Net Assist Celebrate 2 Years in business,

Following two years of rapid development, a West Cork based company celebrated its success amongst clients, tourism heads and local politicians on Thursday, 21st June. Net Assist, headed up by Sandra Maybury, is located in Dunmanway, and boasts clients the length and breadth of the country.

Having identified a gap in the market for her area of expertise, Maybury, 31, set up Net Assist in June 2005. In the hotel industry for many years, she had specialised in the area of GDS (Global Distribution Service) and Internet Distribution Systems, third party contracting, web optimisation and training. She previously headed up the internet distribution departments of some of Ireland’s fastest growing hotel groups including Choice Hotels Ireland and Ramada Hotels.

“Initiatives such as Net Assist confirm that Cork South West can facilitate any business venture, large or small through widely available broadband,” commented newly elected Fianna Fáil TD, Christy O’Sullivan.

The internet age has revolutionised the way many businesses market themselves, and it is no secret that the global travel and tourism industries were one of the first sectors to embrace the e-business marketplace. In Ireland, the travel and hotel industries were led by this trend and government bodies such as Fáilte Ireland invested in internet marketing and booking engines to capture this growing market. Gulliver Ireland, who operates the national booking engine for Fáilte Ireland, reports of €10 million delivered to hotels in 2006 (46,036 online hotel bookings) and were represented at the event by Anna Foley and Brian Miley.

At hotel level, internet sales and marketing is a key focus area, with dividends of between 20-30% of revenues directly related. As the global e-marketplace is aggressive and constantly changing, hotels often find themselves struggling to stay abreast of the complexities of the marketplace.

Since start up, Net Assist has seen considerable growth in a short space of time, confirming the demand for this unique and specialised service within the hotel industry. Sandra, together with an experienced team of ex-hotel professionals, offers a comprehensive support service to independent and group hotels, such as The Lynch Group and the O’Donoghue Ring Group. Other high profile clients include Ashford and Dromoland Castles, as well as the new deluxe Lyrath Estate in Kilkenny. Working with over 30 hotels in the country, the Net- Assist team offers full consultation leading to contracting and staff training.

Speaking during the event, Director of Sales at Aghadoe Heights Hotel, Deirdre Sands, said: “Net Assist are constantly abreast of the changing face of this market and can pass this knowledge to hotels to ensure maximum sales.” Commending her team of four, Sandra Maybury said: “Our team has a wealth of experience in the hotel business, therefore we speak the same language and can pass on our knowledge of the complex online network.”