B&Bs try to draw more guests with frequent-stay plans

— -- When the Blue Door on Baltimore opened in February, the bed-and-breakfast had more to offer than three elegant guest bedrooms, good food and a view of downtown Baltimore and its harbor.

The B&B unveiled a Frequent Traveler Program — one of a growing number of frequent-stay programs offered by B&Bs and inns. For every seven nights at the Blue Door, guests get a free weeknight.

"We were corporate travelers before opening the B&B and thought a frequent-stay program would be appropriate," says Roger Eberlin, who owns the lodging with his wife, Cecilia. He estimates that 40% of their customers are business travelers. "We're trying for more repeat guests."

Seeking business travelers

Many B&Bs use frequent-stay programs — which usually provide a free night or a rate discount after a particular number of paid nights or stays — to reward leisure travelers and get repeat business. But at other B&Bs, the programs are more artillery in an uphill battle to attract business travelers, who often prefer chain hotels and their point-based reward programs.

Besides such programs, many B&Bs have added services and amenities that appeal to business travelers. A recent survey of B&Bs and inns by BedandBreakfast.com found that 93% offered free Wi-Fi, 75% had desks in some rooms, 70% had copy and fax machines, 68% had flexible cancellation policies, and 96% allowed late check-in and early breakfast.

Business traveler Sharon Adcock of Manhattan Beach, Calif., says she would consider staying at a B&B with a frequent-stay program if it's in a location she likes and often visits. But on most business trips, she would "probably still stay the majority of the time at hotel chains that offer points" that can be redeemed at hotels worldwide.

Many B&Bs are aware that the chains' programs are a powerful competitive obstacle.

Gary Blankenship, owner of the Walnut Street Inn in Springfield, Mo., says the frequent-stay program at his 12-bedroom inn "is a way to compete with Marriott and other hotel chains' programs." Guests there and 129 other B&Bs and inns in a Missouri trade association get a $100 lodging certificate for every six stays. The certificate can be used at any of the lodgings.