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B&B owner sees results of changes that USAID study tour helped spark
Creating a Warmer Welcome for Guests
Photo: PH International/Armenia
Armenian bed-and-breakfast owner Marine Davtyan looks over her new promotional materials and guest book, two changes implemented after participating in a USAID study tour.
“It was the [USAID] program that helped me open my eyes and look at the hospitality sector from a totally different perspective,” said Marine Davtyan, owner of a bed-and-breakfast in Vanadzor, Armenia.
Marine Davtyan had been managing her bed-and-breakfast (B&B) in Vanadzor for five years when she was selected to go to the United States on a USAID-sponsored study tour.
She had attended B&B trainings in the past, but did not feel that she gained very much from them. She said that the USAID program was different, showing her new management and hospitality styles.
Since her return, she has made improvements that have greatly increased the number of visitors to her business. After finishing the study tour, Marine immediately set to work renovating her B&B to provide “a nice, cozy place to serve the guests in a way they deserve,” she said. She added another room and improved the kitchen, which enabled her to provide her guests with more choices for breakfast.
Marine then created a new promotional strategy based on what she saw in the United States. She created and published new color brochures that she has distributed to several tourism agencies, and began using a guest book.
Her American-style renovation and promotional strategy seem to be working. Her business has picked up noticeably since her return as she has hosted guests from around the world.
She credited the study tour with helping her improve her business — and the tourism industry in Armenia.
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