Blue Door On Baltimore : Bed & Breakfast

On the set: We were recently the set for a commercial. To check it out follow this link (it’s a big file, so be patient) https://rcpt.yousendit.com/690481206/4417c259634a04eda4c11e0c9034f2ed

Summer is just around the corner and people are looking for deals. We were just written up for our Summer Green Discount program on Budget Travel’s Real Deals http://www.budgettravel.com/bt-dyn/content/article/2009/04/23/AR2009042303637.html and mentioned on MSNBC.

Check it out!!!“A Taste of Home” Magazine April 2009 issue- Mother’s Day Brucnh Recipies - Our Fruit Salad with Orange Reduction won third prize. Try it out at home. We know your guest will give you a WOW when you serve it.

Hotels scrutinize online feedback in hopes of luring more travelersBaltimore Business Journal - by Elizabeth Heubeck Contributor

Christopher Orr, director of sales and marketing at the Renaissance Baltimore Harborplace Hotel, admits to surfing the Web at work — and he doesn’t apologize for it. In fact, he regularly shares his findings with the hotel’s management team.

Orr, like all conscientious marketing professionals in the hospitality industry, does his best to monitor his employer’s reputation. Increasingly, that means scrutinizing what customers are saying about it online.

“In the service industry, it comes down to your reputation more than any marketing or advertising effort,” said Orr, who spends up to 30 minutes weekly scanning independent Web sites like TripAdvisor.com to find out what customer reviews reveal about the hotel.

With Baltimore hotels’ occupancy rates down from 71 percent in 2005 to 64 percent, local hoteliers need to be hyper-vigilant about their reputations, especially online. They’re not just monitoring online customer reviews, they’re finding ways to make the most of their Web presence.

Some post positive reviews of their establishments from independent travel Web sites. A few have started blogs. Some advertise directly on travel sites. At the least, hotels are giving their own Web sites a face lift — essential now that travel sites link to hotel pages and most travelers research online before booking.

Evidence shows that online feedback counts. Consider a 2007 survey conducted by market research firm comScore: Of more than 2,000 respondents, 40 percent admitted that reading a positive online review of a hotel swayed them to book it. A 2008 study by Opinion Research Corp. found that 82 percent of online shoppers checked online reviews, blogs and other online customer feedback before making a travel-related purchase.

Some savvy hoteliers aren’t waiting passively for online praise. At the Butcher’s Hill bed and breakfast Blue Door, owner Roger Eberlin asks customers who enjoyed their experience to share their comments online, providing links to B&B directories and Web addresses for independent travel sites. He also encourages guests to post reviews directly on Blue Door’s blog.

The strategy may be working. Though Blue Door hasn’t been open for business a full year, Eberlin said revenue has exceeded his expectations.

Boston-based TripAdvisor.com was originally launched in 2000 as a search engine for travel information. But the user-generated content portion of the site, initially just an afterthought, quickly took off. Since its launch, 270,000 hotels have been reviewed there.

“It really is a user-built site,” said Brian Payea, trade relations manager at TripAdvisor. There is one way to guarantee positive exposure on the popular Web site — buying ad placements next to hotel with top rankings.

Orr said the Renaissance Harborplace Hotel is considering advertising on TripAdvisor’s Web site, where it’s consistently ranked among the top Baltimore hotels. With the hotel’s business meeting bookings for 2009 down 50 percent from 2008 — from 10 to 5 — he figures more online buzz about the hotel can’t hurt.

Elizabeth Heubeck is a contributing writer in Baltimore.

Press Release: New Luxury Bed and Breakfast in Baltimore Maryland Opens

Baltimore, MD February 2008- The Blue Door on Baltimore Bed and Breakfast has opened in the Historic Butcher’s Hill area of Baltimore, Maryland.  The Blue Door is the newest member of Bed and Breakfasts catering to the personal needs of Baltimore travelers. It’s close proximity to the Inner Harbor and Johns Hopkins Hospital provides a perfect location for business, medical campus, and leisure visitors.

Owners and Innkeepers Roger Eberlin and Cecelia Bellomo have incorporated the best of their 35-years of business and leisure travel into the guest experience at the Blue Door on Baltimore. Guests have a choice of three very large King-size suites with private baths featuring both a soaking tub and private shower, private outside balconies, and lots of complementary services (Internet, business center, beverage service, satellite TV and music, and afternoon tea to name just a few).  Nightly rates range from $145 to $180. In-room amenities including yoga and personal training instruction, massage services, and custom packages are available at an additional cost.

Whatever the need for travel is, guests at the Blue Door are offered a restful night’s sleep and amenities to make the next day start on a most positive note. In addition to the business center, weekday continental breakfasts with a made-to-order breakfast menu are available for those with appointments and business to attend too. For the laid-back traveler, a Three-Course Grand Breakfast is served and time can be spent lounging on the Blue Door’s private decks or taking in activities that Baltimore has to offer.

Additional information about the Blue Door on Baltimore can be found on many of the leading Bed and Breakfast Directory Listing Services, at the Baltimore Convention and Visitors Center, and direct link to its website at http://bluedoorbaltimore.com

About The Blue Door on Baltimore:

Blue Door on Baltimore is a privately owned Bed and Breakfast serving travelers to Baltimore, Maryland. The property features three luxury King-size suites and amenities for the business as well as leisure traveler.

Contact Information:

Roger Eberlin

Blue Door on Baltimore

410-732-0191

bluedoorbaltimore@verizon.net