Lost a booking

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Val
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Lost a booking

Post by Val »

What a shame. It seems I've lost a booking due to not having WiFi.
I've no plans to provide this facility; I wonder how much it would be worth providing it, in terms of how many people would actually really desperately want/need internet access, as opposed to those who would just use it because it was there.
From knowledge of my two daughters, who are on it every waking moment, I would prefer to be away from it for a change whilst on holiday so we could do other things/have a conversation.
But I realise some people may want to keep in touch online/ keep up with emails-even work while away.. and teens, like mine , may be grumpy/get withdrawal symptoms away from their laptops!
Still on balance I'm not inclined to provide internet access.
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Mouse
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Post by Mouse »

You will lose the guests who need to stay in touch with work/family/friends etc. as to some people (including us) we have to have access even when on holiday.
But you're the owner Val so it's always your decision.

We all lose business through one reason and another and if income is important then we need to keep up to speed with the market, and the facilities that become essential are the ones we need to take notice of.
IMO not providing something because it's what you prefer when you're on holiday can be detrimental to business as you may be in the 10% and not the 90%. The start point has to be what your customers feel they need.

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Moliere
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Post by Moliere »

I thought the same way 4 or 5 years ago, then I realised WiFi was an absolute essential. Since then, I can say (hand on heart) that it's been worth something like £40 or 50,000 in bookings for us - a good investment.

I had to learn the hard way that I couldn't let my personal conceits stand in the way of the guests' requirements - they are the paying customers, and depending on what your target clientele is, you have to reach out and offer them what they want. To not quite quote David Cameron, "Simples"!

It's your choice, of course, it's your house, but I would keep an open mind as to the potential gulf between what you would want (daughters excluded) and what your guests might ultimately want.

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Val
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Post by Val »

It would be interesting to know just how many do consider it essential. I can't agree it's a 'conceit' to choose not to provide WiFi. After all, if you're on a computer you might aswell be at home
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Mouse
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Post by Mouse »

After all, if you're on a computer you might aswell be at home
There in lies the essence for many 'guests' i.e. they want to feel 'at home' whilst on holiday.
Plus don't forget that the internet is very much a form of communication these days...many have iphones etc as well as laptops.
I would imagine if you're used to having an iphone/itouch whatever with internet access then to do without must feel to some like having a straightjacket on.
For example basic research on the area, maps, telephone numbers of businesses (taxi's, takeaways, restaurants etc) info on 'what's on' plus sightseeing opportunities are so easy to find online now.

Anyway I think if you search you will find a couple of threads on this subject and in the main I recall that those that decided to include WiFi as a facility got additional bookings. Your clients may be be different though.

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Post by la vache! »

Val wrote:It would be interesting to know just how many do consider it essential. I can't agree it's a 'conceit' to choose not to provide WiFi. After all, if you're on a computer you might aswell be at home
I consider it essential and so do most of my guests, many of whom are families. People don't just use their iPhones, laptops, Blackberries here for work, they use it for personal reasons - to find out more about where to go visiting, check the weather forecast, find local recipes they can cook etc. And wifi is essential for most teenagers now. People aren't on their computers non stop by any means, but internet connection is nevertheless a very useful thing to have on holiday.
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Nemo
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Re: Lost a booking

Post by Nemo »

Val wrote:From knowledge of my two daughters, who are on it every waking moment, I would prefer to be away from it for a change whilst on holiday so we could do other things/have a conversation.

But I realise some people may want to keep in touch online/ keep up with emails-even work while away.. and teens, like mine , may be grumpy/get withdrawal symptoms away from their laptops!
Therein lies a problem for many. You want your children to come on holiday with you but without all the toys they want to stay at home. So yes, if you can provide what they have at home, they are happy (even if they still don't talk to you!)

I too love a holiday without phones/computers etc, but realistically it's a problem now to be without internet access for more than a few days. Work, for those in this field and many others simply cannot be confined to "working hours" and holidays cannot be free from work. If anything this job is more anti social than many, as many enquiries come at evenings and weekends.

I personally don't provide it at present, but the service can be paid for if required. So whenever I am there I purchase it for my own use. I hope for the time being, that it at least gives the option to the guests.
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Normandie
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Post by Normandie »

Val wrote:After all, if you're on a computer you might aswell be at home
But I don't feel it is for me to impose my views on what guests should or should not do on the holiday they're paying for. Within reason and the Ts&Cs, obviously. ;-)

In other words, I should make these decisions on a business basis, not a personal opinion basis. I can choose not to provide wifi because as a rental owner, the downloading laws concern me / available deals are too expensive / broadband isn't available where I live etc but I don't feel I can choose not to provide it on the grounds that I don't think guests should be using it on holiday.

I do now provide wifi - I would have done so last year but hadn't figured out how to do it efficiently. I know I lost several bookings last year because it wasn't available.

It's limited to guest sitting room and our kitchen because wifi does not transmit well through 3ft granite walls but it is usually one of the things that guests confirm specifically with me by email during the pre-booking discussions: do you have broadband internet connection, preferably wifi?

It's not just kids in front of the pc; it's adult work-related stuff, checking in with family - whether "family" be kids home alone or aged parents, it's uploading photos to an online account... no longer can we decide that a guest shouldn't want to do that. If we ever could.
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greenbarn
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Post by greenbarn »

My feeling is that very soon guests will expect an internet connection in the same manner that they now expect a colour tv.

I'd say the majority of our guests make use of it, for all the reasons given above, and for a significant number the lack of it would be a deal-breaker.
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roxytoo
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Post by roxytoo »

I would love to put wifi in our places in Spain but the cost is too prohibitive at the moment, I think my bookings would rocket if/when I can do it! I have approached a company who have quoted 299euros upfront and then 30euros a month which I can switch on and off after laying out for a 6 month contract..................
lorca
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Post by lorca »

roxytoo wrote:I would love to put wifi in our places in Spain but the cost is too prohibitive at the moment, I think my bookings would rocket if/when I can do it! I have approached a company who have quoted 299euros upfront and then 30euros a month which I can switch on and off after laying out for a 6 month contract..................
Roxy, we´ve had wifi in our (one and to bedroom) cottages for about 3 years - we could provide it at no extra cost to ourselves as we´re on site (apart from a more powerful router to get through the 2ft thick stone walls...)

We were more dubious about our 5 bedroom house (two villages away, and much harder to let). However just over a year ago we bit the bullet and installed it (ours costs around 40 euros a month plus IVA from iberbanda). The difference it´s made is huge - we´ve had a number of long lets of around a month (Canadians travelling with their teenagers who do their schooling online, a couple of journalists based in France who wanted a change of scene), plus many more shorter breaks where wifi has been a deal breaker. This has been by far our best year in the big house. Go for it!
Nightowl
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Post by Nightowl »

It's a definite Must Have for London rentals, I'm asked about it all the time and we do provide it. But we don't provide a fast enough connection for downloading films etc; just enough for a decent internet search speed and business mails.

I think guests use it a lot for finding out about where to go and last minute tickets for theatre etc, as well as keeping in touch with business emails. On the odd occasions when there is a problem I'm always told very quickly.

I don't think my guests spend all day on it though, most of them are out all day sightseeing but none the less, they do want to be able to use it in the evenings.
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Ju
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Post by Ju »

After years of resisting - due to cost mostly - we had internet installed at the off site houses a year ago.

I know that guests use it, as they ask me if they can't connect (normal technical issues) but I cannot honnestly say it has earned me a penny extra in rentals. It costs us about 400€ / year for unlimited broadband.

I don't like it because it is another "techy" thing to go wrong (like the satelite tv) but I accept that it is now essential to many UK renters.

I find most french guests to be very surprised to find it, and rarely use it.
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Post by e-richard »

Picking up on various issues in the above (all very interesting mind you):

Today, the internet is a lot more than just work.
Holidaymakers may use it to explore local attractions, events, restaurants etc.
Holidaymakers use email - they don't send postcards.
I've had guests email me with non-urgent questions.

Last year, we had guests overstay when the dreaded ash cloud hit and not only were they able to keep up with the latest airline info, but keep in touch with me to ensure continued occupancy.

There are just so many reasons to have an internet connection, and they need not be work related - although, lets face it a very large proportion of our customers also do take work away with them.

:idea: I've just had a new thought as I type this.

I'm even going to put my Villa handbook on-line so that it can be kept up to date, guests can read it before they go, and with lots of hyperlinks its going to be easier to manage than a thick book of paper.
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Post by la vache! »

Ju wrote: I cannot honnestly say it has earned me a penny extra in rentals. It costs us about 400€ / year for unlimited broadband.
Maybe not extra, but perhaps not having it installed would have cost you bookings?
I find the French use it too, as much as other nationalities. Not if there are just staying for the weekend, but I've had French guests in for week long stays over the last month and there have been several of them using my wifi (I can keep a check using the Livebox admin page).

I'm even going to put my Villa handbook on-line so that it can be kept up to date, guests can read it before they go, and with lots of hyperlinks its going to be easier to manage than a thick book of paper.
Great idea, e-R! I send out a file of info on things to see and do when I confirm the balance payment, but it really could do with updating and sending hyperlinks will be a lot easier.
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