Please note that this service is only available to paid-up customers of Preferred Places. For full details of how to add your property
visit our place an ad page.

The Benefits of this system

Instant Answers for Users
We have included this system because of the increasing number of calls we had from people looking for accommodation and wanting to check availability. People expect the internet to give them instant answers. Although it is easy for people to find your details and send an email or telephone to see if your property is free, people often want the answers straight-away. Our system allows you to let users know straight-away whether they can make a booking. This also has the added bonus of saving you time dealing with people who will not become your customers.

Late Bookings Page
Our availability system feeds automatically into our late bookings system. This means that if you are using the system then any late availability will automatically be included on the late availability page without you needing to contact us. You can use the text box to display any late availability discounts or offers. It is therefore worthwhile entered your details for any late availability even if you prefer not to use the system as a whole. The late availability system includes properties for the coming 6 weeks.

For the Less Enthusiastic User
Of course you prefer not to use availability systems as you would prefer to make contact with the customer whatever the outcome. Perhaps you want the opportunity to offer an alternative date or simply do not have the time or facilities to keep such a system up to date. To accommodate your needs too we have made the system flexible. You can set the availability option to "enquire" and still include a full breakdown of your prices. You can state when your cottage is free or booked or simply when booked. The system is designed to meet all requirements. If you leave the system at the default setting of "Enquire" you will still be included on any search by date results. However in order to maintain more accurate results only cottages using the system will be included in late bookings listings. We therefore recommend that you use the system for any late availability even if you do not use it for the rest of the time.

Use The System On Your Own Website
Our system has been designed with no branding or links to others parts of our site. This is to allow you to link to the system from pages on other websites. The URL is hidden in the browser window so visitors to your own site will not know they are traveling elsewhere. Because the window appears as a pop-up they simply close it to return to your site. Why bother updating several different lots of availability when you can simply use one. Simply copy the code given at the bottom of your availability page when you log in to the system.

Owners of Multiple Properties

For owners of multiple properties, you have a choice as to have you use preferred places. We offer multiple property ads for £60 per year which allow you to list all your properties on one ad. Such ads however will only have one availability listing. We have tried to incorporate the needs of such advertisers by including a text box for additional information. This can be used to special offers or simply to state which property is free if you have more than one. You would list your availability are free until all your properties are booked for the given date and clarify which are free using the text box. Alternatively you can have separate ads for each of your cottages. This is obviously more expensive but we give a 25% discount to multiple ads and you have the advantage of having a separate availability listing for each property.

Getting Started

In order to use the system you need to be a paid-up advertiser on Preferred Places. You will be issued with an ID and a password. You then need to visit the owners page and log in. At this point you will have the opportunity to reset your password to your own choice. You will also be given the code for the unique URL of your availability page which you can use to link from from own website in order to get the most out of our service.

How to use the system

The availability administration system is almost identical to what you see in the availability window. Simply click on the date you wish to set, enter the appropriate information and click "save". You can reset any date using the "reset" button which will return the default settings. The default setting for availability is "please ask" so if you do nothing to the system all users will be asked to contact you for availability.

Start Day: This allows you to select your weekly start day. All start days will then be colour coded so users will know which date to select you determine the weekly price. You only need to set this the once as it makes every week the same.

Status: This allows you to display your availability. Choose from "available", "booked" or "enquire".

Price: You can enter the prices for the week here. NB Although the prices on your ads are given in sterling to allow users to search by price, you can enter your full price list in Euros if this is the currency you use. If you have multiple properties on one ad then you can use the text box to do this instead to allow you to enter prices for each property.

Other Information: This text box is to allow you to enter additional information such as specifying which property is free if you have more than one or promoting special offers and short breaks. TIP: If you are entering the same information, such as details of short breaks or a list of cottage names then simply copy and paste into the text box rather than typing it in each time.

Duration: This allows you to set your information in blocks so that you don't need to enter each day individually. You can choose from 1 day through to 7 days, 2 weeks or 4 weeks. Remember to set this each time and you can enter your prices and availability by week or even monthly if you have a simple price structure.

If you require any further help or information about our availability system then please do not hesitate to contact us.