Getting bookings through guestlink

Naturally, as a business you want to be able to maximise your bookings.

Guestlink and the DMS really helps you do this by making it possible to publish your information over and over again, but just update it once.

The key to getting bookings is to have really good information - photos, up to date prices, descriptions and especially up to date availability - and publish it as much as possible.

As well as publishing to your own website, to as many public sector and private sector sites as you can and to the national marketing through VisitBritain you should also consider the TIC network.

Your details are automatically published to the Tourist Information Centres through their own online system. If your availability is up to date, then any of the 512 TICs can book you. Most TICs charge 10% for making the booking, but if you bear in mind that Windermere TIC alone has more than 500,000 people through its doors every year, and that all TICs operate the book-a-bed-ahead system, it is really worth accepting bookings from TICs.

So the golden rules for getting bookings are:

- UPDATE - fresh information is what customers want

- TAKE ONLINE BOOKINGS - customers expect to be able to book online

- PUBLISH - as widely as possible

- TICs - can offer lots of bookings!