Submit Your Best Dish for Our Breakfast Tournament

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It’s time to get ready for our second annual Best Breakfast Tournament! This Facebook contest launches on March 25 and works in brackets, just like college basketball’s March Madness.

How does it work?
Submit your best breakfast recipe, and our Facebook fans will vote on their favorite. They will be narrowed down in a bracket of sweet vs. savory until we have one winning recipe. The recipe must be for one dish, like a French toast dish--not a full plate with multiple dishes. Recipes will be judged on uniqueness, creativity, and appeal; we will factor in the recipe itself in addition to a photo of the dish.

Pictured is last year's winning dish, bittersweet chocolate waffles topped with mint buttercream and strawberry sauce from Lyttleton Inn in Littleton, MA.

What is the prize?
One lucky voter will win a $500 BedandBreakfast.com gift card, and the winning B&B will win bragging rights and publicity! Last year, we scored our winner and runner-up stories in several publications, including USA Today and Budget Travel.

This year’s guest judges are Anne Banas with Smarter Travel, Adrien Glover with Travel + Leisure, and Susannah Chen with YumSugar (and possibly another writer from a large publication), so we expect that the winner and possibly runner-up will also get great publicity this year.

How do you enter?

1)      Add your recipe on BedandBreakfast.com. To do this, first log in to your Home Base.

2)      Under the ‘Listing’ tab, select ‘Recipes.’ Then click ‘Add New Recipe.’

3)      Add the ingredients and steps. Our system currently only allows for five steps, so if your recipe has more steps than this, please combine some of them (we hope to have a better system next year!). It may not appear on the site immediately, so don’t worry if it takes a little time.

4)      Once added, please email Emily Gerson at EGerson@BedandBreakfast.com with this information to enter:     

a.       Your inn’s name and location

b.      The name of your recipe

c.       Whether your recipe is classified as sweet or savory

d.      At least one great photo of the dish; it must be well-lit and high-resolution since it will be presented on our Facebook page

The entry deadline is January 31, 2013. The BedandBreakfast.com marketing team will narrow the entries down to 32 finalists, and a group of guest judges will narrow it down to 16. Starting on March 25, our Facebook fans will vote on each bracket until we have a winner! We hope you will participate.

By Emily Starbuck Crone

BedandBreakfast.com on Live Canadian Radio Show

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We are excited that this morning, BedandBreakfast.com was featured on Tommy Schnurmacher's radio show on CJAD 800, a Canadian news and talk radio station.

Tim Wilson, the manager of the BedandBreakfast.com Diamond Collection program, did a live interview with the show. He debunked myths about B&Bs, mentioned some of our great Canadian properties, talked about the great value that B&Bs offer, and more. You can download the audio file below to hear the interview.

T S Planning A Vacation & B&B Tim Wilson From bedandbreakfast.com - Mon Aug 20, 2012.mp3 (4.62 mb)

By Emily Starbuck Crone

BedandBreakfast.com PR and Marketing Update

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It’s the dog days of summer, and BedandBreakfast.com is HOT when it comes to getting publicity for our member inns!

USA Today covered our Top 10 B&Bs with the  Coolest Pools.  USA Today’s travel blog reaches 17.8 million visitors monthly!

MSNBC’s Travel on TODAY reminded its millions of readers that bed and breakfasts are for kids, too – highlighting several inns we provided as examples.

SmarterTravel.com shared our Top 10 B&Bs with a View – showcasing 10 B&Bs around the world with spectacular views. This popular travel site reaches more than 20,000 visitors a day.

We announced our Top 10 Most Dog-Friendly Inns and are promoting them with a Facebook contest where BedandBreakfast.com fans can vote for the B&B with the best dog amenities. We are donating $1 for every vote to the ASPCA – up to $1,000. The top 10 list and the contest was picked up by PetRelocation.com.

Last, but definitely not least, we worked closely with the TODAY Show on a live TV segment during the Olympics called “London for Less,” providing photos and prices for London inns. Jetsetter Editor Kate Maxwell mentioned bed and breakfasts as an affordable lodging option. Watch the edited version here.

Promotions

Make sure to check out two promotions BedandBreakfast.com is doing with Smarter Travel and the TODAY Show!
•    SmarterTravel.com Photo Contest : BedandBreakfast.com is providing a $xx gift card to the winner of this photo contest, which ends (date).
•    TODAY Show with Hoda and Kathie Lee Fan of the Week: BedandBreakfast.com, together with The Farmhouse Inn, is providing a three-night weekend getaway to a lucky fan, tentatively scheduled for September 10.

Monthly Awards & Feature Stories

Should your inn be considered for any of these upcoming awards and feature story topics? If so, email Marketing & Communications Manager Emily Gerson.

•    Leaf Peeping
•    Inns in Unusual Structures
•    Most Unique Amenities
•    Haunted B&Bs
•    B&Bs with Pubs
•    B&Bs for Bikers

Society of American Travel Writers

In a few weeks, BedandBreakfast.com's PR manager will attend the Society of American Travel Writers Conference in Indianapolis to share story ideas, trends and facts about the bed and breakfast industry with travel writers from around the country.

Innkeeper Testimonial About Our PR Efforts

Kudos to BedandBreakfast.com for the “excellent” PR and support you’ve provided La Maison in Midtown, an urban B&B in Houston, Texas. As a new bed & breakfast, your marketing and Communications department has helped La Maison in Midtown gain visibility locally, nationally, and internationally at an affordable price. You have made it possible for us to be featured in The New York Times, Huffington Post & Culture Map Houston online news. The value and exposure we’ve received far outweighs the monthly fee. As innkeepers, we highly recommend joining BedandBreakfast.com to other new and seasoned innkeepers. It has boosted our online reservations. Thank you again for the exposure.
-Sharon Owens and Genora Boykins of La Maison in Midtown in Houston, Texas

By Emily Starbuck Crone

BedandBreakfast.com PR and Marketing Update

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Thank you to all the inns that submitted recipes of their favorite breakfast for BedandBreakfast.com’s℠ first-ever challenge to find the most mouth-watering, delicious breakfast among its more than 12,000 inns around the world.Taking a cue from March Madness®, BedandBreakfast.com kicked off the contest March 19 with 16 contenders selected from more than 100 entries.BedandBreakfast.com’sFacebook fans voted for their favorites, with the recipe winning the most votes moving on to the next round. The 16 were narrowed down to the Eggscellent Eight, the Foodie Four and the Final Two. 

The winners were announced by Budget Travel and USA Today!Congrats to The Lyttleton Inn for its Bittersweet Chocolate Waffles with Mint Buttercream and Strawberry Sauce, and runner-up Gracehill Bed and Breakfast for its Pumpkin Pancakes with Carmelized Pecans, Whipped Cream and Ginger Syrup.

Monthly Top 10 Awards
Our monthly Top 10 Awards continue to garner media attention – here are several from the Top Ten Urban B&Bs, including the Huffington Post and CultureMap Houston.

To be considered for a Top Ten Award, it’s important that your listing have great photos and reviews!

Seasonal Promotions – Looking for Super Special Mother’s Day Offers
We work hard to get publicity for gift card and other seasonal promotions to help drive travelers to your inns.  For example, the New York Post mentioned the BedandBreakfast.com Getaway Gift Card as a perfect Valentine’s Day gift.

We are looking for fantastic Mother’s Day specials at B&Bs so if you are offering an amazing package or something out of the ordinary, let us know!

Media Promotions
We are working with various media outlets and bloggers to promote B&Bs, including a recent giveaway with the Travel Mom, an awards program with The Roaming Boomers, and (fingers crossed) a TODAY Show opportunity to give away a B&B weekend getaway.

Upcoming Media Opportunities
We will announce our summer survey results and top summer destinations over the coming months.  Let us know of any new trends or opportunities we should know about to help promote your business.

By Emily Starbuck Crone

BedandBreakfast.com PR and Marketing Update

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BedandBreakfast.com has scored some great publicity with an Associated Press story before the holidays recommending the BedandBreakfast.com Getaway Gift Card as a holiday gift for travelers.  USA Today included our gift card in a blog post on great Cyber Monday travel deals.  The New York Post also gave a shout out to the BedandBreakfast.com gift card as a great Valentine’s Day gift.

To celebrate Black History Month, the Huffington Post ran a story on underground railroad B&Bs that offer a cozy look at history, referencing three inns on the BedandBreakfast.com site.  It also included a slide show of seven inns with photos that illustrate the safe houses. 

We regularly work with travel and lifestyle publications and suggest inns and B&Bs for their stories, such as Southern Living’s “The South’s Coziest Inns” that features three inns from the BedandBreakfast.com site.

The Best of BedandBreakfast.com Awards and our new monthly awards programs get picked up by online media such as Everett Potter’s Travel Report, the Roaming Boomers, and About.com.  This year, we have announced our Top 10 Ski B&Bs and Top 10 Most Romantic B&Bs.

News from BedandBreakfast.com

BedandBreakfast.com just announced that its Diamond Collection has surpassed 300 inns and is expanding into Canada. This follows on the heels of our news about the redesigned BedandBreakfast.com website. 

Coming up this spring will be promotions around Mother’s Day. Let us know of any super special and over-the-top Mother's Day celebrations you're planning. We’re also looking for celebrity chefs who whip up amazing breakfasts and other meals at our inns; if you have a celebrity chef, email Emily Gerson with the details. Finally, we will survey travelers in April to find out their summer travel plans – again, let us know of any summer specials we should know about!

By Emily Starbuck Crone

BedandBreakfast.com PR and Marketing Update

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Learn about some of our upcoming campaigns and some of the major publicity we and our inns have received lately.

Upcoming PR & Marketing Campaigns

We will be promoting the following stories over the coming months with media so make sure to add or update your inn’s information on the Special Packages page on BedandBreakfast.com:

• Top winter destinations for B&B travel
• Holiday specials

Working on ideas for your own publicity? Here are some upcoming holidays that might make good news hooks and fun package themes:

December is:

• Bingo Month
• National Maple Syrup Day (December 17)
• Hanukkah (December 20 through December 28)
• Festivus (December 23)
• Christmas (December 25)
• Boxing Day (December 26)
• New Year's Eve (December 31)

To add specials: Click here to log in to your Home Base on BedandBreakfast.com, then click the Specials link to add your packages. Be sure to include all relevant information including rates, validity dates, whether children/pets are welcome, and the costs. (Silver-level members and above may post specials. Bronze member? Please click here to upgrade. Not yet a member? Join today!)

Notable News

BedandBreakfast.com has been receiving quite a bit of national news attention!

USA Today did a story with BedandBreakfast.com featuring "10 great places to sleep with a ghost" in its October 21 print issue and showcases a slideshow of the 10 haunted B&Bs on its website.  The story was picked up by ABC News and other local television websites.

BedandBreakfast.com also worked with the New York Times on a story about five "B&Bs that Break the Dolls-and-Doilies Mold" in its October 15 issue.  Two of the five Texas B&Bs are listed on BedandBreakfast.com:  La Maison in Midtown Houston and Blair House Inn in Wimberley.

We worked with SmarterTravel.com to include several member B&Bs in its "10 Great Escapes for Fall."  The Roaming Boomers also shared our leaf peeping news with its readers.

Did you see all the great national publicity for the B&B industry and BedandBreakfast.com during Wheel of Fortune’s special “Bed & Breakfast Week” in October? PhillyBurbs.com and Boston B&B Examiner picked up our story about this special week and great prizes.  

The Vancouver Sun included BedandBreakfast.com in its August 13 story about camping and B&B options in New York.

Finally, we recently saw About.com picked up our news about the “mini-moon” trend earlier this summer.

Stay tuned for more coverage about the B&B industry as we unveil our Best of the BedandBreakfast.com 2011-2012 Awards, new monthly awards, holiday specials and promotions, and the new website.

 PR Tips

BedandBreakfast.com Blog: If you have any great high-quality photos, deals, or recipes to share, email them to Emily Gerson for consideration. You should also email her if you’re interested in participating in an innkeeper Q&A feature on the blog.

 Change photos often; add video too: We know we say it over and over, but we repeat our photo mantra each month because it is such an important part of promoting our members. Media are always on the lookout for timely photos. Photos from your listing pages are often linked to releases posted in the BedandBreakfast.com Press Room, also visited by media worldwide. Most importantly, timely photos on your BedandBreakfast.com page motivate consumers to book. Since autumn is just around the corner, replace your summer photos with shots of glorious fall foliage and outdoor activities that can be enjoyed at your inn.

Not sure how to post photos? Click here to log in to your Home Base on BedandBreakfast.com, click Photos from the Quick Links box on the left, thenfollowing the easy instructions on the screen to upload your pictures. Don’t forget! If you have high-resolution photos or videos, please post them on BedandBreakfast.com. When the media wants high-res photos and videos, we look for them on BedandBreakfast.com, so be sure to post yours soon.

By Emily Starbuck Crone

BedandBreakfast.com PR and Marketing Update

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BedandBreakfast.com has been In the News recently!  

SmarterTravel.com featured "Five Affordable Seaside Hideaways," which was also included in USA Today’s weekly travel e-newsletter.  

SmarterTravel.com also gave a nice shout-out to BedandBreakfast.com’s Diamond Collection when it included L'Auberge Provencale Bed & Breakfast in Boyce, Virginia, in its "Irresistible Country Retreats" story.

BedandBreakfast.com also was included in an MSNBC TV story on gas-saving tips for summer travel.  

Make sure to watch Wheel of Fortune the week of October 10 for "B&B Week."  Each night, the show will offer a romantic getaway to a special B&B as its featured prize.   The #1 syndicated game show with more than 26 million viewers each week, the Wheel of Fortune promotion with BedandBreakfast.com offers tremendous publicity for the bed and breakfast industry.

By Emily Starbuck Crone

BedandBreakfast.com PR and Marketing Update

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BedandBreakfast.com sent out a news release and infographic in May announcing that nearly one in three soon-to-be-married couples plan to take a short honeymoon instead of the more traditional week or longer honeymoon, and reminded the media that B&Bs offer popular “mini-moons” for newlyweds. The release was picked up by more than 200 news outlets, including a terrific blog post by Sherman’s Travel.

Our Top Summer Destinations release resulted in a taped interview with Westwood One Radio, which distributed the story to more than 5,000 radio stations.

We also announced there are more than 200 Diamond Collection properties now on BedandBreakfast.com.

We have also added two new documents to our Press Room: Myths and Facts about B&Bs and BedandBreakfast.com Facts and Figures.

Finally, during a trip to New York City, we met with prominent travel and feature writers from the following publications to talk about the benefits of staying in a B&B: Ladies’ Home Journal, Brides, Family Circle, Sherman’s Travel, Wall Street Journal, Travel + Leisure, and Real Simple.

By Emily Starbuck Crone

BedandBreakfast.com PR and Marketing Update

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BedandBreakfast.com has received a large amount of media coverage recently. Our list of haunted B&Bs for Halloween was mentioned in USAToday.com’s travel section. Several other publications covered our haunted B&Bs, such as Frommers.com and The Palm Beach Post.

Our Best of BedandBreakfast.com awards were picked up by Forbes.com and RedOrbit.com. It was also covered by several local outlets, including the Americus Times-Recorder, the Bureau County Republican, and the Coshocton Tribune.

HomeAway’s acquisition of property management software maker Instant Software led to coverage of all HomeAway brands, including BedandBreakfast.com. We were mentioned in articles about this in MSNBC.com and the Austin American-Statesman.

BedandBreakfast.com was also mentioned in an article on SmarterTravel.com about America’s coziest B&Bs. The article was also picked up on Yahoo Travel.

By Emily Starbuck Crone

BedandBreakfast.com PR and Marketing Update

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BedandBreakfast.com’s PR year-in-review revealed that in 2009 more than 1.2 billion impressions were generated by the BedandBreakfast.com publicity campaign. If purchased as advertising, this coverage would have cost nearly a half million dollars. Yet the credibility of a story in a newspaper, on TV, on the Internet or in a magazine is the real payoff to BedandBreakfast.com’s publicity efforts. Study upon study shows that the stories travelers read are far more likely to result in a buying action than advertising. In addition, the search engine optimization and branding for the B&B industry doubles the value of this campaign. BedandBreakfast.com maintains the most extensive PR campaign for the B&B industry, focused entirely on helping the media to discover and publicize the B&B experience.

A property on BedandBreakfast.com was recently featured in Frommer’s as a great accommodation choice in the midst of the New York ban on vacation rentals.  The site was also highlighted in the Athens Banner-Herald as the premier outlet for booking bed and breakfasts.

WPIX.com recommended BedandBreakfast.com as the go-to place to find cooking classes at small inns. The Chattanooga Times Free Press wrote about an inn and mentioned its stellar rating on BedandBreakfast.com. The Philadelphia Inquirer quotes an innkeeper who discusses his reviews on BedandBreakfast.com.

SmarterTravel’s “Five Reasons to Travel Over the Holidays” suggests BedandBreakfast.com as a prime resource to search for deals on holiday travel.

The BedandBreakfast.com PR machine also did a major push toward promoting B&Bs in the Gulf Coast area. Here is the press release we ran for this:

08/12/10
HUNDREDS OF B&BS IN GULF COAST AREA UNAFFECTED BY OIL SPILL AND OPEN FOR BUSINESS

By Emily Starbuck Crone