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.

I would be quite unhappy about checking in later than 4 or checking out earlier than 9.30 but I understand that’s how it might need to to at the moment, it wouldn’t affect my decision to book.
I would absolutely not expect to leave the place as I’d hope to find it! I would expect to leave it empty, tidy and superficially clean (I.e. kitchen clean, floors swept etc.) there is no way I’d be cleaning to a standard I’d expect to arrive to; the owner is either going to re-do it anyway, so pointless, or they have relied on previous occupants to do it before my stay, which I would not be happy with! I’d be happy to strip the beds and gather bedding and towels.

do get rid of all ornaments. (autistic children and ornaments do not mix anyway
No children mix with ornaments! Or glass tables! Why do holiday

I don't want to have to make up my DCs' beds at 7 pm on arrival so I fall into the "if you're afraid you'll catch COVID from a spatula or clean bedsheets stay home" category.

Moving check in time back really impacts families with young children - who will probably be difficult to get to bed after a long day in the car. If you're starting the dinner bath bed thing even later you're adding "overtired" to the mix as well!

Any holiday with under 5s is a bit marginal on the "worth it" equation as most of it is same shit, less kit...

We're planning day trips for DH's annual leave rather than going away because of certainty and the joy of actually having the kids' toys when the weather is crap.

@CherryPavlova

Check in times for the two I have booked remains the same 3pm. I’d be disappointed with a 5pm check in and it would probably put me off booking. I’d expect an owner to pay for an extra cleaner to do it in the same time. If I’m paying £1800 for three nights, I don’t want the time shortened. I’ve never liked holiday homes that are full of ‘stuff’ so wouldn’t want too much by way of old books and games. We’ve always had an empty cupboards policy in our cottage and I’d always expect people to remove their rubbish and strip beds.

I’d expect an owner to pay for an extra cleaner to do it in the same time

Where are these extra cleaners going to magically appear from (they are like gold dust already) and most holiday cottage owners are hardly rolling in it currently having lost their income since Easter.

I would be reassured by extra cleaning measures and would be happy for the check in to be moved to 5 pm. 9 am checkout feels too early. Swapping cushions and washing them off site between guests is sensible, as well as swapping boxes with info, books etc.
I do leave the cottage in order (all stuff in place, plates in the dishwasher, kitchen wiped, etc) but definitely would not want to do proper clean before leaving.

A full clean by 9 am with two children? You are having a laff.

I think asking guests to leave at 9am rather than 10am could result in more cleaning needing to be done.

If we are due to leave at 10, we'll generally do most of the packing the night before, get up at 8 have a quick breakfast then pack the car. I'm not one of these people who get out the Marigolds on holiday, but once we've got our belongings out we usually have about 45 minutes to go round the property and at that stage I'd empty bins, wipe down the kitchen and bathroom and strip sheets if asked to. If I've got time and/or it needs it I'll also give the place a quick vacuum.

If we were having to leave at 9, I'd either go the night before or we'd literally get up have breakfast and go, so whoever is cleaning the place will have to do the bit we don't have time to do.

I never understand what "leave the cottage as you would wish to find it" means in relation to holiday cottages. I would wish to find the holiday cottage cleaned thoroughly from top to bottom with beds made etc, but as a guest I don't expect to do that - I expect the holiday cottage's cleaners to do it.

So, especially as times are changing, I'd really liked this spelt out rather than assuming it's a phrase that everyone understands.

If it were me I'd be buying extra sets of duvets, mattress toppers and pillows and swapping them over with each new guest, that way the used set could be steamed and left for a full week before going back into the cottage so would be perfectly safe for the next guests.

Depending on the type of sofa I'd maybe consider 2 sets of loose covers and doing the same with those.

It would/should work out cost nuetral for you long term as it would extend the life of the items as they'd be used half as long as they are currently.

I will continue to expect the same level of comfort I have at home. I would expect beds to be made up, and no extra faff needed on my part.
And yes, a 5 pm check in is too late.

If an owner wants to continue to derive an income from their property while the virus is still with us, then IMO it’s up to them to arrange things accordingly. Given the several hundreds of £££ we’ve invariably paid for a summer week in a fairly small property, I can’t summon any sympathy for owners who expect holiday tenants to put up with less for their money.

I rarely self-cater. All these things seem reasonable to me, other than the later check-in. Seems OK in June and July, but if you are to have guests at Easter or October half-term, probably 5pm is too late.

If an owner wants to continue to derive an income from their property while the virus is still with us, then IMO it’s up to them to arrange things accordingly

But how far do you take this? As I explained above it's notoriously difficult to get reliable holiday cottage cleaners in normal times, and most of the ones that exist are cleaning several cottages already in the 10am - 3pm time slot and can't fit anything more in.

We will continue to ensure its cleaned clean to the same high standard we usually do.

We will continue to have fresh sheets and towels between guests that are professionally laundered every week.

We will offer all the same services we usually do and we will keep the check in and out times the same.

We aren't running a hospital. If guests want to take additional precautions and re-clean everything, remove cushions etc when they arrive due to Covid that's entirely their choice, but they have also made a choice to travel and to take other risks so I feel have to accept that they are also taking a (small) risk using a property that has been used by another family the week before them. No one is forcing them to.

Supermarkets aren't disinfecting every packet in the store, busses aren't steam cleaning seats between passengers, no one is wiping down ticket machines, cash machines, petrol pumps etc between each use. We can't eliminate all risk for holiday makers.

I would expect a normal high standard of cleanliness, some hand soap, washing up liquid, a disinfectant spray and a new cloth. Happy to strip bed linen off and empty the bins and leave the place reasonably clean.
9am checkout is too early. 10am is ok.

FWIW it would be extremely for Covid-19 to be transmitted via fabric, if possible at all.

I would be understanding of the later check in, but be a bit bothered if I had booked somewhere lovely and all soft furnishings that make it look nice had been removed.

The bedding in a bag and taking rubbish out many places do usually anyway, wouldn't bother me.

I also think anyone travelling to go on holiday is probably not that worried about infection.

Those who are at very high risk will probably still not be even stepping outside their front door much, let alone going away to a new location (where they will have to go into shops).

It is extremely unlikely that anyone is going to catch something from a sofa. And what about carpets? What about that bit under the table where kids have put their hands but nobody has wiped?

You can't guarantee a sterile empty box - and who would want to holiday in one anyway?

CherryPavlova, if I'm paying £1800 for three nights I certainly would not expect to strip the beds or put out rubbish!

I don’t want to holiday in a bare house that stinks of bleach or chemical fogging. (My definition of “stinks of bleach” being any discernible odour of bleach other than, perhaps, within a foot of a toilet bowl). There is no difference between a cushion on a sofa and the fabric of the sofa itself. I have no intention of burying my face in the curtains for prolonged periods so they don’t need to be steam cleaned. I certainly don’t want to get up at the crack of dawn on the last day to do the job of the cleaners that I have already paid for in the rental fee. I will empty bins and make sure there is no washing up left to do but I will not be leaving the house as I hope to find it. That’s what I’m paying the owner for.

Just out of interest, has anyone ever successfully sued a holiday cottage (or hotel) owner for contracting eg flu or chicken pox from a previous guest? Or any other lurgie which can cause death in a very few (or not so few) cases?

So why is this different? General standards of cleanliness should be enough. If people think they can catch covid off a book a previous guest has touched then it would be better if they stayed at home.

I realised that I unjustly maligned Visit England in my previous post. It was Visit Scotland saying you couldn't be a 5* B&B unless you have separate portions of butter/jam which I don't think is very eco-friendly but I guess may be more hygienic as people could double-dip if they are disgusting.

With these changes but no cost reduction and peoples' utter terror over all this, I wouldn't be surprised to see the collapse of many of these holiday lets.

If I'm going on holiday and paying for it I wouldn't want to clean up, haul my house along with me because the let's been stripped of it, make up the beds, get up at dawn to clean and get out, take an extra day off to wait for check in, etc.

How fucking joyless and depressing. So sad how the hospitality and tourism industry has gone to the wall over this.

With these changes but no cost reduction and peoples' utter terror over all this, I wouldn't be surprised to see the collapse of many of these holiday lets

Don't worry too much. Many aren't making huge changes and booking enquires for July onwards are high. People want a change of scenery and most realise the risks are pretty low.

Hi; this is really interesting, as a holiday lets owner we will have to do additional sanitation to keep our customers safe, so the feedback is great. We use antiviral disinfectant which is safe for our customers and basically clean every area possible, even carpets, walls, and fabrics will be steamed or fogged so no nasty virus can stay in addition to our usual extensive changeover cleans. We are waiting with bated breath to see what the government guidelines will be, it may be by law that we have to remove certain items, so please do not think we are being over the top or difficult. At least we do not need to tape our floors every 2m. Can't wait until we can welcome you all back :-)

Don't worry too much. Many aren't making huge changes and booking enquires for July onwards are high. People want a change of scenery and most realise the risks are pretty low.

I should think so! As pointed out, if you're the type to go on holiday anyhow (me, please :) ) then chances are you're willing to take the risk (far more likely to die or become injured on the drive over than catching Covid off a self-catering holiday home). I'm bloody desperate to get the fuck out of here and start enjoying the beauty of this island.

I think all of us (as owners) in the U.K. and in the EU are waiting for precise guidance from officialdom. At the moment we are almost working blind- there has been some (very complicated) guidelines from some local tourist boards and from companies such as air b and the like. Some say things like all carpets and pictures should be removed 😳 others are more sensible.
Most of us have pretty robust cleaning regimes anyway- all this disinfecting will be on top of normal cleaning (it doesn't mean we weren't already cleaning to a high standard just adding an extra level of germ killing)

I know no one wants to stay in a house smelling of cleaning products or one where stuff has been removed or thinned down- please don't shoot the messengers, if we are told these are the measures we have to take, then there is nothing we can do about it!

CherryPavlova, if I'm paying £1800 for three nights I certainly would not expect to strip the beds or put out rubbish!

You can stay in my let anytime at £1800.00 for three-nights! no need to take out any trash or strip beds!! I'm putting my prices up. :-)