Since opening its virtual doors on Monday, 4 March 2013, LekkeSlaap (sleep well) has been trailblazing the way for the online Afrikaans community. If you haven’t yet been introduced, LekkeSlaap is the world’s first completely Afrikaans online accommodation booking website and gets its name from the Afrikaans expression “Lekker Slaap” (which roughly translates to “sleep well”). In less than 2 months, LekkeSlaap is already one of the top Afrikaans brands on Facebook, with more than 38,000 Facebook fans (the number increases too quickly to give you an exact count) and thousands of unique visitors to the website. In addition to the strong Facebook presence, you can also find LekkeSlaap on Google Plus, Pinterest, Twitter, and Youtube.

“The reaction from the public has been overwhelmingly positive and we have been showered with compliments from satisfied users,” says LekkeSlaap’s Marketing Manager, Denise Neethling. “We are very excited about LekkeSlaap and proud to offer a lekke online accommodation booking service to the Afrikaans community, something they’ve been deprived of until now.”

Gewortel in Afrikaans

We managed to steal Denise away from her jam-packed day to answer a few questions…

Q: Why is LekkeSlaap is so popular?
It is gaining popularity, because no matter how comfortable you are in another language, nothing beats doing things in your mother tongue. It’s all about being in your comfort zone. There’s no fear that someone is trying to sway you with words you don’t understand. Afrikaans speakers are very proud of our language and being able to do things in Afrikaans makes us feel more at home. Offering LekkeSlaap in Afrikaans immediately gives it an edge. Straight away, LekkeSlaap was adopted as a brand that Afrikaans speakers could form a community around – just look at the response on Facebook!

Q: We’ve heard you on OFM Radio. Can you tell us more about that?

Every month we’re featured on OFM Radio’s show, The Travel Effect. We tell their listeners about interesting places to visit, things to see and do, and the awesome specials they can get on accommodation. We are very grateful for this opportunity! Tune in to 94 – 97FM or listen live on audio streaming on OFM.co.za. We announce chat dates on our Facebook and Twitter pages.

Q: There’s a lot of activity on your Facebook page. What’s the best way for people to get in touch and find accommodation?

While we can assist via Facebook, the best way is by visiting our website, www.lekkeslaap.co.za. It really is the fastest and easiest way. Guests can browse the various places and once something catches their eye, they can conveniently check for availability and book online. Tjop-tjop! We are, however, happy to help and guests can call our Afrikaans speaking agents on 021 201 8901.

Q: Should English speaking users use the Google translate option?
LekkeSlaap is an offshoot from TravelGround, which is an English accommodation booking website. TravelGround gives users the exact same experience with access to the same establishments, so rather visit www.travelground.com than use Google translate.

Q: Afrikaans is such an expressive language! What Afrikaans phrases should every tourist know?

Hallo, my naam is: Hello, my name is

Braai is lekke! : Barbequing is awesome!

Ek hou van die land: I love this country

Wat is jou naam? : What is your name?

Ons kuier baie lekke hier! : We’re having a great time visiting here

Q: Are there any travel trends that you’re picking up with the Afrikaans community?

Oh definitely, we’ve been able to identify the BIG 5 travel trends that make a holiday lekke!

  1. The clear front runner is “Where can I take my pets?” Afrikaans people are very fond of their honne (dogs), and any other pet for that matter.
  2. This is closely followed by “Can we braai there?”  This should come as no surprise! A vleisie oppie kole (meat on the coals) is a must on holiday.  The last three are…
  3. “Is there a swimming pool?”
  4.  “Do they have safe parking?”
  5. “Is it wheelchair accessible?”

Q: What are the most popular regions requested?

It seems the most popular regions at the moment are the West Coast (Western Cape), and KwaZulu-Natal’s North and South Coast.

Lekkeslaap table mountain

Q: Which destinations do you think are most under-rated?

Clarens in the Free State, Riebeeck Kasteel in the Western Cape, and a few gems in the Northern Cape.

Q: What has been the most unusual request you’ve received for accommodation?

Ooooh, what happens at LekkeSlaap stays at LekkeSlaap… No, just kidding! Nothing particularly weird, but we have been asked if guests need to take their own tents and sleeping bags when booking camping spots. And the answer is yes, you need your own gear.

Q: Do you think LekkeSlaap would have had the same success if it was launched 5 or 10 years ago?

Yes. Although social media plays a huge role in people’s everyday life today, I do think LekkeSlaap would have been just as well received 10 years ago. It may have been on a smaller scale, but success for this kind of offering was and is inevitable. People have always travelled and will continue to do so. Being able to browse and book accommodation online – in their home language – is a huge step forward for the Afrikaans community. There is still a huge gap in Afrikaans online and we are very proud to be one of the few purely Afrikaans websites – especially one that offers thousands of accommodation websites where people can “Lekker Slaap”. The fact that LekkeSlaap has filled the gap in terms of the Afrikaans online travel industry is a bright feather in our hats! A big part of our success is the social media magic of Facebook, which only really hit South Africa about 6 or 7 years ago. Although success was sure to follow, social media has helped to increase the speed and scale of it.

What other questions do you have for our klein, maar ge-train (small but already trained) sister, LekkeSlaap?