Bookings for 2006.. How's it going?

Up, down, could be better? How to get more bookings is our number one obsession. Talk shop here.
User avatar
John Borg
Posts: 183
Joined: Sun Sep 19, 2004 2:33 pm
Location: Malta
Contact:

Bookings for 2006.. How's it going?

Post by John Borg »

Summer's just nearing it's end with around 2 weeks to go (In Malta anyway!) and apart from the usual rush of enquieries, the bookings are starting to trickle in.
I have 9 weeks booked for next summer, which is about average for this time of the year.
How are you all doing?
Malta – always in the sunshine!
User avatar
Sue Dyer
Posts: 2562
Joined: Sun Sep 19, 2004 2:26 pm
Location: Belford, Northumberland

Post by Sue Dyer »

Ah John, and here is me thinking I'm fab as I have two bookings!! Well done. :)

Mind, one of mine is for 2 weeks, the other I'm thrilled with as they were only with us last week and have immediately booked for May. About 50% of our guests put in the book that they will be back and it is nice when they actually take up on that. I'm not tense though as this is coming up to our 4th season and we're able to spot patterns. The rush for the bulk of bookings for me seems to start slowly in December then take off in Jan/Feb.

Good luck everyone else. :)
User avatar
enid
Posts: 5599
Joined: Mon Dec 27, 2004 4:47 pm
Location: Labretonie France
Contact:

Post by enid »

Our last guests for this season left on Sunday. We are very pleased to have six weeks booked for next season - a new experience for us. Let's hope we get some more!!!!!
Fraise
Posts: 2079
Joined: Sat Oct 30, 2004 8:25 am
Location: Charente Maritime and Middle England

Post by Fraise »

I've got a few weeks to go this year yet,but the end is in sight... I had loads of people all wanting a variation on an August 2006 booking theme....there aren't many weeks in August so most were disappointed :roll:

www.thepetitmanoir.com
la vache!
Posts: 11065
Joined: Wed Feb 16, 2005 7:22 pm

Post by la vache! »

For our 3 gites we have 19 weeks out of 27 booked for July/August 2006, and the May half term week is also booked. A mixture of repeat and new bookings. Its the first time the peak months have been booked so early on for me, but as they are the peak weeks they would have been booked anyway in Dec/Jan, its the off season bookings I'd like! Still, its peace of mind compared to last year.
User avatar
Hanorah
Posts: 322
Joined: Fri Dec 10, 2004 2:50 pm
Location: Turkey

Post by Hanorah »

Weirdly we have 11 weeks booked for next year already but failed to get the whole of September and October booked this year. For peak season I am doing ok but I need to find the exlusive travellers for the off peak months.
Always Learning
mindadowling
Posts: 49
Joined: Wed Sep 22, 2004 4:19 pm
Location: Tuscany, Italy
Contact:

Post by mindadowling »

This is our first year renting out Sogna Piccola so I have nothing to compare it to regarding past performance. We have bookings until the third week in October and even a booking in late November. For 2006 all of July and part of August have already been booked and we have a few one week bookings in April, May and June. I am quite surprised at how early people are booking, but as the old saying goes "the early bird catches the worm"
Fraise
Posts: 2079
Joined: Sat Oct 30, 2004 8:25 am
Location: Charente Maritime and Middle England

Post by Fraise »

:lol: I hope we haven't tooooo many worms!!! :shock:
User avatar
tansy
Posts: 2059
Joined: Mon Sep 20, 2004 6:29 am
Location: La Manche, Normandy, France

Post by tansy »

I've hardly anything left... as I posted earlier I'm missing the rush we normally have in late December early January - when you feel reassured with all the bookings being made - oh I didn't overspend too much on Christmas :wink:
it's all a learning curve!
Guest3
Posts: 1588
Joined: Mon Aug 15, 2005 11:24 am

Post by Guest3 »

9 weeks so far booked for 2006...spread out from 11th Feb until 5th August.

Susan..you've done well getting so many bookings for next year booked up so early!
7 driver
Posts: 15
Joined: Sun Aug 21, 2005 10:42 am
Location: Haut Var, Provence, South of France
Contact:

Bookings

Post by 7 driver »

I have a few bookings for next year, but have had enquiries for the last couple of months. I'd like to get this season finished first as its been a long one - started in February and I still have 2 weeks to go and then there is the Christmas people.

In my previous life I use to have holidays..

Also I found this year that April, May and June were my busiest months, has anyone else found this? I keep trying to work out patterns.

2003 - Too hot
2004 - Bad publicity for the fires and heat plus I assumed people were going to Greece and Portugal (football and the Olympics).
2005 - As Eastern Europe are now in the EU and generally cheaper than France, people are exploring there.

After four years of trying to work out the reasons I think I am going to give up!

Cathy
and I thought I'd come here to retire....

http://www.varvacance.com
alexia s.
Posts: 870
Joined: Thu Dec 09, 2004 6:38 pm
Location: Provence
Contact:

Post by alexia s. »

Cathy,
If April, May and June were your busiest months, it could be because you don't have a pool - is this the case? I think everyone with a pool finds that July & August are always the busiest.
2003 was too hot - but the bookings were made before anyone knew this. Because the UK was also very hot in 2003, a lot of Brits stayed at home in 2004. I think that the interpretation of booking patterns is facilitated by looking at what happened in the preceding season.
Your site mentions boar hunting - have you actually organised one of these? I'm seriously interested. If you've got the hunters, I've got the boars!
Best,
Alexia.
Fraise
Posts: 2079
Joined: Sat Oct 30, 2004 8:25 am
Location: Charente Maritime and Middle England

Post by Fraise »

Had to chuckle over this one- what type of boar are we talking about Alexia? I know a few,think they could be easily hunted down though :wink:
User avatar
tansy
Posts: 2059
Joined: Mon Sep 20, 2004 6:29 am
Location: La Manche, Normandy, France

Post by tansy »

crickey Alexia - there could be some Normandy hunters happy to come down!...
it's all a learning curve!
7 driver
Posts: 15
Joined: Sun Aug 21, 2005 10:42 am
Location: Haut Var, Provence, South of France
Contact:

Bookings

Post by 7 driver »

Hello Alexia, nice to hear from you.

Yes we have pools, which we open in March and they are ready for use in April/May. I have 2 houses with heated pools and I find these are always used in April and May, and October and even November.

Strangely enough we find our most popular properties to be village houses - the Canadians love them. We had an influx of Canadians last year, and this years its New Zealanders and Australians.

The wild boar shooting holiday theme was an idea I had around a month ago as a means of getting winter bookings - a case of if you can't beat the hunters then why not join them. I have checked everything out in terms of transporting guns from the UK, licences, and talking with the locals and all seems easy enough. The problem is my idea came a bit too late, so I don't think anything much will happen until next year - I need to start promoting it around June.

I think, but am not 100% sure, that the local hunters can only hunt in the boundarys of the village, unless they are invited by a hunting club in another village. If you're troubled by the sanglier then I have a 12 bore you can borrow, or alternatively have a chat with a local hunter - normally found in the bar on Saturday lunchtime, talking about "the one that got away". Just make sure you get a decent piece of the kill though!

Regards

Cathy
and I thought I'd come here to retire....

http://www.varvacance.com
Post Reply