Am just pondering whether to send previous or already-booked-up-for-the-forthcoming-season guests Christmas cards and wondered what the concensus was on here.
If you DO send them, do you make / have printed special ones featuring your property or a pre-printed insert with "Best wishes from Villa Dunroamin'" for e.g., or do you just send out nice charity ones ?
Beanie
Christmas cards to old / new guests ?
Hi, I did a Christmas greeting one year in the form of a letter from Belford. I started by saying the Christmas tree was up in the market place, describing the birds in the garden, frosty ground etc, then compared it to summer in the coast. Kind of a retrospect on the year. Tried to make people see the different seasons at the cottage.
I added a couple of xmas graphics and printed it on nice cream paper (something like Conquerer 100 gm) it looks tons better than thinner copier type paper and hand signed it.
Anyway, that's my idea of a cheaper, more personal greeting.
I don't send cards now, just to a couple of guests who have stayed with us 4+ times or have "stuck out" in some way.
I added a couple of xmas graphics and printed it on nice cream paper (something like Conquerer 100 gm) it looks tons better than thinner copier type paper and hand signed it.
Anyway, that's my idea of a cheaper, more personal greeting.
I don't send cards now, just to a couple of guests who have stayed with us 4+ times or have "stuck out" in some way.
We send Christmas cards to all past guests - not to the ones yet to come.
We print the cards ourselves, using a local photo we have taken.
German guests just get a card, handwritten greeting and signature. One wrote an email back thanking us for the card and booking another 16 nights!
Other (English speaking) guests get the same card, with handwritten greeting and signature and also a printed letter summarising our news from the year - most will already have had part or all of this in our occasional email newsletters. Some send us cards back. No negative feedback. But I know from other people that they really like getting a card from places they have stayed - makes them feel remembered rather that just forgotten once they had parted with their money!
We print the cards ourselves, using a local photo we have taken.
German guests just get a card, handwritten greeting and signature. One wrote an email back thanking us for the card and booking another 16 nights!
Other (English speaking) guests get the same card, with handwritten greeting and signature and also a printed letter summarising our news from the year - most will already have had part or all of this in our occasional email newsletters. Some send us cards back. No negative feedback. But I know from other people that they really like getting a card from places they have stayed - makes them feel remembered rather that just forgotten once they had parted with their money!
-
Alan Knighting
- Posts: 4120
- Joined: Mon Oct 18, 2004 7:26 am
- Location: Monflanquin, Lot-et-Garonne, France
One of my sisters-in-law insists on sending out her newsletter every Christmas. Basically, it says that bugger all happened in January or February or March and it continues with the same thing happening again in April and May and June.margaret wrote:... and also a printed letter summarising our news from the year
At least she’s consistent about two things; bugger all ever happens to her and every year she tells her whole family about it.
Alan
those are terrific!
I tend to send one of those Jackie Lawson cyber cards out to this years guests and also the ones who have booked.
However since September I've sent an email out to tell this years guests the total amount of money they raised for the animal charity on the island (I had a collection tin for their loose change) and then I followed that up a couple of weeks later with one advising them and future guests of our 3 page spread in Spanish Homes magazine!...so I'm wondering if another email might just be overkill
I don't bother telling them anything about what's been going on as I make sure our blog is shown after our signature and they can click into that if they want to.
Mouse
x
However since September I've sent an email out to tell this years guests the total amount of money they raised for the animal charity on the island (I had a collection tin for their loose change) and then I followed that up a couple of weeks later with one advising them and future guests of our 3 page spread in Spanish Homes magazine!...so I'm wondering if another email might just be overkill
I don't bother telling them anything about what's been going on as I make sure our blog is shown after our signature and they can click into that if they want to.
Mouse
x
One martini, two martini, three martini floor!
Alan. 
Yes, we get those in cards from Dave's colleagues/ex colleagues telling us about horse riding trophies, exams results for Tristram and Gemma who we've never met.
By contrast, my L.A friend sends one and they've usually done some interesting trips/things and the letter is warm and interesting.
I tried to make mine like that about the area without too much of a sales pitch. Now I'm afraid I'm probably greedy. I do okay without the cards/letters and I either cynically considered it an extra advertising budget I could do without of a saintly "green" measure not to send wasteful cards/carbon emissions etc!
Yes, we get those in cards from Dave's colleagues/ex colleagues telling us about horse riding trophies, exams results for Tristram and Gemma who we've never met. By contrast, my L.A friend sends one and they've usually done some interesting trips/things and the letter is warm and interesting.
I tried to make mine like that about the area without too much of a sales pitch. Now I'm afraid I'm probably greedy. I do okay without the cards/letters and I either cynically considered it an extra advertising budget I could do without of a saintly "green" measure not to send wasteful cards/carbon emissions etc!
-
Alan Knighting
- Posts: 4120
- Joined: Mon Oct 18, 2004 7:26 am
- Location: Monflanquin, Lot-et-Garonne, France
I look forward to the interesting news letters and I shudder at the thought of those which are about "me, me, me".Sue Dyer wrote:Alan.
By contrast, my L.A friend sends one and they've usually done some interesting trips/things and the letter is warm and interesting.
Alan
-
Giddy Goat
- Posts: 9054
- Joined: Sun Jun 12, 2005 7:38 am
- Location: UK
- Contact:
We're in agreement then Alan! Don't you just dread the ones from people you haven't managed to see for some time, in the inevitable close type, that even go into details like "in March we were visited by X and Y" - then they relay you all X and Y's news (who are they BTW) and in September we travelled down to Dorset to stay with Z" (sorry, don't know them either!) After that, you get the blow by blow account of what the kids and grandkids are up to, none of whom we've been lucky enough to meet and it's all a bit meaningless therefore. I care a lot about my close friends, their news and their immediate concerns, and it's a shame that these newsletters are sent a bit too indiscriminately at times by others with whom one's not as close.
But someone used the term 'too much information' in a post recently. I'm afraid I'm also inclined to go on at length, so who am I to talk?!! Shop assistants, tradespeople, friends, acquaintances, wrong numbers, they're all fair game!
I just don't send newsletters any more.
Don't you just dread the ones from people you haven't managed to see for some time, in the inevitable close type, that even go into details like "in March we were visited by X and Y" - then they relay you all X and Y's news (who are they BTW) and in September we travelled down to Dorset to stay with Z" (sorry, don't know them either!) After that, you get the blow by blow account of what the kids and grandkids are up to, none of whom we've been lucky enough to meet and it's all a bit meaningless therefore. I care a lot about my close friends, their news and their immediate concerns, and it's a shame that these newsletters are sent a bit too indiscriminately at times by others with whom one's not as close. But someone used the term 'too much information' in a post recently. I'm afraid I'm also inclined to go on at length, so who am I to talk?!! Shop assistants, tradespeople, friends, acquaintances, wrong numbers, they're all fair game!
I just don't send newsletters any more.
Last edited by Giddy Goat on Fri Nov 16, 2007 5:32 am, edited 1 time in total.
Nostalgia isn't what it used to be
I might consider it if I were an on site owner and had got to know the guests somewhat but seeing as I'm not, I wouldn't, it just feels too cynical to me.
Having said that, I don't send Christmas cards anyway
Having said that, I don't send Christmas cards anyway
Don't waste energy on things you can't change.
Costa de la Luz apartment rental
www.ownersdirect.co.uk/spain/S5386.htm
Costa de la Luz apartment rental
www.ownersdirect.co.uk/spain/S5386.htm
Me neither (mostly).Partridge wrote:I might consider it if I were an on site owner and had got to know the guests somewhat but seeing as I'm not, I wouldn't, it just feels too cynical to me.
Having said that, I don't send Christmas cards anyway
I occasionally send cards to repeat guests or guests I got on particularly well with. I don't send them to everyone and I certainly don't bore them with a newsletter of what I've been up to - it may mean something to me, but why would it be of interest to ex-guests?
I wouldn't dream of suggesting it would be a deciding factor. But reminding past guests of your existence could encourage them to rebook, gives them your contact details in case they have lost them. I am not saying everyone should do it but so far keeping in touch with guests by email and with Christmas cards is definitely not doing us any harm. Updating them on changes we have made to the property (like investing in a shedfull of mountain bikes) is useful encouragement. I am not going to bore them with our personal doings!