Bedford Landings Bed, Breakfast and Hangars was selected through a consumer survey as the Best Place to Stay Overnight at Smith Mountain Lake! Thanks to our friends and guests who voted for us!
Secondly, Bedford Landings Air Tours was voted as among the “hidden jewels” in the category for activities and things to do at Smith Mountain Lake. We are honored for these kind mentions. We hope that others who have not experienced Bedford Landings will find out WHY we were voted into these categories.
We do get out some!
As Innkeepers, we are involved with many community activities including the Regional Chamber of Commerce. We are also involved with our professional associations. As members of the Bedford Area B & B and Unique Lodging Association, we talk about tourism in Bedford and surrounding areas. This year, we contributed to shaping an ordinance to govern short-term lodging. First crafted to be somewhat punitive to our industry, we were able to give input to avoid some issues and include others.
The Virginia B & B Association is called Stay VA
Their website is actually a great place to start when searching for a Bed and Breakfast in Virginia. There are also recipes on the site. There is a professional meeting annually and regional meetings. Bedford Landings contributes to hosting “aspiring Innkeepers” who are considering opening a business by visiting with them, hosting them in site, allowing job shadowing and a general “ear” when they first start out.
Then there is the International Association. Referred to as PAII, the Professional Association of Innkeepers has an annual conference and trade show. We have attended their conference and trade show. It is quite informative in following industry trends, marketing and how to use social media to drive business. After the most recent conference, they released this information. It may be useful to others so I thought would share it.
- Boomers: 99% travel for leisure, are most likely (of all age groups) to stay at B&Bs.
- Gen X: have the greatest spending power now.
- Millennials: want ‘out of the car’, with life/activities after 6 pm w/in walking distance.
- Women make 80% of all spending decisions and 70% of travel spending decisions.
- Marketing will get people to you ONCE; your product & ‘you’ bring them back.
- 74% of traveler’s choices are impacted by the quality of the website.
- 100 words or fewer are recommended for each page of a website.
- 5 times as many people read a headline than read the body copy.
- Top 3 type lists with descriptions / commentary are more helpful than long lists of ‘what to do / where to go’ with links (which of course take people off of your website).
- The average Airbnb booking is $148 / night; the average hotel booking is $119 / night.
- If we all market alike – with an exterior photo of our inn, for example – we force the consumer to choose among properties by other criteria such as price & location.
So, If you read this list, you will understand why I started with the Headline I did! Enjoy the rest of your day!