B&B Blog

The Ad Regulator Raps TripAdvisor

2012-02-01T08:27:00.003Z

The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has upheld industry complaints against TripAdvisor, and ruled that it cannot claim to offer trustworthy reviews from genuine travellers.

Chris Emmins of KwikChex, which made one of the complaints, said “real people and their livelihoods are unquestionably being hurt very badly”.

Fake reviews have forced restaurants and hoteliers out of business and caused “great distress” to bed and breakfast owners who “ take it very personally”, he said. Mr Emmins said that he was aware of numerous agencies offering glowing reviews for a price.

“Some of them have hundreds of TripAdvisor accounts and they use proxy accounts [to disguise their identity]. TripAdvisor has absolutely no way of detecting them.”

The ASA upheld complaints that TripAdvisor’s claims to offer “trusted advice from real travellers” was misleading and could not be substantiated.

TripAdvisor argued that it had “advanced and highly effective fraud detection systems” and that the effect of “small numbers of fraudulent reviews was effectively negligible”.

As members know, this is something we have long been concerned about, and will again report on in the next issue of Bed & Breakfast News, due out on Monday (6 Feb).

British B&Bs are "the best on earth"

2012-01-19T16:01:00.003Z

Great news to hear this week that according to tourists worldwide using TripAdvisor, British B&Bs are "the best on Earth".
British B&Bs took the first three places in the world's best B&B table compiled by TripAdvisor from tourists' reviews. The UK domination was shown by the fact that six English and two Scottish establishments were in the top 10 B&B world table. TripAdvisor spokeswoman Emma Shaw said: "These awards celebrate the best B&Bs in the UK and beyond according to those that really matter - travellers themselves. "The UK performed extraordinarily well in the B&B category, laying claim to eight of the top 10."
Our members will be delighted to hear it but (at the risk of being immodest), we are perhaps not surprised! As I told Radio 5 Live this week, British B&B owners are the "unsung heroes" of the British tourism industry.

User reviews can't replace star ratings

2011-12-08T10:19:00.002Z

On Tuesday night (6th December), the Tourism Society held a Debate at Westminster Central Hall chaired by Lord Thurso MP, with panellists from VisitEngland and TripAdvisor, on the motion "This house believes that the abundance of user-generated rating sites, which are more useful to both he public and the travel sector, have the potential to make grading systems obsolete". The only point made from the hall which raised applause was mine when I said that the user-review sites are not yet doing enough to ensure their content is genuine. The motion was defeated by a considerable majority.

There will be a big feature on user-review sites - and TripAdvisor in particular - in the Dec/Jan issue of Bed & Breakfast news, which should be out tomorrow afternoon (Friday 8th) on the Association's member pages, and a link will be sent to all members then.

As always, give us your views at comment@bandbassociation.org

Bye Bye to the B&B? No way!

2011-11-21T16:02:00.004Z

There was a very negative article in yesterday's Independent on Sunday under the headline "Bye-Bye to the B&B". It began: "Fusty bed and breakfasts with their loud carpets and louder landlords have remained stubbornly unchanged for decades. And now they could be facing face their final chintzy curtain".

It went on to quote Alex Polizzi, Channel 5's 'Hotel Inspector', as saying "I am not at all surprised budget hotels are killing off the grotty B&B – and I am quite pleased. B&Bs got a bad name because of the standards. I get depressed at how often I have to say cleanliness is important. People are being more discerning."

The article, to be fair, did talk about the threats to us all from the "aggressive" expansion of the budget hotels, and about B&Bs moving upmarket, and quoted James Berresford, VisitEngland's chief executive, saying "Over the last decade, accommodation in England has improved in leaps and bounds." The main thrust, though, was depressingly negative.

I was upset to be misquoted in a way that meant readers might assume I was agreeing with the general tone of gloom and doom of the piece. I have asked the Editor for a "right of reply", and let's see what he says...

What I actually told the journalist, at much more length than he quotes of course, is that B&Bs ARE competing with budget hotels - we ARE fighting back, with individual decor, a friendly welcome, and a freshly cooked home made breakfast - which the budget hotels' boring, soul-less rooms, hotplates of congealing "scrambled egg" and cheap catering sausages cannot rival.

Yes it is tough out there, but the best B&Bs are the best places to stay. To (mis)quote the article, "B&B does stand for Brighter & Better service".

2012: the Minister calls...

2011-11-14T08:57:00.005Z

More on the "20.12% offers" story (see below): the Tourism Minister, John Penrose, called me on 3rd November to flesh out the idea, ahead of another reference to it by Jeremy Hunt (the Secretary of State) when opening World Travel Market the following week.

I think he understands and accepts our point that we cannot (of course) cut our prices across the board - nor would we - but his officials will be giving the Association details of how B&B owners can benefit next year from a £3 million national advertising campaign pushing some form of headline offer based on "20.12%" - which could be confined to shoulder or low season, or to midweek stays, or stays of 4 nights plus, or to a third night, or whatever.

We are working with the Department to thrash out more detail, and will of course put this out to our members as soon as we have it. I hope the idea will now develop into something useful, harnessing some advertising millions for B&Bs in return for (say) "20.12% off your fourth night in low season" or some such formulation - each B&B can (we gather so far) use the headline figure in the publicity campaign however it likes within reason. There is a lot of work to do, and the devil will (as always) be in the detail - but this is where we can help the Minister's officials to make it as workable and effective as we can.

Of course, no B&B would have to get involved in the eventual promotion - but we will do our best to influence the idea in a sensible direction, then give our members the option of joining in or not.

And at the very least, we have now got the Ministers including B&Bs in the publicity campaign plan, rather than just hotels as often used to happen in the past. Our voice is starting to be heard...

"Attack of the Trip Advisors"

2011-11-01T16:10:00.002Z

Last night's Channel 4 programme "Attack of the Trip Advisors" was depressing viewing - albeit nothing new to any B&B owner. It did not touch on the fake or fraudulent reviews or the blackmail threats, only on the run of the mill unfair reviews.
The "reviewers" on the show came across as by and large, self-important inadequates, obsessives, pedants or abusive illiterates - or various mixtures thereof. No doubt there are many fair-minded, reasonable, succinct "reviewers" on TripAdvisor who don't obsess about the enormity of finding water in their kettle - but we didn't see those.
What was depressing was the unkindness and vindictiveness, the sense among "reviewers" that their only power is the power to wound or strike back. The anonymity allows them to say anything, fair or unfair, true or false, reasonable or petty - and TripAdvisor publish it worldwide, for ever.

The Times article on starting a B&B today

2011-10-22T11:08:00.002+01:00

A good double-page spread by Mark Bridge in today's Times (p70-71) on starting a B&B:

"Running a bed-and-breakfast is one of the most straightforward small business models, and can provide a rewarding and flexible lifestyle for naturally hospitable people.
The best B&Bs have weathered the downturn well, partly because cash-strapped Britons are
taking more 'staycation' holidays in the UK and looking for alternatives to hotels.

"The Bed & Breakfast Association provides information and support to B&B owners,
and it is also a good resource for would-be owners at the research stage."

On Radio 4's "PM" Programme

2011-10-21T19:30:00.002+01:00

A good mention today on Radio 4's PM programme - following their correspondence about lobbying and lobbyists, they quoted our efforts - without any paid lobbyists - which helped get the Westminster and Scottish Governments to issue new, less onerous guidelines on the 2006 Fire Regulations for small B&Bs, saving (according to the Scottish Government's own figures) £100m in costs for B&Bs in Scotland alone. Lobbying can be done on a shoestring, and can achieve good things...

Jeremy Hunt's "20.12% discount"

2011-10-06T16:56:00.002+01:00

This Monday at the Conservative Party conference Jeremy Hunt, the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport (and, though his department's name still leaves it out, Tourism), made an announcement.

He said he wants to "transform our domestic tourism industry by making 2012 the year to take a holiday at home with discounts at hotels and B&Bs up and down the country of 20.12%".

When we at the Bed & Breakfast Association heard this (after the speech, not before), we were - to say the least - surprised. (Apart from anything else, it seems to imply that Mr Hunt believes that B&Bs are overcharging by a fifth, and all we need to do is slash our prices.)

We have contacted Mr Hunt's department to ask about this interesting idea. I will keep you posted!

Government to actually cut red tape..?

2011-09-29T11:59:00.003+01:00

The Government has just announced its response to the Tourism and Hospitality Red Tape Challenge.

There are some very welcome proposals including a revision of Energy Performance Certificates and (one that the B&B Association and the Tourism Alliance has been working on for some years) introducing a 'de minimus' approach for alcohol sales so that B&Bs (and for instance, hire boats and self catering properties) can provide small amounts of alcohol without the need for a full licence.

This is the first stage of the deregulation process and more will follow when the Minister’s Regulation Taskforce completes its work by the end of November - but encouraging. Let's hope this will be carried through, and followed up with more of the same. We will keep up the pressure!

Nationwide "consider B&Bs" campaign starts

2011-06-15T10:11:00.002+01:00

A national PR campaign has just launched, aimed at helping persuade the public to "consider B&Bs" when booking accommodation. The Bed & Breakfast Association is delighted that laterooms.com, who are funding the campaign, will be investing in raising awareness of the fantastic B&Bs across Britain and what they offer, and showcasing some of the best B&Bs and their owners in a "B&B Lives" campaign. There is more on our news page.

'Single occupancy supplements' - the arguments continue

2011-03-09T10:10:00.004Z

A letter appeared in The Times a few days ago saying that 'single occupancy supplements' were an "outrageous imposition", and calling for them to be "banned".
I wrote a letter in Monday's Times (7 March) explaining how in most cases, far from a supplement, B&Bs and hotels in fact discount the room for single travellers already - the "supplement" only seems to appear if double rooms are priced "per person" and an assumption is made that anyone should pay that price, whether or not sharing.
The important thing is that the basis quoted should be clear, transparent and unambiguous.
It amazes me what strong feelings the "single supplement" arouses - in the online version of The Times letters page, there are several posts still misunderstanding my point, and accusing B&Bs of "singling people out", wanting to charge the maximum for doing the minimum, being "the Basil Fawlty Liberation Front", "sophistry", and more.
The original letter writer I had replied to, and two others, even said that they thought all prices should be on a simple "per room" basis, the same for all - so it seems that a single paying the same as a couple would pay is preferable to getting a discounted room which happens to be more than half the double price!
If anyone has any ideas how we can make people understand the simple facts and practicalities of this, please let me know.

Its Official: We're The Best for our Members....

2010-07-04T10:20:00.008+01:00

I hope I can be forgiven for the trumpet-blowing - I am so proud of what we as a relatively new (5 years old) trade association with a very small part-time team have achieved for our members. It is wonderful to have it publicly recognised in such a prestigious fashion.

Last Thursday night at a black-tie dinner at the Hotel Russell in London, I collected an award for the Bed and Breakfast Association from Nick Hewer (Alan Sugar's quizzical and acerbic sidekick from 'The Apprentice'): the "Sector Representation Award" from the CBI's Trade Association Forum.

What does this mean? Simply that the Bed and Breakfast Association has been judged the best trade association in Britain (out of 313 associations across all sectors of business) and representing its members and its sector. Quite an accolade!

We were given the Award in recognition of what we achieved for members in helping lighten the burden of compliance for small B&Bs of the 2006 fire regulations - after our campaign involving two ministers and their shadows, a Downing Street Petition and the support of organisations representing nearly half a million small businesses, both the Westminster and Edinburgh governments introduced new and much less onerous guidelines for small B&Bs (see my earlier blog).

So the small guys can sometimes win a battle or two with the authorities! Worth celebrating, don't you think?

B&Bs Bore an "Unnecessary" Burden of £428 Million

2010-05-02T10:28:00.003+01:00

One of the Association's biggest and longest campaigning issues has of course been against the disproportionate cost burden placed on B&Bs by the way the 2006 fire regulations were enforced. We lobbied ministers, set up the Fire Safety SENSE Campaign (www.firesafetysense.com), which gained the support of organisations representing 460,000 small businesses - and last year, started to see some success.

The UK Government's new Guidance, published in the closing weeks of 2008 after input from the Association and other supporters of the Campaign, started to result in 2009 in fire authorities in England and Wales withdrawing Enforcement Notices and revising their procedures.

In Scotland, the previous guidance was scrapped at around the same time, and last November new guidance went out to consultation. The truly amazing thing, though, was the figures the Scottish Government themselves quoted: their "independent analysis" compared the average cost of compliance under the new guidance at £1,090 per B&B, compared with £15,376 under the previous guidance - a reduction of over £14,000 per B&B in the estimated cost of compliance.

That is a total reduction in the cost burden on small accommodation businesses in Scotland of £100 million, on the Scottish Government's own figures.

If the Scottish Government's figures - the only ones yet released by a national Government - were applied across the UK, the unnecessary additional burden the mistaken and disproportionate enforcement of the regulations placed on B&Bs before the guidances were revised (following our Campaign) would have been £428 million.

A truly jaw-dropping figure, which should serve as a lesson to lawmakers and enforcers in future.

On the 'Today' programme

2010-04-05T19:05:00.002+01:00

As a long-time listener to 'Today' on Radio 4, it was novel to be introduced by Jim Naughtie this morning. I was there to give a very brief note of 'balance' in relation to the "gay couple turned away by B&B" story that has been running on the front pages over the weekend. I tried to get over two messages: (1) first and foremost, that B&Bs are in the hospitality business - we are in the business of welcoming people, not turning them away, and (2) that B&Bs are usually the owners' own family homes too, so this needs taking into account by policymakers.
So far, the only negative message I have had about my contribution was a (to put it mildly) less than complimentary one which (it turns out) was from the ex-press secretary of the BNP. I am relaxed about upsetting the gentleman concerned or his colleagues.
As B&Bs we live by our personal service and welcome, and I am determined to keep getting that message across.

Letwin outlines Tory plans

2010-03-25T21:39:00.007Z

London again today - a Trade Association Forum "CEOs event", with Guest Oliver Letwin, the Conservatives' head of policy development. He started by saying "the best-kept secret in British politics is that we have a plan" - then outlined many of those plans. Interesting to hear, as they may (who knows?) be elected on May 6th. Some new and fairly radical ideas about the burden of regulation. We will keep Association members informed...
Mr Letwin is my own MP and I have bent his ear many times before about tourism and small business policy, regulations & enforcement, etc. Perhaps some of the message has got through..?

Breakfast with the Shadow Tourism Minister

2010-03-24T16:50:00.003Z

Up (very) early today to get the 05:21 to Waterloo, for an 08:30 Tourism Alliance breakfast meeting with Tobias Ellwood, shadow tourism minister.
A very useful and positive meeting, I thought. The Tories have promised a dedicated tourism minister if they win on May 6th, and Tobias reiterated their commitments to support tourism - including reforming Air passenger Duty, seeking cross-party consensus on Daylight Saving, and funding marketing to counteract the potential negative effects of the Olympics.
I outlined a couple of the "regulatory burden" points on the agenda (copyright licensing and fire regulations), and there was a useful discussion about the shortfalls of the "impact assessments" carried out before new regulations are brought in.
When listing the various examples of "regulatory burdens" on B&Bs in advance of the meeting, even I was amazed (again) at what we have to struggle with. The biggest message to the prospective minister was: "no more!".

End of Term at the House of Commons

2010-03-16T20:14:00.001Z

To the House of Commons last night for a reception for the start of British Tourism Week. In her speech the Minister, Margaret Hodge, said how much she values tourism, vowed to keep fighting the Treasury on visa charges and APD and hailed Labour’s “free museums” policy as a success achieved. Her Tory shadow, Tobias Ellwood, promised that the Tories would create a ‘real’ tourism minister dedicated only to tourism (rather than following the ‘and’ in Mrs Hodge’s title), repeated George Osborne's objective to raise the proportion UK residents spend on domestic tourism from 38% to 50%, and promised to take action on ‘daylight saving’ (double Summer time) and other key issues the industry have been pressing on. I spoke to both individually afterwards. Both seemed especially eager to listen – possibly with May 6th in mind? A very “end of term” atmosphere at Westminster – another MP, about to retire, told me of his sadness at some of the “changes”. Quite a few useful and interesting conversations, not just with MPs but with other tourism industry colleagues - and I made the most of the canapés as I had missed lunch. I didn’t need dinner afterwards either – very economical!

Radio 4 'You and Yours': PRS

2010-03-11T13:52:00.003Z

I was interviewed today on Radio 4's 'You and Yours' about PRS (Performing Rights Society) and their aggressive call centre tactics and double charging of music licences for both B&B rooms & corridors, AND breakfast rooms & lounges. The interview has already let to a flurry of emails from members and other owners - all so far supportive of our stance. The word "aggressive" comes up time and again - as well as "why?" - why do we need to pay at all? This subject gets people fired up! Posted lots of detail on our member-only pages. Watch this space!

Here Goes...!

2010-03-11T13:43:00.002Z

My first "B&B Blog" - I have been reluctant so far because there hasn't seemed to be time for blogging as well as everything else. But it is a good way of communicating, so let's try. Anything that helps inform B&B and Guest House owners, and helps them with their businesses, has to be worth it. This £2 billion+ cottage industry has to fight constant new burdens of red tape, the "budget hotels" dumping rooms (and dump is the word) at £19 a night, and of course an economy in severe recession. Luckily, as the editor of the Good Hotel Guide said, B&Bs offer the "best value" - and of course the "best breakfasts". Let's shout that from the rooftops...