To think that a 7pm check-in is too late when you have young kids

[sqirrelfriends]

I woke up to an email this morning from the company I booked a holiday cottage with for next month.

For corona reasons:

7pm check in (instead of 3pm)
9am check out (instead of 10)
Removal of all high risk items (they mentioned board games and the DVD player but I would imagine it's going to be barren)

We would have to drive about 4 hours to get there with a young child, 7pm just seems too late to me to check in, and equally 9am is too early to check out, especially with all the extra stuff we would need to bring. Am I being unreasonable to think it would never take 10 hours to clean a cottage? And would you be cancelling?

@BarbaraofSeville

Yes, even Martin Lewis, who is usually of the 'don't take any shit, stand up for your rights, screw them for every penny' is now talking very much about forebearance if we want all these suppliers to still be with us going forwards. Because if too many people demand refunds and discounts, a lot of these suppliers will go bust, end of.

Bertie You're in Germany aren't you? In the UK, pubs and restaurants still aren't open, even for outdoor service, although I'd hope that, they will be in future, possibly to coincide with self catering holiday accommodation opening up, because obviously a lot of people would want to eat out on holiday.

Yes, I must admit, that was a combination of me being like "Pubs must be open by now, no?" and also assuming the OP was talking July/August so even if they aren't open now, they ought to be.

Seems really really bizarre to me that holiday accommodation is open, but pubs/restaurants not? What's the rationale for that?

Although actually I realise it is almost July as it is :o This year is so weird in timing.

I think people are confusing the cleaning they would do normally with the cleaning required to ensure that any risk assessment wont hold them responsible if someone goes down with the virus while staying there.
We have to account for our cleaners safety, as well as that for future guests.
We usually have a campsite but there is no way thats going to be running because we cannot possibly run the risk of people sharing facilities, no matter how tiny the risk, and coming back and holding us to blame.
And most of the time the clean should be just a bit more than a normal clean. But the guidelines for if we suspect a previous guest has Covid? thats a whole new ball game. And how would we know? So we have to assume that every guest is positively riddled with the virus and go for the full clean each time, because I bet 1000% that we will get the blame if they go down with it.

"Seems really really bizarre to me that holiday accommodation is open, but pubs/restaurants not? What's the rationale for that?

There is no rationale behind the UK's Covid-19 strategy.

Times would be fine for me, I understand they need time to clean thoroughly. However, they should be offering a discount to compensate for the time lost.

Regardless of times I think I would probably delay or cancel. With restrictions still in place, social distancing and Covid-19 still a risk it's not going to be a relaxing worry free holiday.

Given the demand for holiday lets at the moment, I imagine a cancellation will delight the owners, OP. They probably have a waiting list of people prepared to pay well over the odds.

The changed times won’t bother us if we’re lucky enough to get our September booking. We always just dump the stuff when we arrive and go straight out again. On leaving everything except washbags is packed the night before and we go somewhere nice for breakfast.

All the public loos are opening up now. Are you seriously not going for days on holiday out because they might be closed?

Yeah I wouldn’t be happy with that, you’ve lost a day and the early check out would put me off too. If the host isn’t willing to change the times I would cancel. Be a nightmare with a LO and the stressing would ruin to holiday for me.

I can't relate to people who are happy to tell their children "We're not having a holiday this summer because the first night will be a bit of a faff and we'll have to set an alarm on the last day". I imagine most bookings are at least a week long. Still plenty of time to enjoy yourself.

We have camping provisionally booked. We've told DS it might be very different if we do get to go. We might just be chilling at the camp site, going for walks and bike rides (bike hire is booked and the one thing that can definitely go ahead!). We might have to buy a portable toilet and tent for it. We will be delighted just to hang out some where else.

@Alsohuman not sure if you are joking but I am pretty sure there is not a waiting list of people prepared to pay over the odds to stay in a cottage.

I don't know anyone who is going on holiday this year. They have all cancelled and quite a few were staying in the UK.

I don't see the point of paying good money to sit in a cottage when I have a perfectly good house with a comfortable bed, good shower etc. Even paying more does not mean you get a good shower as most are pretty awful in hotels, cottages etc. Also so often not enough kitchen equipment or 1 frying pan which is not non stick so everything sticks to it. I am quite happy to cook every day but want decent equipment

We had the same email!

We start the bath at 6pm, kids in bed by 7pm.

Not sure what we are going to do.

I read this with interest. We were just on the verge of considering whether it was worth booking a holiday cottage but if this is going to be standard we wont be bothering! A holiday shouldnt be too stressful. I think staying at home and doing day trips out will be nicer.

Well after the Welsh Govt comments this morning, I'm preparing the re-open on the 13th July

I will be spending the weekend compiling a detailed risk assessment and reading the 26 odd pages of cleaning guidance from PASC (Professional Association of Self Caterers of which I am a member).

I'm also wondering where on earth I'm going to store two sets of cushions/bedding etc etc. We already wash and rotate the mattress and pillow protectors as part of the laundry process.

On the plus side I've already had 4 bookings this morning and i expect to be fully booked by the end of the weekend. Those who find the later check in times to be a problem are in a minority and if that's a deal breaker for them then that's sad. There are more than enough would be guests out there who appreciate what we are now required to do.

Believe me I don't want to add hours more cleaning to my changeovers. This is not my choice. If guests can't or won't understand that then they'll be booking elsewhere which is absolutely fine by me.

Could someone say if the government have lifted restrictions for staying overnight somewhere? I thought they weren't considering this until 4th July earliest? We're waiting to hear about our holiday cottage too and wondering if should chase hoseasons yet, maybe I missed the announcement but I thought this was still off limits for now. I wonder if maybe the uk holiday industry has had a heads up from govt I believe that may have happened with some other businesses during lockdown too

@Fink

Times would be fine for me, I understand they need time to clean thoroughly. However, they should be offering a discount to compensate for the time lost.

When they've already lost bookings this year, and the extra cleaning is costing more, which is likely already been sucked up by the owners?

"We had the same email!

We start the bath at 6pm, kids in bed by 7pm.

Not sure what we are going to do."

Change your routine for a short period?

Seems really really bizarre to me that holiday accommodation is open, but pubs/restaurants not? What's the rationale for that?

A holiday let only has your group in it, a restaurant or pub has lots of different people in.

Regarding some PPs comments and drawing on my work experience, cleaning may be 'deeper' and even more cleaners won't encourage the air to leave the house more quickly.

Lynsey, I expect many people have a perfectly good house and won't see the attractiveness. Equally, some want a change of scene and I saw some research that for many people, a holiday is an opportunity to stay in a larger or better house than they live in. Not everyone lives in a large, perfect home so horses for courses. I expect for some, the 'faff' will put them off though from what I've seen, there may well be some people in that 'waiting list - the demand for UK holidays from those who normally go abroad looks like it may compensate.

@Cornishbelle

The travel restrictions are planned to lift on the 6th July when we'll be allowed to travel in and out of Wales freely and from the 13th you can stay in a Welsh holiday cottage.

England has yet to say when this will happen there. So English guests will be able to stay with us possibly whilst not being allowed to stay overnight anywhere in England.

Thus speak devolved powers....

Apparently, the cleaners have to wait for 3 hours after the previous guests have left (9am) before they can go in to clean. So they can start cleaning at Midday. Then each cleaner may have more than one property to clean. This is why you're not allowed in until 7pm.

It's no good for us! We are hoping there is no one in the week before us so the cleaner can clean on the Friday.

My kids are late teens now but unless I’m getting forgetful I really can’t remember sticking to a rigid bath/bedtime routine on holiday. Surely that’s what a holiday is all about ... getting away from the routine.

Ours came out for dinner with us in the evening or if we ate in cottage/apartment we would go down to the beach after or for a walk/drink.

So some of these kids are in bed at 7 ... do the parents then just sit in cottage/garden? Might as well be at home!

What makes you think they only have one cottage to clean?

Changeover is going to take longer for each property, because customers will want the assurance that its been deep-cleaned and disinfected between every tenant.

travelnest.com/marketing-tips/why-covid-19-cleaning-will-be-a-top-priority-for-vacation-rentals-2/

@OBface

"We had the same email!

We start the bath at 6pm, kids in bed by 7pm.

Not sure what we are going to do."

Change your routine for a short period?

Ha! I know, I know, it IS possible. But in my experience, changing the routine doesn't go well for anyone.

DS is 2, a change in his routine has knock on effects that last days and tbh I don't want that on holiday.

@sqirrelfriends

DS is 2, a change in his routine has knock on effects that last days and tbh I don't want that on holiday.

Completely understand that. It's the same for us.