Name of your website?Vhavenda Hills Soweto BnB Accommodation
Your name?
Catherine
Your Location (city, etc)
Soweto
Please give us a short summary of your website?
Our website gives all the relevant information relating to our Bed & Breakfast (BnB) accommodation in the heart of Soweto - in the Vilikazi Street precinct which is effectively the central tourist area in Soweto. We are ideally located, within walking distance from all tourist attractions, and we offer safe, clean, affordable and friendly Bed & Breakfast accommodation. It's an ideal experience for a tourist - both from overseas and from South Africa!
What inspired you to launch your own website?
We wanted to get additional exposure to the overseas market. We believe we have something special to offer. Rather than stay in a hotel in Sandton, you can stay IN Soweto, with Sowetans. We have lived here for many, many years, and we offer a genuine Sowetan experience to all our guests, for a fraction of the price of an upmarket hotel, too!
When did you launch your first website, and what was it?
This is our first website. It was launched in 2007, and has been growing in popularity since then.
How did you decide on a name for your website?
We used a traditional African name, which we are very fond of. Guests can ask us where it comes from!!
What makes your website different from other, similar offerings?
We offer an authentic Sowetan experience. Plus, David, my husband, runs a successful tour business, which takes people to see Soweto and it's highlights, as well as other sights in Johannesburg and Gauteng. He can cater to anyone's needs, so you just have to tell us what you want to see, and we customise a tour to suit you. Very flexible! Very affordable too. So we offer an excellent option for tourists!
What is your eventual goal? (To sell it, keep it for income, secure a book or other mainstream media deal?)
We just want to grow our business and stay at the head of the Sowetan Tourism Market. We think we are doing a good job so far, hopefully!
How does your investment of time and money balance against your success?
We put all our time and effort into our businesses, so hopefully it will pay back that effort and reward us, at least to keep us going!!
If you had an unlimited development budget for development, how would you change your site?
We would advertise further and further abroad, and link up with more tour operators from overseas.
If your site got really big, really quickly, would you be able to keep up with the demand?
We could always keep up with demand, by using our friends and colleagues that run similar operations. We are quite happy to pass business over to them, if we cannot handle the busienss ourselves.
What unexpected costs and headaches have you had to deal with?
Every day a new request is made by a tourist! We try to handle all requests as best as we can.
What has been your biggest challenge?
Marketing. Competing wiht the established tour operators and the wealthy companies from Sandton, that are now operating in Soweto and making a lot of money out of it.
What method has been most successful for promoting your website?
Word of mouth is always best. If a customer has a really good experience when staying with us, then he/she will be sure to tell others, whenever they get the chance, of their wonderful trip to Soweto. And that person will most likely look us up too, then...
How has running your website differed from your expectations?
It has brought us exposure that we didn't think we would get, plus it has given clients much more security in knowing that they are dealing with a reputable company.
How long have you run the site already, and how long will you continue to keep it up if you don't enjoy big gains in traffic, income or popularity?
It has been going for nearly a year, and we will keep it going as long as we can!
What is your website address?
Vhavenda Hills Soweto BnB Accommodation
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