First guests of the year wobble.....and nesting birds....;-)

From the moment they step through the door your bookings become guests, and their experiences determine whether they ever come back.
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Big Sis..
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First guests of the year wobble.....and nesting birds....;-)

Post by Big Sis.. »

Weve got our first guest arriving early today and Im always a little sensitive with one ear to the phone........ but just got such a nice text....
Hi Ros,We are all really really happy with both villas thanks so much its been a great first day...Louise .

Ah......... see this rental larks a piece of cake :D :wink:
Last edited by Big Sis.. on Sun May 29, 2011 12:59 pm, edited 1 time in total.
brenda
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Post by brenda »

Congratulations Ros.

Our latest Guests arrived an hour ago - all I can say is that it is going to be a LONG fortnight!!!
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Sue Dyer
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Post by Sue Dyer »

That's cheers for Ros's guests and jeers for Brenda's!
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Big Sis..
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Post by Big Sis.. »

Thanks Brenda and Sue

We are daft arent we ...

We try to say........ Weve been doing this for yonks and whatever and Im sure itll all be Ok ......but im sure most of us worry that theyll like what they find.

I sent her a nice text back, thanking her for taking the trouble and wishing her a happy holiday etc.........and shes replied saying they want to book for next year....How nice :D
I will cherish this feeling....... Itll help, hopefully, when we get the moaning minnies later in the year.......... :roll: :D


Ow dear Brenda......I really dont know how Id manage being as onsite owner :roll:
Last edited by Big Sis.. on Sat May 28, 2011 2:34 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Mouse
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Post by Mouse »

That's lovely Ros...and a confidence boost for the coming season.

Our first guests are due in a couple of hours...and yes, it is still nerve-wracking after all these years!

Mousie
x
One martini, two martini, three martini floor!
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greenbarn
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Post by greenbarn »

sue dyer wrote:That's cheers for Ros's guests and jeers for Brenda's!
Nice one; I'll second that! :D

We've got an amazingly simple solution to "first guests of the season" nerves - we're open all year........ Still remember the "first ever guests" nerves, though. Only 3 years ago.....

We've got some nice guests in at the moment; a family who've taken two of our properties celebrating a 50th (along with three lovely Border Collies) and two geriatric biker couples (their own description) in the third property, enjoying the best driving and biking roads in Britain. More of the same, please. That's probably put a curse on the last minute booking arriving tomorrow...... :?

We've also got some unwanted guests trying to squat - a pair of swallows attempting to build a nest inside the entrance porch to one of the properties. I keep removing the mud they've stuck up over the front door, they keep putting more up..... Never mind, I have a cunning plan......
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Post by la vache! »

Good for you Ros! It is always nerve wracking, for some reason. My gites are open all year, but the 'full' season kicks off in April and I still get the collywobbles that first week. When the guests are nice, and extremely complimentary, it makes the rest of the changeovers a lot easier.
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Mouse
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Post by Mouse »

When the guests are nice, and extremely complimentary, it makes the rest of the changeovers a lot easier.
absolutely LV!

Mousie
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One martini, two martini, three martini floor!
lorca
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Post by lorca »

Mouse wrote:
When the guests are nice, and extremely complimentary, it makes the rest of the changeovers a lot easier.
absolutely LV!

Mousie
x
Couldn´t agree more! It also makes it much easier to feel like helping out when they want advice etc...

Good for you Ros, and hang on in there Brenda. We did B and B for a while and found that some guests could be much more demanding than the average self-caterer. Hope they settle down.
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windrush
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Post by windrush »

Greenbarn wrote:
We've also got some unwanted guests trying to squat - a pair of swallows attempting to build a nest inside the entrance porch to one of the properties. I keep removing the mud they've stuck up over the front door, they keep putting more up..... Never mind, I have a cunning plan......
Careful! You may be committing wild bird crime.

http://www.rspb.org.uk/ourwork/policy/w ... index.aspx

We're open year round too but I think I get first guest nerves with every arrival. Today has been changeover day and I've been waiting for the phone to ring, as I do most Saturdays. It hasn't rung.
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greenbarn
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Post by greenbarn »

windrush wrote:
Greenbarn wrote:
We've also got some unwanted guests trying to squat - a pair of swallows attempting to build a nest inside the entrance porch to one of the properties. I keep removing the mud they've stuck up over the front door, they keep putting more up..... Never mind, I have a cunning plan......
Careful! You may be committing wild bird crime.
Indeed - that's why I need to ensure they don't get as far as building the nest, and block access if necessary (that's the cunning plan, involving a large piece of perspex). Once a nest is built it's sacrosanct. It wasn't that many years ago that I learned that keeping an old nest is illegal; once abandoned, a nest has to be either left in place or destroyed.
I purposely left a gap above the door into an old stone shed which is a favourite for swallows, and they've got lots of other far more suitable sites where they won't get disturbed.

Sorry - Thread Creep! :oops: (Although another fine example of the day to day challenges of being in this business!)
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wallypott
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Post by wallypott »

Greenbarn wrote: We've also got some unwanted guests trying to squat - a pair of swallows attempting to build a nest inside the entrance porch to one of the properties. I keep removing the mud they've stuck up over the front door, they keep putting more up..... Never mind, I have a cunning plan......
GB they've become rare in France apparently because they French don't have any qualms about destroying the nests etc. I am going to have to put a plastic sheet over our heads, I think, in the garage to protect everything stored in there. My car looks like its been s**t bombed.
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Post by Hells Bells »

Sat in our garden last night as it was getting dark, watching the swallows. Then the bats came out.
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greenbarn
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Post by greenbarn »

wallypott wrote: My car looks like its been s**t bombed.
:lol: We've got one pair building in the store where I keep the quad bike; I'm thinking of putting a paper target on the seat - 10 for a bull, 9 for an inner etc. We're inundated this year - I've counted five building sites, plus martins, and I haven't been looking very hard. I'm wondering if it has anything to do with the UK weather; down south they have drought conditions and the RSPB are asking people to make up mud for nest building, while we've had a sensible amount of rain and there's plenty of natural mud around. Maybe that's driven more up to this part of the country. I just don't want them building on the door surround two inches above the entrance to one of the properties, as they may well get disturbed and abandon the nest later.

Helen - bats were out in force here last night as well. Ours are mainly pipistrelles; we had one get in the lounge once and I had to pick it off the curtains so I got a close-up look at it. Cute little things.

Sorry Ros and Brenda for the total hijack :oops:
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Big Sis..
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Post by Big Sis.. »

Sorry Ros and Brenda for the total hijack
Hijack :? whatever do you mean...........? :wink: :D

(itssokay) 8)
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