Our commitment: to Educate the Innkeeping
with pertinent
information, to
connect people to share ideas, solve
build relationships, and conduct business.
We
Advocate
for the Innkeeping Industry in media relations, by promoting the industry, and influencing public policy.
PAII DELIVERS
on every promise, every initiative, every program.
|
In this issue of News You Can Use:
IT'S A CRIME TO LIE ... ABOUT YOUR DOG
Iowa is the latest of over 20 states to make it a 'public offense' to misrepresent an animal as a service animal or a service animal-in-training. The new law in Iowa makes the offense a simple misdemeanor, punishable by confinement for no more than 30 days or a fine of $65-$625 or both.
The 2 questions that you may legally ask of an individual with an animal are:
(1) is the dog a service animal required because of a disability?
(2) what work or task has the dog been trained to perform?
And, be advised that there is no nation-wide requirement that a service animal is issued identification or documentation; Michigan does have a voluntary registration process that will then issue documentation to the disabled individual.
Note that "emotional support" dogs not covered under ADA.
We will post the Iowa legislation on the ADA Resources page of paii.org for your reference.
FREQUENT FLYER MILES - A HOT COMMODITY
We're well aware of the need to protect our 'identity' ... but have you thought about protecting your frequent flyer miles? Too often - in the rush to leave on vacation - we may fail to secure / update our devices, or in preparing for the trip we may download some special travel / language apps / local news app, any of which may be malicious. While on vacation, travelers may use a convenient public WI-FI - even to keep up on their personal finances. Don't! Read more safe travel trips at
Hackers Are Trying to Steal Your Vacation. Here's How to Stop Them (link below).
DÉJÀ VU - BECAUSE YOU HAVE SAID IT BEFORE
You've given your spiel on the local antique shops, dining spots, hiking/biking trails ... hundreds or even thousands of times. And, you may even feel a bit robotic at times. Good news: guests want to get the local 'scoop' from YOU, not from a robot or 'Alexa'! Learn more at
Hotel Guests Want Curated Recommendations...(link below).
til next time -
Kris Ullmer, PAII President/CEO
|
|
Please Join Us for this Week's Webinar
Wednesday, May 8, 2019, 2:00 PM EST
Is Your Blog Hurting or Helping?
Blogging is a great way to create fresh content for your site and build your site's presence and authority with Google. However, if your blog becomes heavy with the "dead weight" of old and unread posts, it can actually do more harm than good. Participants will need to provide their blog's Google Analytics data so that we can let you know if your blog is hurting or helping your internet presence.
Presenter, Lisa Kolb, Acorn Internet https://acorn-is.com/
Register at:
Part of this webinar is looking at Analytics to show innkeepers their non-performing blog posts. We will need to have those who want us to look to add Acorn as a user on their Analytics:
- Sign in to Google Analytics.
- Click Admin, and navigate to the desired Property.
- In the Property column, click User Management.
- In the Account users list, click +, then click Add new users.
- Enter: [email protected]
- Select Notify new users by email to send a message to the user.
- Select the permissions you want: "Read & Analyze"
- Click Add.
After the webinar is over, they can delete Acorn as a user:
Sign in to Google Analytics..
Click Admin, and navigate to the desired account.
In the Property column, click User Management.
|
|
Upcoming Mini-Webinars, Webinars of Interest
and Vendor Webinars
Open to ALL!
Wednesday, May 8, 2019 SBA/SCORE Disasters Happen- How to Prepare Your Business and Recover-Free Webinar 3:30 PM EST
It's not a question of if, but when the next disaster will strike. Is your business prepared for the next major disaster event, such as a hurricane, flood, tornado, earthquake or wildfire?
This webinar, presented by Alex Contreras, Director of Preparedness, Communication and Coordination at SBA's Office of Disaster Assistance, will provide basic steps to prepare and recover from disasters so that your business is resilient.
Register at: https://www.score.org/event/disasters-happen-how-prepare-your-business-and-recover
Thursday, May 9, 2019 Vendor Overview Webinar
9am Pacific, 10am Mountain, 11am Central, Noon Eastern
Free-for-All Webinar: Success vs. Failure? What Path is YOUR Business On?
Are you actively preparing to keep your business alive when others around you are closing their doors? The key is keeping up with the ever-changing environment that has assailed our industry. More and more innkeepers are reaching out to Acorn for help because they realize they have not adequately prepared for the future, let alone the present. They find themselves on the slippery slope of direct booking loss. Lawsuits, lost domains, poorly built and marketed websites, money lost on bad marketing decisions and falling for the next "Easy Button" - - we've seen it all and heard it all, and we continue to help Innkeepers every day with these issues and so much more!
We understand that when you find yourself in the untenable situation, you have little to no marketing budget left. Stop the drain! Come to this webinar and learn all about how we have created a cost-effective solution ($199/month and up) to get you back onto the right track and avoid the potholes that those who bury their heads in the sand fall into.
Come see how Acorn's new Standard Design can help you get back on track and making money again!
Register at:
https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/4876635733873591820
Monday, May 17, 2019 2:00-2:30 PM EST Mini-Webinar
Email Marketing: How to Set up a Template in Vertical Response
Learn how to set up and edit templates in Vertical Response and we will be able to go over any addition questions you might have about the platform.
Presenter PAII Staff
Monday, June 10, 2019 2:00-3:00 PM EST Vendor Overview Webinar
Unlocking Your Full Potential: Discover How ThinkReservations Can Transform the Way You Operate Your Business
The lodging industry has continued to evolve. It's more important than ever to analyze the way you are operating your business, pricing your rooms, and the way you are interacting with your customers. At ThinkReservations, we have worked with hundreds of businesses and created a professional and comprehensive platform that will enable you to take advantage of these new opportunities. Join us as we walk you through features such as Yield Management, Channel Management, Guest Interactions, and Operations Management. If you're a property not using ThinkReservations, this is guaranteed to be a presentation you will not want to miss!
Presenters: E Scot Fuller-Beatty and Laura McDowell
|
Tech Tip of the Week: Use "Site:" to Find Content On A Single Site
If you're searching Google but don't want to look for results in just any old website, try out the search engine's "Site:" command. From within the Google Search box, type "site:" followed with no space by the site of your choosing. For instance, "site:janedoeninn.com" without the quotation marks. You can then add a query after the URL and press Enter. Google will then only display relevant results from the site of your choosing.
Marketing Tip of the Week: Postcards: Put a photo (delicious breakfast items or a wonderful room photo) on a postcard to promote events or specials to guests and past guests, or as thank-you and holiday message notes to loyal repeat guests. Create picture postcards for customers to take along as mementos or to send to friends, adding a prepaid stamp is always a nice touch.
Webinar recording, "Beyond ADA Compliance: Real-World Strategies to Mitigate Legal Risk," with featured presenter Richard Hunt, attorney at Hunt Huey PLLC and co-hosted by UsableNet's Chief Innovation Officer, Jason Taylor.
News You Can Use:
The Four Stages to Successful Implementation of Guest Messaging Read More...
Why hotels are installing fewer bathtubs Read More...
Food News:
All the Types of Vinegar, Decoded Read More...
The Food Timeline, A history of food with historic recipes Read More...
Other Articles of Interest:
Hackers are trying to steal your vacation. Here's how to stop them Read More...
Turn on The Hotel Future With a 360 Video Tour That Will Enhance the Customer Experience
Read More...
Hotel guests want curated recommendations, amenities - not robot concierges
Read More...
Social Media and SEO Changes innkeepers need to know:
Your essential guide to researching keywords for Voice Search Optimization Read More...
How to Improve Your Pinterest Reach: 4 Tips Read More...
|
Webinars for PAII Members
We have over 300 recorded webinars available for viewing and listening in anytime for members in the webinar archives.
Wednesday, May 8, 2019, 2:00 PM EST
Is Your Blog Hurting or Helping?
Blogging is a great way to create fresh content for your site and build your site's presence and authority with Google. However, if your blog becomes heavy with the "dead weight" of old and unread posts, it can actually do more harm than good. Participants will need to provide their blog's Google Analytics data so that we can let you know if your blog is hurting or helping your internet presence.
Presenter, Lisa Kolb, Acorn Internet https://acorn-is.com/
Register at: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/6924731224343927041
Part of this webinar is looking at Analytics to show innkeepers their non-performing blog posts. We will need to have those who want us to look to add Acorn as a user on their Analytics:
Sign in to Google Analytics.
Click Admin, and navigate to the desired Property.
In the Property column, click User Management.
In the Account users list, click +, then click Add new users.
Enter: [email protected]
Select Notify new users by email to send a message to the user.
Select the permissions you want: "Read & Analyze"
Click Add.
After the webinar is over, they can delete Acorn as a user:
Sign in to Google Analytics..
Click Admin, and navigate to the desired account.
In the Property column, click User Management.
Select the check box for [email protected], then click REMOVE
Wednesday, May 22, 2019, 2:00 PM EST
ADA Website Accessibility War Stories
Join Marc Kassouf, your PAII Vice Chair and Chair of the California Association of Boutique & Breakfast Inns (CABBI) as he shares his horror story of being extorted and bamboozled by this latest legal scam. Marc will share some lessons learned, tips, and what you need to do right now to minimize and mitigate your chances of being legally extorted. He'll also cover what you should be doing to comply with the law, and your first easy steps to cover yourself and become less of a dangling 'low-hanging' fruit.
Presenter Marc Kassouf Stay Idyllwild Group of Inns http://www.stayidyllwild.com/
Register at: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/3014101518867506691
Wednesday, May 29, 2019 2:00 PM EST
How to Create a Chatbot for your Website or Facebook page
We will go over the many free (and some paid) options of creating a chatbot for your business including what kinds of questions are most asked of a B&B, and also how to beta test it after it's gone live.
Presenter PAII Staff
Wednesday, June 5, 2019 2:00 PM EST
Content Creation for Your Inn
Content creation and social media posting can be overwhelming. Learn ways to think creatively about developing content, get organized with your content, and create a content calendar that best fits your schedule. Nicolette Johnston, publisher of Bed & Breakfast Magazine, will provide ideas on how you can beat writer's block and develop better content with time-saving tips to self-promote your inn.
Wednesday, July 10, 2019, 2:00 PM EST
What is a PMS and Why Do I Need It?
With over 80% of lodging reservations being made online, it is vital to have operations in place for your business to survive. We'll look at automating multiple facets that go into managing your business while learning how to save time--something that can be more valuable than money for an innkeeper. Who likes to do office work? Let your PMS system automate those tasks for you!
Presenters: E Scot Fuller-Beatty and Laura McDowell
ThinkReservations https://www.thinkreservations.com/
Register at: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/9165613989435751169
Do You Have a Topic you would like PAII to cover?
Are you an innkeeper or vendor with information that other innkeepers would find educational and relevant? We are always looking for presenters for our ongoing webinar series! Please send us an email with your topic and availability.
|
Have innkeeping questions? Have innkeeping answers?
PAII Members: display your professionalism with a
PAII Logo.
Association Leaders: add your State or Regional B&B/Inn Conference to the Industry Events listing
Find or post innkeeping positions at
|
|
|
|
