We run a historic Inn with excellent restaurant just west of the Blue
Mountains. What is the best way to attract clients to the restaurant
and the accommodation from Sydney and overseas.  We are quite well
known locally and have had excellent publicity in Sydney papers.

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Clarification of Question by christineestewart-ga on 06 Apr 2003 15:15 PDT

Our Inn is in Hartley Vale which is at the foot of the western slope
of the Blue Mountains in a beautiful, secluded valley with many
historic early roads which led the first explorers down the mountains.

<Many people who live in the Blue Mountains come to eat here as the
food is so good and the history is so interesting which is why we
think of ourselves as part of the Blue Mountains.  Half of our
clientele this month came from Sydney, many staying the night but many
have weekenders in the mountains and seek out interesting places to
eat.  It would appeal very much to the more affluent tourists,
definitely not the backpacker set as we serve gourmet food, but not
overly expensive ($28 mains, $11 entrees).  We are also fully licenced
and have a historic barn for weddings and functions, locations for
films etc.

---

Clarification of Question by christineestewart-ga on 09 Apr 2003 15:30 PDT

I have not used this service before and so put $10 as was told that
even $2.50 elicits an answer.  However, I was severely chided for
this!  You say in your answer that $112 would be the very least as it
would require 2 hours of time.  And yet in your pricing structure you
say that $100 gives 2 to 4 hours of research?  I am a little confused
so have put $100 this time.  I would however like a good, useful,
thoroughly researched answer to let me know if this is not sufficient.

Dear Christine:

Before I begin with your answer, I want you to know that the commenter
below who suggested you raise your fee is *not* a Google Answers
Researcher.  All Researchers' names are highlighted with a blue link
so that you may visit their Researcher page to view their past answers
*and* their customer service manners.  Anyone who has registered with
Google Answers may reply in the Comments section of a question.  Even
though MisterQ2 is not a Researcher, I apologize for your being chided
as I find that behavior inappropriate.

Also, you may price your question at any price and, if a Researcher
feels the question is priced too low, he or she will either choose not
to answer or will politely suggest that you *might consider* raising
the fee - they would certainly show supporting research reasons for
you to raise it, too.  Your $10 fee would have received a solid and
well researched answer from many Researchers and your current fee will
receive a solid and well researched answer from me.

I also want to stress that you may make use of the Clarification
feature to ask for any clarifications from me before you rate my
answer and close the question.  That said, I'll now begin with your
answer.  :)

************

FILM LOCATIONS:  I'll begin here because there is a great deal of
money to be made when a film company chooses to shoot at your location
and, because you offer a convenient place for the cast and crew to
stay while filming, you have more to offer than many locations.  In
Australia, you should contact "Location Scouts Australia," a company
that schedules locations for film.  Their sign-up page for listing
your property is located at
http://www.locationscoutsaustralia.com.au/listing.htm and it states
there:

"Listing with us comes with no obligation and privacy is assured. We
are the only people to have your contact details. If a production
company expresses an interest in using your property you will be
contacted by us and informed of the relevent details regarding shoot
dates etc.

"There is no charge to list your property with us and all fees are
paid for by the relevent production company. No shoots would occur
unless the relevent production company is adequately insured...Fees
vary depending on the production budget, period of time the property
is used for & what the shoot is for."

The contact page I provided has more information and you should review
it.  If you find it satisfactory, I suggest you list your property
with them.  Also, email the Australian Film Commission at
mailto:info@afc.gov.au and request if they have a location database. 
If so, register with them as well.  Other places you may want to list
your location are:

WebMovie.com 
http://www.webmovie.com/Locations/more2.htm
[I clicked "Add Listing" and was taken right to a sign-up page]

AssistantDirectors.com
http://www.assistantdirectors.com/Directory/Production_Services/Location_Services/index.shtml
[Listings for many location scouts are here - peruse the links and
register with as many as possible.]

Kenneth McGrath - location scout based in Sydney
http://www.mcgrath.net/resume.html
[Contact him, perhaps invite him (and a guest?) for a complimentary
weekend at the Inn so that he can absorb the ambience of your location
and the surrounding area.]

Locations - The Photofile "Why not put YOUR place to work?"
"Listing with us at Locations The Photofile
costs you nothing. There is no charge to list."
http://www.locations-photofile.com.au/placetowork.htm
[The contact listing page is located at
http://www.locations-photofile.com.au/listing.htm and is based in
Sydney.]

BabyLemonade
"Baby Lemonade Inc. will supply all your location scouting needs.  We
have a large number of location photos on file. We use these primarily
to ball park a geographical area and show the client possible options.
After a detailed briefing we then actively scout for the desired
location."
mailto:film@babylemonade.com
Sydney office numbers: 
Tel: 61 2 8356 9999
Fax: 61 2 8356 9988

************

With regard to attracting non-film guests, a short article at
http://www.texasrealtoronline.com/issues/0601/commercial/0601hotel.html
titled "Inn-teresting Technologies" suggests that high tech amenities
are gaining popularity.  It states in part "Guests might appreciate
smart fax machines that keep quiet when they sense the absence of room
light or transmitters throughout hotel grounds that allow wireless
Internet access–even poolside."

Also, make use of your current guests' preferences to know your
market.  Are you attracting a certain type of individual?  Singles? 
Couples?  Families?  People who enjoy occasional get-aways near their
home or those who travel far to see you?  Why do they travel far?

If you begin to place a questionaire in rooms and offer, say, a meal
discount for filling it out and turning it into the restaurant
hostess, then you could discover various traits of your current
customers and utilize that profile in attracting additional customers.
 Or you might hold a contest for a complimentary weekend for those
people who turn in the completed "survey".

**************

Do you have a web site?  I could go into all sorts of marketing
strategy for that but I need to know first if you have an existing
site.  If not, I will detail what I believe you should do in creating
one.  You can get a domain name and hosting for as little as $75 a
year.  If you do have a web site, please post the URL in a
clarification and I will suggest ideas to employ there.


OTHER LINKS THAT MAY BE OF INTEREST:

In with the Inn crowd
http://www.thetimesharebeat.com/archives/2001/fin/fnsept6.htm

"Marketing the small lodging business"
"The main task of a marketing plan is to determine the needs of a
particular type of customer, develop a lodging business that fulfills
those needs, inform potential customers of your services, and sell
those services at a price that yields a profit for the business. The
central thrust of marketing is customer orientation, since satisfying
the wants and needs of your selected group of customers is the reason
for the existence of your business."
http://www.msue.msu.edu/msue/imp/modtd/33419744.html

"How To Develop, Market & Operate A Bed & Breakfast or Small Inn" by
Drew Dimond
http://www.bbonline.com/vnd/dimond/
[This is a book for sale for $64.95 but you may want to invest in it.]

B & B Bookshop
[This is a list of over 30 publications from inexpensive to costly on
operating a small inn - many offer marketing and promotional ideas
according to the synopses.]
http://www.lodgingresources.com/index_bookshop.htm

Hotel & Motel Sales, Marketing & Promotion: Strategies to Impact
Revenue & Increase Occupancy for Smaller Lodging Properties by Joe
Wolosz - Amazon $24.95
"Today's rapidly changing tourist environment is creating many
exciting opportunities for the small lodging property operator.
However, many of these operators are finding it difficult to choose
appropriate marketing strategies they can afford, at the same time
impacting their bottom line. Hotel & Motel Sales, Marketing &
Promotion wades through the complexities of filling guest rooms and
helps to set any lodging property on the path to effective sales and
marketing."
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0965729893/qid%3D1049944855/sr%3D11-1/ref%3Dsr%5F11%5F1/103-2682219-2950214


SEARCH STRATEGY:

film location scouting australia
australian film commission
film location scouting USA
film location scout australia
location scout sydney australia
attracting customers inn
generating business small inn
marketing a small inn

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Clarification of Answer by journalist-ga on 09 Apr 2003 21:47 PDT

Another possibility is to initiate a festival, perhaps a fine arts
festival, hosted in part by your inn.  This would take patient
planning and I would suggest you target it for the fall or next year's
warm season to have ample time to schedule the talent.  Fine arts
offerings always attract an affluent crowd.

Along the same line, you might consider hosting symposiums for artists
and/or writers.  I know of many writers who take off to B & Bs on a
regular basis in order to have a worry-free place to write or to
attend a writer's seminar.  And, marketing your inn as a writer's
retreat, especially during off-season, might stimulate business and
attract the curious as well.

I'm not well versed with the popular published writers in your area
but you might search the Internet for their names coupled with the
word "workshop".  Many published authors have wonderful workshop
followings and those who don't would dearly love to reap the financial
rewards of a workshop crowd.  You might be able to interest an author
to hold her or his first workshop at your Inn or court certain authors
to work with you in creating a first workshop.  Out-of-country authors
who are popular in Australia would be fine for courting, too.  They
might like the charm of your inn and the possibility to build a
greater readership by doing a personal appearance in Australia.

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Clarification of Answer by journalist-ga on 09 Apr 2003 21:56 PDT

A little-known secret of B-list celebrities is to understand that many
will happily accept an invitation for a complimentary week at a hotel
or fine inn.  Because their presence in a lodging establishment draws
publicity, you shouldn't rule out the possibility of offering a
complimentary week's stay to select celebrities.  Simply send them an
invitation.  I believe the response will surprise you.

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Clarification of Answer by journalist-ga on 10 Apr 2003 08:08 PDT

Good morning, Christine!  I performed a few searches this morning and
I am wondering if http://www.collitsinn.com.au/ is your web site. 
I've examined the key words there and, if this is your inn's site,
there are keywords that I feel should be added.  I'll await your
confirmation of this URL before making those suggestions.

The way I see it, this question cannot be answered without a more
specific location of  your place. Does "just west" mean Lithgow or
Medlow Bath? For most U.S. tourists, Blue Mountains stops at Katoomba;
maybe Mt. Victoria for the backpacker set.

Thanks for the elaboration. Though I live in California, I have been
in Hartley three times in the last five years and know the area well.
I could provide you with a five-minute answer, but for $10, I am not
going to waste my time. $10 an hour is about what a dishwasher gets in
LA or Las Vegas. $10 is less that one pays for an entree at your
place!  I believe you to be new to answers.google, and that you do not
understand the depth of research available to you.  I propose to give
you a business development plan that will take a couple of hours of my
time. At the very least, it would be worth your meal for four: $112.
You would get your money back in the first American foursome of diners
my business plan produces for you. You may wish to refile your
question with a new price on it. I note that it has not attracted any
other comments.

Hello Christine,

Journalist has given you a terrific answer!  I'm also happy to see
that she explained the Google Answers system for you.

I too would like to apologize for the behavior of the commenter, and
feel compelled to point out that commenters *do not* get paid for any
work they might offer.  However much any commenter might demand you
increase your price, they cannot collect on it.

Welcome to Answers, I hope you're satisfied with the experience, and
will come back to us for all of your research needs.

--Missy