Mediavacances -Free trial

OTA = Online Travel Agency, which means those sites that sell the booking and take the payment for you.
Hells Bells
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Mediavacances -Free trial

Post by Hells Bells »

They are offering a free trial (French site), which varies depending on which site you register on. 3 months free on the 'montagne' site at the moment. Has anyone used them? I am keen to encourage more French guests as the one I had this winter were most appreciative, and left the place spotless.
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enid
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Post by enid »

Haven't tried them but I'll have a look -I so agree about French guests - they leave the place spotless and are so appreciative of the added value elements.
Hells Bells
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Post by Hells Bells »

I'll have to write the ad in french so i'll not list it until later in the week.
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Normandy Cow
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Post by Normandy Cow »

Touchy subject this - I have never advertised on any French sites, as I was always under the impression that they would not be prepared to pay my prices. (£250 in low season, £650 in July/August for cottage sleeping 6+2). There is another (french-owned) gite in my village, roughly the same size as ours (but not as well-appointed!), and their prices are about half ours.

Is it worth me going after the French market? (I've not had to bother so far)
Hells Bells
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Post by Hells Bells »

A good point, although my winter guests didn't object to the price,i've had several enquiries for the summer who commented it was too expensive. They also wanted to pay with 'cheques vacances' so maybe that was what the problem was.
Sarah
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Post by Sarah »

Most of our bookings this summer are from French families. All have come through the Homelidays site and not a single one has queried the price or asked for a discount (unlike many of the recent enquiries from the Uk).

I don't think that we are expensive for what we provide, but we are not cheap either. The place is all ensuite and very well equipped so I feel that perhaps the French are prepared to pay for a higher standard of accommodation. I was always told by friends who have been doing this for a lot longer than we have that many French families prefer to pay a bit more for gites run by the British because they are usually a lot better quality.

The one sticking point has been the damage deposit. All bar one have requested that it be repaid before they leave which we have agreed to (pending inspection of course). A couple of families have asked that they pay it on arrival which we have not agreed to and they have accepted this.

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la vache!
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Post by la vache! »

My gites were full with guests throughout April and the first week in May and they were all French. The holidays are all staggered so it increases the level of bookings. Even if the French are not prepared to pay the peak season prices, I get all the school holidays booked from them and often lobg weekends from September - May. I use Abritel and the cheaper sites, pour-les-vacances.com and guidevacances.com. Most of my web viewings and bookings come from plv.com. Of course it helps if you speak French well and have a French version of your website to demonstrate this.
Hells Bells
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Post by Hells Bells »

Susan, that's my next task I suppose, a french version of the website. Something I'll probably need help with though.
la vache!
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Post by la vache! »

Helen,
I think that your property in particular would benefit this as generally, the French are a lot more active on their holidays than the British. A lot of the French people I teach at France Telecom take their summer holidays in the mountains, specifically for the activities of walking and mountain biking. The Dutch as well like activity holidays, so advertising on a site like Abritel or Homelidays would perhaps be a good move as they advertise in about 6 different languages.
Hells Bells
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Post by Hells Bells »

Susan, I'm already on Homelidays, that's where the French visitors came from this winter.
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enid
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Post by enid »

hat many French families prefer to pay a bit more for gites run by the British because they are usually a lot better quality.
My feed back too
Hells Bells
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Post by Hells Bells »

I did get one strange request from one French visitor. He works in the Uk and originally insisted on paying the deposit in Sterling although I said euros would be fine.He paid the balance in euros He then asked for the damage deposit back in Sterling. I made sure I didn;t lose out on the exchange rate though.
kevincohr
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Post by kevincohr »

I would be interested in any feedback you have on Mediavacances. They have a decent traffic ranking for a country specific site and could be a useful complement to Uk based sites.

(I've also used Homelidays and get lots of enquiries and bookings from French renters.)

In a similar french vein, has anyone here used Abritel ?

Thanks,

Kevin
Hells Bells
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Post by Hells Bells »

kevin, so far I haven't had any enquiries or bookings, but it is early days. I had a couple of bookings from Homelidays for the Winter, but I haven't renewed as the hits seemed to have dropped significantly, and I am trying Holiday Lettings for the Summer. So far, 2 bookings and one possible booking for the summer weeks. I will probably put the ad back on Homelidays in early July or so, and catch the early booking skiers. I'll let you know how it goes.
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