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The big budget advertising campaigns of impersonal national hotels
offer them a distinct advantage over high quality, personal
service oriented Bed and Breakfast innkeepers. The mere mention of a
hotel's name conjures up images that have been carefully crafted by advertising
executives. Mention the name of most any Bed and Breakfast Inn and
your mental image machine comes up with bupkis.
The often cited Howard Johnson's traveler attitudes study found
that travelers are more likely to book a reservation with a hotel
they know they don't like than one they aren't familiar with.
Bed and Breakfast innkeepers attempt to overcome this fear of
the unknown by having their inns inspected and rated by national
and regional traveler rating services. But what do those ratings
really mean?
The best known rating services for lodging accommodations are
AAA, Mobile, and Select Registry. What makes these services
especially reliable is their staff of inspectors who visit each
and every inn personally.
Inspectors pick over every aspect of the inn, looking for flaws
in curtain fabric, missing light bulbs, and many other service
and maintenance aspects of the inn that many travelers would never
think twice about.
Ratings, however, are more focused on the accommodations and
services available than the quality of those accommodations
and services.
The AAA association of auto clubs is one of the most cited rating
services. AAA offers ratings in the form of Diamonds -- as opposed
to stars, pillows, or whatever -- ranging from 1 Diamond to 5 Diamonds.
You might assume that a 1 Diamond rating suggests that an inn is somehow
lacking in quality. Actually, that 1 Diamond rating tells you
that the inn caters to the budget conscious traveler who might otherwise
stay at one of those chain motels that always leave the lights on. For
budget conscious business travelers, a 1 Diamond Bed and Breakfast Inn
combines a business class price with the greater comfort and personal
service inherent to Bed and Breakfast Inns.
At the other end of the rating spectrum are the 5 Diamond Bed and Breakfast
Inns. According to AAA, "These establishments reflect the characteristics
of the ultimate in luxury and sophistication" and are first class establishments.
5 Diamond establishments may include a range of creature comforts not typical
of a Bed and Breakfast, such as an on-site spa, conference room, or wedding
reception hall.
In addition to the dominant national rating services, many states and regional
associations offer their own rating service. Remember, a low rating does not
necessarily mean there is anything wrong with the establishment. Call the
innkeepers or association and ask them to explain how the rating relates to
their Bed and Breakfast and the services they offer.
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