BookaHouseboat launches in A'dam - with a big bang
The team of BookaHouseboat, the first world wide houseboat rental site, kicked of their marketing campaign in Amsterdam on Friday September 2nd with a thrilling launch party. After a luxury cruise on a traditional saloon boat the gathered press was invited for a genuine houseboat experience on one of the most exhilarating floating homes the city has to offer.
Text: Juul Steyn Photograpy: Maarten Brante
What a houseboat party it was - a great start of BookaHouseboat in Amsterdam! (Photo: Maarten Brante/Bookahouseboat.com)
The official launch was done by the Dutch comedian Lebbis, a houseboat owner and writer for Vlot Magazine, the national magazine dedicated to living on the water. He was clear about all the great things of staying at a houseboat.
Comedian Lebbis (left) gives a hilarious speech about why you should rent a houseboat instead of buying one. (photo: Maarten Brante/BookaHouseboat.com)
“The feeling of freedom, lack of direct neighbours and amazing views are all great reasons to buy a houseboat. Sure. But think again.” And then the harsh, yet funny reality kicked in when he told the rest of his story. Lebbis: “When buying a houseboat nobody tells you that you will be terrorized by shitting spiders with the size of a hamster. Nobody tells you about the maintenance that’s involved. And nobody tells you about the sewage pump that needs to be cleaned. The big hard lumps of faeces that have to be removed. By hand. Nobody tells you that! That’s the reason why you should never ever buy a houseboat. No, please take my advice and be smart: rent a houseboat!” We could not agree more with him.
Share the Freedom of Floating
The press - a wide variety of national news papers, life style blogs and magazines – enjoyed the houseboat experience and got to know why we love to share the freedom of floating. Noël van Bemmel, head of the travel section of the Dutch national newspaper De Volkskrant: “If I would live here, I would for sure start every day with a dive into the water. Can’t imagine a more refreshing start of the day. Along with the great atmosphere of such a special accommodation this makes a stay on a houseboat a truly unique experience.”
The gathtered press sharing their houseboat experience. (Photo: Maarten Brante/Bookahouseboat.com)
From cosy narrow boats to floating villa’s
Not only the sole experience of staying on the water is appealing. Wout Maas, editor at Marketing Tribune explains his view on BookaHouseboat: “The broad variety of houseboats makes this platform special. Finding cosy narrow boats, traditional barges and luxury driving water castles at one website is a true unique selling point. Love the concept!”
View on the water from the living room of the housebaot where the launch party took place. Not a bad view huh? (Photo: Maarten Brante/Bookahouseboat.com)
Connecting houseboat fans all over the world
“The freedom to stay on the water is not comparable to a stay at any other accommodation”, says Pepijn Niesten, co-founder of the houseboat rental platform. “The experience and the freedom that comes with staying at a houseboat is a unique experience in itself, apart from the destination. I find it amazing we are really connecting houseboat fans all over the world. And I’m glad our guests feel the same way.” (Photo: Maarten Brante/Bookahouseboat.com)
Co-founder Pepijn Niesten: "It's great to connect houseboat fans all over the world!" (Photo: Maarten Brante/Bookahouseboat.com)
More information: www.bookahouseboat.com
Find below an impression of a great houseboat party in Amsterdam
All aboard! (Photo: Maarten Brante/Bookahouseboat.com)
A short cruise brings us to the houseboat for the official launch of BookaHouseboat. (Photo: Maarten Brante/Bookahouseboat.com)
Lovely people sharing a great experience. (Photo: Maarten Brante/Bookahouseboat.com)
The girls of Whatthevogue.com just could not stop sharing their houseboat experience. (Photo: Maarten Brante/Bookahouseboat.com)
Juul Steyn - co-founder and houseboat fanatic - during his speech. (Photo: Maarten Brante/Bookahouseboat.com)
The BBQ was taken care of by Mike Burnett - a genuine South African braai master. (Photo: Maarten Brante/Bookahouseboat.com)
Bubbles! (Photo: Maarten Brante/Bookahouseboat.com)
Thanks to all those great people who made our official launch in Amsterdam an amazing event! (Photo: Maarten Brante/Bookahouseboat.com)