MANSFIELD — A sampling of local hospitality businesses are utilizing technology and social media to reach potential customers.
The Inn on Smith’s Hill in Lexington is using travel websites such as Homeaway.com, Airbnb.com and bedandbreakfast.com to pitch their Richland County location to travelers in a safe, private way. Dave Waleri proprietor of the bed and breakfast, said his business gets redistributed to sites like expedia.com and Travelocity.com.
Waleri said he likes using the sites because he has the option to review vacationers who stay with him, and he uses reviews of people to confirm their business.
“It’s a lot safer than someone walking into a hotel off the street,” he said. “AirBnB is like Uber. There’s a vetting process for the owners and the property. You have to fill out a detailed application.”
Waleri said he has the option to review vacationers who stay with him, and he uses reviews of people to confirm their business.
Bryan and Ruth McClelland said they primarily use Airbnb.com for their business, after their daughter suggested the site once she found it successful for her Vermont bed and breakfast.
The McClelland’s said their Mohican bed and breakfast, Luftberg Farm, uses airbnb.com and their personal website to promote the operation. Bryan said Airbnb.com accounts for 75 percent of their guests.
“The website is easy to create, user friendly,” Ruth said. “We are not techy people. It was easy to create because they had a template to follow. We had business right away.”
Ruth said airbnb.com was a great service for its cost because the website only charges the bed and breakfast when a guest uses the site to book a stay, not to have a page on the website.
Waleri said his five-bedroom bed and breakfast uses a mixture of online advertising and traditional advertising to fill its rooms. Waleri said the business gets about half of its customers from signs hung in near-by public locations. The other half comes from the VRBO sites.
“It’s been really good for us,” Waleri said. “But not one is going to book us up completely.”
Waleri said some tourists come to Mansfield usually to see the Ohio State Reformatory, Bible Walk and the Carrousel District, but nearly half of their guests come in tandem with a racing event at Mid Ohio Sports Car Course. Waleri also said couples can come for a quiet weekend away or for funeral, memorial and wedding services.
The claim to fame for The Inn on Smith’s Hill is Harry Smith, an inventor who resided in the home built in 1903. The two-acre property has hosted Smith’s colleagues such as Henry Ford and Orville and Wilbur Wright.
Combined with its online presence and advertising at Mid Ohio Sports Car Course, the Inn at Smith’s Hill is fully booked through June 9.
Similarly, Elizabeth Clark, of Spruce Inn & Cottages, said promoting her business online is important because most people book stays on their computers or phones. However, she said traffic for her company is rarely created on Airbnb.com and other sites like it.
“We really only get one or two (stays) a month with (those sites). It doesn’t bring significant traffic,” Clark said. “People search for us on their own. They don’t use third parties.”
Clark said they use ads on Facebook, group on and other travel sites.
Waleri said he sees social, VRBO transition to be more than a fad.
“Airbnb will be the advertiser of the future,” he said, mentioning he has received business from Japan and other international customers.
Media relations personnel from Airbnb.com, Homeaway.com and bedandbreakfast.com could not be reached.
“People can see us there and can contact us that way from around the world,” said Bryan. “(For us) a website like that is paramount.”
