Good Guests Make Good Company

Good company

If you are like me you read a lot of innkeeping industry trade journals.  Alright, I don't read too many, but I do read them occasionally.  I was reading one today that reported, "Bed and breakfasts, overall, attract seasoned travelers who appreciate a well-catered experience that includes attentive service, attractive surroundings, and attention to details that will make their stay more enjoyable.  B&B travelers seek out high quality at reasonable prices that match the level of experience they expect."  

While this is just a lot of blah, blah, blah, and jargon, it does have a point.  It is very interesting to us the kinds of people who self-select to stay with us.  Good guests make good company and we've had nary a dud in the bunch.

Of course we have online reviews about our inn (ranked #2 on Trip Advisor as of this writing), and we have more traditional word-of-mouth referrals.  We would like to again thank everyone who speaks well of us.  This kind of advertising suits our business model, not because it's essentially free, but because it is more honest.  We could pay someone who has never stayed with us to jigger up an advertising campaign, but would you believe it?

Full disclosure: you can make a reservation at La Belle Esplanade through booking.com (affectionately known as "booking(dot)yeah!" hereabouts).  No offense to anyone who feels compelled to make a reservation based on the above commercial, but this isn't really what we're about.  Frankly, I find it rather embarrassing.  While we enjoy clever wordplay as much as the next person, don't be tempted to substitute the word "booking" for "****ing" when you stay with us.  It isn't as clever as the people who approved that commercial think it is.  

We don't do a lot of advertising, per se.  In fact, this humble blog is our main marketing engine.  No wonder we have plenty of availability.  We live off word-of-mouth, which in this digital age means we live also live off of online reviews.  We don't provide anyone with a script.  They are free to write what they want, pro or con.  If most of our reviews accentuate the positive, that is because most people feel the positives outweigh the negatives.  Your mileage may vary.

Two innkeepers

I've been reading a lot of AirB&B reviews recently.  Most of them focus on how nice the hosts are.  Actually, most AirB&B hosts are "super-nice," "awesome," "very cool," or somesuch and whatnot.  Our reviews also say that we are nice people.  We try.

Actually, we don't really try.  We don't have any background in the hospitality industry.  We just treat people the way we would want to be treated by professional innkeepers.  We are accommodating and we are informative.  We don't mind bending the rules within reason.  We don't mind answering questions or offering opinions.  We see ourselves as something besides service industry professionals.  We see ourselves as ambassadors for our city.  We love living in New Orleans.  We want you to see our adopted home the way we do, with love and respect.

We don't go to the French Quarter much because we don't have many errands to run there.  We're not on vacation.  That doesn't mean you shouldn't go there.  You should.  It's beautiful.  You'll have a good time.  That's what New Orleans is all about.


While most of the AirB&B reviews focus on the hosts, very few say much about the lodgings.  Small wonder.  It's hard to be too enthusiastic about staying in somebody's crummy illegally sub-let apartment.  My favorite part of reviews from our guests are the parts about our house.  It is a beautiful place and we are very proud of it.  Let's take another look at that exterior again:

Les quatre belles d'Esplanade

If anyone is tempted, you can always follow us on Facebook, another marketing avenue that we don't pay too much attention to.  We have an account under La Belle Esplanade.  I don't provide a button on this blog because I can't be bothered.  Maybe I should.  It isn't a business account.  It's just us.  We don't see much worth in pretending to be something we aren't.  You have two friends in New Orleans.  

We'd like to take the time to specially thank Ann for providing us with today's photos from her recent visit.  Nice work.

A votre santé,
La Belle Esplanade bed and breakfast.

P.S.  One thing you won't read about on AirB&B reviews is a review of breakfast.  We put out a nice spread every morning.  We are proud of that, too.