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.

Oh yes, and we tell the owner/booking agent if the flat is empty a day early so they've got the option of cleaning early.

I love a welcome hamper,so i would definitely still do that those touches make all the difference, if people are concerned they dont have to eat it but most would welcome it.
I think you should make clear what soft furnishings,
Kitchen equipment etc you are removing before people arrive . The expectation to put bins out, leave windows open and strip beds is fine. All your suggestions are sensible just need to communicate them clearly to guests before arrival. Although presumably you will need to take bedding out of cotton bags so is it a time saver or coronavirus concern ?

Is the windows open just when leaving ? As I wouldn’t want to have to leave windows open my whole stay.

I wouldn't expect anything different and think 'second/deep cleans' are unnecessary. If visit England are publishing 'guidance' take it as just that guidance..You don't have to do it and quite how it would have any meaningful impact on actual risk is beyond me.

I agree that a 9am checkout and 7pm check in effectively rubbish both changeover days - I would prefer to stick with 10am/3pm and stay a day less, with a night refunded if you are fully booked and can't make a gap between bookings.

10am/4pm would be manageable if you can arrange this. Can you buy a cheap double set of utensils so you can take one set away and swap them over between bookings? Same with cushions etc. Trip to ikea could be handy!

Antibacterial wipes for cleaning light switches, door handles etc are quick. And can you hire a cleaner to work with you to speed up the changeover?

Ditch the homemade afternoon tea. Naice prepackaged cake would be a good replacement, or just ditch this.

Oh yes and windows open!

4pm arrival and 10am departure is pretty standard for any holiday cottage or rental I've ever stayed in.

We already struggle with standard check out times - often choose to lose the last night of a holiday, have the entire day to just be in holiday, pack up, have tea then drive home in the evening rather than trying to cram everything into the morning. So on that grounds I love the idea of a 6 night noon-noon break.

I have a holiday cottage booked for August, due to extra cleaning holidays are no six rather than seven nights as a late check in and early check out would mean paying for a day that you can’t use.

I would expect throws/cushions to be changed between guests normally, rather than steam the mattress would it be easier to use a waterproof mattress protector?

I'm in an AirBNB right now. My US state is very reliant on tourism.

I don't see that anything's been done differently other than the price being cheaper to encourage people to come and stay.

I expected the place to have been cleaned anyway, and it was. The check-in time was the normal 3pm. Check-out is 10am which is usual here. It has toys, magazines, cushions, all the stuff you'd usually expect to find. We're not wiping anything or doing any extra cleaning but then we haven't been doing that at home either.

I'd be really annoyed if utensils etc had been removed for our 'safety'. It just doesn't seem necessary.

I have now received some instructions regarding the measures self-catering/serviced let providers should take.

These are about a billion pages long, and I have read them all.

The short version is this:

Contact-free key collection wherever possible. Key-safes and keys to be disinfected. No meeting and greeting unless unavoidable.

Cleaners to wear gloves, masks, aprons. Keep changing gloves and washing hands after each activity (e.g. after dealing with used towels, remove gloves, wash hands, put on new gloves).

Cleaners to keep windows open while cleaning, if possible.

Used laundry/linen to be removed from the property before cleaning.

All 'high use' items to be disinfected (taps, handles, light switches, sockets, etc) and not touched again after disinfection. Front door furniture to be disinfected; entire garden gates not!

Anti-viral cleaner to be used after hot water and ordinary detergent.

Throws and cushions to be removed completely.

Freshly laundered mattress protectors/pillow protectors for each guest.

Laundry to be done at 60 degrees.

Fogging, steaming etc are not necessary.

Guests are to strip the beds and bag up their used bed linen. Owners to provide suitable bags for this purpose.

Recommended for owners to provide single-use gloves and hand sanitiser, but not mandatory.

All check-in information, information about the property etc, to be provided online only.

In fact, this is all pretty standard stuff for anyone who owns a holiday property. I think the only major changes for me are asking guests to strip the beds, doing away with cushions and throws, and using several pairs of gloves to do the cleaning (I normally just use three pairs of heavy-duty rubber gloves - one pair for cleaning the loos, bins etc; another for less filthy jobs; and a separate pair for washing up).

So it's nowhere near as off-putting as it might seem, either for guests or for owners.

Sorry - also meant to say that the recommended check-in time is 4PM and check-out at 10AM. Guests should not be allowed to leave luggage early.

Haven't RTFT but if you normally clean with soapy water then all the extra is, is to spray with antibacterial spray? Not going to take an extra 2 hours.

I would not remove cushions and throws but maybe invest in doubles so you can take them away on turnaround day and wash them at your own leisure all week before the get switched over again. Bit like the towels and bedding.

I think check-in at 5pm is a terrible time, especially with families and people who e endured a long journey already with fractious tired parents kids.

Other than that I'd expect it to be business as usual really. I can understand not leaving endless sugar and tea bags but maybe a few to tide them over for one night?

And like others have said, make it clear that the chants you've made are very different to what they'd normally expect. Forwarded and all that!

As for the hamper? It's a lovely touch and I'm sure you wash you r hands while handling food, so that's safe isn't it?

I'd want communication, I'd want to know what you are doing differently - and I'd like options on the books, games dvds and toys front. I'd plump for none of that possibly germ ridden clutter tbh

I'd like all windows wide open and the dishwasher running on arrival preferably.

Later check in is fine with me. Nothing decanted cheers.

I wouldn’t expect anything different. I wouldn’t wash stuff before I used it unless it was visibly dirty, which I hope it wouldn’t be. I’d be happy to touch books etc and have loose teabags and coffee. I’ve had Covid so that removes the fear of the unknown IMO.

The large agency we let ours through has come up with a Safer Stays badge and asked all their owners if they want to have it on their listing. If we say yes, we have to agree to follow 8 guiding principles (or 7 if you don't have a pool or hot tub):

1 - cleaners to wear adequate PPE
2 - main surfaces and items are sanitised (anti-viral disinfectant for all surfaces and heavy use items such as worktops, tables, welcome folders, remote controls, switches, sockets, cords, door/window handles, thermostats, plugs and appliances)
3 - non-essential items removed (such as board games, computer consoles, surplus crockery, hair dryers, decorative soft furnishings such as cushions and throws)
4 - extra cleaning time allowed (check-out by 9am and check-in after 5pm, disinfectants need at least 1hr to dry and air in the property once cleaners leave)
5 - customer reassurance given (notifications left in the property to reassure guests of additional care and attention taken when cleaning the property)
6 - guest safety during stay (anti-bacterial hand sanitiser or liquid soap provided for guests)
7 - report and manage infection cases (adhere to government guidelines on reporting and managing potential infection cases)
8 - swimming pools and hot tubs (cleaned and sanitised according to guidance and standards of relevant governing bodies)

I'm not putting our two into it because, as this thread has clearly shown, guests are not going to be happy with 3 and 4. The rest I'll absolutely comply with, along with using the guidance from the 27-page document the Association of Scotland's Self-Caterers has put out.

I am really curious to know what s/c holiday owners' policies will be if a guest/ former guest develops symptoms during their stay (however unlikely this might be) or has been diagnosed after they get home. Will they be allowed to self-isolate before travelling home? Will we officially be allowed to travel in such circumstances, perhaps from one end of the country to another? What will happen to subsequent bookings ie will you be obliged to tell the next people coming in? Etc. I think a poster upthread asked similarly but (apologies if I missed it) I haven't seen discussion on this.

To me, all the cleaning arrangements sound fine, the 5pm check in wouldn't bother me, not great in previous times but right now, no problem. Same with early departure. Leaving things tidy - would do that anyway, as with taking out the rubbish. What I would want to understand before booking would be your arrangements and policies re the above, and probably official guidelines as to whether travel with possible symptoms because of being on holiday and needing to get home is OK.

As an aside I love SC holidays in the UK and I have found they've got so much better in recent years. Whenever I see home from home quotes I think mmmmm, wish my home was like this!!! I do always take my little sharp knife though....I have NEVER stayed anywhere with a decent one yet!

I am really curious to know what s/c holiday owners' policies will be if a guest/ former guest develops symptoms during their stay (however unlikely this might be) or has been diagnosed after they get home. Will they be allowed to self-isolate before travelling

This is troubling all owners, and we are desperately awaiting government rules on this (the rules will be mandated, not up to individual owners to decide). At present (e.g. if you have keyworkers in your cottage under the exemption scheme) the rule is that they must isolate where they are for the 2 weeks. But this is unworkable for the holiday season. The industry are lobbying for this to change so that guests must return home. But with that you have the problem of overseas guests, or those who came by public transport - we can't have them travelling while infected! It will be very interesting to see what the government decide!

I think cottages will have no choice but to close down for an extended period and/or be professionally decontaminated if an infected guest stays, refund any cancelled guests and take the loss on the chin.

And if someone tells you after they've left that they've subsequently developed symptoms, in theory all this extra cleaning should mean there was no risk for the new guests already in situ, but you'd need to inform them, and accept they may wish to cut short their stay for a refund.

@tarararara thank you.

@SockYarn

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

Explains a lot.

I haven't read the full thread (I think I might be dead of rage before I get to the end) and I don't have a dog in this fight, being neither a letter of holiday cottages nor any longer a potential client.

However, I do bake. And I can tell you for certain sure that no one ever found a MOUSE baked into one of my cakes or loaves, whereas this has happened with commercial products.

Just a thought (and not read the full FT, as above) for letters of holiday cottages. Might it not be possible to put the crocks, glassware and cutlery in last to the dishwasher, where applicable, and set it going , leaving the incoming germaphobes or, as it might be, sane and sensible guests, to unload it for the end of marathon drive cuppa/small bucket of wine? Saves valuable unloading/reshelving minutes. But what do I know? Wonder if any renters would find that unsatisfactory/

germophobes, drat it.

Three anyone wants to leave me a bucket of wine and I'll be happy or at least I won't care once I've finished it.

Based on the latest message from Sykes, we have to do the bedding thing when we leave for sure but anything else is a maybe and we'll only find out if we have to check in later and bring our own books/games/kitchen equipment 48 hours before we're due to arrive. I hate not knowing (I plan everything like crazy) but like I say, just really glad to have a holiday.

For those saying load up the car, some of us are travelling by train.

We currently travel as 4 people in a Fiat 500 so basically we have room for a change of clothes and a pack of cards! We can’t bring our own cushions, kitchen stuff and board games.

I don’t really get the vitriol on this thread eg ‘dead of rage’ against people with different viewpoints.

People were asked by op to give insights into what they personally would want and have done that.

I’m in the terrified of corona camp, but not germ phobic at all otherwise.

I do have a few underlying health conditions myself which may make me potentially slightly more vulnerable (though probably not at huge risk) and also have a mildly asthmatic child. But still think my viewpoint is valid and actually shared by quite a lot of others.

Others are also frightened of corona. There is a reason only 25% of eligible kids went back!

I accept others may feel there isn’t much risk - absolutely their right. I don’t agree but wouldn’t denigrate their views.

Have had an email from our cottage providers now but there is nothing at all about cleaning prep of the holiday let. We’ve been asked to bring own kitchen linens and pillow cases and pillows