Featured Property FAQ

The Basics

How frequently are auctions held, and when do they end?

Bids are placed at any time for BedandBreakfast.com live auctions; the bidding period never ends. Featured Property Auctions are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year, with the Featured Property advertising spot always going to the highest bidder. If you are outbid, you will automatically receive an email letting you know that you are no longer the high bidder.

What happens if no bids are placed on a page on BedandBreakfast.com?

There will be not be a Featured Property on a page until a property claims the space by becoming the high bidder, starting at only a penny per page impression.

How much do I need to bid to be the Featured Property?

The minimum bid is just a penny per page impression. Thus, if there are no other bids on the page that you are interested in, simply place a bid of $0.01 and enjoy the benefits of being the Featured Property on that page.

Can I pay by check?

Yes! BedandBreakfast.com is now accepting check deposits for amounts of $100 or more. Your deposit will be made to your account when the check arrives, and an email will be sent that notifies you of your balance increase. You will not be able to place bids until your check has been deposited to your account. Remember, you must first accept the Terms and Conditions prior to placing any bids. You are then responsible for maintaining your own bids. BedandBreakfast.com employees may not manage bids for you on your behalf. That is your responsibility.

After the $25 minimum deposit/replenishment amount, how much is the yearly fee?

There is none. Other than your BedandBreakfast.com membership, the only fee involved is the amount you have bid per page impression for the ad(s) you have bid on. If you have a bid of $0.01, and that page is viewed 100 times, $1 will be deducted from your $25 auction account, giving you a balance of $24.

How long will I be featured if I have the winning bid?

Your property will be the Featured Property until one of three things happen. First, if you are outbid by another inn that has placed a higher bid, you will no longer be featured. You will be notified via email if this happens. Second, you will no longer be the Featured Property if your account is depleted. You will receive one email letting you know that your account is at or below $10, and you will receive a second email that lets you know when your account is depleted. Third, you can pull your bid at any time.

What happens if the funds in my Featured Property account are depleted?

We will email you when the funds in your account drop below the amount you have specified in your preferences. You will then need to log in and deposit additional money to your account if you wish your bids to remain live. If you prefer, sign up for AutoBilling, and we will automatically replenish your account when your balance gets low for the amount you specify.

How do I measure the success of my Featured Property advertising campaign?

While logged into the Featured Property program, click the link, "View Statistics," which will display the entire history of your bidding for each page that you have advertised on in the program.

Can I place a value on my site visitors?

You can determine how much to bid for a Featured Property ad by calculating your conversion rate. For example, if you pay for 1,000 impressions, and you have a 10% click through rate, or 100 click throughs, and if you get two bookings for every 100 visitors to your home page (a 2% conversion rate), for an average of $300 per booking (2 nights at $150 per night) you have $600 in revenue for those 100 visitors. In this example, the value of each page impression is $0.60. Driving traffic to your Web site is an effective way to get "heads in the beds" as long as it doesn't exceed your break-even cost-or in this case, $0.60.

How It Works

How do I view what the current high bid is for a page that I am interested in advertising on?

Log in to the Featured Property program, and click on "Feature Your Property". The current/high bids will be displayed next to each page name.

When you say that my inn's account is charged for each page impression, do you mean each time the Featured Property is displayed, or do you mean each time someone actually clicks through on my photo to see my listing or home page?

Featured Property accounts are billed each time the advertisement is displayed, not when it is clicked.

Do I have to link my Featured Property ad to my BedandBreakfast.com listing, or can I link my Featured Property ad to my homepage?

Yes, Featured Property advertisements can be linked to your own home page, if you are a Silver, Gold or Platinum member. When placing your bid, simply click the check box to choose where to link your ad.

I'd like to include a personalized message to potential guests with my Featured Property advertisement. Is this possible?

Yes, you can add a personalized 50 character marketing message that will appear right below the photo and location for your property.

Technical Questions

Why are there graphics' errors when I load the page?

An old browser may be the problem. Netscape versions earlier than 4.73 will not load correctly. If using Netscape Version 4.72 or earlier, upgrade to Version 6.0, or click to download Version 6 of Microsoft's Internet Explorer.

The "Feature Your Property" page won't load on my Mac. What should I do?

Our Tech team is aware of a problem associated with Macintosh computers, and is checking into it. In the interim, access the auction program on a PC with Microsoft's Internet Explorer Version 5.0 or later and place your bids, or call 1-800-462-2632 ext. 3115 to speak to a representative.