Re: innkeeping: top 5 online guides

["David A. Allie" <allied@inntraveler.com>]

I admit that I'm not an innkeeper and that I own The Inn Traveler, one of
the online innbooks you refer to in your message.  However, I'd like to
share a bit of info that our own innkeepers have passed on to us...

There are a lot of online guidebooks, each promoting themselves to a
different extent.  The Inn Traveler, likewise, works to keep our innbook
visible to inn travelers -- your potential guests.  Not only do we design
Web pages/sites for innkeepers, we go a step further and for all inns with
our basic or deluxe packages ensure that they're equally visible through
all the major search engines and indexes.  We even post brief, periodic
teaser-ads to the appropriate Usenet groups.  And while we provide
innkeepers with stats on the number of visitors to their pages, what's
truly important -- in the long-run -- are the number of extra rooms booked
as a direct result of the Web pages.

Rick Litchfield and Bev Davis of the Captain Lord Mansion in 
Kennebunkport,
Maine wrote to us early this spring:

"We have been on-line with The Inn Traveler since June of 1995; and since
that time, we have realized over $15,000 in direct bookings from our
Internet site...  When we evaluated the various Internet services
available; and we get Internet solicitations weekly, we wanted one that
would give us excellent creative graphics and layout, as well as on-going
support to make changes to our site, as we deemed necessary, to add
packages, special offerings and other changing items to keep our location
fresh and interesting.  Many Internet services offer an unrealistic "low"
start-up price to put you on-line, then charge high, per-hour, additional
fees to keep the site current...  We believe the Inn Traveler offers
excellent services, both start-up and ongoing, at fair pricing for the
total scope of services provided."

...and Jack Bullard of The Inn at Occidental wrote:

"We write to express to you our personal and professional thanks for the
incredible effort on your part to create the home page for The Inn at
Occidental.  Simply put, we are thrilled! ...  First of all, we thank you
for listening to us with an open mind, hearing our ideas...  Secondly, let
us tell you how our investment with you has paid off.  The most tangible
result is in the booking of rooms at The Inn.  In the short period between
June 10 and August 10, we have booked 38 room nights and at the same time
have forwarded many brochures to potential guest.  The value of these room
nights is $6,000..."

For verification, please feel free to write to Rick and Bev (Captain Lord
Mansion) at:
  innkeeper@captainlord.com
or Jack (The Inn at Occidental) at:
  innkeeper@innatoccidental.com
...and I've forwarded both your original message to them and this reply,
asking if they'd like to share further thoughts.

Finally, as a result, the Web site we designed for The Inn at Occidental
was chosen -- from thousands of Web pages available -- to be included in 
an
upcoming book (November 1996 release) on Internet development.  The
publisher said the site "was selected because we thought it was
exceptionally creative, interesting, and well-thought-out... we will be
providing ten samples of home pages from the Internet, each one
representing a different type of home page. Your page would be our
Hotel/Inn Home Page sample."  This is one of the greatest ways in which we
can be recognized and distinguished for the hard work we put into 
designing
and Web publishing.



David A. Allie  >  207.283.1485
The Inn Traveler  >  http://www.inntraveler.com/
  Copyright  =A9  1995-1996, Phoenix Systems.  All Rights Reserved.
  Associate Member, Professional Association of Innkeepers International