We have all taken vacations and stayed at marvelous independently owned boutique resorts and bed and breakfasts. We marvel at their attention to detail, their value, their friendliness, and the hard work and long hours the owners put in to make us happy. Many of us have probably said because of a good experience, “I would love to open a bed and breakfast or small resort someday.”
This year more than ever, small independent resorts and B & B’s need your vacation dollars. Not only have they always had to compete against the large impersonal chain hotels and motels while having a fraction of their advertising and marketing budgets, but they have always had much higher operating expenses because of the great amenities they have for their guests compared to chains.
This is not the year to decide to cut back on vacationing at your favorite boutique resort or B & B as they may not be around next year.
We have all called to make reservations at a favorite place, only to sadly find out it went out of business and thought, “that was such a nice little resort, we have such wonderful memories there, I wonder why it went out of business.” They went out of business because people stayed at chain hotels on their vacations.
Many people don’t appreciate small businesses in America. It is like what happened with the “Wal-Marting” of America. Wal-Mart moved into small towns, people start shopping at them. All of a sudden their neighbors who owned small businesses went out of business. Downtowns declined, property values went down, Wal-Mart got rich and people said, “what happened to our town?” Every time they shopped at Wal-Mart, they were responsible for the decline in their own towns.
The same is true with small resorts. Everyone loves staying at them. But, this year, the year of the staycation may drive your favorite small resort out of business and you will have no one to blame but yourself. Small resorts need your help more than ever. They need for you to get relaxed and pampered at them. They need for you to forgo vacations overseas. Stay in the US and support fellow Americans with your vacation dollars.
And don’t just go on weekends. Everyone wants to go to a boutique resort on a weekend. For instance nice small resorts turn away hundreds of guests wanting to stay with them on Valentine’s Day because they are full. Go before Valentine’s Day. Go midweek. Go off season on vacation. That is how you will help small resorts and B & B’s.
This is the year to vacation at your favorite independent hotel. Vacation in the good old USA!
