Bed in the Treetops - Bruce Annear

"Doing business online frees us up. It just takes the hassle out."

The words heaven and hospitality come up frequently in Bruce Annear and Marianne Clarke’s guest book.

That heaven is Bed in the Treetops—a private, luxury B&B is set high on Bruce and Marianne’s 80-acre property at Binalong Bay. With two stunning suites catering for six lucky guests at a time, the property is a perfect, private escape.

Providing heaven to guests, as any B&B operator will attest, is like a swan swimming on a pool of water. It should look effortless, but with an awful lot of work going on beneath the surface.

For Bruce and Marianne, doing business online is an essential part of making that work run smoothly.

‘Doing business online frees us up. It just takes the hassle out’, says Bruce.

Bruce and Marianne made the decision to go online more than two years ago, when a plan was proposed to link local operators in the area using the V3 booking system.

‘That unfortunately fell through’ says Bruce, ‘but we began using the software ourselves, and now that Tourism Tasmania are using V3 through Tas e-Connect we’re perfectly placed.

According to Bruce, moving to online booking has helped to further streamline his business.

‘Financially, it’s very smooth. We’re provided with detailed accounts at the end of the month and we always know where our bookings are so it helps us to keep a track of inventory. It’s all very easy.’

‘We’ve definitely seen an increase in our bookings over the six years we’ve been in business and our direct bookings have certainly increased since going with V3.

‘We’re meeting an expectation in the market that guests can view our property online, book and receive confirmation instantly.

‘The main benefit of being online is that people can come to you and deal with you direct.’

An added bonus of entering the online realm has been the choice of literally hundreds of online distributors.

‘We used to rely on Tasmania Temptations and a few agents here and overseas which was great—we still use some of those agents. Now each week we sit down and decide which distributors we will opt into and opt out of. There are up to 400, so we try to be quite selective.

‘Initially we made a decision that we wouldn’t use anyone who charged over 15% commission, but some of the larger sites, like PleaseTakeMeTo.com and wotif.com, are now coming onboard and of course we want to be listed with them. Some of the big players charge more commission but they’re worth it. So, we’re reassessing who we want to be listed with and how we make some of those decisions.’

Bruce stresses the importance of having a good website.

‘Your own website is really important. You don’t have to spend a fortune on something with masses of Flash player features on it that take two minutes to download, because no one will wait that long. You just need something simple that will download quickly. Stay concise, to the point and present your property well—where it is, what it costs and what services you offer. That’s what people want to know.’

In terms of the cost doing business online, Bruce’s philosophy is simple and straightforward.

‘The commission charged to be part of Tas e-Connect is pretty low, especially if you go through your own website, but commissions will happen no matter what you do. Banks charge for their services and this is no different. In the industry we’re in, you have to expect some outgoings to earn money—it’s a fact of life.

‘Doing business online opens up a huge amount of exposure for your business through the web. You’re out there for the whole world to see, so the benefit of doing that far outweighs the cost.

‘This is the 21st Century and this is the way we have to go.’