Why use Perfect Homestay?
Do you want to share you home with interesting people from all over the world? Do you want to help people from foreign countries learn about your culture? Do you want to make some extra money?
- Instantly show availability times of your room/s throughout the year.
- No hassles reporting schedules to a homestay program; control your schedules autonomously.
- Keep your room booked constantly throughout the year with little effort and no cost.
- Your homestay details will be viewed by millions of users from all around the world.
- Upload to our site your complete home and family details, images and messages, giving you the best opportunity to present your family and home.
- No computer knowledge necessary - our database has been constructed to make your effort minimal.
- Find out about guests who are searching for a homestay in your area, then let
them know about your homestay before they make a choice.
- Eliminate the middle-man - Let our database put you in direct contact with the guests and save everybody time and money.
- Because guests receive a large amount of details before making a choice, you both stand a far greater chance of getting what you want and enjoying a better experience.
New user - how to use this site?
Please also see our "flash presentation movie" on the homepage for instructions.
- Step 1 - Register - If you don't register you cannot upload your details.
- Step 2 - Login using the username and password you registered with. This will be confirmed in an email sent to you after registration.
- Step 3 - Click the "My Homestay" button on the main left menu of the homepage (only viewable after you have logged in). You will now see a green "EDIT HOMESTAY" button in the middle of the homepage. Click this button and begin uploading your information and photos to the 4 sections shown - General Information / Family / Location / Booking.
- Step 4 - Once our admin has checked your information to be sure there is no unsuitable content, an email will be sent to you confirming approval and telling you how you, and others, can view your homestay details page; by using the "Search" or "Browse" buttons.
How much?
Our service is absolutely free for home owners.
How does it work?
Upload your information and make sure it is always kept up to date. Your homestay details will be accessible to millions of users from all around the world, except your personal information such as your address details.
Uploading images
Uploading photos onto PerfectHomestay.com
- There are a few places on Perfect Homestay which allow you to upload your images. These are easily identifiable by a button next to the image box saying, `Browse`
- Click the `Browse` button and a dialogue box will open.
- Choose the `Look in` option at the top of the box, and select the folder where you previously saved your pictures.
- Select the picture you wish to upload by double clicking on it.
- The maximum file size of your image must be 2 megabytes.
- Once you have uploaded all the images you want, select the `SUBMIT` button, at the bottom of the page.
- Your images will now be visible on the website. Search for your homestay and take a look
How to Convert Your Prints into Digital Format for Upload onto PerfectHomestay.com.
We appreciate that some people may not own a digital camera and so we have put together these guidelines to help you convert your photos into digital format.
There are 2 main options available to you. You can take the photographs to a professional photographer and ask him to convert them into digital format for you, or if you possess a scanner, you can scan the photos directly into your computer. In some places, your local Internet cafe may be able to do this for you.
Follow the steps below if you need step by step advice on how to use your scanner.
- Make sure the glass bed of your scanner is clean and dry.
- Lay the picture face-down on the glass bed of the scanner.
- Open the scanner software on your computer.
- Click on the "Preview" button. Your picture will appear on the computer screen. Ensure that it is in the right place and the right way up.
- Select the area of the picture that you wish to scan by using your mouse to move the dotted outline around your photo. Everything inside the dotted line will be scanned.
- If have you an option to set the resolution, select 72 dpi.
- Once you are satisfied with your photo, click on `Scan`.
- Once the picture has been scanned, you need to save it in jpg format. The Save As dialog box will appear. Store the image in your preferred folder, give it a unique file name and select .jpg as the file format. Click `Save` and your scan is complete.
- The image should be no more than 2 megabytes in order to be uploaded to the website. Find the image and right click the mouse button and choose properties. You can then see the file size.
If you take your photos to a photographer, he will put the converted photos onto a CD for you. You can then save them onto your computer. Store the image in your preferred folder, give it a unique file name and upload the .jpg files to the PerfectHomestay.
Ticketing system
This information does not apply to homestays directly, as this service is free
for you. However, it will be useful for you to know how the guest pays Perfect
Homestay for our service.
How much does it cost to use PerfectHomestay?
There is a one-time fee of US$20 which guarantees you the contact details of a chosen homestay.
How do I buy tickets?
After you search for a homestay using the search utility on the "Search for Homestay" button, you will be taken to a list of homestays. Choose "more info..." when you find a homestay youпїЅre interested in then you will see a "buy ticket" button.
Why do I get 3 tickets?
Some homestays may not be available to answer your request immediately or may not have updated their available dates. 3 tickets can be sent to your chosen families to make sure you are not disappointed. However, you will only be able to get the contact details of one of your chosen families.
What happens if I use a ticket to contact a homestay but get no reply?
If the family does not reply, then this is automatically registered by the database and your ticket is reimbursed allowing you to continue choosing until you have the contact details of a family of your choice.
What happens to my remaining tickets once I accept a homestay?
After both parties have accepted the remaining tickets are deleted.
Homestay Profile
When people are deciding where to go on holiday, they want as much information as possible about the accommodation, amenities and places of interest in the area that they will be visiting. Similarly, Homestay owners would like to see the people they are going to welcome into their home. With the Perfect Homestay website you are able to give prospective Homestay owners/guests all the information they could possibly need. Follow the tips below to create an attractive profile.
- Good, clear photographs play an important part in attracting the reader’s attention and encouraging them to book. When creating the details of your property, attach photos wherever possible. Think of brochures advertising hotels, they always show photographs enticing you to visit them. Remember the guests are thinking of living in your home for a fixed period of time. They really do want to see what it is like before they make a booking.
- When creating your family details, you have the option to post a sample message to guests. Adding a photo of yourself and/or your family gives a more personal feel to your profile. Take advantage of this feature. Mention things about your family, interests and explain what you can offer guests in the form of sightseeing, activities, food etc.
- Another area of the site where you can really “sell” your homestay to prospective guests is the Interesting Places section. Visitors may want to stay with people with similar interests. If the people in your household have a wide range of diverse interests, then select one from each of them and always include good, clear photographs. Shopping is obviously popular with the women and sport with the men, but also try and include historical buildings, spectacular scenery and places for relaxation. If you take full advantage of this section you can show that there are many different ways for people to enjoy their stay with you.
- The Interesting URLs section should be used to give readers the chance to do more comprehensive research into your area. Does your town have its own website? Do you have your own family website? Do your Interesting Places have websites? If so, include the URLs in this section.
Community
We encourage you all to use the community pages on the Perfect Homestay website. You can build up your circle of on-line friends, send them private messages or join in a public discussion by adding comments on the blog board.
The community pages are also a great way of letting other readers know about upcoming events in your area. You can chat with other users about a forthcoming event and then maybe arrange to meet up there.
For example: The Rugby World Cup will soon be upon us. A Homestay owner in France might post a message on the community page which attracts the attention of a rugby fan from New Zealand. The perfect Homestay match! You could go to the games together and I’m sure you’d have plenty to talk about afterwards!
As well as sporting events, there could be an annual festival, exhibition, or music event that you want to let everybody know about. The community page is the place to do it. The possibilities are endless. So, please make use of this feature to ensure you get the most out of Perfect Homestay.
