Lay My Hat

In which case it could be argued that the phrase is a waste of space, after all you wouldn't advertise it as 'not decorated very nicely' would you?

Circé wrote:In which case it could be argued that the phrase is a waste of space, after all you wouldn't advertise it as 'not decorated very nicely' would you?

By the same logic you would not say anything nice about your own property in an advert

kevsboredagain wrote:I use "tastefully decorated". It means it's done in a way that please the tastes of the majority of people

I'm more inclined to agree with Circe as I think that it means "it's done in a way that pleases the owner and family". I'm not suggesting that's always negative a la my facetious picture, but its not as great a sales point as one may think, and all too often actually is represented in my picture above

I'd suggest "recently redecorated" or even "extensively redecorated". Each of which are more objective and defensible.

e-richard wrote: I'd suggest "recently redecorated" or even "extensively redecorated". Each of which are more objective and defensible.

Now to me that means it was allowed to decline into a really bad state before the issue was fixed.

Searching for tastefully decorated in my area brings up lots of properties and hotels. Looking up the expression in a dictionary shows a favorable meaning and as I use the text as a caption over an image, I don't think it would be misinterpreted.

We'll have to agree to disagree on that one.

So would it be a little over the top to describe our house and sadly under watered plant pots as; "An astonishing property with a magnificent array of landscaped gardens which are meticulously maintained?"

So, when is a bed just firm or bloody hard as rock?

salmoncottage wrote:So would it be a little over the top to describe our house and sadly under watered plant pots as; "An astonishing property with a magnificent array of landscaped gardens which are meticulously maintained?"

That's set me thinking - the combination of words that would totally confuse people. No disrespect intended to salmoncottage, but the description immediately made me want to change it to "a magnificent array of landscaped gardens which are meticulously neglected."
Leading on to:
"Exquisitely appointed bedrooms with feature damp patches."
"A landslip-inspired split-level lounge."
"Beds specifically designed for back pain."
The possibilities are endless....
I can feel a whole evening's worth of entertainment coming on.

Since everything is subjective, how about deleting all descriptive text and just download lots of photos. After all 'a picture is worth a thousand words'.

Then one need only caption the photos with: if you feel this the holiday home for you please contact us!

greenbarn wrote:That's set me thinking - the combination of words that would totally confuse people. No disrespect intended to salmoncottage, but the description immediately made me want to change it to "a magnificent array of landscaped gardens which are meticulously neglected."
Leading on to:
"Exquisitely appointed bedrooms with feature damp patches."
"A landslip-inspired split-level lounge."
"Beds specifically designed for back pain."
The possibilities are endless....
I can feel a whole evening's worth of entertainment coming on.

"Sticky-floored kitchen for that homely feel"
"Sizeable swimming pool with water a lovely shade of pea green"
And don't forget ...
"Huge hairy black European tarantulas by arrangement."

pambon wrote:Since everything is subjective, how about deleting all descriptive text and just download lots of photos. After all 'a picture is worth a thousand words'.

Then one need only caption the photos with: if you feel this the holiday home for you please contact us!

Actually, I think that is going to be the way things for the future.

PW in Polemi wrote: "Sizeable swimming pool with water a lovely shade of pea green"

Or should this be
" Sizeable swimming pool with water a lovely shade of PEE green"?

Sorry if you had just been swimming before you read this

Glad that this has interested people. It is so difficult and there is clearly no right or wrong regardless what the marketing gurus say. Everyone has the right to an opinion.

At the risk of going off track - words to avoid (usually adjectives) are fine if qualified elsewhere in your description - even if subjective.

From my sales training this usually boiled down to features and benefits.

For example

"large" (as in bed or property) one would expect to confer a benefit but is a very loose term unless defined in features (eg bed 160 cms wide or property floor area 300 sq metres). As a booker - king size or large bed is a pet hate - please tell me the size - and I'll decide how big it is versus my bed at home.

"Luxury" (or tasteful) - guests would expect this too to be a benefit. This is always qualified by your photography (whether you like it or not) - how many times have we seen these words used only to take one look at the photograph and say - "you must be joking". But at least the photography allows us to judge. For this reason we agonised over copywriting and have used "stylish" and "Scandinavian". It might not be luxury or to everyone's taste but it is confirmed by the photography (and the fact that the house was designed, built and extended by a Danish family before we purchased it and we have continued the theme).

It's just a thought. I've loaded my parachute ready to be shot down in flames................

Interesting points abode - thanks.

Something to keep in mind is the purpose of the words being used; are they being used to convey an appealing yet accurate description to someone reading the information on your website, or are they there for SEO purposes so that you're matching with likely keywords in a potential guest's search? "Scandinavian" immediately conveys a certain quality, but I'd guess the chances of anyone using it in a search for holiday accommodation (outside of Scandinavia....) are very slim. An interesting complication to the process of choosing words.

Whether people would use a bed size as a general search term in an accommodation search is perhaps questionable, but they're more likely to use standard terms such as king size than a measurement; of course king size should tell people what they need to know, depending on country - a UK kingsize is 5 ft wide - but your suggestion of qualifying descriptions is good on a number of fronts, not least because it removes any possibility of misleading, as well as defining the benefits.

Thanks abode and Greenbarn for your helpful posts. Never considered these matters before, but now I do.

Beds
There is already confusion about what is "king size". In America it means 6 feet and in UK in means 5 feet wide. "Queen size" in America means 5 feet wide. So I am off to put some real dimensions in brackets where I use these terms in my listings. I am sure people really do want to know and compare the rental bed to their bed at home.

'Luxury'
Use this word if one likes, but the photographs will reveal the truth.

AndrewH wrote:the photographs will reveal the truth.

I'm sure that Adobe would disagree with that