Repeat customer weekend booking dilemma

[la vache!]

Last October, I had a group of French people who booked my two larger houses for the first weekend in October (Friday and Saturday night), to do a pilgrimage across the bay of Mont St Michel. They were very nice and loved it here (and of course the houses were left immaculate).
I've just had an e mail from the organiser and she wants to re-book for the group for this year, but the problem is that it is for the last week in September, not October. I'm very happy to take weekend bookings out of high season, but as they effectively take up 2 weeks based on a Saturday changeover, I don't really want to take one in September as we were fully booked last year and I've already taken a lot of bookings for 2007.
I don't want to upset this group as they were so nice - any advice?

[Big Sis..]

Hi Susan..Good Morning..

I would think the same as you..I am flexible to some extent out of season ...But not Sept...
Im sure if you explain it just as you have here..
Maybe offer them a few weekend dates when you can accomodate them[later]..also add how much you would love to have them back as they were such lovely guests[which they were by the sound of it].....Does the fact that its a pilgrimage mean it has to be Sat-Sun[sorry if im showing my ignorance]
...could you offer them Fri-Sat or Sun- Mon then your only messing one week up..

Hope all is well with the family....

[Ju]

I would talk to them and explain. Offer them the September weekend, but at a highly inflated price and suggest that a weekend in October would be much more reasonable.

Ju

[Overboard]

Ooh well, I'm not a fan of weekend only bookings to begin with. Infact we have a minimum 3 night stay charge and our daily rate is pretty steep. Anyway, I would say no can do and explain September being a peak rental time, then offer them a weekend in October. Just wot the others said really

I'm a 'flexible' one too... but only if it makes business sense.

[la vache!]

Thanks all for your comments - I will try and explain as nicely as possible that I can only accommodate group weekend bookings from October. It wouldn't be so bad if it weren't 2 houses involved.
OB, maybe I need to up my prices a little for weekends - I've stopped doing one night only bookings are they definitely aren't worth the money. However, 2 nights do provide a nice little income in the winter for me outside of school hols in the big house and as the French tend to bring their own bed linen and towels, and then do the cleaning (to very high standard) it is usually worth it for the little effort required on my part!
If I put the prices up too much, they wouldn't stay any more, anymore than 15€ per night per person and they think they are being ripped off. I had one group who turned down a booking as it was too expensive, when I worked out how much it would cost per person it was less than 10€ per night

[Christine Kenyon]

Hi. This is probably too late to help, but I would be tempted to say that you don't have any weekends available in September (which technically is true as it's still "high" season) and offer them alternative dates in October .... maybe at the same price as last year to entice them back.

[la vache!]

Hi All,
I did what many of you advised and they've booked for October instead - thanks!

[Partridge]

Good for you LV, that's great news

[Big Sis..]

Yep well done ..

Good for you Susan .