STAY INDEPENDENTLY IN IRELAND

Would you like to advertise your cottage with Stay Independently?
(€100 first year, €60 per annum subsequent years
NO BOOKING FEES, NO COMMISSION, NO OTHER CHARGES)

If you wish us to consider your cottage for addition to Stay Independently
please contact us on the email or phone number below

info@stayindependently.com

Contact: Elizabeth Alderton - 00 353 58 47477

PLEASE!
If you contact us please provide us with both your email and your telephone number
- in case the return email does not work!

We always reply to your emails, so if you don't hear from us within 48 hours,
it may not have reached us, so please try again.

More details about our service are given below

We started Stay Independently ourselves in 2002 because we realized that neither property owners, nor visitors, were getting a fair deal from many companies offering advertising on the internet. We wanted to:

Advertise holiday accommodation effectively on the internet at a fair and reasonable price for the owners
Allow you to describe your property in full and thus make sure that visitors can really see what the accommodation they choose is like - this gives people confidence about booking.
Enable visitors to book direct with you, the owner, at your price.

We have more than achieved our objectives and our members have commented that they have received enquiries and bookings “well beyond our expectations”. Additionally, they have told us that they appreciate the benefit of being able to direct people to the Internet to see in detail what their accommodation is like.

How Much does it Cost?

First Year - €100.00 (inc VAT) - this includes the design and production of your own property’s web site
Subsequent Years - € 60.00 per annum (inc VAT)
NO COMMISSION OR BOOKING FEES

We already have a web site, can we still join in?
Yes, provided this is a stand-alone web page (or website) owned by you that does not to link back to pages which are part of other organisations' websites. In fairness to other members of the Stayindependently group, we can not offer links to the kind of pages which offer an exit route by way of links to tourist boards, to accommodation directories, or to other properties not owned by you. Your subscription charge will be €50.00 per annum.

What exactly do you get?

1. Your own, unique web site
We will create a really individual web-site for your property consisting of 3 pages, with up to 8 different pictures and an unlimited number of words. (We recommend only 3 or 4 pictures per page to maintain acceptable viewing speeds for internet users.)
2. World wide visitors via the Internet
The full details of your accommodation will then be included on our composite ‘Stay Independently in Ireland’ website where world-wide customers can search for their accommodation requirements. You may also use your individual web site with any other booking system or advertising group (e.g. Bord Failte).
The Stay Independently website is advertised on the Internet using the main search engines - Google, Yahoo UK etc.. (More details are given on the attached sheet )
3. We will give you ‘hand-holding’ support at all stages, should you need it, i.e. the personal touch (not all of us are, or want to be, computer literate!).

Would you like to join us?

It’s very easy, We just need to have the details of your property and the pictures you would like included. We’d like you to describe your property in the way that you want, in a way that you feel will really encourage people to come and stay with you. Please take a look at the enclosed sample web site page - feel free to describe your accommodation fully and also to describe the activities that are most appropriate for your guests in your area. As much or as little as you like. Just write it down on ordinary paper and remember to send us the pictures as well. Include pictures of your accommodation inside and outside and also pictures of the local area and visitor attractions. We will get in touch with you by phone to make sure we have all the details we need.

Here are a few questions you might like to have answered

When do we pay you and are you taking commission or booking fees?

We will create your web site before you pay us anything - your payment will not be due until you are satisfied with the way your web site looks. We will provide:

First Year

1 Initial creation of your web site. If you would like more than 3 pages on your web site that is fine. We will make a charge of €20.00 per additional page with up to 4 pictures per page.

First and all subsequent years

1. Maintenance of and minor changes at any time to your web site e.g. rates, phone numbers etc.. If a whole new design is needed, or a new page, then we would charge €20.00 per page.
2. Advertising and marketing of your property on our evolving, composite ‘Stay Independently in Ireland’ website.
3. As much on-going support as you need.

First Year - €100.00 (inc VAT)
includes web site creation and first year’s subscription
Subsequent Years - € 60.00 per annum (inc VAT)

The yearly subscription is payable annually, on the anniversary of your first payment.

There are NO other charges and there is NO commission taken on your bookings. We won’t be taking any bookings on your behalf. Your visitors will contact you and will deal with you direct.

Do I have to have my own computer?
No, but it would be nice for you to see what your property looks like ‘on-line’, so perhaps you could ‘borrow’ the use of one for that purpose. And no need to worry, we can help you every step of the way.

Do I have to be registered with Irish Tourism or a similar body?
No, but if you are registered with such an approval body please include that information in your description. We’re not approving properties or setting standards and we will include your property even if it isn’t registered, however, customers usually feel more comfortable with booking if they can see that a property has been approved by a recognized body, such as Irish Tourism.

OUR BACKGROUND

Elizabeth Alderton

For 13 years Elizabeth has been Director of Weald Software Services providing computer systems for such companies as National Power PLC, TNT International in the UK, Coolmore Stud and Camida Ltd in Ireland. (You can see Stay Independently on the Internet at http://www.stayindependently.com).

Judy Alderton

Judy has been designing computer systems for more than 20 years and her most recent position was as Senior Advisor on IT development to the Chief Executive of a large multinational company.

FOR THE TECHNICALLY MINDED

1. The composite site will initially make use of a search facilities using keywords for properties such as:

Activities = Golf, Fishing, Riding, Hiking, Music, History
Sleeps = however many (self-catering only)
Region = South, South East etc.

Facilities details such as:

Disabled Facilities, Children Welcome, Pets Welcome

Other search options will be added as they become appropriate/required.

2. The listing of premises will then show:

Name, contact details, Sleeps (sc only), Location, Nearest Town, County, Price Range, main picture, short description.

These results will be ordered in a random fashion to make it fair for everyone.

3 A link from the listing will take people quickly to the accommodation’s individual web site.
(N.B. Speed of performance and ease of navigation are essential features of a successful website - visitors to a ‘slow’ and complex site rarely persevere with their enquiries)

4. Internet Marketing

Initially this will concentrate on search engine positioning:

Purchase of inclusion on search engines and ranking such as Google and Yahoo UK, using Google, Espotting and other pay by click services that give good value

These are the most relevant means of advertising at the moment, different search engines and different methods will be applied if these are beneficial.

Where possible links and advertisements will be obtained on appropriate web sites such as travel web sites, car hire, or sites about Ireland.