Lay My Hat

Just had guests stay for two weeks (peak ones) and clearly they did not clean at all in the two weeks. Took 4 of us 2-3 hours to get everything ship shape again.

Thing is, they want to book again for next year. Although I had provisionally reserved them dates and given them a price, now that I've seen the state they left the place in I really want to say no. Nothing was broken but it was a mess.

Am I over reacting? They are peak weeks and I already have someone else interested. I don't want to take the shine off their clearly brilliant holiday by being horrible about how they left the place, but I really don't want them back!

I think I may have to lie about some mix up with double booking .....

Tell them you've just this week decided to add a mid-stay clean so price will be slightly more, as you've noticed this year how necessary it is for summer/longer-stay guests. So the price you've quoted is wrong and of course you'll understand if they no longer want to book.

Maybe you should put your price up and do this anyway?

I only acommodate 2 persons but I've often noticed how much dirtier the place is after two weeks, if they haven't had my housekeeper in. Every surface is full of sand and crumbs. Some guests obviously sweep and dust but some don't.

I don't think you are over reacting and if you decide to accept the booking you definitely need to mention it somehow. Tavi's idea sounds like a good one.

It's a slippery slope. I had guests 3 years running who left the cottage in a worse state each year running, because I let them get away with it the first time round. After the third stay I'd had enough and charged them for cleaning and decided I would not have them back. They never enquired again.

+1 tavi.

I would never leave the house without a mid holiday clean on a 2 wk stay....I don't discount for 2 wk bookings so the guests should, IMO, get a freshly cleaned house for the 2nd week too.
I have seen how bad the place looks after the odd 10 days stay I have had, so at 14 days it would be much worse.....and the sheets would be

Mouse
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We do a linen change after each week. I think a clean after every week is sensible. We have a family in a the moment (two weeks) and am dreading the clean on Saturday.

But how do you arrange this? I can´t imagine cleaning with guest there, and what about all their stuff? I mean I can´t believe how full a bathoom can become for example with bottles and personal grooming equipment and the kitchen??

I think it might be more frustrating entering the house and not being able to clean properly...

Thanks for your replies. I have contributed to the situation by offering them a discount for not having a mid stay clean - or I think maybe they asked for that. It's true that the place is always worse after a two week stay, but we don't get too many of them.

I've already shoved the prices up massively on that cottage for next year as it was selling out way faster than the others.

Tavi's suggestion is a good one. I'll tell them no discounts for 2 week stays and we have to do a mid week clean. Hopefully that might scare them off, or if not at least we'll get the chance to clean half way through.

We only ever did a mid-stay clean once and refuse to do it again - even if the property owners request it The guests who were in situ lost a wallet - they never actually suggested we took it but it made us very uncomfortable. The wallet was found after they had gone home in the local supermarket and we were asked to collect it. After some hassle and a couple of trips with letters from the owners (they wanted proof of ownership of course) we got the wallet and posted it back to the guests. Not even a thiank you.

On the subject of messy guests, one of our property owners has had the same family back twice and each time it has been left in an awful state. We have taken photos both times to prove to the owners. On asking the owners if they would have them back a 3rd time the answer was yes!!!!! I know bookings mean money but these people are just getting away with it. I think if I see their name on the booking list in future I just may leave my own note on the table about cleaning!!! Or set it up in the condition that they obviously like to live in.

We've obviously been very lucky. We don't do mid-stay cleans at all. We've priced on the basis that we clean thoroughly prior to each party's arrival and leave enough cleaning stuff that the guests can leave the cottage in a reasonable condition.

We've just cleaned after returnees who were here for 4 weeks. It was more a case of disinfecting than actually cleaning, and the bedlinen/towels (she only used the one set and didn't touch the clean ones left for her in the wardrobe ) were washed frequently - we kept seeing them on the line when we arrived for pool/garden duties

Our current guests arrived Saturday evening. Yesterday, they had already mopped the floor (wet mop and bucket left to dry outside) as a minimum. I am hopeful for another easy clean!

We don't do a mid stay clean. To be honest, it's hard enough trying to clean the pool with guests insitu - I can't imaging how I'd do the house.

We leave instructions in the house folder that they should leave the house as they found it and that excessive cleaning required by us may result in a deduction from their damages deposit. We offer to do the cleaning for them when they've left if they advise us they want the 'service' and it costs £50. No-one has ever taken us up on it ...............

I suppose some people are just naturally messy. The house we look after is always a tip when the owners are insitu and if we get invited for coffee or dinner I shudder at the state of it - but, they always leave it spotless.

I don't do a mid stay clean either- too much awkwardness with them having to be out of the flat, while we clean if it's rotten weather, cleaning round other's possessions... I've had a family who leave the place like a tip every year for three years now. I leave a day in between cleans so that I'm not rushing around trying to get it done with new guests arriving soon. Then I just add the cost of the night onto the mucky guest's stay. They've coughed up without complaint every year:)

It's not the money to me, it is the disrespect. I guess I have too much emotional attachment to my place. I have a cleaner now, changeover days would sometimes just see me ranting and raving for the weekend!

I would reiterate firmly what your expectations of the conditon the place is left in or frankly, if you have other offers take them! Someone obviously already booked before they asked.

Mouse wrote:+1 tavi.

I would never leave the house without a mid holiday clean on a 2 wk stay....I don't discount for 2 wk bookings so the guests should, IMO, get a freshly cleaned house for the 2nd week too.
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+1

We also factor in a weekly refresh clean for stays of 2 or more weeks. Guests love the villa to be freshened up, but also it's a way of us protecting our investment in the villa and all the contents (we really don't want guests laundering our lovely linen / towels etc, with the risk of ruining them)!

During the 'meet and greet' our housekeeper agrees a suitable time to do the refresh - it works well, and a lot of the time the guests choose to go out or just stay 'out of the way' by the pool anyway.

I offer a mini clean and bedding change, or just clean bedding and they can do it themselves. Either way the cleaner gets a chance to be nosy and check all's well. The linen is also kept cleaner too by doing this. I don't offer a discount for a two week stay either. I'm happy with shorter breaks, so if the guests want to stay two weeks, whilst I love to have them, it has to be on my terms.