Alastair Sawday: What have they done for you lately?

Using press and magazine advertising, brochures, mailings - old hat or still cost-effective?
olive
Posts: 1588
Joined: Mon May 28, 2007 7:50 am

Post by olive »

"I'm glad it's working"
GG, that's not the work LV wants. She wants bookings that she wouldn't have got without paying for Sawdays.
We rent out a property that we only want to rent in high season so we only use one rental site. It could be any of them - HR, holl lettings, OD - we choose the cheapest. (The property is fully booked for that period.)
User avatar
Giddy Goat
Posts: 9054
Joined: Sun Jun 12, 2005 7:38 am
Location: UK
Contact:

Post by Giddy Goat »

Yes, agree 100% and it would be nice if my enquiries from Sawdays were not just late ones for already booked periods!! :roll: Anyway, there's still plenty of availability for 2009 and we'll see if we get bookings for otherwise hard to sell periods from that quarter. Our 2-year subscription is just at the end of its first twelve months.

However Olive, the point LV and I have made before is that when people find our website via another route (OD etc), we feel that having Sawday's logo on the home page will have helped swing the balance in our favour on a number of occasions. Sawday's is by no means a household name but lots of people I know use the guides; when they see that a property is listed there it does inspire them with that extra bit of confidence.
Nostalgia isn't what it used to be
User avatar
Normandy Cow
Posts: 2687
Joined: Sun Nov 28, 2004 7:14 am
Location: Normandy
Contact:

Post by Normandy Cow »

That's exactly what I have found too, GG, and it's the reason that I will happily renew my subscription for the second time when it comes up next year. It's one of the few sites that I can think of which actually come along and visit the property so the guests can be absolutely 100% sure that the property really does exist and has been vetted, and that to me is a major selling point.
la vache!
Posts: 11065
Joined: Wed Feb 16, 2005 7:22 pm

Post by la vache! »

Normandy Cow wrote:It's one of the few sites that I can think of which actually come along and visit the property so the guests can be absolutely 100% sure that the property really does exist and has been vetted, and that to me is a major selling point.
I'm still not totally convinced of that, although it doesn't do any harm. As I'm on site and chat to every guest we have here, I can confirm only a handful, if that, have ever even mentioned the Sawday's listing. 75% have probably never even heard of his guides.
olive
Posts: 1588
Joined: Mon May 28, 2007 7:50 am

Post by olive »

Has anyone had any news from debk (the originator of this topic)? She hasn't posted for over a year.
User avatar
Fil
Posts: 334
Joined: Thu Mar 22, 2007 6:33 pm
Location: Lisbon Portugal
Contact:

Post by Fil »

She wrote some of the most interesting posts ever in this forum.
User avatar
Giddy Goat
Posts: 9054
Joined: Sun Jun 12, 2005 7:38 am
Location: UK
Contact:

Post by Giddy Goat »

Agree- she's had a difficult year FIL but hopefully she'll be back.
Nostalgia isn't what it used to be
User avatar
pepsipuss
Posts: 3473
Joined: Sat Feb 23, 2008 10:15 pm
Location: Bédar, Almeria
Contact:

Post by pepsipuss »

Am resurrecting this thread to see if there is any more to be added by anyone who is listed.

When we used to have holidays, Sawday was our bible, and we have had many, many memorable nights. They were our inspiration for wanting to do B&B ourselves at our new house and when we finally get our guest suites decorated and the garden looking rather less than a building site, we will be advertising. I have been wondering about Sawday, but it is not at all the same deal in Spain in the sense that there are very few genuine B&Bs in the book and I wonder therefore if regular Sawday enthusiasts might not bother looking in it for a Spanish holiday.

Very interesting observations though about being able to use the Sawday logo on listings and one's own website to endorse the property.

Any input would be welcome.
For true domestic harmony it is essential that dogs know their place, which is below all cats

LMH Accommodation Offers Report
www.villa-rental-andalucia.com
http://www.fincalaserenidad.com
la vache!
Posts: 11065
Joined: Wed Feb 16, 2005 7:22 pm

Post by la vache! »

Apart from the one booking in Peak and a few enquiries for periods already booked, I don't think one person who has stayed here has ever even commented on the Sawday's recommendation and I talk to everyone who stays here. Or maybe it is just that the type of people who stay here have never heard of Sawdays and it means nothing
It is quite expensive and I'm not sure about renewing next time, athough it is nice to say that you have been inspected at some time.
User avatar
Normandy Cow
Posts: 2687
Joined: Sun Nov 28, 2004 7:14 am
Location: Normandy
Contact:

Post by Normandy Cow »

pepsipuss wrote:When we used to have holidays, Sawday was our bible,
Same here, and we have quite a few friends who also swear by it. But I have to admit that they are (and we were, in those days when I was working and we were living in London :oops: ) what I refer to as the Boden/Birkenstock/M&S food brigade(!)

All I know is that although I don't get many enquiries via their website, when I look at my wordpress blog stats, I do get quite a few links to my website from theirs:
27/1 - 1
26/1 - 5
25/1 - 5
24/1 - 1
23/1 - 1
22/1 - 2
21/1 - 3
So people are obviously finding me from the AS website, what I don't know is, whether they are the ones who do actually send me an enquiry - hopefully I will soon have statcounter set up which will give me a lot more information.

Also, I have had 3 weeks of actual bookings from them, plus one week which I passed on to a neighbouring gite as were already booked, plus this one, which I received in an email from the people who just bought my Ebay auction for my last minute availability next week:
I must admit that this does all seem a bit 'too good to be true' and I am almost expecting a catch somewhere alongs the line...but like yourselves there has to be that element of trust between us. Really I only saw your ebay listing by chance. I was infact after Alaistar Sawday's book 'Go Slow England' book. I got a Normandy break instead!!!!
So there you go. I had wondered at the end of last year whether I would renew this year as yes it is expensive, but I'm now pretty certain that I will continue.
User avatar
Giddy Goat
Posts: 9054
Joined: Sun Jun 12, 2005 7:38 am
Location: UK
Contact:

Post by Giddy Goat »

pepsipuss wrote:I have been wondering about Sawday, but it is not at all the same deal in Spain in the sense that there are very few genuine B&Bs in the book and I wonder therefore if regular Sawday enthusiasts might not bother looking in it for a Spanish holiday.
PP, I posted this on another thread only today - so proving that at least one pair of Sawday enthusiasts searched there for a Spanish holiday!
Giddy Goat wrote:We fired off enquirires to a series of B&Bs in NW Spain last year, all paying big bucks for inclusion in Alistair Sawday, and three of them didn't reply! This wasn't even for a particularly busy time of year!

Those we booked (over the phone) were also a little laid back I thought as we only had an emailed confirmation of one booking out of 5, and were travelling with a couple of friends.

I had visions of arriving and finding that they had no record of our reservation! :roll: All was well but it made us feel unnecessarily uneasy.
We were delighted with 4 out of the 5 places - the fifth looked fine on arrival, but the little seaside town was very run down - well past "shabby chic" ie, seedy even. So we cancelled at the 11th hour - were still charged for it which hurt but was understandable. It was the one time ever when the description of the surroundings had been over-romanticised!

We've still had no bookings from them however - lots of hits, but not enough to have made a difference - I think Google searches find us more efficiently, and the listing sites we use.
Nostalgia isn't what it used to be
la vache!
Posts: 11065
Joined: Wed Feb 16, 2005 7:22 pm

Post by la vache! »

NC, haven't you been with them nearly 4 years? 3 weeks booked in 4 years?
User avatar
Normandy Cow
Posts: 2687
Joined: Sun Nov 28, 2004 7:14 am
Location: Normandy
Contact:

Post by Normandy Cow »

No!!! :shock:

I meant 3 weeks booked so far this year.
2008 - 4 weeks
2007 - 3 weeks
2006 - 5 weeks
(and most of these were in the shoulder and low seasons).

Plus however many others may have been influenced, but did not enquire directly from their website.
User avatar
Giddy Goat
Posts: 9054
Joined: Sun Jun 12, 2005 7:38 am
Location: UK
Contact:

Post by Giddy Goat »

Normandy Cow wrote:Plus however many others may have been influenced, but did not enquire directly from their website.
Yes, this can't be underestimated. Actually I remember now, we had a half booking for this year in May. The guest couldn't recall whether it was Rentability or Sawdays she found us on, :lol:

Money's on Sawdays ...
Nostalgia isn't what it used to be
Post Reply