Sleepless in St Emilion

How to communicate with your potential renters - how to turn site visitors into enquiries, and enquiries into bookings.
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Rocket Rab
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Sleepless in St Emilion

Post by Rocket Rab »

Having booked one of our places a couple of months back - a 2-week stay from Saturday 16th July onwards - one of our punters has just discovered, with some alarm, that he can't get a Saturday flight out to us. Or not from his local airport, at least.

He's asked me to reduce the price of the holiday by one night, as they're now looking at arriving on Sunday, and I'm wondering if it would be hard-hearted to say no?

After all, they're travelling with young children, so I can hardly expect them to try and find a Saturday flight from an alternative airport in the UK, or fly into an alternative destination at the French end, and then hire a car? Or can I?

Or should I just refund one night?
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Partridge
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Post by Partridge »

Up to you Jen but if you could have easily filled the dates, either 2 months ago or even now, then I don't see why you should as it was entirely his mistake. If you usually allow a day or two's gap or are just feeling the effort isn't worth it then I'd 'roll over'.
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Normandie
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Re: Sleepless in St Emilion

Post by Normandie »

Rocket Rab wrote:He's asked me to reduce the price of the holiday by one night, as they're now looking at arriving on Sunday, and I'm wondering if it would be hard-hearted to say no?
It would be business-like to say no. You can't fill that one night so it is lost income.

Would you have taken this July booking if they had said up front they only wanted to pay for 13 nights? The onus was on them to check travel arrangements before booking, not only that the flights were available but that there were seats - daft not to. And I'm sure you would have held the booking for them while they sorted their travel arrangements.

But we all do what we're comfortable with in situations like this and that partly depends on how vital the income is but in your shoes for a peak season booking I doubt I'd offer a discount. If I did, it probably wouldn't be for one full night, it would be a slight reduction to reflect slightly lower electricity, water etc costs. On the other hand one could argue that the PR aspect of reducing the price might be worthwhile. There's probably no perfect answer... except the one that suits the customer. :)
la vache!
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Post by la vache! »

A big fat 'no' from me. It isn't your problem. I have several bookings a year where people don't stay the full week or two weeks because of ferry times, flights etc. (the Irish ferries particularly don't make a full week or fortnight possible) and I've never once been asked for a discount because they can't stay 14 nights.
Why should you take a loss? It isn't as if you can, or would want to, relet for one night only. I can't believe they even asked.
Doods16
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Post by Doods16 »

I'd be tempted to say no as they've left it so long to book their travel arrangements.

As a gesture of goodwill, I might be tempted to split the difference and give them 50% off that one night if I like them.
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wallypott
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Post by wallypott »

Like LV for me it is a big NO, often this kind of thing is just the beginning. I rent an apartment in Spain, it is Friday to Friday, but because of work I can pretty much never get there until Saturday - sometimes late evening. I have never asked for a discount, nor would I ever dream of doing so.

Their travel arrangements are not your concern, unless they are part of the deal you offer. I think if you explain to them that you cannot rent for one night, so for you it a loss of income, that is of their making and that they are free to cancel the booking (because you can easily relet at this point), you might find that they 'get' it.

My feeling is if you say yes to this, you will just end up saying no to the next ask they make, or the one after - can they leave late, because the flight out leaves at midnight, can you do their grocery shopping because they arrive on Sunday, can you .....

I have just had a fairly similar situation and I am regretting giving any leeway. And mine was only two potential days of lost income in June.
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Tizfata
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Post by Tizfata »

I see on your website that your prices are by week. Even if you have a daily price, I doubt it is the weekly one divided by 7 (mine is divided by 7 and multipled by 1.2), so there's no point, IMO.
I got a booking by an English family and only in her last letter the lady wrote me, "Oh, by the way, we are leaving on Friday". I am grateful she let me know so that I can arrange the changeover in advance, but that is it.
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greenbarn
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Post by greenbarn »

No from here as well. Out of season we might choose to start a let at any day of the week, but we're on site and it's no problem. At busy times start days are fixed - we couldn't work it otherwise. Occasionally we get someone who wants to arrive the day after - "The letting starts on Saturday and you are welcome to arrive any time after 16:00. As we provide you with a key code for the property you don't need to arrive at a specific time to gain entry, so if you wish to arrive very late Saturday or some time Sunday we are happy to accommodate your needs." I feel like putting "at no extra cost, even if you are mucking us about."
Bob Apt
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Post by Bob Apt »

Hi, this may be a bit late but having just had the opposite from one of my own guests it may be open to some interpretation or confusion.
Assuming no Saturday flights they cannot depart on a Saturday either ??
Cutting the stay short by two days and trying to split the difference with you maybe......
Just a thought

My guest wanted to add a day to the end of her already paid for stay, blocking the next weeks booking. Transpired it was simply for a late departure and had not read our departure facilities.
carolb
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Post by carolb »

My first thought was their mistake so why should you have to reduce the cost. But, I had a similar thing but the opposite way round three years ago when an enquirer asked me for the price of a 13 night stay at the beginning of July (I don't have any fixed start days) and I gave him the price. When he came back to me to say he wanted to book he then said, woops, just realised its 14 nights and not 13. I decided that for the sake of about fifty quid I'd let him have it at the 13 night price I quoted. He was happy, I had a nice fuzzy feeling.

He is now booked in for his third year on the trot this year, same weeks. And this time he has friends coming who are renting another house on the same complex, which I helped him to arrange. So from a PR perspective, I've continued to be very happy with my decision.
Joanna
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Post by Joanna »

For peak periods I quote prices for 'up to 3 nights', '4 nights' and '5 to 7 nights' because we don't want to be left with a 1 or 2 night gap that we'd struggle to fill (and probably wouldn't be worth the hassle).

Any other odd lengths or unusual start dates I apply the same principle so that the booking still ends on a convenient changeover day. It's up to them whether they stay for the whole period or not. We do get bookings on this basis so I don't think people mind - most realise this is different to booking a hotel room.
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Rocket Rab
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Post by Rocket Rab »

Thanks for all your advice. I think this is going to have to be a "Sorry, no", and cross my fingers the punter is a reasonable chap. I'm sure he will be.
Jenni C
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Post by Jenni C »

Agree with others who have said no for the reasons already cited.
It occurs to me that you probably wouldn't have any trouble filling the weeks if they didn't come as it is peak season, I might be a bit more flexible out of season....
Could they not get the ferry?
I'm always a bit wary of this kind of nit picking - what are they going to be like as guests?! :roll:
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Rocket Rab
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Post by Rocket Rab »

I'm always a bit wary of this kind of nit picking - what are they going to be like as guests?!

:lol: Yes, it does tend to cross your mind, doesn't it?

Then I cross my ears and out comes the Bhuddist prayer.
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