We have a suggestion that may sound a little old-fashioned:
Just call the hotel.
Or visit the hotel’s website. Either one works.
We understand the appeal of the big travel sites. They make it wonderfully easy to compare a dozen hotels, check prices, check the map; zoom in and around the map, check it again, and read enough reviews to develop strong opinions about a property you’ve never actually visited. They’re useful. We use them, too.
But once you’ve found the place you want to stay, we think there’s something to be said for going directly to the source.
For one thing, it can be a better deal.
Hotels pay commissions when reservations come through third-party booking sites. Those costs vary, but they can be substantial. When you book directly, the hotel keeps more of the money you spend on your room, which can give us a little more room to offer direct-booking rates, special packages, or other perks. It’s worth checking.
But that’s not our favorite reason. Our favorite reason is that we get to know you. We want to know you. And we want you to have a good experience.
Technically, we sell rooms. A reservation arriving through a booking engine is a name and a confirmation number. But that is not what hospitality is to us. We want to actually welcome you.
The proliferation of online booking sites and search engines has caused an interesting little irony for us and our guests: the machinery designed to make a reservation frictionless often creates the most friction. It is frictionless technology creating friction in a fundamentally human business: hospitality.
What is the friction? Oh do we have stories!
But in the interests of brevity: misinformation from people who do not work at the actual property. A circuitous route for reservation changes and questions. At best: you call them, they call us, they call you back, they call us again, and round and round we go.
At worst, someone gives you an answer they don’t actually know is true.
“Why yes, that room does have an ocean view!” Only to discover that “ocean view” apparently means if you lean really far to the left from the balcony — a deeply, deeply disappointing wayto start a stay.
The technology is incredibly convenient. But hospitality is, at its heart, personal. And sometimes the most efficient way to get help is to skip the machinery and just talk to the people who are actually here.
Just call us.
- Want to know which room type has the best view? We know.
- Wondering how your dog will like it? Ask us.
- Not sure how far the hotel is from the beach, whether you can park your oversized truck, or whether “ocean view” means ocean view ? We can tell you.
We want to know if you’re coming for your anniversary. We want to know if you’re bringing the dog. We want to know if you’ve never been to the coast before and would like to know where to eat, where to watch the sunset, or which beach is best for finding agates.
If you’ve stayed with us before, we want to know that, too.
Maybe you have a favorite room. Maybe you always need an extra pillow. Maybe you come every summer and we’ve watched your kids grow up (and you’ve watched us age!). Maybe you walk through the lobby and someone behind the desk says “Oh, hi! It’s good to see you again!”. That’s hospitality.
And it’s much easier to do when there is a person on both ends of the reservation. It gives us a chance to help before you arrive. We can answer the question that wasn’t answered on the booking page. We can help you choose the right room. We can tell you what’s happening around town. We can make a note about something that matters to you.
Those details are the difference between processing a reservation and welcoming a guest.
And yes, there are practical benefits too. We often have direct-booking offers, more flexibility, and best of all – actual knowledge of the property. If you see a rate somewhere else, it’s perfectly reasonable to ask us if we can do better. Sometimes the answer will be yes. Sometimes it will be, “that’s a pretty good deal”—we’ll tell you.
Booking directly starts the relationship before you even walk through the door. A reservation may be the end of your search, but to us, it’s only the beginning.
We’re here every day, talking to guests, recommending rooms and restaurants, answering questions, solving little problems, and learning what makes people happy. In other words, we’re here doing hospitality. There is a lot more heart in that than in the transaction of booking a room.
Hospitality is a people business. We don’t just want to know that Room 212 is arriving Thursday. We want to know that you are arriving Thursday.
The big booking sites are useful. They are very good at helping you find us, and we’re grateful for that. But once you know where you want to stay, come directly to us. Check our website. Give us a call. Ask us a question. Tell us what brings you here.
You may find a better offer. You may get an answer to a question you didn’t know you had. You may even end up with a room that someone on the other end of the phone knows is just right for you.
Or maybe you’ll simply get to talk to a person.
We think that is a pretty good way to start a stay. After all, hospitality is a relationship – not just a reservation. We don’t just want your reservation, we want to welcome you.
