English guests

From the moment they step through the door your bookings become guests, and their experiences determine whether they ever come back.
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oasiscouple
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Post by oasiscouple »

French Cricket wrote:
oasiscouple wrote: Next year we will just continue with our naturist beach apartment at Port Leucate where we mostly have non English guests and the changeovers are so easy, we usually have time to spend a couple of hours on the beach.
Now that's my idea of a nice changeover :lol: Hoping for a few of those myself next year when I start 'commuting' to our cottage near the Med to do the changeovers!
You have done a fantastic job with Maison Leela - looks wonderful and not so far from our www.vacances-naturistes.eu

Quite daunting dealing with changeovers in two places. Especially for us 400km each way. Probably we are a bit like you - Worth it to meet the guests and give personal attention. (sorry, thread creep!)
Honi soit qui peu y boit
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French Cricket
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Post by French Cricket »

I hadn't realised until your post here that you dealt with changeovers at both ends, oasiscouple - it's good to hear of someone else doing it! Time will tell how it works in practice - my current challenge is organising bookings in each house so that we're not changing over at the same time - a bit like a complicated logic puzzle :roll:

PS Thank you for your kind comment about Leela!
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oasiscouple
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Post by oasiscouple »

French Cricket wrote:I hadn't realised until your post here that you dealt with changeovers at both ends, oasiscouple - it's good to hear of someone else doing it! Time will tell how it works in practice - my current challenge is organising bookings in each house so that we're not changing over at the same time - a bit like a complicated logic puzzle
A bit academic now as it is the last season for our Gironde property, but we have fixed changeover days, Saturday for the Gironde property and Sunday for the Port Leucate apartment. We can't offer flexible changeover days as my OH still works full time Monday to Friday. Good luck with the logistics!
Honi soit qui peu y boit
SusiW
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House in"a right state"

Post by SusiW »

Hi. My housekeeper just reported back on the state my cottage has been left after Christmas guests. You all know what I mean - bins overflowing, including dirty nappies, mess over every floor, fridge full of food, ovens both filthy ...
you get the gist. I do hold a "breakages deposit" but of course this isn't breakage. I do specifically ask that guests leave the cottage "reasonably clean" and bag up all their rubbish including leftover food in tied black bags, which we provide.
Do I just ignore this? The one and only other time I mentioned such a state in the cottage, the couple, having said how lovely everything was, left a horrid review.
Afrique
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Post by Afrique »

I would let it go. Some guests live with this mess in their own homes. When I am faced with this sort of thing, I rant to my wife but I then let it go. It's bloody annoying but it's the best way to deal with it. 😀
SusiW
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Post by SusiW »

Thanks Afrique. Rather what I thought. I've cooled down a bit now!
Eagerbeaver
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Post by Eagerbeaver »

I used to be that untidy English guest. Not because I'm untidy but I felt it was being cleaned anyway and had been used to hotel standards.

Not sure when I realised my error but needless to say, I don't behave like that anymore.

Guest in my property are advised to leave the place as they find it.
SusiW
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Post by SusiW »

Eagerbeaver wrote:I used to be that untidy English guest. Not because I'm untidy but I felt it was being cleaned anyway and had been used to hotel standards.

Not sure when I realised my error but needless to say, I don't behave like that anymore.

Guest in my property are advised to leave the place as they find it.
Yes, I do leave instructions even down to "please .... all waste bins should be emptied into the black sacks provided " we arrange special collection ..... but leaving dirty nappies in bedroom bins!? There were five adults and just two children, and I gave them an extra day when they asked as they were enjoying it so much and specially travelled down to get Christmas decs in for them.
I would just like to tell them how disappointed I am - sounds a bit pathetic really though
GillianF
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Post by GillianF »

If you're going to let it go this time but want to make yourself feel a bit better you could just send a note with the return of the deposit saying that you hope they enjoyed their Christmas, holiday, the cottage etc., You are sorry the instructions as to emptying bins etc. were not clear and you will amend that for the next guests, you were disappointed/surprised they hadn't had time to clean the cottage/empty bins/whatever when they left and cannot, therefore, welcome them back.
Fleur
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Post by Fleur »

Subtle. I like this approach. I'd definitely not want them to stay again but I'm not sure I'd be brave enough to tell them.

If you complain about the state they left it in they'll probably argue /deny it and this will leave bad feeling all round.
Fleur
SusiW
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Post by SusiW »

I like GillianF's idea too but Fleur agree with you that it will leave a bad taste and I shall still run the risk of a less-than-complimentary review. I think I'll simply return their deposit and put their email on my blacklist. Thanks everyone for your advice.

Happy New Year!
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joddle
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Post by joddle »

On our t&c sheet we include the following statement and we also have a reminder notice posted in the Kitchen referring to rubbish removal.

Damage and your Deposit
Unfortunately, a few incidents in the past have forced us to tighten our policy towards damages caused to our rental properties. Your villa is thoroughly inspected in between each period of rental to ensure that it is provided to each new arrival in good condition with its full inventory intact. This also allows us to check for any damage caused by the previous rental client.

Please respect your villa as you would your own home, leaving in a clean condition upon departure.

The types of things that we may charge you for include:

1) Noticeable stains to linen or towels
2) Stains to sofas, chairs or rugs
3) Broken sun-beds or garden furniture
4) Failure to remove refuse prior to your departure
5) Failure to leave the kitchen clear of food items or dirty crockery, plates or utensils
6) Loss of keys of failure to return the keys to the key safe
8 ) Failure to depart from the villa at the agreed time
9) Loss of remote controls for TV, satellite systems, DVD players or air conditioning.

We reserve the right to make a charge for damages and any necessary further cleaning where the villa is left in an unreasonable state up to a value of £250 without conducting legal proceedings.
I don't profess to own anything here apart from my own opinion.
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AngloDutch
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Post by AngloDutch »

SusiW wrote: Yes, I do leave instructions even down to "please .... all waste bins should be emptied into the black sacks provided " we arrange special collection ..... but leaving dirty nappies in bedroom bins!? There were five adults and just two children, and I gave them an extra day when they asked as they were enjoying it so much and specially travelled down to get Christmas decs in for them.
I would just like to tell them how disappointed I am - sounds a bit pathetic really though

This is a regular occurrence for us unfortunately. With some groups you just dread going through the door because you know what to expect. First the odour of cooking (we often have guests using stone grills) coming from the kitchen and then wondering if the smell of spicy sausage/cheese coming from the fridge will clear by the time the next group arrives in around 5 hours' time.

If there was more than 1 baby in the last group, the bins in the bathroom, loos and bedrooms will often be overflowing with nappies. Even if there are no infants, the bins will usually still be full of used sanitary products after the guests have left. It is a rare occasion when someone has thought to empty the waste bins and bag it all together.

But what is really getting to us at the moment is all the smashed glass, often found at the bottom of the dishwasher when going to remove the filter to clean it out (which we do at each changeover). I badly cut my finger last month on a shard from a broken glass which the guests had put in our recycling bin but had failed to look for the other pieces. We find it unbelievable that on finding that a glass has shifted and smashed inside a dishwasher, that you just remove it and not look for the rest of it, which will be either on the rack or at the bottom of the unit.

We are averaging around 3 broken glasses on each changeover at the moment, and have a huge stock of all the different glasses in the farmhouse that seem to get smashed. The last group that left managed to smash 2 glass tea mugs and fracture another 4 or so long drink glasses (they just returned the cracked glasses to the cupboard). We have an honesty box for these kind of breakages. Of course some leave a lot of coins, others nothing.

This same group also just put 4 bowls back into the cupboard containing the unwashed remains of what appeared to be pea soup. There was no way that you could not notice that they still contained the remnants of thick green soup. Obviously there wasn't time to wash them up before leaving!

The problem we all know is that many guests do not bother to read the information in a holiday rental. For example, we specifically ask people not to use the dishwasher before they leave and to wash up all remaining crockery. This due to the time it takes for the cycle to complete (some cycles are between 3-4 hours of course) and then the time it takes to empty a full dishwasher and put it all away when you are busy trying to get a dirty accommodation ready for the next guests, who you know will probably be arriving within the hour.

These same guests who stayed over New Year also complained to me on leaving that the rug in the sitting room was dangerous because the corner had turned up, and that they had fallen over it. When I inspected the rug, the corner was turned up, but it was not turned up like that when they arrived. A quick bend backwards along the crease and it was flat again. Always amazes us how some people are quick to complain about something which is so easily fixed. It appeared that someone had also fallen over it while holding a plate of food, as there was a large food stain on the rug which we had to remove with a spray as no time to use the wet vacuum cleaner on it before the next guest arrival.

Actually, the guests that were with us over Christmas were so much different and very helpful when the drain in the kitchen became blocked. After trying to clear the block with several chemicals from the local supermarket, we had to give up and call a plumber, and one local firm came out to us even though they were shut because it was Xmas. Two guys spent 4 hours digging up the guest patio outside until they eventually found the huge chunk of gunge blocking the pipe. The guests even helped us out as well and we were very thankful that they were so easy going about it. They also admitted to breaking a few wine glasses on departure, but I just smiled at them and said that after the inconvenience of having part of their kitchen ripped up on Boxing Day, they could have smashed the entire set and we wouldn't have minded...here's to an uneventful 2017! :shock:
Sunbeam
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Post by Sunbeam »

Hi Anglo-Dutch

How horrible to have to deal with that on change-overs.

I would think it unusual to have so many glasses breaking in a dishwasher - so perhaps more durable glasses would be benficial. "Duralex" glasses seem to be hard to break - they often 'bounce' when dropped on tiles and if they do break will 'shatter' rather than leaving dangerous spiky shards.

Is it clear what level of tidiness the house needs to be left in before departure? We try to keep it really simple, empty bins, washing up done/dishwasher stacked. Leave linen on beds and towels in bathroom. We send a friendly reminder note the day before.

is the dishwasher cleaning properly? Does the filter get cleaned between each booking?

Joddle's note about 'damage and your deposit' is helpful - we aren't so specific, but if we had a stream of guests leaving the place in a state we would be.

Best wishes and hope this is helpful.
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AngloDutch
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Post by AngloDutch »

Sunbeam wrote:Hi Anglo-Dutch

How horrible to have to deal with that on change-overs.

I would think it unusual to have so many glasses breaking in a dishwasher - so perhaps more durable glasses would be benficial. "Duralex" glasses seem to be hard to break - they often 'bounce' when dropped on tiles and if they do break will 'shatter' rather than leaving dangerous spiky shards.

Is it clear what level of tidiness the house needs to be left in before departure? We try to keep it really simple, empty bins, washing up done/dishwasher stacked. Leave linen on beds and towels in bathroom. We send a friendly reminder note the day before.

is the dishwasher cleaning properly? Does the filter get cleaned between each booking?

Joddle's note about 'damage and your deposit' is helpful - we aren't so specific, but if we had a stream of guests leaving the place in a state we would be.

Best wishes and hope this is helpful.

Thanks, Sunbeam. I remember seeing Duralex on the bottom of the tea mugs, but they still manage to shatter them (and yes, when they shatter, they are not in jagged pieces).

We used to have an Etna dishwasher and when it broke, we decided on another make, as we thought that it could be due to the make of dishwasher why so many glasses were smashing. The racks that that brand use are not the best. The number of glasses being smashed has reduced since we replaced the dishwasher but we also think that it is often down to clumsiness. If you put tall glasses in a dishwasher, then you need to place them over the pins or place other things against them to stop them falling over, don't you. Don't think that everyone is so careful in a holiday home. We clean out the filter at every changeover. Sometimes it is completely full with food waste.

Yes, we have clear departure instructions but many guests just don't read them unfortunately. Some listing sites such as HA family and ABB will automatically send guests your accommodation notes (if you have those attached to your listing of course) which gives people time to read everything before they arrive. What often happens though is that 1 person receives it and the rest of the group (often 3 families staying at once) do not.

As I've said many times on here it's the agency guests that are the worst. Many believe that because they are paying €90 end-cleaning that they can turn the place upside down. If we email them later to say that we have had to charge an extra cleaning amount due to the state in which they left the accommodation (which we do very infrequently) then we often get the reply 'then what is the €90 cleaning fee for?' Some guests just don't seem to understand that they are staying in someone's home but just treat the place as though they are on a camping site :shock:
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