I ended up in wonderful Shipston upon Stour running a luxury bed and breakfast after leaving the corporate world.
When I escaped to the country, I was running several major local government contracts across the South of England all at the same time. I therefore thought that creating a B&B in the Cotswolds would be a relatively easy project compared to what I was used to. Hmmm ….
So before starting, we analysed the B&B and accommodation market extensively. Over the years we also took extensive notes on places where we stayed and made sure we were clear on what we loved, what we disliked and why we thought that the venues were successful.
We came to believe that the Bed and Breakfast market in the UK and probably the rest of the world has fundamentally changed and that the marketing methods and old gatekeepers are in danger of becoming extinct.
We therefore knew that an excellent website was fundamental to our business so we searched long and hard for a web design firm that would meet our needs. In fact I looked at so many companies that I think I could now start a second career in advising Web Design companies how not to market themselves.
Eventually we found a North Wales company that looked good. However after some communication it was clear that they were disorganised, arrogant and placed the customer not even second but a very distant third.
We wrote them off quickly and after another long search we were fortunate to find a new company Riley and Thomas who, as an added bonus, were just up the road from us in Broadway.
A breath of fresh air
Mark and Quentin were everything we wanted and more. They were responsive, dynamic and (dare I use management speak) brought huge added value to our Shipston B&B though their extensive knowledge of the web, hospitality and business.
The outline process was a pleasure and working with them was as easy as pie. The site was completed on time and on budget and by using their design and suggestions, lots of bookings started coming in even before we had opened our doors.
Almost all of our guests now cite the website as one of the main reasons they chose us.
It has been a total pleasure working with them and I would not hesitate at all to recommend them to any business (not just a B&B).
