Circé wrote:Whatever... does any guest actually absorb/read your key info?
No. They leave their brains at home.
I think that's a bit harsh...mine do*. It is important because when they arrive and you give them a tour and explain things nothing goes in, understandably I suppose, after a long journey. *with the exception if French guests
I know that a lot of my guests of varying nationalities (though info only supplied in French and English) read the How Things Work info because they used to greet The Inspector Cat (RIP) by name if they saw him - he featured in the "what not to do" section (not to be let into bedrooms). The only way they could have picked up his name was via the book.
There is a setup facility available for Touchstay I think,as you can upload existing files. My own welcome book needs updating so it is something I am also thinking about at the moment. Start up link is here http://touchstay.com/start/
Ring binder with (Ryman) thick gauge slip-in pockets. I make a kind of sandwich with my printed pages either side of a sheet of white card to make them feel more substantial.
The folder has info about the villa and area, activity suggestions, location maps, plus appliance instructions with grabs from instruction manuals and plenty of graphics to minimise the amount of text. This also helps if we have European guests. Guests often compliment this folder.
Used to laminate everything, but this got very onerous with frequent updating.
Also have my 4 villa pages (pdfs) uploaded to my Promote My Place website so I can send links to the guests before they stay. Not sure whether many bother to look though! (But I hope it helps to build confidence.)
On the subject of PMP, I have a couple of 'hidden' pages which don't appear on the menu to give my guests some extra info that I don't want competitors to copy. For example one includes tips about EHICs, pre-booking car hire excess insurance, travel money, sun cream requests, airport WiFi, etc.
Circé wrote:Whatever... does any guest actually absorb/read your key info?
No. They leave their brains at home.
I think that's a bit harsh...mine do*. It is important because when they arrive and you give them a tour and explain things nothing goes in, understandably I suppose, after a long journey. *with the exception if French guests
I'd disagree with your last point!
I made my original comment after over 20 years of managing other people's second homes and lets. Both OH and I have noted that since the advent of smartphones fewer people pay attention to anything! Which is why we get unsuitable items flushed down toilets on non-mains drainage, phone calls about the whereabouts of keys/the hoover/wifi access code
and I could go on and on.....when the info is clearly given in BIG print in a folder supplied right next to their welcome pack, and sent in advance as a pdf file if requested.
@Circé - I've only had a pitiful 13 years of experience of running my 3 gites, so I'm clearly still a novice compared to you, but in my experience people read my notes. Otherwise I'd have a lot more questions and knocks on the door.
Guests flush things they shouldn't down the toilet because it is easy and any resulting issues won't be their problem, not because they haven't read the notes.
I rarely have anyone asking, and nor does may apartment manager. It is usually for the wifi code, and that can be easily got using the QR code sticker on the router.
I'm no in doubt that they read my welcome brochure because I rarely get asked for the internet password. However, I think they are very selective on what they 'read' and what they 'skim'. They only really read the bits they are interested in, but often take little notice of the bits that are boring to them and have no concern with. Often, they have no interest in consequences, only the here and now and getting on with enjoying their holiday. As La Vache says, it's not their problem, yeah yeah and all that....
I don't get asked humdrum questions either. Throwing the guest info at them pre-arrival and on arrival normally covers most bases. I hope I've made the guest info attractive and informative rather than just a bland list of dos and donts and I think this helps.
Casscat wrote: I hope I've made the guest info attractive and informative rather than just a bland list of dos and donts and I think this helps.
Definitely. Mine is written in a very personal, sometimes irreverent and tongue in cheek way; it has pictures, lots of useful info and lots of white space. It goes out in pdf form 2 or 3 weeks before arrival, with the directions, and I know that people read it because they email me to tell me so!
Casscat wrote:I just have a ring binder, but it has a lovely photo of the house in a slip pocket on the front and all the pages are well produced, include photos and are laminated. This means they last longer and do not get grubby and dog-eared. Beyond having a book professionally produced this is as good a solution as I can think of, plus if I want to make amendments I can just add or replace pages rather than having the whole thing done again from scratch.
Casscat wrote: I hope I've made the guest info attractive and informative rather than just a bland list of dos and donts and I think this helps.
Definitely. Mine is written in a very personal, sometimes irreverent and tongue in cheek way; it has pictures, lots of useful info and lots of white space. It goes out in pdf form 2 or 3 weeks before arrival, with the directions, and I know that people read it because they email me to tell me so!
Ditto. And I also find that people react well to getting all the info in advance - for a big house there is quite a lot to absorb and it cuts down dramatically on the 'walkthrough' time at check-in when all they are really interested in is getting their kit off and getting into the pool! They often comment that they like it because it is as if their holiday has already started when they receive it.
For true domestic harmony it is essential that dogs know their place, which is below all cats
I thought I would send an update on this item as I originally posted the question. I signed up for the 30 day trial with TouchStay – online guest book of the house (www.touchstay.com). Having loaded 2 books of the house and also a teleconf to explain the content, I think it’s a vast improvement to my current tatty folder. The cost is reasonable at $105 USD for 2 properties per annum. Please check out the link for a preview of the book of the house for our villa in Italy, I still need to play with the contact a little but overall it’s good.
The system has some good features if you wish to use the book during the enquiry phase then you can block out the map, contact details etc. Also the full online book will only be visible to the guest for a period of time that you decide e.g. maybe a day after they have completed their stay.
It's very nice indeed, Ianthy - but (with my accountant's hat on) it doesn't seem as though there's anything that couldn't be done on a normal web page so it seems a little expensive to me ...