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Perhaps For Me, They'll Add An 'Extended Stay' OptionBy Dean Rotbart
Good for Kevin and Belma
Marshall. The Granby, Ct. couple hit PR
pay dirt this month when their 1812 Colonial bed and breakfast was featured on
The Associated Press national newswire and subsequently picked up by newspapers
and television news networks throughout the country. The Marshalls proved once again
that you don't have to be the size of the
Marriott Corp. or Hilton Hotels to get great publicity.
You just have to be creative and timely. The Marshalls' B&B is no
more and no less newsworthy than 10,000 similar mom and pop lodges sprinkled
throughout the United States. According to the AP story, the
Marshalls bought the Dutch Iris Inn in 1996, shortly after their marriage, and
upgraded the place to include newly finished bathrooms and wireless Internet,
among other fresh amenities. Kevin Marshall was an accountant
who wanted a change of pace. His
wife had planned to become a dentist. Not exactly the stuff that
typically produces PR legends. Yet innkeeping agreed with Kevin and Belma, so they threw themselves into the Dutch Iris Inn and, according to the AP, "developed a reputation among business travelers as an alternative to corporate hotels and among couples as a romantic weekend getaway."
Not until a couple of Kevin's
accounting clients suggested he add overnight tax preparation to his 'room
service' menu. Combine that
creative business concept with the media's perennial need to report something
fresh each April 15th, and voila:
The Dutch Iris Inn is primetime. Individuals or couples who show
up at Kevin and Belma's B&B not only get a quaint night away from the
mega-hotels, they get to rid themselves of their tax preparation headaches.
Best of all, the stay is tax-deductible because it qualifies as a tax
preparation charge. That, ladies and gentlemen, is a
business and PR mega-success story. What can you do to elevate your
business story -- and hence your business -- from the ordinary to the
extraordinary?
April 15, 2003
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Nice story.
