22 March 2012
A new hostel reservations ecommerce venture has opened its doors in Jersey and taken on local job-seekers to train as part of its operations.
Bed Reservations Ltd has been set up to sell nights at backpacker hostels. Currently they take reservations for stays at 2 London backpacker hostels and are hoping to expand their model to other hostels in London and, potentially, Europe.
Company owner Berrie Darsonval said that she had worked closely with States of Jersey departments, firstly with Locate Jersey to relocate the business from Guernsey and then with Back to Work to hire her staff. Bed Reservations opened the doors at their West Centre office at the beginning of March.
“Economic Development were supportive of us from the beginning and we worked closely with Wayne Gallichan to get the set up right here. I was also aware that there were a lot of young people looking for work and contacted Back to Work to see how they could help us find the employees we needed. Their screening process meant that we were able to interview the right kind of people for the roles,” she said.
Berrie goes on to say that the employees would be taking online reservations for nights at the backpacker hostels in London and dealing with any follow-up to the bookings. “We are a young company and it is crucial that our employees have a grasp of both the technology that we need to use and the concept of hostelling itself. We wanted to see people who know and use social media. Our target market is broadly among 18 to 40 year olds and the technology they are using is increasingly mobile. Our staff need to understand that way of life,” said Berrie.
“This isn’t a concept that has been tried a lot in Jersey and hopefully it will give our employees different opportunities. I truly believe in training people and developing and promoting them within the company,” she said.
Back to Work
Back to Work team member Sophie Le Sueur said that the contact with Bed Reservations had offered locally qualified people the chance to take positions in a new and exciting venture. “We dealt directly with Bed Reservations to place young people who were not working and were delighted that the company has employed 4 of the people we suggested for interview. The Back to Work team would welcome the chance to speak to other employers in a similar position and see what we can do. This was a fantastic way for young people to get access to these jobs and we wish them the best of luck,” she said.
Economic Development
Economic Development Minister Alan Maclean, said that Jersey welcomed genuine business approaches which could deliver something new to the Jersey economy and create local jobs.
“Where we can do so we will offer support and practical assistance for companies which want to set up in Jersey and contribute to the Island’s economy. Ecommerce is a growth industry and the owners of Bed Reservations have based their business on a market they know well which should give them the flexibility to adapt to future changes in technology,” he said.
gov.je