Towels
Towels
After washing with no towels involved am seriously considering not offering them next year as it was so easy. Will offer them to overseas only and charge. Have you stopped offering them?
It is better to remain quiet and have one think you are stupid, than to open your mouth and remove all doubt....
The biggest mistake we make in life is thinking we have time.
The biggest mistake we make in life is thinking we have time.
If driving, I would rent somewhere I had to supply my own towels if the property was sufficiently appealing but as the sc rental market has changed somewhat over the past 10 - 15 years, I would expect the rental to be on the cheap and (hopefully!) cheerful side. Nowadays I'd expect quality rentals to provide bedding and towels. Like Enid, I'd expect the cost to be in the price because I hate extras.
I would not rent an overseas property if I had to pack my own towels as part of baggage allowance. The thought of packing damp or plain wet towels to take home isn't appealing. Again, only my perception but having to take towels can make the owners look mean... and therefore lead to the thought: where else have they cut corners?
I can see that washing is halved if towels aren't part of the load and that's definitely appealing! but I think we need to keep in mind what are the fundamentals of the product we provide. For me, over-and-above spotlessly clean, comfortable rental accommodation, bedding and towels are basic expectations.
I would not rent an overseas property if I had to pack my own towels as part of baggage allowance. The thought of packing damp or plain wet towels to take home isn't appealing. Again, only my perception but having to take towels can make the owners look mean... and therefore lead to the thought: where else have they cut corners?
I can see that washing is halved if towels aren't part of the load and that's definitely appealing! but I think we need to keep in mind what are the fundamentals of the product we provide. For me, over-and-above spotlessly clean, comfortable rental accommodation, bedding and towels are basic expectations.
I think it has been commented before that guests generally dislike being charged for extras and expect more and more to be provided at no extra cost as the market moves upwards quality wise. That's why we stopped charging for towels some years ago in the UK even though most of our guests are UK based.
paolo wrote:Nor would I, it strikes me as penny-pinching and would make me wonder about what other corners are being cut.enid wrote:I wouldn't rent a property that charged extra for towels - I hate all add on charges
That sums up my feelings, for the market we aim at. Where accommodation is basic, and priced accordingly, that's a different game with much tighter margins for both owner and target guest; in that market, it might well be doing the guest a service to offer them the choice of paying extra or bringing their own.Normandie wrote:....... I would expect the rental to be on the cheap and (hopefully!) cheerful side. Nowadays I'd expect quality rentals to provide bedding and towels. Like Enid, I'd expect the cost to be in the price because I hate extras.
For me, over-and-above spotlessly clean, comfortable rental accommodation, bedding and towels are basic expectations.
I agree with Normandie...it's all about where your place is pitched. I wouldn't ever book anywhere that towels and bedding were extra, or beds not made up (that's not a holiday for me). But some people obviously do and I expect they're at the cheap and cheerful end of the market.
There may be a place for it in the UK, but I would always offer it as an option so the guest can choose.
What size property are you talking about Apex? Packing towels for a group of 6/8 might be a pain, for a couple maybe easier.
Could you offer an incentive for people to put the towels in the washing machine when leaving to help lighten the load for you?
Mouse
x
There may be a place for it in the UK, but I would always offer it as an option so the guest can choose.
What size property are you talking about Apex? Packing towels for a group of 6/8 might be a pain, for a couple maybe easier.
Could you offer an incentive for people to put the towels in the washing machine when leaving to help lighten the load for you?
Mouse
x
One martini, two martini, three martini floor!
I know next to nothing, but when people try to knock my prices down - invariably the French - I say I can reduce if they bring their own bedding & towels. They always comment that that is what they expect to do anyway, and it is was they are used to.
I think that washing, drying and ironing the linens & towels actually has a cost of about 10 - 15€ per double room, ( I charge 15€) depending on if we have to use the tumble dryer or not. I do not do my own ironing, and the superkings take 45 mins to iron (apparently), when you add in the social security payments, water, electricity for 2 loads of washing and potentially 2 loads of tumble drying you can see how you can get to 15€ quite quickly. For not much more I could just replace the linens every time! Something wrong there
.
In the small gites, I make no claims to luxury, and everyone comments on how well they are kitted out and so far only positive comments about the beds. I think if you are aiming for the more budget market you can NOT include everything. I start by including everything, but can't afford to give anything away, so a discount has to involve them providing something themselves.
I think that washing, drying and ironing the linens & towels actually has a cost of about 10 - 15€ per double room, ( I charge 15€) depending on if we have to use the tumble dryer or not. I do not do my own ironing, and the superkings take 45 mins to iron (apparently), when you add in the social security payments, water, electricity for 2 loads of washing and potentially 2 loads of tumble drying you can see how you can get to 15€ quite quickly. For not much more I could just replace the linens every time! Something wrong there
.In the small gites, I make no claims to luxury, and everyone comments on how well they are kitted out and so far only positive comments about the beds. I think if you are aiming for the more budget market you can NOT include everything. I start by including everything, but can't afford to give anything away, so a discount has to involve them providing something themselves.
This was a question for UK owners so not sure how the poll has spun out but thank you anyway.
A new rental we are marketing no towels are supplied and this has had no effect on bookings (95% of our bookings are UK based).
A new rental we are marketing no towels are supplied and this has had no effect on bookings (95% of our bookings are UK based).
It is better to remain quiet and have one think you are stupid, than to open your mouth and remove all doubt....
The biggest mistake we make in life is thinking we have time.
The biggest mistake we make in life is thinking we have time.
