Tuesday, 21 June 2011

The best way to Advertise your Guest House, Hotel, or Bed and Breakfast in South Africa


A lot of Small independent accommodation businesses in Melville South Africa are always searching for new ways to advertise on the internet to drive visitors or guest to their bed and breakfast, hotel, or guest house. In today’s day and age this is not as easy as it may seem because they are up against the big marketing purchases of large hotel and motel chains and also as local, small businesses they are not able to achieve profits or economies of this scale and simply become a drop of water in the ocean on the internet. In addition, much of these sought-after guest houses in Melville Johannesburg are well advertised and holding all the decent rankings on the search engine results pages because of popularity over time or they had started advertising years before their predecessors. The only alternative has been to buy listings with accommodation agency websites that usually have an initial set-up charge with commission payable on bookings and invariable a charge per transaction. This can amount to advertising costs as high as 40% of turnover and in trying to recover this cost of sales can be very difficult for a bed and breakfast or guest house in Melville these days because the profit margins are too low to sustain the business.

Now what's must a Guest house do to succeed in advertising with the big guys?  The first thing is you should be educating yourself on how to properly market on the web because the search engine marketing industry is many years ahead of conventional business these days according to the Search Engine Journal, and most businesses today  are simply out of touch with reality and the power of the internet.
So how do you provide this education for yourself? You would think that you could use the tourism associations, tourist boards or the search marketers themselves right? Well the answer is: The Cape Town Seo Experts or another friendly SEO firm here in South Africa who will evaluate and actually help you to grow your business without putting you into a deeper hole. The reason I suggest an SEO Expert is because tourism associations and tourist boards are hardly more knowledgeable and often less so than tourism businesses themselves so it would be like the blind leading the blind.

So it's highly important for the search marketing industry to reach out to these businesses with new products and services that will be simple to understand and can demonstrate real savings in way small independent accommodation businesses can grasp easily and understand. Let’s face it, the internet is the wave of the future and people are now even accessing it on the cell phones to find what they want with shopping and especially accommodation.
Now there is still another challenge which is; how can someone get a business to trust them after they have already experienced disappoint from services offered by so-called search engine marketers when it's virtually impossible for all businesses buying into these companies to find themselves listed on the first page of the search engines, and even less possible now that the search engines fill the top spots with businesses who have been paying for years and are way out front? This is simple as well. It is called Organic Search results located directly below the paid advertisements on the Search engine results page. The advantage of being here is that you remain on the page for very long periods of time where as the paid advertising also known as Pay Per Click or (PPC) can disappear the second you stop paying for the advertisement. Besides, PPC can be extremely costly and you will be worse off that when you began.

This is exactly where one of the biggest opportunities lies for small independent accommodation businesses. It's not like that at all in this particular market. If you look at the paid advertisements these days they are fewer because the small guest house and bed and breakfast industry have all but submitted to the so called larger more popular businesses.  The search engines don’t care what you sell or what your business is about, they want the public to have variety. This means that you can achieve a front page spot if you’re a guest house in Melville or anywhere else in the country for that matter. So you just need to find a good SEO company to market you and make you as popular to the search engines as the so called big named companies and you will then be as popular to the public searching online as they are. You will then get more traffic to your site and business to your accommodation spot.


Sunday, 29 May 2011

A lot of Reasons Why You Should Visit Johannesburg

Johannesburg also known as (Joburg), is located in the center of the Republic of South Africa, is an extremely well known city worldwide. It’s not just the only global city of Africa but it’s also among the forty biggest metropolitan cities in the entire world. Not to long ago it was not a tourist destination at all, but times have changed and it has developed to attract travelers and tourist from all around the world.
There are many exciting and memorable things to see and do in Johannesburg. You can check out the Gold reef City, a big amusement park and if you like going to museums then you can visit Hector Pieterson Museum, Apartheid Museums, the Museum Africa, Johannesburg Art Gallery (art museum), etc.
It is a known fact that Johannesburg had a rocky history but this has never stopped or discouraged the tourists from coming and exploring the city. Recently over the past few years, quite a lot of tourist attractions have been developed in the Johannesburg area to attract travelers to the city. The Accommodation, The Johannesburg Zoo is one of the biggest zoos in the country and you should check it out when you are in the city. You will come across a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Cradle of Humankind, just outside Johannesburg. This place claims to have the largest collection of hominid fossils in the world.
Johannesburg is a very fast-paced city and there is so much to entertain your self. It’s not only known as a famous nightlife spot but you will find many boutiques and shopping centers within the city. While you are in the city, do not forget to check out the Rosebank flea market, Melville for its shops and restaurants, also the GuestHouses or Bed and Breakfasts in Melville Auckland Park area are great places to stay. There’s so many other places of interest in which you can visit when you are in Joburg. For all the food lovers, Johannesburg is truly heaven on earth. You will find cuisines of different countries, local dishes and your home town favorites as well as McDonald’s if that what you choose. The accommodation is also extremely high in standards for the price that you pay. You can choose a traditional Hotel or stay at one of the many Guest homes or Bed and breakfastin Johannesburg. SO the next time you plan a get away or a trip to talk about for years, visit South Africa and don’t hesitate to stop by the Big City.

Why do people choose to rent guest houses instead of hotels in South Africa?

Renting a guest house in Melville South Africa has several advantages as to other types of accommodation such as inns, hotels and guest houses. Below are a few of the main reasons people choose guest houses.

They are almost always very cost effective:
When traveling, especially in groups or as a family, Guest houses in Melville are often the cost effective choice. In peak holiday season accommodation providers sometimes offer special rates. Looking for last minute guest house deals is often worth checking into as you normally find a better bargain

Self Catering is the way to go!
These days self catering is the way to go which is on offer at guest houses in Melville and is one of its major advantages, perfect for many holiday travellers to this area. The flexibility of self catering makes things easier and also a lot less cheaper than eating out. Let’s think about it, you are able to cook what you want whenever you want and the option of eating out our take out is still there. Guest houses make trying out the local produce simple at the comfort of “home” using there fully equipped modern kitchens.

Guest houses are usually more spacious and more comfortable than hotels:
Whether you have kids or not doesn’t mean one cannot take advantage of the extra space that staying at a guest house offers, which is perfect for travellers. Being a traveller we know that you often travel with bikes, surf boards, luggage, Etc.… guest houses in Melville will gladly accommodate these normal events which is something often difficult to find in a hotel apartment. Guest houses in Melville usually offer rooms with a garden meaning that in the sunny seasons spending time outside is bliss, and will definitely be a winner with the kids. This making it the perfect scene for a relaxing stays indoors an outdoors.

Everyone is welcome:
Travelling in groups and staying in a hotel or Inn makes it difficult to have a central place to meet for families with small children. Different bedrooms can cause many problems. In a guest house the problems are virtually eliminated. Facilities such as dinner tables for evening gatherings, using the lounge area for meetings and having fun together during the day or simply relaxing outside in the garden around the pool, thus making guest houses in Melville ideal for groups.

The Feeling of Freedom:
People who have stayed in a hotel or Inn all know that it’s not much fun trying to creep around at night and not disturb your host, family members, or other guests. Having to get dressed for breakfast can be a drag when staying at a hotel, especially if your idea of a break is staying in your dressing gown until noon. On the other hand, choosing a guest house means you have the freedom to relax, sleep in, or just stay in your pyjamas for the entire day if you choose. So take the facts into consideration before visiting the Johannesburg area or anywhere else for that fact and enjoy your holiday to the fullest and have that home away from home feeling in a guest house rather than a common hotel environment.



Thursday, 14 April 2011

Micasasucasa, A Guest House with A Flair

When is comes to accommodation in Johannesburg people have mainly three choices to choose from. How to choose between these three accommodation spots is a not a difficult decision if you pause and think about the following factors when considering which one best fits you. This blog is focused on South African accommodation which is in its own league compared to other countries on this continent as well as most parts of the world.  South Africa, guest houses can be small and cozy or very large mansions indeed. South Africa also has a specific rating system for hotel accommodation establishments to help you pick your level of comfort. To start off we will discuss the hotel which is a common choice for most and you usually receive the same results no matter where you stay. You sleep in a room with plain walls, a television, and one or two windows with literally no view unless you are on the beach or at an exclusive resort location. You pay a standard rate for a room that is usually not worth it but you will get to sleep and with a hotel that’s the best feature, sleep. Then you have the Bed and Breakfast also known as "B&B" which can range from simply cheap to somewhat extravagant. Even though I rate a B&B fairly high compared to the average hotel you can certainly find some low budget, low quality dwellings in this market as well. On a positive note
A guest house, also known as "guesthouse" is truly different to a hotel. In most parts of the world a guest house is similar to a bed and breakfast, where as in other parts of the world guest houses are a type of inexpensive hotel-like lodging. It is sometimes a private home which has been converted for the use of guest accommodation. The owner usually lives in an entirely separate area within the property and the guest house may serve as a form of lodging business.

When visiting the Johannesburg area particularly Melville, guest houses are the only kind of accommodation available suitable for visitors who have no local relatives to stay with. Among the features which distinguish a guest house from a hotel, bed and breakfast, or inn is the lack of a full-time staff. But don’t think for a second that the service will be lacking. I can speak highly of Micasasucasa one of the elite guest houses in Melville and the outstanding customer service all imbued with its distinctive African flair and warmth. The discerning visitor can choose their resting spot assured that the one thing all residences have in common is the signature Mi Casa Su Casa ambiance... a true home away from home. You won’t find the quality of a boutique accommodation from a hotel chain like you can in a guest house or bed and breakfast around Johannesburg. They tend to be owner managed, and due to their size you will receive the best customer service there is to offer. So my choice would be a guesthouse, B&B, and finally a hotel. I hope this helps you decide during your visit to South Africa.