As the owner of several websites, it can be a challenge to keep up with various updates, changing pages, and keeping it interesting for returning visitors. In fact, most of the time my sites are out of sight, out of mind.
Then again, none of my sites generate the sort of interest that BedandBreakfast.com has earned. Not only does it cover B&Bs around the world, it also points travelers towards homestays, country inns, urban bed and breakfasts, guest houses, lodges, cabins, historic hotels, small resorts, guest ranches, farmhouse accommodations, working farms, and ranch vacations.
And now they’ve jazzed it up with a redesign that highlights the personality and experience of staying at a bed and breakfast. Coupled with PAII’s A Better Way To Stay initiative, it’s all good news for the industry with expanded features that showcase the special characteristics of B&Bs and inns to help travelers discover the uniquely personable experience they can only find at B&Bs.
The evolution of the site means that when they drop in on the inn’s page, visitors are going to find it faster and easier to navigate. They’ll see more photos and added prominence given to booking information as well as the special touches that make the room unique. For innkeepers, the result is that guests will be able to find them through searches based on reviews, ratings, special deals and packages, as well as inns that accept BedandBreakfast.com gift cards.
A member of the team behind the new look and development of the improved site is Gregory Sion. Formerly general manager of Abritel HomeAway, the leading vacation rental marketplace in France, Sion was recently named general manager of BedandBreakfast.com. According to Sion, the revamped website was created, in part, to address misconceptions about the industry which were revealed in an online survey of 1,148 B&B travelers taken in September 2011. BedandBreakfast.com felt it was time to address misconceptions and showcase the diversity of the 12,000 B&Bs they represent.
Significantly, survey respondents ranked bed and breakfast-related amenities including flexible check-in, free breakfast, free onsite parking, free in-room Internet access, free cable or satellite television, and pool or hot tub among their most important factors when deciding where to stay and, thus, the new site features these and other modern amenities more prominently.
“Our data found that travelers have misperceptions about today’s B&Bs so we re-designed it to highlight their distinctive offerings and amenities,” Sion says. “Frequent B&B guests will tell you they feel more pampered and comfortable when they stay in an inn, and they appreciate the value that comes from all the extras.”
See how the new site is capturing the attention of curious travelers. Visit BedandBreakfast.com here.