Changeover day
Changeover day
Not sure if this is the right place but I was wondering if anyone has a Friday changeover day? And if/how it affects bookings?
At the moment I do Saturdays like everyone else in my village and I can see that people mostly prefer this. However a Friday changeover would suit me much better as I would then get Saturday off to spend with my family. If anyone has any experience of doing this I'd be grateful for any input.
thanks
Jenny
At the moment I do Saturdays like everyone else in my village and I can see that people mostly prefer this. However a Friday changeover would suit me much better as I would then get Saturday off to spend with my family. If anyone has any experience of doing this I'd be grateful for any input.
thanks
Jenny
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We have Friday changeovers and I wouldnt do it any differently now. I was worried when we started out, but now we can offer Mon-Fri and Fri-Mon short breaks too and we are rarely unbooked.
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If you're fond of sand dunes and salty air....
If you're fond of sand dunes and salty air....
What others have said. We do Fri and Mon changeovers in two of our three properties (there simply isn’t enough time to do a changeover in all three in one day) which enables us to offer short breaks, which is a strong year-round market in our area.
Price up a short break at around 75% of a full week give or take.
Price up a short break at around 75% of a full week give or take.
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We do Friday's because it suited us best - we're off site and travel up on a Friday after work and back late on Sunday. Being able to do 2 short breaks in a week is a bonus and I suspect cancels out the loss of guests who prefer Saturday arrivals.
I think it can also give you a slight advantage if you're in an area where most owners offer Saturday changeovers.
We use cleaners who only work weekdays but during quiet periods we sometimes allow Saturday changeovers knowing that we're unlikely to get back to back bookings anyway. Since you're on site you've got the flexibility to do that and also maybe work the odd Saturday if you're lucky enough to get 2 low season bookings come in together.
Of course it does mean that you can't specify a single changeover day on the likes of HL and OD but that's a whole other thread!
I think it can also give you a slight advantage if you're in an area where most owners offer Saturday changeovers.
We use cleaners who only work weekdays but during quiet periods we sometimes allow Saturday changeovers knowing that we're unlikely to get back to back bookings anyway. Since you're on site you've got the flexibility to do that and also maybe work the odd Saturday if you're lucky enough to get 2 low season bookings come in together.
Of course it does mean that you can't specify a single changeover day on the likes of HL and OD but that's a whole other thread!
Jo
Joint owner of Baker's Cottage in Chester & Chandler's Cottage in Sidmouth
Joint owner of Baker's Cottage in Chester & Chandler's Cottage in Sidmouth
Thanks for all the replies. Great to see so many positives for Friday changeovers. Unfortunately I couldn't do Mondays to allow for two short breaks as I work Mon - Thurs, but I could possibly pay a cleaner for that day. And yes, maybe Fridays would give me a competitive advantage in offering something different. Definitely food for thought. Thanks.
Hi Jenster!
We have 7 gites on one site and a detached house on another site and were forced to different changeover days just to be able to cope.
We do 3 gites on a Fri, 4 on a Saturday and the house on a Sunday and offer flexible start dates outside of July and August.
We haven't had any resistence to any of the days and some people prefer not travelling on the Sat - cheaper flights, roads not as busy etc......
Elena
www.lescrouquets.net
www.dordogne-holiday-villa.co.uk
www.instagram.com/lescrouquets
We have 7 gites on one site and a detached house on another site and were forced to different changeover days just to be able to cope.
We do 3 gites on a Fri, 4 on a Saturday and the house on a Sunday and offer flexible start dates outside of July and August.
We haven't had any resistence to any of the days and some people prefer not travelling on the Sat - cheaper flights, roads not as busy etc......
Elena
www.lescrouquets.net
www.dordogne-holiday-villa.co.uk
www.instagram.com/lescrouquets
man who stand on side of mountain with mouth open waiting for roast duck to fly in have long wait....
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Jenster
I try to stick with Fri changeovers throughout with the exception of June-July-Aug when we do get stuck Sats.
We do get a fair amount of enquirers that insist on the Sat arrival to miss the Fri rush. However, to seal the deal I generally get away with offering a slight discount on a 6 night stay. Added bonus is they get an early arrival on the Sat.
I try to stick with Fri changeovers throughout with the exception of June-July-Aug when we do get stuck Sats.
We do get a fair amount of enquirers that insist on the Sat arrival to miss the Fri rush. However, to seal the deal I generally get away with offering a slight discount on a 6 night stay. Added bonus is they get an early arrival on the Sat.
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I've moved to Friday changeovers where I can because it's much easier to get tradespeople on a Friday. So for example, new dishwasher delivered and plumbed in, new mattress, repair to shower all done without having the house off the market or paying weekend call out fees.
Have also noticed that people tend to arrive later on a Friday leaving more time for the changeover.
Have also noticed that people tend to arrive later on a Friday leaving more time for the changeover.
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Fair point but it depends on location (where have I heard that before?). We have guests arrive late Friday having travelled after work; even better if their Friday is a POETS day.ManxRed1 wrote:If people want to come on the Friday and go home on the Friday then they need to book six days off work. If they do Saturday to Saturday then they only need to book five.
Just thought I'd chuck that in!
Sometimes guests will arrive very early Saturday instead.
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This thread has got me thinking. Being able to do weekends would be great and I'm sure it would suit my caretaker to have one less property on a Saturday.
But as greenbarn points out location is crucial. Many of our guests travel, at a guess, three or four hours to get to South Devon - probably similar to Cornwall, Jenny. Would they want to do that on Friday or is it better to miss that M5 Saturday which is often a nightmare.
But as greenbarn points out location is crucial. Many of our guests travel, at a guess, three or four hours to get to South Devon - probably similar to Cornwall, Jenny. Would they want to do that on Friday or is it better to miss that M5 Saturday which is often a nightmare.