Take a look at this.This is what shows at the head of a home page of a good hotel in Plymouth.
The hotel is prepared to offer you a completely FREE STAY if they book you in and you could have paid less if booking by other means.
I'm delighted to see this. And it backs up what I have been saying all along.
IF YOU SEE A STARTLING OFFER ON ONE OF THE LAST MINUTE/lLATE DEAL/TRIP OR SIMILAR WEBSITES.....Then jot the price down and give the hotel a quick ring to make the booking with the hotel and not through a third party.
WHY ?
Because the poor old hotel has enough overheads without having to pay commission on your holiday to a booking company who may look friendly and bright.
But what the customer sometimes forgets is that all last minute, advisor, late room websites are effectively travel agents who make the hotel or bed and breakfast provider a charge for each and every booking placed.
Unlike my website which simply gives you an unhindered link to the hotel etc.
I was recently advised by a hotel staff member that I should become an affiliate for one of these late room type websites and make myself some money by sharing commission from any visitors I send to them.
That is not my way at all.
Much rather I make the accommodation providers who come onto my website a sensible charge to advertise with me and let the holidaymaker get in touch directly with the overnight bed provider.
Nowadays, the Internet surfer is a lot more web savvy and he/she can read a lot more from the accommodation provider's website than from any standardised list of hotels and B&B's on show in these huge global websites.
I urge you to always visit the actual hotel website rather than plunge in and make an impulse booking, and if you like what you see, then drop the hotel/b&b an e-mail request saying something along the lines of "I have just seen on the ******** late/lastminute/trip website that you are offering a room on Friday for 2 with breakfast at just £25 (or what is on offer) Can I book that with you by credit card if I telephone you direct ?"
Chances are, that just like the hotel shown at the top of this post, they will be MORE than happy to book you in.
Because the less money they have to fork out in commission, the more they can spend on the things that make an impact on the quality of your holiday - staffing etc.
Now you might come back to me and say, hang on a minute. You charge the hotels to be on your website ...... yes I do, and the proof is in the pudding. Every year they renew their listing, because they get a good return for their money by using my website.
They don't have to advertise with me. BUT when the vast majority of visitors unthinkingly make bookings through the familiar bookings websites without realising the financial implications, then the hotel owner is forced to use them as a means to stay in the game.
I would advise any hotel or bed and breakfast provider, like our friend above, to claim loudly on their websites, that they would prefer to take bookings directly.
It's as bad as paying an extra £1.60 for the privilege of booking 2 £21 tickets at the theatre recently. For a play that lasted just 1 hour and 20 minutes ... when I .... and then..
No, don't get me started .... you know how I can rant !
Time for bed.
G'night folks
Posts
Hi Jill.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your email today regarding 'Laterooms' and Co - very interesting and certainly true.
My name is Paul Bennett and the owner of The Grosvenor Plymouth. I came up with that slogan myself as it is most certainly the case that the 15% commission that the big players charge is such a price to pay and if we can get people to book direct with us then it makes an incredible difference to us.
So many of these sites use misleading advertising to lure consumers into thinking they actually do have the lowest price that you could book anywhere. The truth of the matter is that they would never be out of pocket themselves, so I know I can display with confidence that no one will beat our price as they certainly wouldn't ring up and pay me the difference!
I did a some research into the exact expenditure we face per £100.00 income - for example, 20% VAT = £20, a third of our turnover is spent on wages so £33 on staff, etc... Now we have been spending a lot for the last few years on improvements and refurbishment, but nevertheless our outgoings equate to £82.00 for a non commission booking, and a staggering £97.00 when the £15/15% is paid to an external internet site.
So you have hit the nail on the head Jill. In a nutshell the small profits we make on each booking are virtually wiped out if we have to foot a 15% commission charge as well.
That said, there is a place for their huge consumer base and the massive web traffic they generate as I would still rather have someone in a room than not and using these sites at short notice is still of benefit.
Thanks again for the insight and no problem at all using it as a topic for your blog. Although if you do find any further examples of good practice from us, then don't hesitate to give us a mention! You say in your article, 'good hotel' and that you were 'delighted' to see us taking that approach - but never once mentioned who we were - which would have been nice for us and others to see.
Regards
Paul Bennett
The Grosvenor Plymouth
www.grosvenor-plymouth.com
T: 01752 260411 F: 01752 668878 M: 07832 293795
I am so glad that Paul Bennett got back to me and confirmed my opinion. It's crucial that the holidaymaker understands what is going on if he or she blindly books what they think of as 'the cheapest deal online' MUCH BETTER THAT THEY get in touch with the accommodation provider direct saying that they are hoping to get the best price.
ReplyDeleteAs far back as 1988 I met up with the opposite approach, when we ran our B&B on Dartmoor near to Chagford. - A chap arrived with his family in the car. He asked if he could come in and view the rooms? I said yes, by all means. I showed him round and I think the price thereabouts then was say £16 pp for a double and similar in the twin. He had a wife and 2 big children.
He nodded approvingly at both of the rooms and stood admiring the vast view, then he turned to me and said. "We will stay for 3 nights and pay you £40 a night"
I made a quick mental note of the correct price. £64, then say a slight reduction for the 2 teenagers, who would no doubt eat as much as the parents and for the fact that 3 nights is less expensive than 3 sets of visitors staying for 1 night each ..... and said that I would take them all for £52 (the mid way price)
He said "I'm afraid I won't do that" and I said "Then I'm afraid you won't be staying"
He then started to haggle big time but I stuck to my guns and escorted him back to the front door. In the end he was offering to pay the full price, but there was something about him that I couldn't take to, and I just knew as they drove away, with his 2 kids leering through the back window that I had made the correct decision. Remind me to tell you about the Italian psychiatrist with his girlfriend and the black paper bags one day!! I really could write a book....
Do u still run the b&b? Sorry I just stumbled on your blog and don't know anything about u! My mom is from england and we are planning a trip there in (probably) sept 2013 and im already starting to research our trip. Grandpa bob turner is buried in north bovey. I saw bovey castle and thot we would stay there 2 days. Mom was there during the war and thinks she remembers being told not to go near there as it was housing soldiers! How fun I thot it would be if she got to stay in it! We also want to do the unusual canal boat travel for 4 days but think that's nearer London. Mom would love to stay in b&b's because she can talk to locals. She was born on one of the farms there that I looked up and is still working!
ReplyDeleteDo u still run the b&b? Sorry I just stumbled on your blog and don't know anything about u! My mom is from england and we are planning a trip there in (probably) sept 2013 and im already starting to research our trip. Grandpa bob turner is buried in north bovey. I saw bovey castle and thot we would stay there 2 days. Mom was there during the war and thinks she remembers being told not to go near there as it was housing soldiers! How fun I thot it would be if she got to stay in it! We also want to do the unusual canal boat travel for 4 days but think that's nearer London. Mom would love to stay in b&b's because she can talk to locals. She was born on one of the farms there that I looked up and is still working!
ReplyDeleteDo u still run the b&b? Sorry I just stumbled on your blog and don't know anything about u! My mom is from england and we are planning a trip there in (probably) sept 2013 and im already starting to research our trip. Grandpa bob turner is buried in north bovey. I saw bovey castle and thot we would stay there 2 days. Mom was there during the war and thinks she remembers being told not to go near there as it was housing soldiers! How fun I thot it would be if she got to stay in it! We also want to do the unusual canal boat travel for 4 days but think that's nearer London. Mom would love to stay in b&b's because she can talk to locals. She was born on one of the farms there that I looked up and is still working!
ReplyDelete