Lay My Hat Forum

[pepsipuss]

We have had hardly any enquiries for the usual 2/3 couples with kids this year. Normally our peak weeks are filled by shortly after Easter if not even before but it has taken till last week to fill even the whole of August and last couple of weeks of July.

We have had a number of enquiries from small single family groups (wanting deals, of course! and in the end we gave one whopper just to be rid of the last two weeks of July) and it occurs to me that maybe in the groups who normally travel together there are some people who are fearful of their jobs or been made redundant so the group has collapsed.

Anyone else with large properties had this experience?
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[Mouse]

My view Peps (based on what's happening here of course) would be that the family market is down, so that effects the peak weeks. So yes I agree with what you're saying.
Here there're villas with gaps in August which is almost unheard.

Having said that though we've quite remarkably booked out with mainly fortnights - unheard of, as people usually find money for a week bit not 2.

Last year friends with villas sleeping 10 struggled badly and this year took anything; mainly smaller numbers with discounts.

Interestingly the people with smaller properties; 3 beds, are doing OK.

I don't know how to call it for next year - but I think Ibiza is an expensive place for private accommodation and hotels and perhaps now the economy has hit the families they're opting for other places or the UK.

Thank god the euro is looking better - let's hope it lasts. Pricing in £'s and exchanging to €'s at least I don't have to put prices up to get more income per booking next year.

Mouse
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[la vache!]

I'm not sure what the problem is, Pepsi, my bookings for the big house sleeping 12 have been up if anything this year. April and May were booked with French groups, June - end September with UK groups. I think it helps that I'm near the ferry ports and transport is possibly easier to organise? Could it be the price of flights? I hope things pick up next year for you.
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[pepsipuss]

I don't think it's the flights, LV, as we have never previously had a UK booking in peak season -mostly Spanish and French arriving by car and Belgians who tend to fly. Interestingly the two small groups who have booked are UK, from Holiday Lettings (my first experience with them).

The Spanish do usually leave it very late and I guess if I had been willing to hold out another couple of weeks I would have got two of the four weeks at full price with them - I have been getting enquiries this week - but having so many empty weeks was making me miserable! Even so some of them are enquiring for weekends only - in August!!
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[Mouse]

ah - if you're missing guests are Spanish then it could be the crisis. Here it is dire. So so bad. I don't know anyone who isn't effected and the unemployment situation is nightmarish.

Not sure about Belgians or French. The Dutch market is holding up very well though.

Mouse
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[la vache!]

From what I've read and know about the French market, the crisis has touched France and although 70% will still take a summer holiday, most are staying in France. The cost of petrol/diesel is also making it more attractive not to travel too far by car. None of my students are going abroad this summer.
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[HelenB]

Lv, I have had lots of last minute enquiries from the French, and most are only going one or two hours drive from home. Both are staying for two weeks each though so saving on changeovers and cleaning .

[Big Sis..]

My guests are 90% British
....and Ive had a really good year[a LOT better than last year which was dire]......
but as some of you others have said I didnt fill all my peak weeks, which is unheard of .
Most of my peak bookings were made a year ahead, which is normal for me, family birthdays etc.......
I do think that its difficult for large groups to make plans, for all the reasons stated. I have increased my deposit this year as I thought there might be some cancellations because of this, but luckily I didnt. I also asked for the balance 9 weeks before with no problems.

I do think the Spanish are really struggling sadly,they tend to live such simple lives, I think, and have never been extravagant. So when they have to cut down they have less to give up, so I spose holidays really are considered a luxury. which of course they are.....

Rosxx
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[Chambo]

Bookings for our gite (sleeps 14) have been terrible! For the first time in 6 years, July has stood empty until a few days ago. We only booked it because we halved our prices to attract smaller groups - we ended up getting a 2-week booking through the discount code on the Holiday Lettings sale (took a further 25% hit but worth it to make some profit) and are only opening up 2 of the 6 bedrooms. Our guests have usually been mostly French but after dropping the prices we had about 10 enquiries for the same dates, all for small single-family groups! And that's after nothing for months upon months.
Odd year.
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[wallypott]

My early bookings for the beach house (12) went really well, but I've ended up with 2 empty weeks in July - so a massive loss, and worse than last year (my first) for July. Overall its ok, but I've had no bookings of late for the house. The two 2 bed properties have quite a lot of bookings, but its all pretty hard work.
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[lorca]

Our big house (sleeps 10) has been really struggling too - a few large groups, but we´ve also been taking small groups at big discounts. Even so we´ve got nothing like our normal number of bookings.

The biggest drop is our two bed family friendly cottage, which is usually full for much of the year with young families with under fives - older families and couples during peak. We´ve got a couple of bookings this month and nothing at all in August (two cancellations..). Pretty empty for the rest of the year too.

Our guests are normally a pretty international mix -about 30% from the UK, a good number from the US, Canada, France and Spain - plus Dutch, German, Belgian, some Scandinavians etc.

I´m still not sure what to make of it.
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[Bellywobble]

Our group bookings have been down as well.

I had a week in July that I couldn't fill and I still have an August week available. In previous years we could have booked July and August several times over.

I've had to heavily discount some peak weeks too.
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[charles cawley]

There may be no link, but we have noticed a significant increase for larger occupancy lets but the lower occupancy ones have not done so well this year.

Families staying closer to home might be the cause of all this?
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[French Cricket]

Slightly off topic, but on the Spanish thing: over the last week or so I've been inundated (as in 4 or 5 most days) with enquiries from Spanish people - all for very last minute dates, so none of which I've been able to take as we're full. They're all couples, because that's our market.

Interestingly, I've been looking at rentals in Catalonia (near the Ebro Delta, if anyone knows of somewhere) for October/November, and I've been struck with how expensive the Spanish owned ones are compared to their equivalent (or better) here. We always get a lot of Spanish people in the Ariège because we're so close, but I do wonder if some are now actively looking to come to France for their holidays because they find it cheaper?
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[katz]

On the same subject as FC our only inquiry in the last month was from Spain for a family of 4 in Aug - we are putting them in our bigger gite at a reduced price - better to have it booked than not
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