2007 Bookings Down? A rental site owner's view.

Up, down, could be better? How to get more bookings is our number one obsession. Talk shop here.
Hells Bells
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Post by Hells Bells »

Ben. I have responded and offer my apartment sun-sun or can be flexible. Have pool and sauna too.
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Mountain Goat
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Post by Mountain Goat »

Our experience is Geneva flights, and with BA and Easy in particular.

In our ski high season (now) Friday through Sunday one-way flights can easily be 250 pounds* one way compared with 35 pounds each way Monday - Thursday. Last-minute bookings can be seriously sky high.

With a large family, that's a lotta dosh.

MG

*no pound sign here in Dar es Salaam......strange keyboard
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Alan Knighting
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Post by Alan Knighting »

In respect of Mid and High Season bookings Joan and I decided we must have fixed hand-over days so that we could ensure a continuity of bookings. We anticipated that flexible hand-over days would result in as many day empty as there were booked and that would not be in our interests.

We decided that Saturday would be our hand-over day for one simple reason. It is traditional in the UK, perhaps equally traditional in other countries, for annual holidays to be taken in periods of whole weeks, i.e. weekend to weekend not mid-week to mid-week.

Things may well have changed a little since that decision was made but we are still of the opinion that most people holiday in periods of whole weeks; that is certainly our experience and we see no reason to change to meet the requirements of what we see as a very small minority.

Fluffy
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Giddy Goat
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Post by Giddy Goat »

Gascony Goat wrote: in the main season (June - early Sept) we have a fixed Thursday changeover. This was because of the availability of our caretakers, rather than for any other reason. It hasn't ever posed a problem though, and we still tend to get booked up quickly - perhaps it has even worked in our favour, as invariably the flights and crossings from the UK are cheaper mid-week.
Fluffy, I agree that by and large people still take one- or two-week hols, but I think things have moved on and holiday-makers are no longer rigid in respect of when their one week or two-week holiday must begin and end. And people who are driving to our (joint) neck of the woods are going to have to leave the UK in the middle of the week anyway. Punters have become much more pragmatic!
Nostalgia isn't what it used to be
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Alan Knighting
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Post by Alan Knighting »

GG,
Fluffy,I agree that by and large peole still take one- or two-week hols, but I think things have moved on and people are no longer rigid in respect of when their one week or two-week holiday must begin and end. And people who are driving to our joint neck of the woods are going to have to leave the UK in the middle of the week anyway. Punters have become much more pragmatic!
That is the whole point, isn’t it? We are providing a product and if it becomes a product that the customer doesn’t want then we have to change the product.

Those of my guests who drive here do the same thing as I used to do. They take an overnight ferry on Friday or a very early ferry on Saturday; they drive for 7-8 hours in France and arrive here late afternoon on Saturday.

Those of my guests who fly here go to their local airport on Saturday morning, sit on the plane for a couple of hours, pick up their hire car at Bergerac or Bordeaux or wherever and arrive here late afternoon on Saturday.

It isn’t rocket science but it may be a science which is changing. When the majority of guests change so will I, but to which day? No matter how it is dressed it up, flexible dates are likely to leave me with substantial gaps in my bookings.

Fluffy
la vache!
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Post by la vache! »

I agree with Alan - I can't afford to offer flexible dates in high/peak season (especially with all the discounts I offer :oops: ) as any change, even by a day, means the potential loss of a weeks booking. I have lost bookings, particularly in September for this reason, but September has always been filled with Saturday - Saturday bookings in the end.
In France particularly, if people want to take advantage of cheaper Friday crossings, there is plenty of reasonably priced B&B and hotel accommodation they can use instead.
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Giddy Goat
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Post by Giddy Goat »

The subject of my post was not about flexible changeover days - I agree that a fixed day in high and peak seasons is possible in our market at any rate Alan, and so we are lucky in that we can get away without wasted days during those weeks. Financially it makes the best sense of course. But if getting completely booked is an issue for some, a (fixed) mid-week changeover day is worth considering, as it may prove to be more attractive to many families now, given the grossly inflated price of weekend flights eg. There is the added consideration, with families who are driving with babies and/or very young children, that many need to break their drive and overnight properly en route. This precludes the option of setting out on Friday or Saturday.
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Alan Knighting
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Post by Alan Knighting »

GG,

I completely take your point. I think there is a growing number of people who prefer a mid-week to mid-week holiday. Who knows, having a mid-week hand-over date may be the opportunity of addressing a “niche� market which is going begging?

Fluffy
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Giddy Goat
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Post by Giddy Goat »

Gascony Goat wrote: perhaps it has even worked in our favour, as invariably the flights and crossings from the UK are cheaper mid-week.
Yup! :D Seems to be in our case! But that may also have something to do with the size of the accommodation as we do get a fair few families with babies and young children, grannies etc. We also attract groups who like to do a spot of touring en route, and may even build in a couple of overnight stops arriving, departing, or both?
Nostalgia isn't what it used to be
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Big Sis..
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Post by Big Sis.. »

Alan Said...
flexible dates are likely to leave me with substantial gaps in my bookings.
Totally ,Totally agree...last year only had Sat-Sat June onwards this year have done it
from Mar-April till November....All have been Sat-Sat.....

We are lucky as we are halfway between Alicante and Murcia Airports and there is so much choice.....
Have had a few ask about flexibilty but Ive told them.. they can be as flexible as they like as long as they pay me
Sat-Sat....they can arrive anytime between then :wink: :roll: :lol:
pabbers
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Post by pabbers »

I think there is a growing number of people who prefer a mid-week to mid-week holiday.
And it's not always a question of preference - for some it's when the flights are available. If you want one of the cheap airlines they may only fly on certain days. Added to that, some of those that fly every day have vastly different prices within the same time period. For example we are going to our own place in Portugal at Easter, flying out with Easyjet on Good Friday and returning Tues 16 April = £250 for the 2 of us. Our friends are travelling out with us but have to be back for school on Monday 15 and so are travelling back on the Sunday = £500 for the 2 of them...........
Can't do "witty" and the "truth may be too much for you...."

P
gh
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Post by gh »

La Vache wrote:I agree with Alan -
In France particularly, if people want to take advantage of cheaper Friday crossings, there is plenty of reasonably priced B&B and hotel accommodation they can use instead.


Having been on the other side of the coin; so to speak, for many years (France) we embraced the extra day/s either side of our 'booked' accomodation and thoroughly enjoyed it.

We now being on the 'flip' side of the coin; we only accept bookings in peak times Sat-Sat.
Ros wrote:Sat-Sat....they can arrive anytime between then
Kindred minds. Off peak enquiries find us very flexible. :P
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Overboard
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Post by Overboard »

As long as its at least a weeks rental I dont really mind what day people want to check in. We have a lot of British familys visiting Virginia and I'm not going to make them deal with weekend airport traffic if they dont want to. But then, I'm also not fussed about empty days inbetween renters either as that gives us time to catch up on things at the house.. such as weeding, hot tub maintenance etc. I did find that people seemed to 'fit in' to what dates we had left though as often times I'd have a week left, say a Tuesday - Tuesday, that I thought would be free for me and someone would book it.. the nerve.. :wink:
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Giddy Goat
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Post by Giddy Goat »

Overboard wrote: But then, I'm also not fussed about empty days inbetween renters either as that gives us time to catch up on things at the house:
We have to rely on our caretakers for bits and pieces, which they can only organise on changeover day, so during the busy season, with back to back bookings mostly, it's very difficult to get any maintenance stuff done - if not by them, by electricians etc. Even if we introduced a more flexible booking system during this period, there'd still be no guarantee that either our caretakers (who have other clients of course) or any tradespeople they organised would be available to come on exactly the day/s that fell free. It must be great to live on site or close to the rental property instead of 5 hours' travelling time away!

Until such a time comes for us, we continue to hope that nothing major in the way of work needing doing crops up until we've kissed goodbye to the last guest!!!
Nostalgia isn't what it used to be
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Big Sis..
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Post by Big Sis.. »

I agree GG..

My cleaners have other clients but some of them have flexible changeovers so we have them all Sat if necessary.....
GG - 3 weeks on and out of thermals at last!!
OOOhhhh not the same ones though eh....gasc.....Image

Bet you feel like this now
Image..

Think what you saved on heating bills though...I bet thats a comfort :roll:
Last edited by Big Sis.. on Wed Feb 21, 2007 6:48 am, edited 2 times in total.
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