Bookings - what am I doing wrong?

[Big Sis..]

Your right of course GG
but as a business we have to provide what we our market[or the majority of it..] seems to want..
In your idyllic places in France away from the madding crowds maybe not as I say each to their own....
That doesnt mean I dont agree with you about it being a shame...but there are still places left that dont have these things so if someone really ddidnt want it as was said ear;er in the thread they will book with them.....

Or is that my age showing?

just a little bit but you wear it so well

[Giddy Goat]

Or is that my age showing?

just a little bit but you wear it so well

You're referring to that rose-encrusted shower cap of course Ros!

[la vache!]

That's not what many families want to do thouggh - so they don't book here.

Well, as I want as many families as possible to book here, I will continue to give them the choice of things to do. If you want to (and can afford to) limit your market, that's fine. People don't have to watch TV - they can even unplug it to stop the kids switching it on, but it is there for rainy days, if needed. We also have loads of boards games which also get well used, but the TV, especially the kids channels, have been really appreciated by the children and parents alike this year.

[Giddy Goat]

Chill LV, chill! I think we basically all agree re TVs, in the sense that if Enid saw the volume of bookings (and she gets loads of returners too) slump, she'd do something about providing one - but where does one draw the line? I presently don't have internet access, but the bookings haven't suffered. Nor PSs - not even sure I'd know what one looked like - however it's true to say that, regrettably, market trends are slowly changing, and there will come a time when more of such gismos will be expected. I just hope I have stopped renting by then.

[enid]

I obviously came cross as a bit holier than though and misleading!!! - we do have TV (and soon UK TV but only the main channels) but they are small and not in the bedrooms. We do provide Internet access but not in the gites themselves.

All I was saying was that as a group on this forum we are bound to have different objectives as we are all different people and also we have a different client base. It's been posted before about why it's not economic to look for all year round bookings in rural France and I have my own reasons for not wanting it

but as a business we have to provide what we our market[or the majority of it..] seems to want..
In your idyllic places in France away from the madding crowds maybe not as I say each to their own...

I totally agree Ros - your market is different to ours and that's your reality. We have chosen here to live and rent out and that's ours. I agree with LV that our families do use the TV especially on rainy days - but choosing a rural area as a holiday destination seems to indicate they are wanting a different experience - that's all and I think there is enough diversity in the holiday market for all of us.

Personally I usually want a TV as often on holiday I am recovering form the busy season here and I just want to veg out

The question 'what am I doing wrong' is an obvious one to ask when starting out and bookings are slow - you have to decide if what you are offering in your region is getting takers and returners - if not then you have to amend the offering but I agree that it takes a season ot two to really have your objectives confirmed.

[gh]

Or is that my age showing?

Think my age is showing too GG. We perhaps are off a certain age when we were young our parents didn't have much quality time with us, when holiday time came the family found their own entertainment together. B&W tv then.
As someone said, Rentals is a business, many not all, parents today want gadgets and Sky TV to entertain their children, its what their used to.
We supply indoor and outdoor games, puzzles, books and dvds for all ages, TV with Sky in the lounge which we feel; helps entertain the little ones out of the sun for a while, that is when it doesn't rain. The feedback that we receive is a good mix of things to do together and seperately.
Sky was hubbies idea, a committed sports fan, he would miss it when were over.
Our most commented toy, http://www.amazon.co.uk/CHILDRENS-RACE- ... B000R5N1GS
Had to have a go for research purposes, great fun.

Helen

[Nessie]

Its very interesting, as someone with children who does on occasion rent afraid a TV is not on my main list of requirements, the children see in my view to much TV during the course of the year and going without for 1 or 2 weeks is no hardship.
However saying that we missed out on the maximum rating of 4 keys when were graded because we did not have TV in the rooms and it is something we have been considering installing before our next inspection. We do have a TV for guests to use in the lounge or to watch dvd , however very few do, we also offer portable dvd players for them to watch in the rooms if required but these have only been used once.

[Marg]

I think a TV is a necessity - we have a basic package of local channels and BBC and ITV plus lots of other strange channels but not Sky. There are lots of bars nearby which show Sky sports and my husband disappears off to watch various games. If we ourselves were living out there more then we would have to have Sky - hubby would get withdrawal symptoms!
Internet access - we don't have a phone. When I send the directions to guests I have to mention that they need to take their mobiles, which I am sure they do anyway. Is it only me who leaves their mobile sitting on the kitchen worktop ?
So far no one has even enquired about having the internet - the same applies, if we were there for longer periods at a time then we probably would do something about it.
Most teenagers will have iPods or whatever the latest gadget is to keep them amused. We have friends who went out to our villa and they came back saying that their wayward daughter who is a real handful at home had played Scrabble with them every night and what a great time they had had!
Holidays are often a time for a family to actually get together and do things together which they don't have time to do at home. This is our 2nd year renting so we are still learning!

[la vache!]

Chill LV, chill! I think we basically all agree re TVs, in the sense that if Enid saw the volume of bookings (and she gets loads of returners too) slump, she'd do something about providing one - but where does one draw the line?

GG, I wasn't having a go at anyone and don't need to "chill", I was just pointing out that things change and as rental owners we have to adapt - like it or not - to keep up with the competition. Last week I took a booking for my Farmhouse for the first week in October because there is wifi access in the house - it was a non negotiable requirement for the people who booked.

[Giddy Goat]

OK, begging yours Susan, within forum limitations I think I know you quite well. I wasn't suggesting you were having a go at anyone, but thought I clocked a bit of steam issuing from your nostrils! We're all in basic agreement, but it's deffo a 'whether we like it or not' scenario!

[Foxandsot]

Hi Lorraine

Your villa looks really lovely, I like the evening pool photo. I know how difficult it can be to get good photos of your property!

I just wanted to pick up on a point that was made about advertising. We too are in our first year and I have advertised on numerous free sites and 3 paid sites. Two of the paid sites have paid for themselves due to the amount of bookings we got from them. One of the paid sites haven't given us significant bookings or enquiries, so if we had only advertised with them in the first place, I would be seriously wondering if we had made the right decision in buying the villa!!! I think definately in the first few years of renting, it makes sense to plough as much money into advertising as you can. In order to fathom which rental listing sites will work best for you, the advice given on this forum, is to google various phrases applicable to your property/area and see what listing sites come up and then go from there.

Good luck

Mx

[fibi]

Fibi

regarding the TV/Satelite/stereo etc, this is exactly what we DON'T want. We take our children away to play at the beach and swim - everything they don't do here in the UK.... I have been told by some other people who rent that they don't supply TV's etc as they can get broken or stolen. We are trying to market our villa to people who want a quiet peaceful holiday. I do appreciate your comments but your idea of a holiday is different to mine

It is quite possible to swim and play with your children even with a telly . My idea of a holiday probably isn't much different to yours either, unless you imagine my kids just go on holiday to watch telly - what bliss that would be!

To be honest not having aircon was a much bigger drawback for me -This is really ironic, as my hubby NEVER watches TV and I watch cornonation st nothing else, ever. We are the only family in our village with council telly, i.e no SKY!! However our holiday rentals have SKY!


Anyway I digress or TC we all have different points of view- thats fine it what makes life and this forum interesting but we CANNOT inflict these views on paying clients. If you insist on no telly/wi/fi/ PS2s no aircon whatever you are going to severly limit your client base especially out of season. This will result in lower bookings. Now, its your choice if you can live without the bookings fine everyone is happy if you want more bookings you will have to appeal to a wider base of customers.

[Giddy Goat]

It is quite possible to swim and play with your children even with a telly

What a novel idea Feebs, must try that! I didn't know you could get waterproof ones!

Sorry, couldn't resist and thought I'd get in there with that before Big Sis did! And I understand what you're saying and will heed it if our bookings start to drop away (we supply two TVs, one in the kitchen, the other in the sitting room) re other 'must have' facilities, but do think it's shame the way society is taking us.

[Big Sis..]

fibi wrote:
It is quite possible to swim and play with your children even with a telly

What a novel idea Feebs, must try that! I didn't know you could get waterproof ones!

Well Ive heard of swimming with dolphins but never the tele[dont the batteries in the remote get wet

Sorry, couldn't resist and thought I'd get in there with that before Big Sis did!

and you did you little rascal I was sidetracked I can see that now

[fibi]

Well done GG! And actually you can get waterproof ones - was looking into one for our hot tub - not - but you can get them. You can even get outdoor ones for swimming pools now.

Yes the world would be wonderful if everyone switched off electrical appliances and talked !!

Seriously though my only point is that I don't think its up to us as accomodation suppliers to tell people what kind of holiday they should have.If you do the consequence you will have to accept is less bookings. Wonder why hotels aren't swopping TVs for monopoly sets? Could it be because 99% of guests want TVs?