The “Association Organization Team” is key to reaching out to Associations who will then communicate with their members who will then communicate with their guests.The team will be responsible for the following items, included but not limited to:

  • Establish contacts with all industry associations.
  • Provide communications to association contacts to get word out to members and for display on Association websites.
  • Make Associations’ industry and travel partners aware of Book Direct similar to our work on unregulated short term rentals.
  • Make available Book Direct PAII videos: access direct, not just thru YouTube
  • Make sure all associations communicate the 2/6/19 National Book Direct Day to their members.
  • Reference PABBI Short Term Rental info packet for ideas on innkeeper education
  • Send book direct buttons and rack cards to inns
  • Innkeeper education that the Book Direct movement is VITAL for all innkeepers, whether they use an OTA or not!
  • Encourage all Associations to include Book Direct movement on their association home page. Ex: Add a banner, etc.
  • Define a talking list of bullet points’ for innkeepers about the Book Direct movement to keep it simple!
  • Provide sound bites / elevator speech that innkeepers can share with their guests.
  • Educate innkeepers on rate parity and how to develop special rates/types (CABBI)

 

Volunteers

 

Team Leader: Kris Ullmer, PAII

 

Association discussions began in August 2019 in an effort to identify ways to help associations that have found themselves struggling in today’s online environment.   The associations, and their representatives listed below have been participating in these discussions, follow-up educational webinars, and ongoing discussions sponsored by PAII and AIHP.   Both State and Regional Associations are represented in these discussions, with the State Association representation consisting of ¾ of all the State Bed and Breakfasts still in operation today.

Pie Chart showing associations struggling

 

Completed  Items

 

September 27, 2019

Watch Webinar Recording: Maximizing Google My Business for Associations
Learn how Associations can establish, track and promote using Google My Business (GMB) tools that haven’t always been available in the past. This session will walk association leaders’ step by step through how to properly create a GMB listing for their Association, how to use features of GMB and how to accurately track visitors from this listing vs. Free Organic Listings.  https://vimeo.com/362870162/4a4228d99d

September 16, 2019

Reference Article: Bed and Breakfast Associations: Meeting Re-cap and Next Steps

August 30, 2019

Reference Article: Is the Importance of Bed and Breakfast Associations Fading?

 

Pending Items (in process)

 

  • Administrative Duties vs. Volunteer duties – How do associations with Admins use those admins, etc. expected salary, hours worked, etc.

Owner: Pat McCauley to coordinate Meeting and Speakers – Watch for invitation to attend.

  • Advocacy and Educational Associations Vs. Marketing Organizations – Advantages, challenges, etc.  Should marketing organizations be advertising # of rooms vs. # of properties into this discussion.

Owner: Pat McCauley to coordinate Meeting and Speakers – Watch for invitation to attend.

  • Blogging / Social Media Campaigns – Best Blogging practices for “People also Ask” and results in news mobile for associations that do provide content marketing.

Owners:  Annie Buck and Heather Turner

  • Affordable / Proven Association Member Room Inventory Solution – What services are available for associations to share member inventory on their existing websites, and also appear in Google Local, Travel, and Knowledge Graph results offering a way to compete with the OTAs?

Owners: Rob Fulton, Kris Ullmer, Lisa Kolb

Owners: Robin Stauffer, Lisa Kolb

 

Pending Items (awaiting owners)

 

  • Gift Certificate Successes: The advantages of Gift Certificate Programs – – The owner for this topic will schedule a discussion for associations that successfully use GC programs, who do they use, what is the overhead, what is kept for the organization, etc.
  • Loyalty Programs: The owner for this topic will schedule a discussion for any associations or individuals that are providing Loyalty programs, and would be interested in sharing their knowledge.
  • Expanding B&B Associations to Non-Brand Hotels
  • Top Successful Newsletter Campaigns and Outreach: The owner for this topic will schedule a discussion with all other associations that does newsletters to hold a discussion on who, what, where, when, why and how and share expected success rates.
  • Marketing Synergy with other Businesses: The owner for this topic will schedule a discussion with all other associations that work with nearby businesses documenting the who, what, where, when, why and how and share expected success rates.