About a week ago, WordPress.com released a theme specifically geared towards Lodging http://theme.wordpress.com/themes/stay/. Since then I have received over a dozen emails from innkeepers asking what I thought about it for use for a B&B website, so thought I may as well share what I had shared with the innkeepers who have asked.

In one word? “Meh” i.e. I was not very impressed. It’s functional, but barely.

A. it’s on the free version of WordPress, which means support is going to be pretty much non-existent. So if you have a problem with anything, have fun waiting several weeks for a developer to get back to you, who may or may not have an answer or fix to your problem.

B. You can pay to play on it, meaning you can have support etc, and additional features, but by the time you finish paying for it, you may have well as gone with a .org installed template.

C. It’s very, very basic. Even dressed up with some nice pictures, it’s basic, as they even say in the description “minimal layout”. A good lodging site needs eye candy, even good pictures I think would have a hard time dressing this one up enough.

D. My biggest concern about the theme, is integrating a reservation system into it. While they have a widget for “making a reservation request” it’s just a submit form. In playing around with the template, it won’t accept most reservations systems HTML in the widget areas, which is a huge problem if you are using Resnexus or Webervations for example. It strips the code out on publication, see http://en.support.wordpress.com/code/ if you are not familiar with the issue. This makes having an external reservation system completely useless for use with it. If you are a call/email only B&B, this may work fine for you.

While I strongly recommend, if you are going to go with a WordPress themed or designed website, going with a company that specializes in lodging and WordPress like Acorn Internet, I realize many B&Bs don’t have the budget, or are tech minded, or are simply of the D.I.Y mindset and want to do it themselves.

With that in mind, here is a list of wordpress.org themes I have been collecting that small lodging may not be aware of, for use geared towards lodging.

• http://themefuse.com/wp-themes-shop/welcome-inn/
• http://www.dailywp.com/hotelpress-theme/
• http://www.cssigniter.com/ignite/themes/aegean-resort/
• http://templatic.com/app-themes/hotel-booking-wordpress-theme/
• http://www.cssigniter.com/ignite/themes/philoxenia/
• http://themeforest.net/item/the-palace-hotel-and-business-wordpress-theme/3090560
• http://themeforest.net/item/nice-hotel-wordpress-theme/2661854
• http://themeforest.net/item/guesthouse-hotel-sport-center-2in1-premium-theme/1453399

Second tier ones: (they may not have as many options or may not be as customizable)

• http://wplook.com/accommodate
• http://themeforest.net/item/hermes-for-business-corporate-resort-and-hotel/272347
• http://www.inkthemes.com/wp-themes/regal-responsive-wordpress-theme/
• http://www.vivathemes.com/opaline/
• http://themeforest.net/item/hotel-classica-clean-minimalist-wordpress-theme/670657
• http://www.wpzoom.com/themes/hotelia/
• http://themeshift.com/theme/deluxe/

Happy WordPressing!

There’s been a ton of talk, articles and blogs about how to respond to online reviews. But not too much on how to deal with Fruitcakes and Trolls.

The difference?

A Fruitcake reviewer is someone who may have been a legitimate customer, but they might be just a bit loopy, or they might have had a few many tipples before they wrote the review. Nuts and Alcohol make the perfect recipe for fruitcake.

Trolls are people who have nothing better to do in life than to “troll”, roaming the internet in search of sustenance. Sustenance being riling people up and posting nasty untrue things about people and businesses online.

Trolls first.

Don’t feed the trolls.

If a troll has posted a review on a major review site, Tripadvisor, Yelp and Google+ being the most important ones, you still have to pay attention to it. They will not remove the reviews. You must respond.

But don’t feed them. Don’t get upset, don’t get aggressive or give in to the temptation to be snarky.

One of the best ways I have seen to deal with Troll reviews is Apologize and then say, “We have looked through our records and can find no record of you being a customer. Please contact us so we can clear any issues up you think you might have had”.

The review response is not for the Troll, but for the thousands (literally) of future people who will see the review and the management response.

Fruitcakes.

A fruitcake could also be someone just having a really bad hair day. I know I am more likely to leave a review if I have had a really horrid day and then had a really bad customer service experience. In my case, it has to be bad, but a lot of people have a smaller tipping point.

Regardless of whether your fruitcake reviewer is nuts, inebriated or just has their knickers in a twist, just like a troll, you still have to respond.

An again, it’s not so much for the reviewer, but for the many, many people reading the review and the management review response after the fact.

Most people are able to tell by reading a fruitcake review that the reviewer is quite possibly loopier then a loon, but you still have to address it. Especially in the case where it is a customer just having a really bad day, you want to try to keep and retain and bring that customer back.

I’ve heard people say, “Well we don’t want customers back like that.” Think first before you qualify that, you have a customer you don’t want back, fine. But how many people is that unhappy customer going to tell about their experience, if you don’t at least make an effort to address or remedy an issue?

One of the best responses when dealing with a fruitcake is: “This is the owner (or manager), we are sorry you had an unpleasant experience, please contact us so we can discuss any customer service problems or any other issues you might have had, Thank you.” Adding something like we are dedicated to being a customer service oriented company/business doesn’t hurt as well.

Don’t get defensive, don’t disagree with, or tell them they are wrong, don’t say they misunderstood or that they were mistaken. A fruitcake can easily turn into a troll, and a legitimate on edge customer can turn into an even angrier one, and a situation can evolve that’s even worse.

A loopier then a loon reviewer will generally let it go. The inebriated ones I have actually seen generally apologize to the business and will remove the review. The bad hair day customers you have the opportunity to turn them back into a “just from the salon” customer or at least prevent them from telling everyone under the sun what an awful business they “think” you have.

And again remember, the primary aim of responding to trolls and fruitcakes is not for them, but for all the other potential future customers reading your reviews and your responses.

Additional tips:

If there is a mention of any type of injury (including food poisoning) do not make any mention of it in your review response. In this sue happy society, any mention of such, truth or not, can be used as an example of guilt.

Never make any mention of any kind of reimbursement or restitution for an issue, that is to be settled privately (if they are a legitimate customer) and posting of such information solicits trolls and additional fruitcakes in the hopes of “getting some”.

Suggested reading: The Art of Responding to review sites for restaurants and lodging.

The hardest thing a restaurant or lodging facility has to deal with is responding to online reviews. Yes reviews should be responded to, be they positive, negative or blasé. Most businesses find the hardest thing is writing a response to a negative review and not getting defensive about it. read more……………

I’ve been playing with Focaccia variations for a while and this is one of the better ones I’ve been experimenting with lately.

• 1 (1/4 ounce) packet active dry yeast
• 1 cup warm water (115-115 degrees)
• 1 tea. white sugar
• 2 3/4 cups AP flour
• 2 1/2 tea. kosher salt
• 2 tea. garlic powder
• 1 tea. dried rosemary chopped (not ground)
• ½ tea. dried thyme
• ½ tea. dried basil
• ½ tea. ground black pepper
• 3 Tble. pure olive oil plus another table plus for brushing after baking

Mix the yeast, sugar and warm water in a small bowl. Let proof for about 10 minutes (or until bubbles begin to form).

In a large bowl, mix together flour, salt, garlic powder, rosemary, thyme, basil and black pepper

Add the yeast mix and 1 1/2 Tble. olive oil to the dry ingredients and combine.

-If mixing by hand, make a well with the dry ingredients and pour the yeast mixture in and hand knead. When dough has pulled together, turn out onto lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic.

-In a mixer use a dough hook, proof the yeast mixture in the mixing bowl and then slowly add the dry mixture until well combined. Mix is done when it pulls away from the side of the bowl and all the flour is incorporated.

Use the remaining  olive oil to coat a large bowl, place the mixed dough in bowl, and turn the dough to coat with the oil.

Cover with warm damp cloth and let rise in a warm place for about 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Punch the dough down, place in a 8X10 or larger Criscoed baking pan (depending on the thickness you want) and recover with a warm damp cloth and let rise again for an additional 20 minutes.

Prick the surface of the dough with a fork.

Bake for approximately 15-20 minutes depending on dough thickness. Bread is done when it does not spring back on touch and the bottom is hollow sounding. For best results, turn the Focaccia over in the pan for the last 5 minutes of baking.

Remove the bread from the pan and brush both sides with pure olive oil.

Variations and additions.

This bread is great with some fresh herbs, fresh chopped garlic and a good shredded parmesan added to the top before baking. Do not mix into the dough itself, it makes it extremely dense.

You can also make this dough panless, but you need to add a tad more flour to the mix as it’s a bit sticky to use freeform.

Also makes a great Focaccia pizza. We freeze it in quarters and then take out as needed. Our favorite is to bake it with roasted tomatoes, smoked bacon, cheddar cheese, roasted Castelvetrano olives and brie on top for about 15 minutes at 350 degrees.

Wishing everyone a Happy Easter!

Hello again Lovely Innkeepers!

Lots of changes to social media this past month! Pinterest has rolled out Analytics. Google+ has changed cover photos and made some other changes. Twitter is offering more options for advertisers. Facebook has rolled out multiple changes (and will continue to do so in the next few months), one of the most important ones being some major changes to their cover policy Terms of Service. Some of the posts below go into more detail about each in depth.

I was going to write a post about Buffer, it being one of my favorite time saving applications online, but these wonderful people beat me to it. The Buffer Social App May Be A Time Saver for You http://smallbiztrends.com/2013/03/social-sharing-app-buffer.html

A few free helpful online applications or information:
Easily make cover images (with text) for Facebook Business and Personal pages and Google+ Pages and Profiles.
http://www.easycovermaker.com/

Facebook Cover Compliance Tool
http://coverphoto.paavo.ch/

Don’t want to be locked into email templates provided by Vertical Response, Constant Contact etc?
http://tools.skadeedle.com/deemail/

Help for hacked sites
http://www.google.com/webmasters/hacked/

This is kind of a neat tool, at a loss for things to blog about, or blog titles?
http://www.portent.com/tools/title-maker/

A Few of our Posts from this past month:

Some tips for Bed and Breakfasts using Linkedin Business Pages
http://chefforfeng.wordpress.com/2013/03/15/some-tips-for-bed-and-breakfasts-using-linkedin-business-pages/

Linkedin Business Pages and Bed and Breakfasts
http://chefforfeng.wordpress.com/2013/03/07/linkedin-business-pages-and-bed-and-breakfasts/

Just One Thing-Violating Social Media Terms of Service
http://chieflogroller.wordpress.com/2013/02/27/just-one-thing-violating-social-media-terms-of-service/

Just one thing-How to kill a cold call in under 5 seconds
http://chieflogroller.wordpress.com/2013/03/15/just-one-thing-how-to-kill-a-cold-call-in-under-5-seconds/

Forfeng’s Favorite Blog Posts of this past month:

ADA Service Animals Informational Video  (IMPORTANT)
http://petrarisksolutions.wistia.com/medias/7blw1njdu3

How Do Consumers Find a B & B?
http://localu.org/blog/how-do-consumers-find-a-b-b/

Scam? Verifying Business Information-Bed and Breakfasts
http://www.abouttheinn.com/2013/03/verifying-business-information/

Excellent advice for anyone in the tourism industry: Your driving tour directions are killing your visitors
http://www.smallbizsurvival.com/2013/02/your-driving-tour-directions-are.html

TripBarometer
http://www.tripadvisortripbarometer.com/

Pinterest
Optimize your images for Pinterest
http://www.wordtracker.com/blog/pinterest-optimization-infographic

Pinterest’s New Look
http://blog.pinterest.com/post/45669182372/our-new-look-more-ways-to-discover-what-you-love

How Your Business Can Use Pinterest’s Secret Boards
http://www.sitepronews.com/2013/03/14/how-your-business-can-use-pinterests-secret-boards/

Explaining the New Pinterest: Fresh Layout and Analytics
http://onlinebusiness.volusion.com/articles/explaining-the-new-pinterest-fresh-layout-and-analytics/

Facebook
The New Facebook Changes You Need To Know About
http://www.simplyzesty.com/facebook/facebook-changes-march-2013/

Facebook Begins Rolling Out Threaded Comments for Pages
http://sproutsocial.com/insights/2013/03/facebook-threaded-comments/

Facebook Working on Incorporating the Hashtag
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887323393304578360651345373308.
html?mod=dist_smartbrief

Google+
Introducing the Hangouts Capture app: snap & save moments as they happen
https://plus.google.com/u/0/106397232733058752327/
posts/dJfwyfeEHcn

A New Feature/Offer from Google, Google Keep
http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2013/03/google-keepsave-whats-on-your-mind.html

Google Plus Redesign for Brand Pages: What it Means for You
http://www.ignitesocialmedia.com/google-plus/google-plus-redesign-brand-pages/

Google+ New Profile and Page Experience
http://www.googleplusdaily.com/2013/03/major-update-new-profile-and-page.html#.UTeHQjBJF8E

Google Plus SEO: Everybody’s Talks About It – How Do You DO It?
http://windmillnetworking.com/2013/03/28/google-plus-seo-everybodys-talks-about-it-how-do-you-do-it/

Google Plus for Business: Does It Matter If Your Friends Use It or Not?
http://windmillnetworking.com/2013/02/28/google-plus-for-business-does-it-matter-if-your-friends-use-it-or-not/

Twitter
New Twitter Advertising Options
http://advertising.twitter.com/2013/03/More-powerful-tools-for-small-business-and-self-service-advertisers.html

Misc:
9 Credit Card Sites To Help You Choose A Business Credit Card
http://smallbiztrends.com/2013/03/best-credit-card-sites-business.html

Is Social Media Worthwhile For Local Businesses? http://searchengineland.com/is-social-media-worthwhile-for-local-businesses-149092

26 Ways to Use Visuals in Your Social Media Marketing
http://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/26-tips-visual-social-media-marketing-strategy/

Seven Way to Respond to a Negative News Story
http://www.mrmediatraining.com/2013/03/06/seven-ways-to-respond-to-a-negative-news-story/

—————————————-
**If you have been forwarded this newsletter by a friend or have gotten here by other means and you would like to subscribe to the newsletter, please visit
http://www.forfengdesigns.com/newsletters/
(the newsletter is a double opt in, so please make sure you confirm your subscription
when you get a follow up email about it)
or email me at forfengdesigns@gmail.com with the email address you would like to use.

Our last post Linkedin Business Pages and Bed and Breakfasts http://chefforfeng.wordpress.com/2013/03/07/linkedin-business-pages-and-bed-and-breakfasts/ gave you a walkthrough of things you need to make sure you fill out when setting up your B&B’s Linkedin Business page.

Here are some additional tips:

If you are having trouble signing up for your business page, it may be because the email you are using to register it is not through a top level domain. I.e. your email may be janedoe@gmail.com, you need janedoe@janedoeinn.com. If you don’t have a custom domain email and you don’t want one, you or your webmaster may be able to easily set up an email forwarder so that janedoe@janedoeinn.com emails go through to janedoe@gmail.com.

You can add up to 25 Products or Services Listings (think Packages and Offers) and you can change them at any time.

When adding Products or Services, Think reverse consecutively. So the most important ones you want to add, add last. Linkedin does not give the opportunity to rearrange how they are listed, so offers/specials added first end up at the end of the list, not at the top.

Make sure your home tab is keyword rich. The aim here is for the business page (because it is public, you don’t have to logged in to Linkedin to view it) to be SEO (search engine optimized) friendly.

Don’t expect (or feel like something has been missed) if your Linkedin business page does not have/does not get a lot of followers. This is not a social network like Facebook or twitter, when fan/like/follower count is that important.

The two primary reasons to set up a business page, is for SEO value and it’s one additional place to post ongoing specials, packages, inn news and blog posts that are public so that anyone can view them (including the search engines).