Bellerive House - David and Jacqueline Grant

"It’s what our guests want. And the great thing is that it’s one transaction and then the money is in your bank."

Bellerive House feels like springtime, even on a winter’s afternoon. Fragrant bulbs cling to garden borders and the welcoming kitchen is flooded with soft, warm sunlight. A gentle-natured and endearing retriever gets up from his comfortable-looking bed to say hello, as David Grant presents me with my drink—a chattering flute of cool sparkling springwater, with fine slices of lemon bobbing in its effervescence.

It’s an unasked-for touch of care and service that typifies David and Jacqueline Grant’s approach to this impeccable, heritage-listed bed and breakfast property.

The Grants, who live on-site, have operated Bellerive House since 2006. After eighteen months of running the business under a manual inventory system David first heard about online booking at their B&B Association’s AGM.

‘The booking system we were using then was basically a piece of paper!

‘It took me a while to get around to doing it, but we’ve been online now since around March-April 2008.

It’s a decision which has since proved its worth.

‘It’s what our guests want. And the great thing is that it’s one transaction and then the money is in your bank.

‘The other advantage is that when you’re fully booked—over Christmas and New Year—people can check your availability online. When people can look on the Internet and see you have no availability then the enquiries that used to come along during that busy time don’t happen anymore.

‘That’s probably an unrecognised benefit—when you’re busy and full, you’re not distracted by having to address so many phone and email enquiries.

‘There are still people who will look to see if we have availability and then call or email—that’s personal preference. Some people still want that personal contact.’

According to David the direct effect of online booking is simple.

‘It captures business.

‘We’ve been very lucky to have had some good reviews on sites like Trip Advisor and were now finding people, particularly English guests, are looking at that.

‘If somebody wants to come and stay the book now button makes it so easy. They book it straight away. It especially appeals to younger people who are computer-savvy.

‘This is another level of service we’re providing because there a range of ways people can book with us.’

While integrating the new booking system has been relatively smooth, inevitable computer issues have made accessing the right support essential.

I’m not the sort of person who can sit and look and a computer and try to work things out. If I’ve had an issue I just get on the phone because the Help Desk can fix it far quicker and I have better things to do! I’ve only had to do it a few times but I just call them, over in Perth. I recently bought a new computer and I needed them to help me set up and they did all that with remote access.

I just use this system for inventory management, but you can put a lot more information on than I do—invoicing, customer history and so on. There is massive scope to use it for all sorts of things. 

‘You can also use it to opt into distributors all over the country.’

So has going online made the Grant’s lives as tourism operators easier?

‘Oh yes’ smiles David. ‘From all points of view.’