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www.iknow-cornwall.co.uk is the latest regional accommodation website to be launched by iknow-uk. The release of the company's second South West site is timed to provide Cornwall accommodation providers with the perfect opportunity to receive more online bookings than ever before during the important month of January.
iknow-uk Managing Director Marcus Simmons: "We have not previously been able to launch 2 websites within a matter of weeks but the large investment we have made in advanced web development is starting to pay off. This means that in 2007 we will be aiming to launch at least 2 new websites - a dramatically faster rate than before but without compromising on the quality. We know that you can only deliver outstanding results to your customers by having exceptional websites that are visited thousands of times a day."
www.iknow-canaryislands.co.uk becomes the second overseas accommodation website produced by iknow-uk for iknow-holidays - the online travel agent which operates under license from iknow-uk.
The site incorporates an exciting new feature - the Lowest Price Search. Ever had that nagging feeling that the price you are given for your accommodation booking on a holidays website is not the best price available? Worry no more! Most accommodation websites only show the price for the dates you select. What they don't show you is that by changing your travel dates by just a few days you could save anything up to £100 or more on your holiday accommodation.
Within days of launch the site received its first booking and is already attracting hundreds of visitors each day. iknow-uk Managing Director Marcus Simmons: "The new features on this site make it a class-leading product and with all the bookings it has already generated show that holiday makers are responding very positively."
Marcus adds "The early success of the sites for iknow-holidays shows how we can transfer our site concept into related markets very successfully. I believe that we can apply our technology to many market sectors which is a very exciting prospect for us but also for many small businesses that require an effective online presence."
iknow-uk Managing Director Marcus Simmons has been short listed for 'Entrepreneur of the Year' by the North West Society of Chartered Accountants. The awards ceremony will be held on Thursday 23rd November 2006 at the Barton Grange Hotel near Preston and be hosted by the BBC North West Tonight anchorman Gordon Burns.
The awards are designed to "honour the tremendous achievements of the area's best businesses, entrepreneurs and advisors." Sponsors include Yorkshire Bank and KPMG. The Entrepreneur award is to recognise the exceptional individual who can best demonstrate outstanding vision and leadership in the establishment and development of an owner-led business. The judges will look for clear identification of a market opportunity, innovation, integrity and professionalism, growth and evidence of strong financial performance."
For more information about the awards and the North West Society of Chartered Accountants see: http://www.icaew.co.uk/NorthWest
In their first agreement of this kind, Whitby Hospitality Association can now offer members a new way to increase their bookings and capitalise on the recent upsurge in UK tourism. The association has entered into an internet advertising agreement with online accommodation provider iknow-yorkshire, to offer their members the first proactive marketing tool available through the group.
A forward-thinking association, Whitby Hospitality are always looking for new ideas to help their members and improve the services they can offer. Chairman, Dick Brew comments "This is the first proactive marketing tool we have been able to offer our members. Support is vital, but the vast majority of our members also want more business. We hope the agreement with www.iknow-yorkshire.co.uk will help us offer this and provide our members with all the advantages of internet advertising."
Dick, who owns the Arches Guest House in Whitby, has been listed on iknow-yorkshire since it was set up in 2003. He now receives 90% of his internet bookings via the site and believes it to be the most cost-effective way of promoting his business. He adds, "iknow-uk offers the best promotional deals with the best returns and is becoming the most effective internet advertising tool in the marketplace. It is a very cost-effective way of marketing, which capitalises on the tremendous increase in online bookings we have witnessed in recent years, and it's great we can offer our members discounted listings which will help them grow their businesses"
Managing Director, Marcus Simmons, comments "We're thrilled to be offered the opportunity to work alongside Whitby Hospitality Association. They are the first association of its type to approach us and negotiate a deal for their members. We?re hoping it leads to more tourism associations offering a similar approach, as we know we can help accommodation providers increase their bookings."
iknow-uk have been short listed for the 2006 Startup Awards (www.Startups.co.uk). The awards comprise of 15 categories, each showcasing the best new businesses in the UK and attracted hundreds of entries. Endorsed by the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and underlining its commitment to identifying and rewarding the UK?s best new businesses, the third annual Startups Awards is organised in conjunction with NatWest.
The winners will be unveiled at a prestigious awards ceremony and three-course luncheon to be held at the Royal Garden Hotel in Kensington on Friday 20 October.
On hearing the news Marcus Simmons, MD iknow-uk, said "I am delighted that iknow-uk has been recognised by the Startup Awards. We have previously won a number of regional North West awards but this is the first time we have entered a national competition. As we expand our business it is important that we gain ever more exposure so that our customers continue to receive more enquiries and bookings. Our sites are visited by up to 100,000 people each week looking to stay in areas covered by our websites and this is increasing all the time. Many potential customers are still concerned about where they can advertise online and get excellent results from reputable companies. Being recognised by such prestigious national awards will help hoteliers make the right decision by advertising with iknow-uk".
July sees the launch of www.iknow-majorca.co.uk - a website where people can find and book accommodation in the Spanish Balearic Islands. The site sets new standards in speed and ease of use compared to many existing sites. Within a week of launch hundreds of visitors were finding and using the site with several thousand pounds of bookings being made in the first month of operation.
The style of the site will be familiar to users of iknow-uk websites, such as the look and feel and the regional focus, but there are several important differences. iknow-majorca is the first website to be launched by iknow-holidays ltd, a new online travel agency who operate websites under license from iknow-uk. It is also the first iknow site with integrated availability search and online booking.
Iknow-uk Managing Director Marcus Simmons: "I am very excited about this new venture for the company and am confident that the iknow-holidays websites will make inroads into the overseas accommodation booking market as effectively as we have in the UK. We considered that the license arrangement was the best way to expand overseas as it funded the development of the new site while also tapping into the great experience of the travel industry acquired by the iknow-holidays staff.
These sites are also great news for our UK customers. The additional income generated by the license agreement will help to fund more UK sites and provide great experience for us in the online booking arena. I am sure that the increased site network together with increased brand awareness the result should be more UK visitors making more bookings than ever!"
Third time lucky for award winning iknow-uk at the 2006 BIBA awards. After being short listed for the last 3 years for Excellence in E-Business at the Lancashire Business Awards the company triumphed ahead of stiff competition.
The judges made the award to iknow-uk because it has placed e-business at its heart and demonstrated increased sales and profits as a result. The company has demonstrated an effective marketing strategy to leverage broadband connectivity and that benefits have occurred within the business and to its customers through investment in e-business.
iknow-uk employees Sharif Khan, Michelle Simmons and Ian Baxendale received the award on behalf of the company at the glittering Awards Ceremony at the impressive Empress Ballroom, Winter Gardens, Blackpool on Friday 3rd March 2006. Sharif, Programming Development Manager, commented that the award was 'the results of fantastic team work by all those involved in the company.' He also dedicated the award to Marcus Simmons and his partner Eve Saint, iknow-uk MD and Marketing Executive respectively, who could not be their with a new baby boy being born just hours later!
Marcus Simmons later commented that 'it has been quite an amazing few hours for me and the company!' He later reflected that 'above all this award is great news for our customers. The more the achievements of this company are recognised the more it spurs us on to greater things. This means more sites, more enquiries and more bookings for hotels, B&Bs and holiday cottages around the UK."
www.iknow-devon.co.uk is the latest regional accommodation website to be launched by iknow-uk. The release of the company's first South West site is timed to provide Devon accommodation providers with the perfect opportunity to receive more online bookings than ever before during the important month of January.
A one month free trial awaits local accommodation providers so that they can try before they buy. Marcus Simmons, Director of iknow-uk says "The free trials are particularly important in an advertising market saturated by websites that simply fail to deliver results. We only ask for money once our sites have demonstrated their ability to provide high quality booking enquiries. In most cases the annual subscription is paid for by bookings made during the free trial period."
The Devon site is the first website iknow-uk have produced for the South of England. Marcus Simmons says "We know we have a formula that works extremely well in the North of England and this is the first opportunity accommodation owners in the South will have to tap into the award winning performance that we provide. A site is also planned for Cornwall later this year and other Southern areas will follow that."
iknow-uk have introduced the simplest availability calendar available to UK hotels, B&Bs and Holiday Cottages with the aim of producing maximum results from minimum effort.
Most availability calendars need to be updated each time a room is booked to prevent double booking taking place. This can be a real head ache for independent proprietors who have a hundred other things to do other than sit in front of a computer all day.
The iknow-uk calendar is so simple because it summarises the availability of the property and not individual rooms. So if one room is available the property shows availability. The enquiry system means that more detailed information is exchanged only when a potential booker enquires.
Properties that use the new system report significant increases in enquiries and bookings.