What Is The REAL Purpose Of The Bed and Breakfast Guestbook

Welcome to another addition of ‘Seeing The World Through a Marketer’s Eyes’.

Today I am going to be talking about the guestbook that is found in bed and breakfast and some smaller hotels.

I am currently staying in a b&b, and each morning I see guests being asked to sign the guestbook. It was only this morning that I started to wonder…

What is the point of the guestbook?

Don’t get me wrong, I know what it does, I have been brought up seeing them, but what are the tangible benefits for the owner?

Useful Feedback?

I could understand it if was designed to improve weak areas… but I looked through the book this morning, and couldn’t find even a vaguely negative comment. So clearly, people are either lying, or those who had a negative experience don’t bother signing the book.

As a marketer, I would split it into two sections, and ask for the positives and areas that could be improved for their next stay.

This would encourage honesty, it would provide valuable feedback, and it would subconsciously imply they they are staying again.

Data Capture?

It occured to me that data capture could be a good use… but whilst you are asked to leave your address, I didn’t see any phone or email section… and let’s be honest, they are not going to send each previous guest a letter, it would seem too spammy by the general public.

If you are clever, there are ways of getting the data and making use of it… but frankly, it would be a lot of work for a low reward, so my guess is that it is not used for this purpose.

Social Proofing?

Social proofing is a hugely powerful marketing technique, and it works almost every time.

In a nutshell, it is the art of making people more comfortable, due to the fact that other people are doing the same thing.

For example, have you ever been to a market and found yourself drawn to the stall with the big crowd around it? That is social proofing.

When I went to restaurants with Elena, she always got uncomfortable if the restaurant was empty. To which I sarcastically replied “Why, which strangers were you planning on talking to?”.

This was social proofing.

So perhaps, by seeing all those positive comments in the guestbook, people will be more likely to stay at the b&b?

Wrong!

You see, they only see the guestbook on the day they are leaving, so the buying decision will have been made days earlier. Thus rendering it pointless during the sales process.

My Theory

My guess is that it serves no other purpose than a spirit lifting, nostalgic boost to bed and breakfast owners who work long hours. A positive comment will provide a little pick-me-up and will make the job seem more rewarding.

It is ego stroking for the b&b world.

And this is where marketers come unstuck… we are so focused on profits, sales, and branding, that we often forget that behind every business is a real person with real feelings, and sometimes, just sometimes things are done during work hours that provide nothing more than a simple smile, or a warm glow inside.

The moral of this tale?

Whilst seeing the world as a marketer is great, it can sometimes leave you out of touch with the simpler and more genuine aspects of business.

Business can be a cold, hard world… but the very best businesses are run by people who see more than just stats and numbers, they are run by passionate people who live and breathe that business.

So let’s all remember to take off our marketing-tinted specs from time to time.

Right, back to business.