Hi LauraNC and welcome to The B&B Lady's blog,

Can you expand a bit on what a Reservation Service Agency does or would do? (I think different parts of the country may look on them as different things)
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Steve Wirt
Wine Country Cabins Bed and Breakfast in the Finger Lakes
and Inngenious Bed and Breakfast Website Promotion

The business plan I am developing involves my promoting the B&B's to the public through booths at trade shows, networking with Chambers of Commerce, encouraging and offering incentives for people to stay there at public and private events, contacting individuals who work with people who travel often, etc. Basically any and every way I can think of to bring the desired clientele to the B&B's and increase public awareness of them as a lodging option.

I also plan to offer support services, such as marketing ideas, group sessions, chat rooms, etc. that have a local focus to help innkeepers in my specific marketplace. In return, the public will call my 800 number, which I guarantee will be answered during business hours, or go to my website and book their room.

I will not require any kind of exclusivity from the innkeepers, I am big on the honor system and allowing people to run their business as they see fit; one's actions always come back to them. I plan to charge a small annual fee (which I will not implement until I am more established and can justify it) as well as a percentage of the rooms I book.

-- LauraNC

That sounds like a full business plan. I imagine you'll have some overlap with state B&B Associations and more localized B&B groups and State level tourism agencies and of course national level B&B promotion sites. I know a lot of Innkeepers like to have more control over their reservations than taking them through an agency (though I am sure there are others who will take reservations however they can get them).

It gets a bit complicated promoting to Chamber of Commerces as they usually only promote their own members.

Personally, I think there is room for it, but it would be a lot of work and it would be touchy dealing with all the overlaps. The main thing is to keep clear in your mind that you have a primary client (Innkeepers) and a secondary client (the public looking for places to stay). In order to satisfy the needs of the primary client, you have to appeal to the secondary client.
_________________
Steve Wirt
Wine Country Cabins Bed and Breakfast in the Finger Lakes
and Inngenious Bed and Breakfast Website Promotion