B & B | Bed and Breakfast | B&B

How to create a trustworthy advertisement?

It is very important that your advertisement reflects trust. By providing good relevant information you are showing that you have nothing to hide. Information that should be available in your advertisement must include:

• The name of a contact person.
• A telephone number. Potential clients probably will not call you, but it is comforting for them to know that they can call you if needed.
• Show and maintain a booking calendar, Often an under used tool but it does show the client that others have done business with you.
• Reply to their enquiries fast - otherwise they might book another property.
• Remember - correct and informative communication will build up trust in you and your property.

A Picture tells a thousand words!

We want to emphasize the importance of ensuring your photos are of the best quality, as they rent out your property for you.

• Prepare your property before taking your pictures, no clutter in the kitchen, dress the beds, light some candles, light a fire. Put in the effort because it could be the deciding factor if you even get an enquiry. It will not always be down to just price and availability.
• Take your photographs on a sunny day with blue skies.
• Morning and afternoon sun gives your photographs the best light.
• Make sure to keep the sun on your back when you take your photographs outside.
• When taking indoor photos, we recommend to use flash and to open the curtains. Never shoot in the direction of an open window. The light coming in will blind the camera.
• Show photos from indoor, outdoor and the surroundings like garden, beach, views etc.

Description of the property!

There is no limit regarding the length of the description you have, but think of the following when composing yours.

• Think of yourself looking to book holiday accommodation, what information would YOU be looking for.
• Include what would be relevant to helping someone book your property.
• It is a good idea to highlight the positive sides of your property.
• Also include the facilities in the local area.
• Write an informative description and try not to ramble to much.
• Bullet points are good and they also avoid excessive reading.
• Don't go over board and start including things that are not relevant.
• While we have no limits, sometimes Less can be better.

Should I ask for a Security Deposit?

It is entirely up to yourself. Our advice is that it is a good idea. However, asking for a deposit in addition to the rental fee can make booking your accommodation look expensive if the money is to be handed over in advance. Remember, you only want the security deposit to protect yourself in the event of damage which rarely happens, and it is nearly always handed back to the client at the end of the stay. Many home owners either

• Get a cheque off the client on arrival which would be handed back at the end of the stay.
• Get credit card details and an authorization form signed, giving permission to charge their card should any damages occur.

The benefits to both these options is that you are not asking for money up front and you have the ability to collect for damages should they occur.

Should I ask for a Booking Deposit?

You should ask for a booking deposit to avoid losing rental income on empty weeks which cannot be rebooked because of the short notice. Most home owners ask for 30% fee upon reservation. The remaining 70% should be paid either four weeks prior to arrival or upon arrival.

Is it recommended to use a Booking Form?

Not to be confused with an "Enquiry Form". The enquiry form is the form on our website that the client uses to make initial contact with you. A Booking Form would be a formal agreement between you and the client to avoid misunderstandings. This can be done via a standard e-mail. We recommend that you include at least the following in it

• A link to the advert so the client can always see the home which they booked, i.e. Quote www.BedAndBreakfastHomes.ie and your Home Number.
• Date reservation was made
• Date of Arrival
• Date of Departure
• Total price
• Booking Deposit
• Security Deposit
• Your contact information and phone number
• Your bank information to receive payment including BIC/SWIFT and IBAN numbers
• Property address
• Clients name and address including e-mail and phone numbers

What payment options should I offer?

International bank transfers are often expensive and slow, and Cash payment on arrival can be a bad idea because they may not turn up. You should consider setting up a free account on PayPal which will give your clients the ability to pay you by Debit/Credit Card. There are a few advantages to using PayPal.

• PayPal have millions of users globally so you can be sure it works and is secure.
• No Signup or Monthly fees, just a low fee per transaction, refer to their website for charges.
• Your clients pay you easy and securely.
• You can see their payments within minutes.
• You can login to your PayPal account anytime and transfer the money out to your regular bank account.
• PayPal is owned by EBay, a very recognisable company.
• Visit www.paypal.com for more information.

How will I know that I have an enquiry?

We invest a lot in both time and money to get traffic to our site that will ultimately turn into enquires for you. It is important to us that we know you receive those enquires.

• If you use a web based e-mail client like Hotmail, Yahoo! or Gmail you should add ressys@BedAndBreakfastHomes.ie to your contact list or white list. This ensures that our email enquires to you do not end up in the trash.
• We will send you a Text Message to your mobile phone letting you know you have an enquiry in your email, just in case you do not check it everyday. A prompt reply greatly increases your chances of converting that enquiry into a paying customer.
• We will also hold a copy of the enquiry in case you accidently delete it from your email. If you loose it we can send it on again.

Do I have to create the advertisement myself?

No, we create your advertisement for you. Our design team have the experience that is required to put everything together. All you have to do is email us the information i.e. Description, Rates and Photographs.

Can I have a free trial?

Unfortunatly not, the main reason is that we are not a self service website. We carry out all the work in setting up your advert and spend money advertising it.

How long will it take to have my advertisement active?

Usually this comes down to how quickly you can get the information in to us. It would also depend on how many orders are in front of you. A quick call to our sales team will let you know. If we have the information we need, we usually try for a 24 hour turnaround.

How do I pay for my advertisement?

We like to think we offer a fair deal. We will create your advertisement first and then ask for payment. You will have 14 days to send us the payment, after which your advert will be suspended until we receive it. You may pay via credit card, cheque or bank transfer. Most home owners pay us by credit card.

Can I have my advertisement at the top of the list?

We operate a fair policy that does not give you the possibility to pay for a better ranking. All holiday rental advertisements are rotated/randomized so theoretically your ad will change position every time it is called.

How do potential clients locate my advertisement?

They can search via County, Town, Map, Property ID in 6 languages. Furthermore your advertisement will in time get catalogued by search engines including Google, Yahoo!

How do I know if an enquiry is genuine?

We closely monitor all enquiries and if we notice something suspicious about an enquiry we will notify you. Some things you should watch out for include

• Wanting to pay the full amount up front.
• If the written Language is very poor.
• If the written Language is very formal.
• If they want to send a cheque for a larger amount than you asked for.
• If they want to pay you via "Western Union" or similar company which is not a bank.

If we see the same enquiry going out to many home owners, particularly if the properties are not in the same area, we will notify you.