What will you expect/ not expect in a UK holiday cottage when they reopen?

[Movinghouseatlast]

I'm just writing my new guidelines for guests as we are hoping to reopen on 4th July. There have been some changes to cleaning etc. I was just wondering what guests will think?

Check in is now 5pm instead of 3pm to allow for extra cleaning.

Guests have to strip the beds and put bedding in cotton bags.

They have to put the rubbish out. I have also asked to leave the cottage as you would wish to find it.

They are asked to leave all windows open.

All extras are being removed- throws, cushions on beds, games, additional kitchen equipment as we just don't have time to wash and disinfect it all.

I usually leave a welcome hamper of an afternoon tea, homemade bread and granola, jam and butter decanted into dishes, croissants. I am still going to do this, but wonder what people will think? I think it is safer for the guests for me to cook all these things than to buy them.

I am only going to provide a few wrapped tea bags and coffee pods- usually unlimited and loose in a jar.

I would be interested to know your thoughts! Thanks.

Nobody brings bags to the supermarket now. They all buy new plastic bags.

I have been in supermarkets regularly and have never seen people buying all new bags.Totally bonkers.

The chances of proving that you caught COVID from a holiday let you stayed in, unless you could show that you'd been nowhere near anything else anybody else had touched / anybody else in person for the period when you were likely to have contracted it is very slim indeed. If the previous holiday makers had COVID and they told the owners and they'd not told the next tenant / not cleaned / not cancelled, then potentially you may find an expert who's willing to state that on the balance of probabilities they caught it at the holiday let. However, I'd say that in most instances it's going to be too remote for an expert to even state that much.

We always leave a place clean, empty the bins, strip the beds, put the towels in the bath etc. That's normal / fine. But probably not for a 9am exit. The hour between 9-10 is the sorting hour.

I don't want a place cleaned to within an inch if its life. I just want it clean (some cottages don't do too well at this). Bearing in mind we get 2 bed properties, with a normal turnaround time of 5 hours between guests, it shouldn't take longer than this to include any extra bits you feel are necessary. Unless you're the world's slowest cleaner. Therefore no, I shouldn't have to accept a later check in or earlier check out. If I was letting a massive house, then I could understand maybe needing longer if you can't find extra cleaners. But if you need us out at 9, you'll be left doing more yourselves as I won't have time.

I wouldn't say 'leave the cottage as you expect to find it' as this is ambiguous. I expect to find a cottage that has had a thorough clean by a cleaner. When checking out, we tidy up, wipe surfaces and take out the rubbish and recycling, but that's as far as it goes.

A later check-in time makes sense to give more time for cleaning. The cottage where we stay in Devon has a check-in time of 2:30pm and we're never there that early. I wouldn't object to stripping the beds.

I also don't think I'm going to catch covid from touching a remote control or game of Scrabble.

What about the visitors' book? I love reading those.

Have you ever been to a place with a welcome basket, @heartsonacake?

Homemade would be awesome but I think we've had homemade cake once. Usually it's a pint of milk, some bread/rolls/crackers, pack of biscuits and perhaps some packs of cheese or jam. Occasionally a bottle of wine. There is ZERO food hygiene risk in doing that.

I seriously wonder how people are going to cope with everyday life. Yes Covid hasn't gone away but we need to learn to live with it as hiding in your house for the forseeable isn't practical either. Who wants to live their life "decontaminating" board games in plastic crates and wiping down light switches.

Sod that for a game of soldiers. I want to make myself a cuppa with the pint of milk you've left me then relax in a comfortable welcoming holiday property, not one which has been disinfected to within an inch of its life and had all comforts removed. I don't want to first have to unpack the dishwasher because someone has decided that there's a theoretical risk that you could "catch it" off a plate.

I don't mind stripping beds if asked to do so - but many properties prefer you not to, probably so they can keep track of what bedding is in which room. Similarly dumping all towels in the bath.

But i'm on holiday and won't be doing more cleaning than that.

What about the visitors' book? I love reading those.

Us too. Choice between microwaving it on "high" for 5 minutes, putting it through a hot cycle on the tumble dryer or spraying it liberally in bleach.

Have you ever been to a place with a welcome basket, @heartsonacake?

SockYarn Yes. I’m not talking about sealed stuff; I’m referring to the OP who said she would decant condiments into dishes and cook/bake the items herself because she felt it was “safer”. It isn’t. She isn’t held to the same hygiene, health and safety standards as a supermarket/cafe/restaurant.

Even before Covid, if I ever came across anything homemade or unsealed I would throw it away. You’ve got no idea where it’s been, what’s in it or how it’s been made and they are very rarely any good anyway.

Oh you're one of THOSE. The "ewwww homemade germy and nasty" people. I see,

Explains a lot.

😂😂😂

I work in one @SockYarn. Serve up to 1000 people a day. Of whom at least 70% buy a bag. Including those who say 'ooh, I've not been in a shop since all this started, you know!' and proceed to do a month's worth of shopping. Without a bag.

5pm wouldn’t bother me, just eat before you check in. Posters who are moaning about feeding their kids at 5 must live very ridged lives. If we have a cottage we enjoy a meal out each day at a local restaurant or pub, with social distancing there’s going to be less availability. Places like Cornwall are going to be a nightmare with less tables available. I don’t fancy shopping and cooking all week.

Posters who are moaning about feeding their kids at 5 must live very rigid lives. If we have a cottage we enjoy a meal out each day at a local restaurant or pub

Not so easy with an autistic child who is used to eating specific food (which rules out restaurants) at a set time (which rules out a 5pm arrival). And we holiday in the UK because there's no hope of him flying abroad ... I relish the thought of a holiday cottage without ornaments, removing them is one of the first things we have to do

Anyway. What I actually wanted to chip in was - Are we the only family who don't want a welcome basket? If it's not Nescafe / Tetley / full-fat milk, then it's of no use to us. So we always take our own 'arrival' kit with the brands that we like, to make a brew on arrival. We take or buy condiments as there's no guarantee.

Will the pubs or restaurants be open?

That’s the trouble with welcome hampers EggysMom I would turn my nose up at Nescafé and expect a Nespresso machine and pods or similar. I want semi milk. I don’t mind someone leaving a cream tea - we use Soar Mill Cove self catering apartments sometimes and they do delicious Devon cream teas, but then they’re linked to a hotel so commercial hygiene standards.

I really don’t want supper before 5pm. I want to get in, unpack, use the pool or other facilities then get changed and have supper not high tea.
It’s the time that would stop me booking.

@woodhill

Will the pubs or restaurants be open?

Oh, god, you know what the responses to that will be! 'Why does anyone need to go to a pub?' 'Are you alcoholics?' And suggestions about alcohol dependence and seeing a GP. Restaurants: 'I don't understand why you can't just cook in the kitchen (that has all the equipment removed)?' 'Why do self-catering if you are just going to eat out?' 'All that fatty food! Are you overweight?' And comments about BMI and Covid.

Going on Holiday: the new target of social scourge.

I'm a bit late jumping on this thread.

Am I reading this right, your going to remove some kitchen equipment and the sofa cushions? What are your guests going to be sitting on for 2 weeks and cooking with?

If your removing a lot of kitchen stuff, you need to make guests aware before hand. Although fitting saucepans and bowls in the suitcase won't be easy! And guests can't exactly bring their own sofa cushions.

And I wouldn't the happy with a 5pm check in. Having travelled for 5 hours starting very very early to miss the traffic, I would struggle to occupy the extra time, especially with two kids in tow.

I assume the sofa cushions are not the actual cushions that make up the sofa, but decorative small ones that aren’t really necessary

Anyone who is actually going on holiday and saying they are against the revised check in time- this is going to be pretty standard across the board for self catering this year! My holiday cottage company is also saying the same thing- check in is 2 hours later due to extra cleaning!

Anyone who is actually going on holiday and saying they are against the revised check in time- this is going to be pretty standard across the board for self catering this year! My holiday cottage company is also saying the same thing- check in is 2 hours later due to extra cleaning!

The agency used by the owner of the cottage I manage has revised all check in/out times to 9am/5pm too.

But in a small property I don't think there's a need to increase the time. Unless you're ridiculously slow at cleaning. You've got 5 hours already! Putting it back just because you can, rather than you need to, isn't great.

Our cottage hasn't amended yet, but as it's in Wales and not able to open, I suppose they'll make that decision when it's relevant.

But in a small property I don't think there's a need to increase the time.

most lets do not have 'just the one' property.
also the cleaners they use are likely to clean more than one.

But in a small property I don't think there's a need to increase the time. Unless you're ridiculously slow at cleaning. You've got 5 hours already! Putting it back just because you can, rather than you need to, isn't great

It's to protect the cleaners. Our (big, national) agency's guidelines (which have been informed by an Advisory Board of medical experts and public health officials) say that cleaners should not enter a property until 3 hours after the guests depart. So the later check in time is partly to allow 3 hours before cleaning commences, and partly to allow the extra time for cleaning.

ALL national agencies (who have duty of care to the owners and guests) will be imposing, as standard, later check in and earlier check out times, and book direct owners are likely to follow suit. It's an unavoidable part of a cottage holiday this year unfortunately. However, other than on same day changeovers, I will be contacting the guests before their stay and reverting to the usual 10 am/3 pm timings. So if you look at the booking calendar and see there is no one booked into your cottage the night before your stay, it's worth calling up your owner/agency to see an earlier check in time is available. Ditto for check out, if there is no same day changeover, I will leave a note for the guest at the cottage saying a later check out is fine (I always do that anyway - I find the later check out I offer, the tidier the cottage is!)

has revised all check in/out times to 9am/5pm too

It won't impact us anyway - our 2020 holiday should have been this week. Not so much of a late check-in as cancelled entirely.

I honestly wouldn't expect anything different from normal. If people are so anxious about catching Covid that they object to cushions & leaflets, then they'll probably find the whole holiday a stressful experience & should maybe just stay at home?

I also don't think its fair to expect any establishment to be able to reduce your risk of coming into contact with Covid to a flat 0%, anymore than you would expect them to be able to reduce the risk of tripping over something to a flat 0%.