Do we move our dates for guests?

How to communicate with your potential renters - how to turn site visitors into enquiries, and enquiries into bookings.
sarahp
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Do we move our dates for guests?

Post by sarahp »

We have just had an enquiry from someone wanting to book our cottage over Christmas this year.
We advertise that our lets run from Saturday to Saturday, however, this guest has asked if they can book from Wednesday 22nd to the following Wednesday.
We can appreciate this makes Christmas day within the middle of the break but it then messes up the rest of the possible booking dates.
We would be flexible to run the week from Sunday, but feel from Wednesday is not really acceptable.
Views please?! Thank you.

Sarah
www.crossmoormeadows.co.uk
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greenbarn
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Post by greenbarn »

Christmas is a peak week, so is New Year. Either side of that - low. I think a lot of people are going to want to run their Christmas break from Wednesday 23rd, and New Year (probably a short break) from Wednesday 30th. You probably won't let the weeks either side, so you can revert to your Saturday changeover in early January, but you'll maximise your earnings for Christmas and New Year.
So, in a nutshell, go for it.
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Normandy Cow
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Post by Normandy Cow »

We usually book Sat-Sat, but over Christmas and New Year we generally change this. What would you do for example if Christmas Day fell on the Saturday? Surely you wouldn't do changeovers on Christmas Day and New Years Day, so therefore you may as well do so the rest of the time.

This year, we are going to have a short pre-Christmas break ourselves from Saturday 19th to Tuesday 22nd Dec, then we are letting the house for two separate weeks at peak rates from Tues 22nd to Tues 29th, and then from Tues 29th to Tues 5th January.

If you stick to Saturday changeovers this year, people will have to move out on Boxing day - and I dread to think what kind of a state the house would be left in if they had to think about packing up (probably with a hangover!) the day after Christmas Day!
Last edited by Normandy Cow on Tue Sep 01, 2009 10:10 pm, edited 1 time in total.
sarahp
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Post by sarahp »

Thanks both for your replies, you've confirmed our thinking! :)

Sarah
www.crossmoormeadows.co.uk
la vache!
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Post by la vache! »

Normandy Cow wrote: Surely you wouldn't do changeovers on Christmas Day and New Years Day, so therefore you may as well do so the rest of the time.
I do. I just book the whole period flexibly, last year in the 6 bed farmhouse I had the pre Christmas weekend booked for 3 nights, 10 days over Christmas, New Years Eve for one night only (changeover New Years Day), then 5 nights from New Years Day. Lucrative, but tiring, as I did all the changeovers on my own.
windrush
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Post by windrush »

We have exactly the same situation, Saturday to Saturday lets but we realised this was a non-starter for Christmas and New Year bookings. Christmas week is booked and we offered the guest the choice of a Tuesday or Wednesday changeover, she went for Wednesday so this has determined the dates for any possible New Year booking. On our calendars I've blanked out the dates either side of the Christmas/New Year fortnight to bring us back in step with Saturday to Saturday lettings, and those days will be our "Christmas Tree Days" (for the putting up and taking down of decorations).
sarahp
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Post by sarahp »

To windrush
we have decided to go with the wed to wed booking, good idea to alter the other dates for new year to accommodate, and to have a few days 'off'!!
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