Building Relationships with Local Businesses and Attractions

By Reducing Single-Use Plastics in Your Guest House
Comments 35
1 Aug 2026

Building Relationships with Local Businesses and Attractions

Start with the Places You Already Recommend

Every guest house owner keeps a mental list of places they genuinely send guests to: the pub with the roaring fire and a proper Sunday roast, the little museum that punches well above its weight, the guide who knows every Roman ruin within twenty miles. That list is valuable. The question is whether it is working hard enough — for you and for your guests.

Turning those informal favourites into proper partnerships takes surprisingly little effort. What you get in return is a steady supply of reliable recommendations, exclusive discounts you can offer at check-in, and nearby businesses that will happily send people your way in return. It is one of the cheapest forms of marketing available to a small guest house, and it costs nothing but a few conversations and a bit of follow-through.

Choose Partners Who Match Your Guests

Not every nearby business is a sensible fit. Before you start knocking on doors, think carefully about who actually stays with you and what they want to do with their time.

Couples on short breaks — independent restaurants, wine bars, a good spa, the small theatre above the shop.
Families — farm parks, castles with dressing-up boxes, bowling, a pizza place that welcomes children at six o'clock.
Walkers and cyclists — outdoor shops, bike hire, cafés that open early, a taxi firm that will collect them from the trailhead.
Business travellers — late-opening restaurants, a reliable taxi firm, a gym with day passes.

Aim for eight to twelve solid partners rather than a long list of names you never mention. Depth beats breadth every time, and guests can tell the difference between a genuine recommendation and a directory.

How to Make the First Approach

Walk in mid-afternoon, when most hospitality businesses are quiet, and ask for the manager or owner by name if you can find it out beforehand. Introduce yourself briefly, mention that you run the guest house on the high street and that you regularly send guests their way. Then be specific about what you are proposing — vague suggestions rarely go anywhere.

A simple arrangement works best:

A set discount, such as ten per cent off food, a free dessert, or a couple of pounds off entry.
Guests quote a password, show a key fob, or present a small card you give them at check-in.
You display their leaflet in your hallway; they display yours in theirs.
Both sides keep a rough note of redemptions for the first three months to see whether it is worth continuing.

Confirm the details in writing, even if it is only a short email. It avoids confusion when a member of staff who was not part of the conversation is on shift, and it gives you something to refer back to at review time.

What You Can Offer in Return

Discounts are not the only currency, and for many small businesses your recommendation is worth more than the money they give away. Think about what you can put on the table.

A prominent spot in your welcome folder and on the noticeboard by the front door.
A mention in your booking confirmation email, sent while guests are still planning their trip.
A recommendation delivered in person at check-in — by far the most powerful of all.
Referrals for taxis, tables and tours when guests ask you to sort something out.
Practical help: lending a corner of your car park on quiet days, or passing on surplus linen and crockery when you replace yours.

Reciprocity is what keeps these relationships going. A partner who feels they are getting something back will keep recommending you long after the initial enthusiasm has worn off.

Presenting Recommendations to Guests

Most guest houses have a folder. Most guests never open it. The recommendation that actually lands is the one delivered in person, at the right moment, by someone who clearly knows what they are talking about.

Ask what they are planning as you hand over the key — it takes ten seconds and opens the door to a useful conversation.
Keep a one-page "today's picks" sheet at reception, updated for the weather. Two indoor options for a wet day, two outdoor options for a sunny one.
Have a small, tidy stack of partner leaflets by the door rather than a sprawling rack of fifty.
State the discount clearly: "Tell them you're staying here and you'll get ten per cent off."
Write the partner's name and the discount on a slip of paper or the back of a business card. Guests lose folders; they rarely lose something you have just put in their hand.

Keep the Relationships Alive

Partnerships fade quietly if nobody tends them. A quick visit every few months, a coffee, a Christmas card, a note when you notice they have won an award or had a good review — all of it keeps you at the front of their mind when someone asks them where to stay.

Review the whole arrangement once a year. Which partners actually get used? Which discounts do guests mention unprompted? Which businesses send bookings your way? Drop the ones that never convert and put your energy elsewhere. Then look at what has changed locally: a new café, a new tour guide, a new distillery. Approach them in their first month, when they are keen for custom and genuinely grateful for the introduction.

Remember that the biggest benefit is not the discount. It is the confidence of being able to say, "I know just the place," and being right every single time. Guests remember that long after they have forgotten the colour of the bedspread — and it is exactly the sort of thing that turns a one-night stay into a regular booking and a warm recommendation to their friends.

Local Area

Training Staff to Deliver Consistent Guest Service

Plan a thorough spring clean covering carpets, curtains and ventilation before your busiest season begins and guests arrive.

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5 Comments

Robert Sonny says Jul 21, 2024 at 10:00am

I must explain to you how all this mistaken idea of denouncing pleasure and praising pain was born and I will give you a complete account of the system
Reply
- John Abraham says Jul 21, 2024 at 10:00am
  
  I must explain to you how all this mistaken idea of denouncing pleasure and praising pain was born and I will give you a complete account of the system
  Reply
  - Robert Sonnysays Jul 21, 2024 at 10:00am
    
    I must explain to you how all this mistaken idea of denouncing pleasure and praising pain was born and I will give you a complete account of the system
    Reply
Robert Sonny says Jul 21, 2024 at 10:00am

I must explain to you how all this mistaken idea of denouncing pleasure and praising pain was born and I will give you a complete account of the system
Reply

Jenny Watson

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