Are we entering a recession?  Are we in one? Are we going to avoid one?...I don't know but seemingly neither do the talking heads and economic pundits.  Nevertheless, the topic of Recession Proof Vacations hit the news this morning.

Not sure how many innkeepers had the time to watch the Today Show this morning, but there was a very interesting piece about travel with host Matt Lauer and travel editor Peter Greenberg under the heading of Recession Proof Vacations.

The nuts and bolts of the piece revolved around several topics, some relevant to our industry, and others more relevant to the larger hotel chains...but for us the key points are, the US is a bargain for overseas travelers due to the strength of the Euro, Yen, Canadian Loonie, etc.

Next key point is that people should investigate the shoulder seasons as good times to travel as rates are often lower than during the peak season.  So far so good!  Next came the question about staying at the smaller B&B "hotels"and Greenberg's response was for vacationers to look at the midweek, check in on Sunday and check out Friday morning, as the ideal time to stay at B&B's because as he put it, the B&B's make their money on the weekends.

Nothing new here as we've always been concerned about increasing the off/shoulder season business and the midweek business, but when you have high profile people and shows , like the Today Show giving advice to travelers on how to get the most bang for their buck by traveling during the shoulder/off season and staying during the midweek, it creates a potential WIN-WIN situation for all!

OK, now what to do?  Review your marketing strategies and your website to see if you truly are making your property attractive to the foreign traveler but probably more importantly, have you created a legitimate reason and call to action for today's contemporary traveler, the i.guest, to book a stay with you...when you really want ( and need)  to see them, during the shoulder season Sundays through Thursdays?

If after your review, the reasons to exercise your call to action/make the reservation aren't there...create them and now. Take a few minutes and turn this newsworthy topic into a money making opportunity!  We'd love to hear from you with some success stories!

Rick