Online Travel Agents

You’ve probably been hearing a lot about Online Travel Agents (OTA). What is an Online Travel Agent? Well, perhaps you’ve heard of tripadvisor.com, expedia.com, booking.com, priceline.com, kayak.com. The list goes on and it seems to be getting bigger all the time. As a consumer, I am a fan of OTA’s. I almost always book my airline through expedia.com. If I am in need of a hotel, I will peruse several of the sites mentioned above. It helps me to see what is out there and to roughly compare pricing. Of course, there are the reviews. Sometimes they are helpful. Sometimes they are not. But, I always go to the lodging’s web site and check pricing there before making any decision. Here’s why…

Online Travel Agent (OTA) Booking

As an Innkeeper working behind the scenes, I have a better understanding of pricing. I did not really understand this until I started listing the 1795 Acorn Inn on booking.com, airbnb and bedandbreakfast.com in August of 2017. Online Travel Agents charge an establishment commission to list their rates. Most of the time it’s about 15%. The hope is that lodging will keep their rates the same as what they are charging on their site. Well, sadly, that does not always happen. Some lodgings will raise their prices to cover the cost of commission on an OTA. Who wants to lose 15%? So why list? Well, as a small Bed and Breakfast, we simple can’t compete with the big OTA’s and we must list our site. I resisted but finally succumb. And I hate it.

So, I want the listing on these sites, but that’s about it. I don’t put all my rooms on booking.com so you don’t see my complete availability. You also won’t see my special value packages.

The simple truth is that much of the time you will get the best price on the actual lodging’s site. And, you have a direct line to the Innkeeper if needed. That’s me.

To check out our best pricing, visit our Packages page.

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A close up of a plate of food on a table

Eggs Benedict

By odysys_admin • July 22, 2019

English muffins Canadian bacon Eggs Fresh Spinach Feta Cheese Thinly sliced scallions Knorr Hollandaise Sauce Packet Poaching eggs is pretty uncomfortable for me. I’ve watched U-tube videos where you swirl the water to get the egg white to form around the yolk. I tried that once and it worked well for the first egg…what to do with the others? I didn’t want to swirl it each time I slid an egg in. I watched where they just put the egg into a ramekin and then gently poured it into the water from as close to the water as you can get. It stays pretty well together that way. Make sure there is enough water in the pan to cover the egg. Don’t put vinegar in the water, but do add a pinch of salt. If your egg whites get thin on the edges, you can always cut them off. Depending on how runny you like your eggs, let them cook on a gently boil for three to five minutes. Toast and butter your English Muffin. Add a slice of Canadian bacon (you can also use regular bacon or lox). Spinach. Feta. Egg. Hollandaise sauce. I’m not ashamed to admit, I use Knorr Hollandaise sauce mix. It’s easy to prepare and fool proof… and it tastes great. Sprinkle with thinly-sliced green onions. Add a little more feta on top if desired. A slice of avocado would be lovely too. Voila. Enjoy.