[JuliainDorset]

Hi,
I'm not into sailing myself, so I'm hoping to pick the brains of the community on here. Hope no one minds!

I have a holiday home overlooking the 2012 Olympic sailing venue in Dorset, UK. I won't describe it any further here, as I don't want people to think I'm advertising it. It's just that I'm interested in letting it out over the Olympic games, but I don't have a clue where would be a good place to advertise or what it would cost.

Has anyone on here booked accommodation for the Olympic sailing events? Could you let me know where you found it, or the places you'd expect to look for that sort of thing? Is there anything I could do to make my house seem more attractive to the sailing community?

Many thanks in advance.

 

[Faster]

We recently hosted the 2010 event in Vancouver... there was much speculation about just that sort of thing... 'everybody' was going to make a killing.

In the end once the cities involved got into taxes for such schemes I don't believe as many rewards were reaped as what had been anticipated. The Olympics seem to be very closely controlled events.

Your venue may differ, and of course I'm sure that many such deals were out of sight and under the table.. On this side of the pond we have selling/trading sites like Craigslist which were the path of choice for most, I think.

 

[QuickMick]

while I know my fellow sailors are all gentleman and ladies and would never make a mess, if you list it/let it i would consider some form of screening process.

a gaggle of drunken louts may do more in damage than you make...though it would seem that the Olympic clientele would have a reasonable modicum of respect...

part of the $ equation, it would seem, are the amenities.... rooms, loo, view, etc etc. i wouldnt be surprised if there isnt some sort of temp agency that specializes in this.... i imagine they do the same thing at augusta, super bowl etc.... good luck.

 

[JuliainDorset]

Faster - Thanks, yes there's a lot of talk in this area about whether the event is going to bring any lasting benefits. Personally, I think having the eyes of the world turned on our beautiful seaside, for however short a time, can only be a good thing. (Plus we already have improved roads, etc, ready for the games.) I'm just thinking of letting my place out to people coming along to watch the event, rather than getting involved with the organisation in any way.
I've heard that Craigslist is big in the US, but we don't really use it over here. Is there a specific sailing section that it might be worth me listing the house on? Do you know how much it would cost?

QuickMick - Thanks for the reply. I know what you mean, it is a bit of worry that we could end up with a group who turn out to trash the place. It's our holiday home and not somewhere we usually let out. But apparently there is a big shortage of accommodation at the time of the games and prices have tripled - as we're not particularly interested in watching the sailing it would seem too good an opportunity to miss out on. There is a local agency who I've been speaking to, but they don't seem too keen on taking on houses who only want to let for the period of the games, and the set-up costs to get on their books are quite high. I was thinking it might be more economical to place an advert somewhere that would be seen by the people who have tickets for the Olympic Sailing.

 

[HarkSkipper]

Thousands have profited.

Here's what we tell homeowners who are looking for this kind of advice:

"Your home rental opportunity exists for approximately one month around the time of the Games. Posting an attractive advertisement on our site with the best photos possible is the first step to attracting a global audience of potential guests.
Pricing your home properly is one of the most important determinants of your success. Your approach should be to offer the most attractive value among your competitors on the site.
Do a search yourself. Put yourself in the position of a visitor who is looking for a home like yours, and see what the other people are asking. Eliminate the ones that look unreasonable, and price yours close to the most competitive prices on the site. Remember, you and the other homeowners are competing for the same visitors.
It is early going yet, and demand presently exceeds supply, so you are wise to list your property now. Try not to over-price your home, or you may waste the opportunity. As the Games get closer, prices of well-located one-bedroom homes will decline to the level of a hotel room of similar quality, and additional bedrooms will be somewhat less expensive.
We hope this helps.
Best regards,
Your (commercial link deleted)
Listings are free, and you should be successful if you list your home properly using the instructions above. Let me know if you need further assistance.

 

[QuickMick]

This is a perfect example of what this site is not about. Shameless self promo. Buy an ad you tightwad or at least declare your affiliation.

 

[HarkSkipper]

QuickMick, are you always this grumpy? I've made no secret of my affiliation. Learn to read.

 

[QuickMick]

Didn't see where you mention you work for them, and given your aloof, dare I say grumpy, reply I promise to never give you business or give your site traffic. Bandwidth costs money so buy an ad if you want to ad.

 

[QuickMick]

BTW 'thousands have profited' sounds like grandmothers losing their retirement ... might wanna rethink your value proposition.

 

[HarkSkipper]

Back to the subject at hand...

Didn't see where you mention you work for them, and given your aloof, dare I say grumpy, reply I promise to never give you business or give your site traffic. Bandwidth costs money so buy an ad if you want to ad.

Thanks for your useless input, but actually I'm not here to solicit your business or anyone else's. This is a forum provided for the free flow of information sought and offered. The man asked for advice, and I provided quite valuable information him and any others in his position. You, on the other hand, have distracted readers from the purpose of the thread. Why don't you mind your own business and we'll mind ours?

 

[smackdaddy]

Juliain,

Have you looked into these guys?

Dorset Vacation Rentals, United Kingdom, HomeAway

They are a very popular and reliable service here in the States.

 

[smackdaddy]

Thanks for your useless input, but actually I'm not here to solicit your business or anyone else's. This is a forum provided for the free flow of information sought and offered. The man asked for advice, and I provided quite valuable information him and any others in his position. You, on the other hand, have distracted readers from the purpose of the thread. Why don't you mind your own business and we'll mind ours?

Yo, crustypants, you might look at the Vendor rules for the site before getting all uppity on QM.

 

[QuickMick]

Thanks for your useless input, but actually I'm not here to solicit your business or anyone else's. This is a forum provided for the free flow of information sought and offered. The man asked for advice, and I provided quite valuable information him and any others in his position. You, on the other hand, have distracted readers from the purpose of the thread. Why don't you mind your own business and we'll mind ours?

Sure pal... in fact thank you for your expertise. Doubt our benevolent benefactors at sailnet will agree but as you said my input is useless.. I'd consider giving up cold calling and learning to sail, heck even own a boat, it may change your outlook.

 

[JuliainDorset]

Oh gosh, sorry if my post sparked a quarrel there chaps! I appreciate the info, I'll leave it to the rest of you to discuss motives, I haven't been around here long enough to know what the dispute is about!

And thanks very much for the link smackdaddy, haven't come across that site before so I'll take a look.