Securing guests

The opportunities for attracting guests attending festivals are immense, according to the B&B Association. Chairman David Weston says one recommended way of drawing the crowds is by contacting the event venue themselves and asking if they have a list of accommodation nearby, or whether they have links to them. He also suggests you can ask whether they have a page on their website and, if so, whether you can your feature on that page too.

He also suggests using facilities such as Google AdSense, so that when people type the name of an event into a search engine, your business name comes up with an offer for that night.

“As an association, often we often advise people to get in touch, to look at all the local events that are going to be happening over the next over the next season, and we also advise them to look at the prices, because if it's going to be very busy, then they might want quite reasonably to charge a bit more,” he says.

He adds, “You should obviously look at how you can get out the message that you're you've got an offer for that that day. Put it on your own website, of course, with something on the homepage saying don't forget, we've got this festival, three miles away on whatever the date is. And add, ‘We’ve still got rooms available!’”

Even if B&B-owners do not want to necessarily change the price, they might want to employ other techniques such as imposing a two-night minimum stay, depending on the event, especially if it's a longer event. “You really don't want to have nine single bookings that subsequently prevent you from selling a single four-night booking,” he says. “I understand that if somebody wants to come and stay, you really do not want to turn them away. That's always difficult. So you might want to commit to the principle that if there's a big three-or-fourday event nearby at a certain time of year then have a minimum stay for that particular period.”

Provided your property is located reasonably within the vicinity of a popular event, the opportunities are vast.

This is a column for owners, by owners. Vicky and Chris Saynor designed and created Bethnal&Bec Luxury Staycations, a true homegrown family business. City chicmeetscountryside cool, in a stylish yet cosy home-fromhome setting. For grownups only, and maybe the dog too – escape to your own luxury rural retreat with everything you need to relax.

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