Advice - I may be losing my perspective!

From the moment they step through the door your bookings become guests, and their experiences determine whether they ever come back.
Foxandsot
Posts: 261
Joined: Thu Apr 20, 2006 10:24 am
Location: Pervolia, cyprus
Contact:

Post by Foxandsot »

Have you tried "Flash Mark & Stain Erasers"?
Hells Bells
Posts: 13173
Joined: Sat Apr 30, 2005 8:42 am
Location: French Alps
Contact:

Post by Hells Bells »

Thanks guys, nothing like a stain to get you busy. :D . Packing a small kit-White wizard, and I may even have one of those eraser things.
cromercrabholiday
Posts: 797
Joined: Sun Oct 17, 2004 10:24 am
Location: North Norfolk
Contact:

Post by cromercrabholiday »

Takes me back to our friend Stan's house that had red marks going up the stairs. It was from John Major's despatch box, whose pied-a-terre was on the top floor.

John
User avatar
Rocket Rab
Posts: 2248
Joined: Mon Sep 18, 2006 5:37 pm
Contact:

Post by Rocket Rab »

HelenB wrote:Does anyone have any hints and tips for getting marks off walls without repainting?
Nothing annoys me more than marks on walls! Suitcases, fingerprints..that kind of stuff. I have found a lifesaving product: Vigor Gomme Nettoyante. A rectangular white sponge sold in an orange box of three from French supermarkets. You wet it slightly, rub carefully and goodbye marks. I have removed some 'stinkers' with this little baby!

See http://www.vigor-nettoyants.com/pages/n ... tidien.htm
User avatar
enid
Posts: 5599
Joined: Mon Dec 27, 2004 4:47 pm
Location: Labretonie France
Contact:

Post by enid »

Yep I use them - super for all sorts of things - any burned pans for instance they're your answer.
User avatar
Partridge
Posts: 2701
Joined: Wed Sep 20, 2006 9:31 pm
Location: Costa de la Luz
Contact:

Post by Partridge »

Suitcase marks, yes, very annoying. We had strange footprint/shoe marks quite a long way up the wall in one of the bedrooms and could not fathom why, I don't remember booking Spiderman in for a holiday. Then it came to us :idea: people grabbing shoes and clobbering mossies or whatever.

I usually find just a cloth and warm soapy water does the trick, although I came unstuck once when as I was rubbing a dark mark the cream wall started developing bright red streaks. Hub screamed to leave it alone, the paint was bleeding. Anyway, luckily we nabbed a big pot of the paint from the builders and use that to touch up areas, although it seemed darker (probably the builders watering the original one down) but hub mixed some stuff with it and we get away with it, just.
Don't waste energy on things you can't change.

Costa de la Luz apartment rental
www.ownersdirect.co.uk/spain/S5386.htm
Stephen
Posts: 141
Joined: Sun Sep 19, 2004 4:33 pm
Location: Northumbria/Cumbria Border / Florida
Contact:

Post by Stephen »

We had some American guests staying in our villa in Orlando who put our cordless electric kettle on the gas hob.... I rest my case.

We have just had some guests leave our cottage in Northumberland and in the visitors book they wrote: "we didn't know how to work the washing machine" the machine is a large capacity American machine, even i could work it..the instructions were right on top of the machine..

Also they wrote "could have done with an oven mitt" there was one right next to the cooker, one of those new silicone type,
http://www.legourmetchef.com/Temp_Produ ... ccessories&

we brought it back from America to save keep buying the cloth ones and having to throw them out all the time.
Now I dont know if the 8 that were staying were all blind,or blind drunk on the 2 bottles of wine I left for them, no mention of the wine or flowers in the visitors book though...
User avatar
Rocket Rab
Posts: 2248
Joined: Mon Sep 18, 2006 5:37 pm
Contact:

Post by Rocket Rab »

Hello Stephen,

I do sympathise! It's so disappointing to make a lot of effort - wine, flowers - and then be confronted with 'niggly' complaints and no acknowledgement of the trouble you have obviously taken.

Goodness me, an oven glove - which you had already, I note - dare I suggest a guest might even go to the expense of purchasing the odd little 'missing' (!) item.....?

I hope you come into a run of appreciative guests :D
Jenny
User avatar
Giddy Goat
Posts: 9054
Joined: Sun Jun 12, 2005 7:38 am
Location: UK
Contact:

Post by Giddy Goat »

We supply a decent bottle of champagne as part of the welcome pack - on the website we say the welcome pack includes a bottle of wine; we figure it's a nice surprise when they get there and find it's something more special to start their holiday with.

We have never had any reference to it made by departing guests, other than one lady who remarked candidly, on being prompted (I had begun to wonder whether the caretakers were actually leaving the stuff out for guests!) that, funnily enough, she preferred red wine....

So guess what's going to be left out of the welcome pack next year!! 8)
Last edited by Giddy Goat on Mon Oct 30, 2006 9:15 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Nostalgia isn't what it used to be
User avatar
Rocket Rab
Posts: 2248
Joined: Mon Sep 18, 2006 5:37 pm
Contact:

Post by Rocket Rab »

Hi GG,

Am back in front of the 'ol 'ordi' after another changeover weekend - had to laugh when I saw your reply - VERY reassuring to see that everyone has more or less the same experiences....but still 'gobsmacking' every time it happens :D
User avatar
Giddy Goat
Posts: 9054
Joined: Sun Jun 12, 2005 7:38 am
Location: UK
Contact:

Post by Giddy Goat »

:lol: :lol: :lol: There's none so queer as folk, Jen! And it's the same the world over.

I'm the only normal one.....

Goats unite!
Last edited by Giddy Goat on Mon Oct 30, 2006 9:18 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Nostalgia isn't what it used to be
User avatar
Partridge
Posts: 2701
Joined: Wed Sep 20, 2006 9:31 pm
Location: Costa de la Luz
Contact:

Post by Partridge »

Makes you laugh doesn't it. I did have a guest once who said there was no cheese grater, never mind the expensive stuff eh ? but of course there is a cheese grater now. :lol:
Don't waste energy on things you can't change.

Costa de la Luz apartment rental
www.ownersdirect.co.uk/spain/S5386.htm
cromercrabholiday
Posts: 797
Joined: Sun Oct 17, 2004 10:24 am
Location: North Norfolk
Contact:

Post by cromercrabholiday »

Our tumble drier and freezer are tucked away at the end of the diner/conservatory - it's all in the joining notes, but we still get comments from those that found them the day they left.

Maybe a big foam hand marked - IT IS HERE!

John
Stephen
Posts: 141
Joined: Sun Sep 19, 2004 4:33 pm
Location: Northumbria/Cumbria Border / Florida
Contact:

Post by Stephen »

We also once had a guest leave a message in the visitors book
that there was no cheese grater !! But there was a cheese grater in the drawer... I did email them and explain that they must have overlooked it as it was and still is in the drawer...

None so queer as folk !! None so daft as folk more like.
User avatar
Giddy Goat
Posts: 9054
Joined: Sun Jun 12, 2005 7:38 am
Location: UK
Contact:

Post by Giddy Goat »

Being a nosy sort of critter, the first thing I do when I arrive somewhere is to explore the cupboards. Then I arrange everything to suit the way I work (kitchen eg) - if you're somewhere for one or two weeks, it's in your interests to check everything out! Or so you'd have thought.

Someone on another thread suggested that you send the contents of your guest manual to your guests together with the confirmation of receipt of balance, map etc. I think this is an extremely good idea, and have started to do so: I suspect people are more inclined to take helpful advice/hints on board when they can read it at their leisure before their arrival (more enjoyable in a sense as it helps them feel the holiday is imminent) - then when they get there and see the property, it all makes sense and they can organise and orientate themselves more quickly. It doesn't solve everything, but goes some way towards helping eg finding the tumble drier and freezer!
Nostalgia isn't what it used to be
Post Reply