How Do You Know if a Travel Writer is Legitimate?

Many inns are approached by travel writers and bloggers who want a free stay in exchange for writing about the property. But how can you know if the person is a serious writer or someone just wants to score a free trip?

Here are a number of steps you can take to determine if a travel writer is legit:

1. Check on the writer's credentials via a Google search. Your CVB or chamber of commerce may be members of a travel writer's association and can check to see if a writer is credentialed. If possible, sign up to provide lodging for visiting writers whose credentials have been established.
2. Ask the writer for a letter of assignment from the publication they claim to represent.
3. Ask for copies of previous articles or clips.
4. Ask when the story will be published.
5. Most importantly, ask if your property will be included in the story and how. Be sure to mention that your phone number and/or website should be included.

Other important things to know:

Stuff happens: Sometimes a writer will research and write a story, it’s accepted for publication, and then it gets canceled or postponed due to breaking news or budgetary concerns. Even to the writer, this is a huge disappointment. Please understand that there is no guarantee that if you host a writer the story will definitely appear. Circumstances out of the control of the writer can occur to preclude the story from appearing.

Media policy: Establish a media policy that you can fall back on when questionable requests are received. For example, decide that a writer may bring only one guest and rooms will not be available to travel writers during peak times. You can always make exceptions, but it will give you a baseline to work from.

Comps: We encourage you to offer free rooms to legitimate travel writers on a space available basis. Although paying guests are always the top priority, putting a travel writer in a room that would otherwise go unsold is a risk-free way to get publicity. Only a tiny number of writers are prohibited from accepting comps, and they won’t be insulted by your invitation. Professional travel writers will never ask for the whole inn, and will usually be flexible about staying when you have openings. Only a handful of writers have expense accounts that enable them to travel anonymously – they are prohibited by company policy from accepting free or discounted rooms. Best to remember this advice from Monty Turner (Run of the River, Leavenworth, WA): “Treat all guests like travel writers; treat all travel writers like guests.” If you can't take the financial hit, consider offering a discounted media rate instead.

Rule of thumb: If you have an available room that you’re unlikely to sell, host a travel writer. While nothing may come of it, many times a story will eventually appear that will feature your inn.

Updated by Emily Starbuck Crone

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Seeking Festive Holiday B&Bs

Last year, we gave a monthly award recognizing 10 B&Bs with the most extravagant holiday decorations, special meals, and festive holiday events. We're going to do this again next year, and we are ready for nominations for 10 new winning inns!

The winning B&Bs get featured on our website, in emails to travelers, on social media, and in our pitches to the media.

If you think your inn might qualify, please email our Marketing Communications Manager, Emily Gerson, and explain what you do at your inn that makes it special for the holidays. View our list of the top holiday B&Bs from last year to get an idea of what you're looking for.

Pictured: One of last year's winners, South Court Inn in Luray, Virginia.

By Emily Starbuck Crone

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BedandBreakfast.com on Live Canadian Radio Show

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

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BedandBreakfast.com PR and Marketing Update

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

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BedandBreakfast.com PR and Marketing Update

In the News
BedandBreakfast.com issued a news release on June 11 announcing its Top 20 Summer Destinations for B&B Travelers and some B&B traveler trends. You can view the release here.  Here are some tidbits:
•  One in four B&B travelers report they will take more weekend trips this summer than last year
•  Two out of three will return to destinations previously visited.
•  Interestingly, nearly three out of four B&B travelers (71%), when traveling to a destination they’ve visited previously, choose a bed and breakfast they haven’t previously stayed in to enjoy new experiences.

Help us promote B&Bs by sharing this news release link on Facebook, Twitter and your email newsletters.

Breakfast Recipe Contest
Thanks to the B&Bs that participated in our first-ever Breakfast Recipe Challenge. With the help of our guest judges Danielle Contray of Budget Travel and Helen Anders of the Austin American-Statesman, we narrowed down the finalists and put them to a Facebook vote over several weeks. The winners were featured in USA Today, Budget Travel, and Austin American-Statesman, among other publications.

Monthly Awards
Our monthly awards program and feature articles continues to get media coverage. Better Homes & Gardens ran an online story about our Top 10 Outdoor Spaces winners.  Take a look!

Feature Articles
We are still looking for inns with presidential ties. Email EGerson@BedandBreakfast.com to let us know about your inn if you fit the criteria! You might find your B&B featured in the news, which can help attract visitors. See this note from John Holst, innkeeper of the Red Garter B&B in Williams, Arizona, who we helped get featured in a USA Today article last fall about haunted inns:

“Thanks again for the great exposure you created for the Red Garter B&B Inn this past year. While we have been mentioned in various publications over the years due to your efforts, the article Ten great places to sleep with a ghost that appeared in USA Today last October was over the top. The morning after that article appeared, Phoenix's best known talk show host called for a live radio interview with hundreds of thousands of listeners. The article also prompted the local Fox TV affiliate in Phoenix to send a crew on a three hour road trip to Williams, to film a Twilight Zone style clip of searching for the "ghost of the Red Garter" that they played just prior to the seventh game of the World Series.... promotions just don't get better than that. I have, and will continue to, put heads in beds due to the efforts of BedandBreakfast.com's various publicity campaigns. I would encourage B&B owners to take advantage of every opportunity to submit an article or recipe, host a Vet or any other chance to show off your inn. You never know when lighting will strike.” - John Holst, Innkeeper

BedandBreakfast.com and Pinterest
Have you seen the BedandBreakfast.com Pinterest page?  It has received some media attention among social media publications.  The Next Web and Bank of America’s Small Business Online have run stories on how small businesses can use Pinterest to build their business, using B&Bs and BedandBreakfast.com as examples.

If you have an interesting story about how social media has helped you grow your bookings, let us know!

Travel Bloggers Conference
BedandBreakfast.com will attend the Travel Blog Exchange Conference, June 15-17, to meet with travel bloggers and share with them story ideas and facts about the exciting B&B industry. Meeting with travel writers and bloggers is a priority for BedandBreakfast.com as we promote bed and breakfasts and our member inns.

By Emily Starbuck Crone

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Seeking Inns with Presidential Ties

***Update: The submission period for this has closed***

Election Day will be here before you know it. In anticipation of the upcoming election, we plan to write an article this fall that features B&Bs with presidential connections. This will be shared with our database of thousands of travelers and pitched to the media.

Did an active president go to your inn as a retreat? Was your property once a hangout for ex-presidents? Was your B&B once the home of a president? Please email Marketing & Communications Manager Emily Gerson (EGerson@BedandBreakfast.com) with your inn's name and details about the presidential connection. Thank you!

By Emily Starbuck Crone

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Seeking Inns With Amazing Bathrooms and Stunning Views!

***Update: The entry period for these awards has closed***

We are seeking B&Bs that have amazing, over-the-top bathrooms. We are also trying to compile a list of inns with breathtaking views. This will help us with some upcoming PR and award campaigns. If you fit it one of these categories, please email our Marketing & Communications Manager, Emily Gerson, at EGerson@BedandBreakfast.com. Please note that you must have reviews on BedandBreakfast.com in order to be in the running. We prefer a minimum of 10 reviews.

Remember, one way to increase the likelihood of getting featured in PR and marketing is to have high-quality photos on your listing. We've found that media outlets only want to feature properties with well-lit, high-resolution photos. It also helps to have a thorough listing description so that it's easier to find you when searching for specific amenities or characteristics.

By Emily Starbuck Crone

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BedandBreakfast.com PR and Marketing Update

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

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BedandBreakfast.com PR and Marketing Update

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

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BedandBreakfast.com PR and Marketing Update

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

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