Lay My Hat

We currently have two properties. One is into its third season, and the visitor book is full of comments from happy customers with loads of suggestions of where to go, good restaurants etc.

The second property opened last year, and at first I couldn't find a proper visitors' book, so I bought a nice hard back book and wrote on the pages name, comments etc. Hardly any one used it and we didn't get any useful comments at all.

I have now found a proper visitors' book and have put it in for this season, but I am having the same problem, no one is writing in it. I know all our customer are happy as we have a comments and suggestions sheet, and they nearly always fill it in. I always try to encourage them to use the visitors' books as well but so far have nothing.

I am opening a new property in four weeks and I don't want to have the same issue.

Should I copy over some over the good comments from the other property to get them started? Any other ideas anyone?

Ju

I would also be hesitant to write in a completely blank book. I would say starting them off is a good way to go. But I'm not an expert in this!

We started our book off with just a one-page invitation for people to write in our new book for 2005. It's my hope that it made people feel that it was fine to write in the empty book, but I haven't been back to check it yet! Starting next month we will have a new cleaner who will check the book every week, so we'll find out then, if not before.

I know, my visitors book gets used but not the suggestion book I started it off and put a few tips in but nothing since

I was really pleased yesterday as the departing guests left a note and a £5 tip for the "caretaker" saying that all of their needs had been catered for and the place was spotless. I guess my sister who was looking after the place for us did a good job!!

I found that just writing a note at the the front encouraging people to write about their recommendations did the trick. 'If there were things you saw and did that you particularly enjoyed, please tell future guests about them...' Something like that.

Where can I get a nice visitor's book? I've looked around locally but can't find one.

Where can I get a nice visitor's book? I've looked around locally but can't find one.

local newsagent - called Livre d'Or...leather bound with super paper and gold edging...I've put one of tiose in each house - folk seem to like writing in it - bit of an occasion as it were!

I couldn't find a visitors book in France, so I used a Livre d'Or for the first year. That was the one no-one used.

I found my proper visitors books at WHSmith's on a visit back to the UK.

Ju

Bought mine in Uk as well,lots of choice and not too pricey.

www.thepetitmanoir.com

I couldn't find any that I liked in the stores around here, so I made my own by sewing high-quality paper into very thick suede. It doesn't have the gold edges -- but it's rustic and informal and completely unique.

What a brilliant idea Brooke - I'll see if I can have a go.

I'm in UK at the moment and WHS dind't have one, I've just been to look. Maybe in a bigger branch .

Ju - I wrote in my Livre d'Or book..a brief chatty page - please tell us where you have been what you have seen to help everyone else....I've only ever had really really sad folk n 2 maybe 3 occasions not write in it or funnily enough longer stays - i.e. month/5 weeks - but they feel that they know everything so well don't need to write anything!!

Helen, the kind of thing you'd pick up at the stationery bit of a department store like John Lewis/House of Fraser/Debenhams too.

Ju,

We leave guests the book open with a nice pen and a small bunch of Lavender across it. We leave it next to the guides and things to do folder and so far it seems to attract their attention and they write in it.

We make a point of getting the caretakers to ask them to write something in our guest book as well if they haven't by the checkout time. We suggest they may wish to write in the book while we check the house out on checkout.

This seems to be working.