Trevalgas Cottages
Trevalgas Cottages is a small complex of 14 self-catering cottages at Poughill, near Bude. It was run as a family business until 2001, when the owners sold the cottages individually. Some of the new owners got together and have been operating ever since in an informal co-operative, having bought the rights to the www.trevalgascottages.co.uk website. This informal letting group now markets nine properties, with the individual owners managing their own cottage and all bookings.
One of the cottages, Briar Patch, is owned by John and Betty Gimson, who live nearby in Poughill.
“We went onto broadband as soon as it became available in Bude, taking advantage of the free installation and a rebate from actnow. As we carry out all the administration of the cottage bookings from our home, it made a huge difference to us. We were now able to respond instantly to enquiries, which made it more likely that an enquiry would convert to a booking. It enabled us to more easily update cottage availability on our web site as well as sending photos, graphics and other large files by email. The savings in time and money were immediate.”
Having been impressed by the benefits of broadband, it did not take long for John and some of the other owners to start considering installing WiFi at Trevalgas Cottages. “We were often asked about local internet facilities by guests and we usually referred them to the local library, but I sensed we could do better than that!”
During 2005, the co-operative carried out research with holidaymakers to establish the level of interest in having broadband available in the cottages. The answer was a resounding ‘Yes!’
As there was only one telephone line on the complex, WiFi was seen to be the best broadband solution for Trevalgas Cottages. John says “We got a substantial amount of technical advice from actnow, as well as a subsidy of £486 on the full costs of over £1000. This meant we could afford the hardware we needed. The subsidy enabled us to buy a wireless antenna, router and six access points, thus providing a good quality signal in all cottages. The site is on a slope, with many trees and about 110 metres between the cottages that are furthest apart, so it was imperative that we invested in technology that could be relied upon to do the job for us.”
“We offer wireless broadband as an added value service to guests. We did consider offering a managed service but in the end we felt it suited our customer philosophy to include the service within our all-inclusive price. It would have felt churlish to ask for a few quid extra for broadband use, as well as being an administrative burden. We wanted a service to which people could help themselves, if authorised, but we do say that we are unable to offer any technical support.
“It is hard to quantify to what extent offering broadband has increased our bookings, but it has definitely increased the appeal of the cottages and hence our competitiveness. Guests often say how much they appreciate the service. Most of our bookings come from the web, so our guests are mainly internet savvy. These days, people want to be able to continue using the net when they are on holiday, whether to keep in touch with friends and family, keep in touch with the office, or use it to find out local information. Having broadband is a part of their life that they do not want to leave behind when they go on holiday.”
John concludes “Broadband has been a boon to the way we operate our holiday business. Not only has it made our day-to-day administration and communications easier, it has allowed us to improve the value of our proposition. Thanks to actnow, making these changes has also been hassle free and affordable.”
