Starting April 26, destination sites managed by ROOST will move to a new reservation software platform through Inntopia. We at ROOST are very excited for this change as it will provide third-party property management systems integration, a better mobile experience, and a much-needed upgrade in many other areas. The rollout will start with lakeplacid.com in April, and continue to other destination sites in the following months. Inntopia is a company that provides reservation technology and services to destination marketing organizations like ROOST as well as ski resorts, vacation resorts, golf courses, attraction parks, tour operators, and lodging, activity, event, and transportation suppliers. They are based out of Stowe, Vermont and have accounts across the country and world using their platform. Inntopia offers integrations with a variety of existing property management systems, meaning that some lodging properties will be able to push their room availability directly to their destination site through Inntopia. For those properties that are not able to make a connection, Inntopia offers an extremely versatile interface for suppliers to upload and manage their inventory on their destination site through Inntopia. A complete booking experience Perhaps the most exciting new functionality with the Inntopia system will be the ability for non-lodging businesses to sell their products and services independently of a lodging property. Breaking away from the lodging-exclusive model of booking will give all the destination websites managed by ROOST a previously unavailable level of versatility. For example, with Inntopia, a visitor could plan their entire trip with a three-night lodging stay, canoe rental, tickets to a museum, motor boat tour, and passes to the latest show at the local theater. The outfitter, museum, boat rental, and theater will all have independent control over their offerings and payment for their products through Inntopia. Booking is not just for lodging properties anymore! All at a MUCH lower cost It is recommended businesses that choose to use Inntopia have a photo listing on their destination website, but in most cases there is no monthly fee or startup cost from ROOST or Inntopia to use their system. Fees will be assessed as a 5% commission on any rooms or products sold through the system. How can your business take advantage of Inntopia? Lodging properties or other businesses that would like to be set up in Inntopia need to contact Glenn Pareira at glenn@roostadk.com or 518-874-0255 as soon as possible. Have questions? Want to be kept up to date when Inntopia comes to your destination site? Contact Glenn Pareira at glenn@roostadk.com or 518-874-0255. For lodging properties, you can view a slightly more in-depth introduction to Inntopia here: Inntopia is Coming.

Legislative reception tonight, a new booking platform and spring renewals! Read this week's ROOST news:

Lake Placid, NY – The nation’s best fly anglers will be returning to Lake Placid, Wilmington, Saranac Lake, Redford and Malone, NY June 1st – 4th, 2016 for the U.S. National Fly Fishing Championships, and organizers are looking for volunteers to assist anglers over the 3 day catch-and-release competition. “The event relies on volunteers to record the size and species of every fish caught, and is a great opportunity for avid fishermen to learn from these top anglers and share local ‘intel’, too,” said Ken Crane, event and volunteer organizer. “Anglers will be fishing on the Ausable, Saranac and Salmon Rivers while wading, and Mirror Lake and Lake Colby from boats. No experience is required other than a love of the outdoors!” For those who have never seen a Fly Fishing Competition before, there will be 12 anglers separated by 200 meters spread across roughly 2 miles of stream or in a boat with full access to the lake. That location is their “beat” and the angler may only fish in this section. This ensures no crowding between competitors and the recreational anglers. Sessions will run 9am – 12pm and 3pm – 6pm Thursday - Friday June 3rd and 4th. One session will take place 9am – 12pm on Saturday, June 4th followed by the closing ceremony that night from 6pm – 10pm. Lunches are provided each day. Volunteers may help for 1, 2, 3, 4 or all 5 sessions as their schedule permits. Volunteers will receive an event hat, t-shirt and pin along with a chance to win some of the amazing gear from event supporters like Sage, Umpqua and RIO. In addition, volunteers are invited to the awards ceremony and dinner Saturday evening to culminate the great event. For more information on the event and volunteer opportunities please visit http://www.usffc2016.com or contact Ken Crane at kcrane377@gmail.com or 315-725-7392. -- Fly Fishing Team USA (“FFTUSA”) wishes to extend its gratitude to the Ausable River Two Fly Shop in Wilmington for their support of this event. The mission of FFTUSA is to educate and train men and women in the sport of competitive fly fishing on both national and international levels and to promote, and educate its members in, the conservation of our fisheries, lakes, rivers and streams. For more information on FFTUSA please visit http://www.flyfishingteamusa.com

3 ways to optimize your website for social media marketing “…many small businesses treat their company’s website and social media accounts as two mutually exclusive parts of their digital marketing strategy. In reality, both should be closely intertwined.” >> READ THE ARTICLE What marketers should know about Snapchat’s update Stickers, Video, Audio Calls and Notes Provide More Robust Interaction “…Snapchat, which says it has more than 100 million daily active users and more than 8 billion video views every day, is calling its update Chat 2.0 and gives users a much broader way to communicate with other Snapchat users.” Are you using Snapchat - personally or for your business? Connect with ROOST on the brand account: adirondacks, usa ! >> READ THE ARTICLE

ROOST will have a soft launch of its new booking engine, Inntopia, on April 27 on lakeplacid.com. The new booking engine will replace the current engine on lakeplacid.com and provide a vastly improved visitor experience when booking through the site. Read more about ROOST's switch to Inntopia here. In preparation for the launch, any lodging properties that currently sell inventory through lakeplacid.com will need to configure their new Inntopia accounts if they would like to have a seamless transition from the old system to the new. Inntopia Configuration If properties would like to set up their Inntopia account, or already have an account and would like assistance configuring it, they should contact Glenn Pareira at glenn@roostadk.com or 518-874-0255 as soon as possible. Meeting with Inntopia Representative When: 10 a.m. Tuesday, April 26 Where: North Elba Room - Conference Center at Lake Placid In conjunction with the launch, Inntopia will have staff on site in Lake Placid on Tuesday and Wednesday, April 26 and 27. Inntopia will hold an open training with a walkthrough of the Inntopia system from 10 to 10:30 a.m. April 26, followed by a Q&A session. The Inntopia representative will also have time available on both afternoons for one-on-one meetings if any properties feel they need additional assistance or have a longer list of specific questions. These trainings are a great opportunity to get more specific questions answered about the Inntopia setup. All properties are invited to attend, but properties that have already begun the Inntopia configuration process may get the most benefit out of the trainings. Please contact Glenn Pareira at glenn@roostadk.com or 518-874-0255 to set up a one-on-one meeting with Inntopia.