First Impression

Maintain the exterior and interior of your property to ensure your B&B makes a good first impression, follow this through by offering a formal greeting and short tour.

This can be as simple as meeting guests at the door and offering to take their bags to the room.

Guests will also be impressed if you are flexible with check-in times.

Tip for B&Bs practicing sustainability: register your B&B for a sustainability label and display this visibly to guests; for example EU Ecolabel.

Provide The Basic Amenities And Follow Correct Health And Safety

The basics amenities should include:

1. Free, high speed wifi
2. Fresh towels and linen
3. Bedside light
4. Tissues
5. If they have an attached bathroom, make sure it is stocked with shampoo, conditioner, soap and more than enough toilet paper(there’s nothing worse than having to ask for more, or worse…running out!)

Show your guests that their safety is important to you by having a first aid kit on display, indicating where the fire exits are, following your regional health and safety requirements and practicing proper food hygiene practices.