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The Story as Printed in the Globe and Mail
September 8, 2008
NOTE: For our commentary on statements withein the quotation marks, click on the link indicated.
Like many other destination spots across Atlantic Canada, the Oceanstone Inn near Peggy's Cove, N.S., has felt the impact of the high Canadian dollar and rising gas prices this past summer.
"We knew the slowdown was coming," said owner Carole MacInnis.
"We have been watching the number of hits on our website slip steadily over the past 12 months."
In response to the trend, Ms. MacInnis upped the ante by introducing new options to their family, corporate and wedding packages.
"We couldn't really afford to reduce our prices," she explained, "so we added value to our offerings with things like kayak and hiking expeditions, wireless Internet, massage therapy and an onsite ecology guide."
She also undertook a number of renovations, refurbishing several of the individual cottages around the property and doubling the size of the main hall.
And while weekend occupancy was fairly steady for the lodge through July and August, mid-week traffic continued to fall.
"It wasn't just the Americans and Europeans who stayed at home this year," Ms. MacInnis said.
"We also saw a noticeable dip in the number of visitors from other parts of the country and, perhaps more significantly, the immediate region."
Unfortunately for Ms. MacInnis and her staff of 40, the forecast for the fall and winter calls for more of the same.
"To be honest, I'm getting quite concerned about the upcoming off-season," she said.
"Usually things do get a little quieter from mid-October until the early spring anyway, but our recreational, business and wedding bookings for the next few months are way down from the same period in previous years."
With the summer quickly fading into fall, Ms. MacInnis is hoping to salvage something positive from what has been her most challenging year to date.
"We are praying that things will turn around for us," Ms. MacInnis said.
"However, if the last while is any indication of what we have in store, then it looks like we could be in for a very rough ride. I'm really not sure what to do at this point."
What the experts say
Michael Howell said it is all about adapting to the changing market. As such, the owner of Tempest World Cuisine, a restaurant in Wolfville, N.S., that sits just 100 kilometres north of the Oceanstone and has thrived over the summer months, believes Ms. MacInnis must refocus her efforts toward local and regional clients.
"There are certainly a number of ways to make her business more visible to potential visitors from across Nova Scotia, as well as the other three Atlantic provinces," he said.
Along with regular listings in tourist and travel guides and area phone books, Mr. Howell recommends flooding the regional marketplace with advertising. "Even in tough economic times, advertising is a solid investment that will keep the inn at the forefront of people's minds, particularly with her bread-and-butter clientele," he said.
Mr. Howell also suggests a direct-mail campaign to target markets. "Start with pinpointing higher-income areas around the Maritimes, and then send off postcards with some sort of catchy message, promotion or contest."
Contributing a regular column to regional print publications, or having a guest spot on local radio or cable television shows, is a cost-effective way of staying in the public eye. "I do it," Mr. Howell said, "and I'm always amazed by the number of clients who tell me that they heard of us through those media."
Tying in with tourism associations, travel agencies and private tour companies along the East Coast is a no-brainer. "Hooking up with others who have the same goals is a smart way to gain direct access to end users," he said.
All of Ms. MacInnis's marketing efforts should then aim to drive traffic to the inn's website. "Everything she puts out there into the marketplace - business cards, brochures, advertisements, whatever - must serve to highlight the Internet address," he said.
Mr. Howell believes that it all starts and ends with the Web. "Today's travellers are savvy," he said. "It is vital that she has a simple, dynamic and up-to-date website that highlights the benefits to potential customers."
To that end, galleries of images, accompanied by guest testimonials, are very effective. "Don't be afraid to show off a little," he said. "It's a beautiful and relaxing spot, so make sure people across the region know that."
Kevin Toth agrees. The owner of the Rock Water Secret Cove Resort in Halfmoon Bay, B.C., and co-chair of the Sunshine Coast Tourism Association, says that in the business of inns, it is all about location, location, location. "She is in a very lovely locale," he said.
Along with regular packages, Mr. Toth believes the Oceanstone is well suited for fall and winter day trips. "She has a good-sized beach by the ocean, a large hall with an outdoor deck, all of which are on a large property that is still less than an hour from a major urban centre [Halifax]."
"There are lots of opportunities to make good use of all that space: Bonfires, picnics, special theme nights, lobster boils, pig roasts, wine and cheese parties, musical concerts, art exhibits, flower shows, treasure hunts, sporting activities, fireworks and cribbage tournaments are all great ways to draw couples or families out for an afternoon or evening."
Mr. Toth also recommends Ms. MacInnis create partnerships with local leisure and activities-based businesses. "Outdoor adventure companies, massage therapists, estheticians, yoga instructors, eco-guides, music teachers, dance instructors and chefs are always looking for good references," he said.
Like Mr. Howell, Mr. Toth believes the key to success will be in proper marketing. "It will all amount to very little if people don't know about it."
Further Comment
Oceanstone inn has been in business for ten years, and during that time received not only unsolicited nominations for awards but we won the prestigious Tourism Association of Nova Scotia Crystal Tourism Award for Excellence. To say that the one of the owners of this award-winning inn is “praying that things will turn around” is a darn good line, but it is, simply, a fabrication and far and away beyond the borders of the slippery slope that is commonly called, these days, “spin.”
Those who know us know that we are not on our knees, praying for guidance, as the article might lead one to believe. Our ability not only to survive but thrive is proven. Our lenders serve us on the strength of this fact. This article, if people believe what they read in the press, damages our credibility, leaving us in a position, in the public eye, and in the eyes of our lenders of defending our word against that of what one can read in what is assumed to be a well-researched and fact-checked article in the Globe and Mail.
Go figure, in a difficult industry, in turbulent times where all that fits into our busy lives.
Our Comments on the Article
Hits on our website: from whence this statement? Carole said she did not say it and I have good reason, besides her credibility with me, to believe her.
The only way Carole would know if our website was slipping is by hearing about same from me. I am the webmaster, and the guy that monitors its hits. Our site has not been slipping: in fact we are holding very well with an uncommon high average in the months leading up to the tourism season, of more than 40,000 hits per month. She would have no reason to say what is in the quotation marks of the Globe article. BACK
Kayaks, hiking etc: Friends anf family who know Oceanstone could not imagine why Carole would ever say this. We have been offering kayaks, hiking expeditions, wireless internet and massage therapy for the last 6 or 8 years. BACK
Ecology guide? Not Carole’s words, even though they are in quotation marks: this word was foreign, upon reading the article, to everyone around here. The noun we use is “eco-concierge,” a new concept that is centred around a safety-certified (at high cost) host who not only knows the history, geology and animal/plant life of the area, but who is a genial guide that deepens the experiential aspect of a guest’s visit in a way that reflects the latest research on why guests travel to Nova Scotia. BACK
"To be honest," quotation marks aside, is not a phrase in Carole's vocabulary. This is a phrase that has been off-limits in our household since our children were babies. “To be honest” implies that at other times, one is being something less than honest. Our children were never allowed to use that phrase, and in consideration of our parental responsibilities, Carole and I did not either
No one who knows Carole, children, friends, staff and myself included, have ever heard her utter that phrase. BACK
Carole, “praying” that things will turn around? I don’t think so. Again, no one in her circle has ever heard her use that word. What we have here is someone else’s turn of phrase. Would that Carole would admit sometimes that she is confused, lost. Not only the vocabulary, but the idea is completely out of character, painting Carole’s thoughts with a brush of a different color and ratcheting up the drama in a story where it simply does not exist. BACK
"Not sure what to do?" Carole? After thirty-two years of marriage, I can say with conviction that I wish Carole would admit now and again that she was “ not sure what to do.” Frankly, this has been the substance of ongoing negotiations between her and me re how to run the inn. We have different ideas. If she did say this, (she says she did not) I will publically apologize. But my thought is that if these words are on the tape that ran during the interview, that the words were taken out of context and inserted where they would have dramatic input, and not where the sense she intended was honored. BACK
Michael Howell, a friend with whom I sit on the Nova Scotia government’s Tourism Partnership Council, felt obliged to write me, unsolicited, after the article was printed, an apology for what he was alleged to have said and that he, too, was “significantly paraphrased by the writer” and that there were “some words I clearly did not state.”
Michael was not told by the interviewer that his words would be used to critique Oceanstone. He also said, “Many liberties were taken with the interview I gave” and that he “would never have deigned to offer advice to the McInness, who I know well and respect their business acumen immensely.”
Not that his advice is not respected, or good, (and we think the world of the guy) but the paper’s failure at some level to check facts left us looking, after ten years of extremely hard work, and hard earned credibility, as if we did not have the foggiest idea what we are doing. BACK
Michael said in a note, “For those who know me, I would NEVER offer the words ‘advertise heavily” And he went on to say, "The article should have been fact checked before publication.” BACK
Direct Mail: been there. Done that. Michael would have known. BACK
Association Memberships:We have membership in the S.M.B.R.T.D.A. (the local tourism association), Unique Country Inns of Nova Scotia, the Tourism Industry Association of Nova Scotia, The Nova Scotia Tourism Partnership Council, and I was until recently, a member of the Travel Writers Association of Canada, just for starters. If nothing else, this is sloppy and irresponsible journalism. BACK
The Inn's Website: I am well-known in provincial government circles for having brought this theory forward years ago, on the same committees on which Michael sits. I was flown to Ireland on the strength of our website, by Failte Ireland, the Irish Tourism Authority, to talk about marketing and why our inn was as successful as it was. We have been driving people to our website with print, as described, for years. My personal reputation and professionalism were insulted here.
Check our website for yourself at www.oceanstone.ns.ca It is provable that our pages of testimonials were created years ago. Michael knows this well. BACK
Lots of opportunities: thank you Mr. Toth. We have not met (yet) and we appreciate your good advice. We have not hosted a cribbage tournament, nor have we roasted a pig, but we have done all the rest. And then some. And have been so doing for years. BACK
Partnerships? Again, thanks, but…been there. Done every one of the above. BACK
Marketing? We have spent thousands and thousands of dollars on marketing. Again, we are, because of sloppy journalism, and creating a story where one is not, we are being mede to look like we do not have the foggiest idea what we are doing. BACK
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