Beachside Retreat West Inlet - Janette Bishop

"Our overseas bookings have actually increased, and I was surprised at the large amounts of money people were prepared to spend in advance."

As a young student nurse in the Channel Islands, Janette Bishop supported herself by driving hire cars for tourists.

While she’s still an island dweller, and still working in tourism, Janette’s life is very different to those early days in the industry.

Janette and her husband Chris operate the award-winning Beachside Retreat at West Inlet, a gorgeous sliver of north-west Tasmanian coast just outside Stanley.

Beachside Retreat is flanked by creamy sand dunes, native coastal bush and verdant farmland. Chris and Janette run the property in tandem with another passion – raising prize Maine-Anjou cattle. These fine looking beasts, considered among the best in the nation, spend apparently blissful lives dining on a gourmet diet of lush, north-west grass.

Managing a prize cattle farm and a successful tourism operation clearly leaves little idle time, particularly in a competitive market like Stanley.

‘There are 40 bed and breakfasts in Stanley, so you have to work creatively to promote your business’ says Janette.

Two years ago, it was this philosophy, and unwavering customer focus, that led Janette and Chris to move from a manual to online booking system for their business.

‘The tourism market was moving towards online and we knew that this was what our customers were expecting, particularly international guests who want to book 24/7 and prefer to pay in advance.’

The move has brought many benefits.

‘We don’t hire any staff here, so this system became our virtual employee. If we’re working outside on the cattle property, the bookings are still coming in and we don’t have to be beside the phone or constantly checking email.

‘With online bookings, the money is paid upfront. This is especially good during low season and ensures a more even cash flow for the business. We also have fewer cancellations because people have already paid and know they’ll lose a night’s accommodation cost if they cancel.

While Janette knew that going online would improve efficiency and save time, there were some unexpected benefits.

‘Our overseas bookings have actually increased, and I was surprised at the large amounts of money people were prepared to spend in advance. Families will often book and pay for a 10 night booking on the spot.’

Moving to an online system has given Beachside Retreat access to around 30 distribution channels.

‘We have exposure to many other distributors for our product, and we don’t pay the high commissions that we used to. There’s also a time and cost saving through the reduction in emailing and phone calls. And, I don’t spend so much time on the Internet!

‘We keep a detailed guest database and a third of our business comes from online bookings and I check with every guest to find out where they heard about us, so I know my figures are accurate.’

While Beachside Retreat is now listed on dozens of distribution sites, bookings still come through the property’s own website.

‘Your own website is always the most important thing – the other distributors are a tool, but you have to maintain and develop your own site.

Janette and Chris have written and designed their own website for Beachside Retreat, which they update on an almost daily basis.

‘There’s always something new to say, something changing’ says Janette.

While the couple had no hesitation about the security of doing business online, there were some initial concerns about a possible lack of personal guest contact.

‘That was new to us. But there are always some people who need extra assistance, so I still get plenty of emails and phone calls.

‘Overall, going online is an excellent thing and we wouldn’t be without it. It puts us up on a level playing field with the rest of the world.’