Lay My Hat

Both Chez Nous ads state that the properties are dog-friendly, and there are website links on both. Not as comprehensive as the website, but there is no need to be. If it states dog-friendly and you are nervous of dogs, you need to ask if there is a dog staying in the other gite.

HelenB - thanks for checking the CN listing. I agree with you - the responsibility remains with the person booking, to check regarding dogs if they or any member of their party are concerned about them.

It sounds as though the conversation with the 2 people who are nervous around dogs has only just taken place, perhaps in the context of needing money for the balance payment. They have then woken up and taken interest in exactly where they were going.

This situation is totally the responsibility of the person who booked, and is in no way your fault. You should not be penalised financially because of her mistake.

(If you owned a large agency, complex or organisation, and were just the person who answered the phone you would probably say that Data Protection laws prohibited you from disclosing anything about the other booking party. I'm not saying this is a correct interpretation of the law, but you know what I mean.....)

I think the most you can do is probably tell them there are x people and a dog that is not a dangerous breed as you state that they cannot stay. Chalet companies will sometimes tell adult parties if there are families already booked into a chalet, but without diclosing other information.

I've look at Emmy's chez nous advert and it does state dog friendly with a photo of a dog. The guest is at fault for making incorrect assumptions and of course you mustn't be out of pocket, so proceed as other have suggested.

However, a suggestion regarding that advert - you could make it slightly clearer that the property being advertised shares the site with the other gite and that both are dog friendly perhaps? I know the information is there, but it's not really well spelt out so that might perhaps stop any future issues.

We used to look after a complex with three gites on site. A chap enquired whether there would be dogs around as some of his party had a severe allergy. He wanted to book all three gites for a fortnight in high season.

I explained that the owners did not allow dogs on site but could not guarantee there would not be neighbouring dogs around etc.

When I told the property owner he remarked "all three gites booked for two weeks? If we'd had a dog I would have had it put down to secure the booking!". He later assured me he was joking .............

I can't thank you all enough for your supportive comments and for taking the trouble yo look at my website/CN ad. It's our first season and I've tried to make everything clear and it's not great to get a cancellation before we're even open! She was difficult when she first booked - asking so many questions you wouldn't believe (or maybe you would!) so it's a blessing in disguise, I expect.
The problem right now is that CN has been the only listing site that has worked for us and yes, I'm desperate now to re-let that 30th July week, but I can't update the calendar to say "available" until they receive an email from her, from the original email address she used to make the booking...but I know she doesn't use that email address anymore, which I've explained but expect it will slow things down. However, it's set me thinking... If she/someone wanted to be difficult, they could easily refuse to email CN to confirm the cancellation, and I'd be stuck with a calendar saying "booked"! In the meantime, I'm going to edit my description to say that week is free - and will also make the link to our website for dog owners clearer. I've still got so much to learn, despite many hours reading this forum and learning from your experiences. I'm still stunned at the way you are all happy to share experiences and wisdom in order to help total strangers, which doesn't happen much in "real" life. (Sorry not to thank you all yesterday - unusually, I didn't receive any emails telling me there had been any replies and for once I didn't check LMH because I'd spent too long trying to sort out this booking!)

You have a PMP template website.,you can put a late availability special offer on which will appear on the front page of your website. Log in, go to site builder, widget settings and it is all there.

Also, think about a Facebook page. You probably have safe great photos and you can get something up quickly and put the late availability on there. It will take time to build up contacts but is worth it.

Have you considered any of the dog friendly sites for an advert???

I'm finding that many guests now want to bring their dogs with them - think about the target audience of your cottage and this might help you decide.