Whether you’ve got a steady influx of guests in your B&B or you’re experiencing fewer bookings than usual with your loyal customers feeling the financial impacts of increased living costs, you might be wondering how you can keep your rooms full all year round.
Here are some ways you can keep bookings flooding into your B&B.
- Create listings and have a website
It might seem obvious but having a website is paramount. Most people will choose to book their trip via the internet, so you could be missing out on lots of bookings if you don’t have a website. By improving your online presence, you can try to pull in new customers from near and far.
If you don’t want to have your own website, you should still create listings on popular websites such as Airbnb to avoid missing out.
- Get reviews
With the hotel industry in the UK worth a massive 16.42 billion British pounds, there’s no denying that it’s a competitive market. One way to distinguish your business from others is by gathering reviews. Many customers will trust reviews more than their own peers!
To increase the number of reviews you can shout about, encourage guests to leave reviews once they check out. Often, you can improve uptake by offering rewards and incentives for doing so.
- Look after guests
In such a tough market, the smaller touches really do make a world of difference. As part of your service, you should leave complimentary toiletries in each room so guests are never without the basics. Where possible, try to use luxury, locally sourced products to impress your guests.
It goes without saying but a brilliant quality breakfast goes a long way. As well as a traditional full English, adding some vegan, vegetarian and healthy options will set you apart and could keep the bookings flowing in.
- Look after your business
It’s important to keep your B&B looking and feeling fresh to encourage more bookings. If you notice small things that need fixing, try to fix them immediately so they don’t worsen – or get forgotten!
You should also get bed and breakfast insurance just in case you need to make a claim.
Final thoughts…
Sustaining a thriving bed and breakfast isn’t always as easy as it sounds. Yet there are a few steps you can take to ensure your B&B is successful now and in years to come. As well as establishing a robust online presence through a dedicated website or platform like Airbnb, customer reviews are crucial in the competitive market.
Then, to keep guests coming back, think about how you can enhance your guest’s experience with complimentary amenities, a diverse breakfast menu and meticulous maintenance.
