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Self-Catering Resources, Work Smart
The travel buying cycle. Stage #5: Sharing
5th August 2013The final of the 5 stages of travel is Sharing, which is very closely linked to Experiencing. In addition to sending postcards and texts to loved…
Self-Catering Resources, Work Smart
The travel buying cycle. Stage #4: Experiencing
17th July 2013Stage #4: EXPERIENCING Number 4 in the 5 stages of travel has the biggest influence on all of the other stages. If your guests have a fantastic experience during their…
Self-Catering Resources, Work Smart
The travel buying cycle. Stage #3: Booking
10th June 2013So far in our blog series ‘The Travel Buying Cycle’, we have looked at Stages #1 and #2 (Dreaming and Planning); now it’s time to get down to the nitty…
Self-Catering Resources, Work Smart
The travel buying cycle. Stage #2: Planning
17th May 2013Stage #2: PLANNING According to Google the average traveller visits over 20 different travel websites before they commit to making a booking. In Stage #2: Planning, we look at five…
Self-Catering Resources, Work Smart
10 Simple Steps to Safeguard your Business Online
7th May 2013Recent media coverage highlighting the risks of booking holiday accommodation online has prompted us all to consider how we can better protect our businesses and our clients from hackers and…
Self-Catering Resources, Work Smart
The Travel Buying Cycle. Stage #1: Dreaming
19th April 2013How many different stages do you think people go through when buying a holiday? Planning and booking are the most obvious, but in fact Google carried out a study that…
Self-Catering Resources, Work Smart
Online booking: it’s all about customer choice
18th March 2013The fact is that the majority of travellers choose to book and pay for their holiday accommodation online. It’s a brave new world out there. Most of us have a…
Self-Catering Resources, Work Smart
Psst … interested in Instagram?
14th February 2013So you’ve got your website up and running, online booking and availability is sorted, and maybe you’ve thought about social networking – probably Facebook, perhaps Twitter, you might be a…
Self-Catering Resources, Work Smart
Using social media to improve customer service
22nd January 2013It’s all very well getting lots of ‘likes’ on Facebook or a flurry of followers on Twitter, but how does that increase occupancy levels and secure bookings? Effective use of…
Self-Catering Resources, Work Smart
Value for money
18th December 2012As we continue the Positioning for Performance series for self-catering accommodation owners, it’s time to look closer at value for money. We should call it perceived value for money, as…
Self-Catering Resources, Work Smart
Positioning for performance
30th October 2012Recent research indicates that today’s consumer wants everything right now. If you hear a song you like – download it; read a paper – get it on your smartphone; take…
Self-Catering Resources, Work Smart
To list or not to list?
24th July 2012Although in places we’re seeing some great occupancy rates, there’s no doubting that the reality for many operators is a noticeable downturn due to the continued squeeze on disposable incomes…
Self-Catering Resources, Work Smart
Top five offers and added value ideas
19th June 2012With the culture of discount deals, coupons and special offers, sometimes it can be difficult to find a unique angle or offer something special without hacking great chunks out of…
