Email Copy - Website Launch

What was Waytostay?

Waytostay was an apartment booking site which provided short-stay apartment rentals across Europe. At its peak the company had around ninety full-time employees and a significant share of the short-stay market. Sadly, if you visit the Waytostay domain today you'll find only a ghost-website. The tsunami-like expansion of Airbnb meant that Waytostay became marginalised and the company was sold in 2014.

I worked as a full-time English copywriter in the six-language content team. Since English was the company's "lead language", web copy was often composed and approved in English before being translated to other languages (French, German, Spanish, Portuguese and Italian).

During my time at Waytostay an entirely new website was built from scratch (2011). Writing fresh copy for thousands of apartments was just the start. Everything from Customer Service Email Templates and FAQs to City Neighbourhood Descriptions and Landing Page Headers was required. Whatever writing project we undertook, our mission was to write always in accordance with the style guide for “Waytostay 2.0”.

Email Announcement - Website Launch

When we launched the new website (and CMS) we knew that we were asking regular customers, apartment owners and our affiliate partners to make adjustments. As the launch date approached, there was lots of lead-up communication to prepare everyone for what was coming. When the big moment arrived and "Waytostay 2.0" went live for the first time, we sent out the following set of emails. 

The news that "Waytostay 2.0" was live was provided in the title of the emails (not the headers below). Since most of the pragmatic points had already been communicated, the body text here was meant to reinforce the brand personality and sense of connection with clients, owners and partners. We wanted to be evocative, emotive and enthusiastic, allowing everyone to share in the excitement of the launch. 
 
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Go-live message to Customers

The new Waytostay. We're live!

We love it here in Barcelona.

There aren't many cities in Europe where you can kick Sunday off with a sunrise yoga class on the beach, for example. It's a pretty unique experience. Only in Barcelona, baby!

The cool thing about staying in our apartments is that unique city experiences are all around. Maybe your Sunday will start with a morning jog along the Thames. Or a gallery tour in Florence. Or a stroll around Madrid's outdoor markets. Or maybe you just want to watch the world pass by as you lazily breakfast on your Paris balcony.

Waytostay 2.0 brings all of these experiences closer to you, allowing you to savour every last drop of local vitality. And it's live from today!

On our brand new site - richer in images and info, and more sophisticated in design and functionality - it’s easy to dream up your perfect trip and find the apartment to match. We can’t put the smell of the Sistine Chapel online. Or capture the warmth of the sun’s last rays as you lie on your apartment terrace. But we will have your senses tingling with the anticipation of a memorable stay in a city crammed with possibilities. And when you get there, you’ll see that it was just like you thought, only better!

Of course, we still centre the Waytostay philosophy on having great apartments and outstanding customer service. We’ll never change that. But we hope that the arrival of Waytostay 2.0 will really take your apartment experience to a whole other level. So, go and explore. Have fun on our site, and have fun in our cities!

All the best,

Waytostay

Go-live message to Apartment Owners

Let’s get this party started!

So, what’s it to be? Jamiroquai or some classic Jimi Hendrix? Everything is ready, right down to the party playlist. Because the new Waytostay is ready to rock!

We’re really excited – and more than a little nervous – about unveiling the website. It feels like touching down in Rio de Janeiro. Or making a speech at a wedding. But the best moments in life always make the heart beat faster. So we’ll take it as a good sign that our pulse is pounding like a Berlin techno club.

As you’ll see, there are a lot of changes with the new site. We really wanted to transmit the thrill of an apartment stay in these great European cities, and we think we’ve done that with our new vibrant design. Also, we hope that the vastly improved functionality of the site (and admin system) will make the new Waytostay as enjoyable an experience for you as it is for our customers.

We’re proud of what we’ve made. But we’ll never forget that you guys are ultimately the keystone in the Waytostay bridge. We receive so many comments from customers commending you for your professionalism and politeness. And that is as important to our success as anything else.

Finally -don’t blush - but you´ve done an excellent job with your preparation tasks; especially in making sure that all the apartment info is bang on. We know that checking apartment details isn´t everyone’s idea of fun, but it does make all the difference. And don’t worry, we promise that we won’t ask you to count your cutlery again - well, at least not for a while! ;)

Thanks for your continued efforts. We couldn’t do it without you.

All the best,

Waytostay



Go-live message to Affiliate Partners

Looking sharper than ever!

So, the new Waytostay is finally here! New logo, new branding, new advertising and a newly designed website! Shall we do a twirl for you? How do we look in our new clothes?!

The sweet thing about the new Waytostay is that it’ll fit you perfectly too. Apart from being a whole lot more dynamic - and you’ll see this, as much as anywhere, on your new banners – we’ve made sure that you can plug in search boxes in exactly the size and colour you need. Tailor made!

We've always recognised the importance of your role in conveying our image and values. The bottom line is that if you promote our product, then you’re part of our brand. So we really wanted you to be totally involved and perfectly provided for in our new setup.
   
We’ll be developing all kinds of new advertising material and new formats in the months ahead. And if you’ve got an idea which you’d like to see developed, then let us know and we’ll give it a go!

It’s really exciting to see the site online. But without you guys there would be thousands of future customers who would never find it in the first place. When it comes to getting our message to the right people, your web presence is absolutely vital. So, thanks for giving the new brand the platform that we think it deserves.

Enjoy all the new materials (and the admin!)

All the best,

Waytostay