The most important thing to avoid when running a busy bed and breakfast is time-wasting. There are a number of reasons why using an availability calendar can save you time and money, briefly outlined in this article.
Many people thinking about going on holiday and looking online for accommodation will end up choosing a bed and breakfast from a website with an availability calendar as they can see for themselves whether or not there is availability on the days they want and which rooms are free. Busy people will not necessarily want to enquire to see if there is availability and in checking themselves knocks out a stage of the enquiry process. If you had the choice between two bed and breakfasts in the same area and which looked as nice as each other, which would you choose? The one you can see has availability and which you can book straight away, or the one you have to ring up about?
Not only will the availability calendar save your prospective guests time, but prevent you from having to take enquiries from guests you cannot accommodate. In having to respond to guests you cannot help you may miss a call from, or reply too late to, a guest you can accommodate!
With an availability calendar your website will look modern and functional and be extremely user friendly which will put you ahead of your competitors - or at least a few!
At the end of the day people searching for accommodation online are doing so to save time or because they cannot phone, in providing as much information as possible on your website you are reaching a broader market. Younger savvier customers are very likely to use an availability calendar system, but in providing your visitors with a choice - use the availability calendar or get in contact, you are not putting off those who do want to directly get in touch with you.