People shouldn't open a high quality holiday let when they have no generosity for hosting.

[RatTastic]

Just got back from 24 hours at the soon to be improved holiday home. The hosts had provided for ten of us plus themselves, one loo roll, no bedding, no guest hand towels just their own personal towels.

When they left us home alone for four hours they switched the heating off.

AIBU to think they do not have the generosity of spirit to run a high quality, luxury holiday let.

I often take bedding to stay with family because it reduces their hosting workload no end.

’Family’. We muck in, enjoy each other’s company and are mutually generous and happy to share.

Is the one loo roll between 10 people the new MN chicken?

We’ve stayed in holiday lets that cost a fraction of that with several spare loo rolls per loo. Just one is one of the meanest things I’ve heard.

I've stayed in places where bedding was an option at extra cost.

Were you warned beforehand about the bedding ? I can imagine the host not wanting to deal with 10 people's worth of washing after a 1 night free stay.

If the holiday let isn't up to standard they'll soon learn the hard way from complaints and bad reviews.

YANBU.

If you think they have unrealistic expectations about what’s required for a property to be successfully marketed as a luxury holiday let, suggest they watch a few episodes of The Hotel Inspector.

It might give them a dose of reality…or it might not. 😂

So many crappy B&B owners think you should feel grateful to pay good money to stay a horribly dated kip with extremely poor service.

My friend has an extremely well appointed holiday cottage plus she does B&B. You get half a dozen fresh organic eggs from her chickens plus fresh baked scones with cream and jam upon arrival. Her B&B has won awards and the Booking.com rating is 9.9. It is absolutely beautiful and her breakfasts are to die for. 😍 Come the end of October each year and she and her husband are absolutely knackered.

If your relative thinks one loo roll and a lick of paint will be adequate, they’ll be in for a rude awakening when their guests complain.

2 bath and hand towels per guest?! 2 bath mats in each bathroom? That’s madness.

We took bedding including sheets & duvets and pillows along with bath sized towels.

There was a pile of linen & towels piled in a corner, for emergencies .

Didn't take a hand towel for the cloakroom or main bathroom - I think that's fairly minimal for a host to provide. Since I noticed its absence, should I have gone through the hosts zipped linen stash? Used the hosts bath sheet?

There were old, used tea towels.

Natural hosts, I'm thinking mil, a particular pair of friends, my sil are great at getting the absolute basics right - loo roll, clean available day to day hand & tea towels. Tea, coffee, basic breakfast provided then we've muddled through the rest, especially when budgets were tight.

It's hard work when you are invited to stay with people who are not natural hosts and work hard at it.

It's hard work when you are invited to stay with people who are not natural hosts and work hard at it.

But they might be good at doing it for a business.

It sounds a pretty joyless family home stay, but were they telling you that this was the way they'd set the house up for paying guests? They'll learn, if so. Paying guests will require a bit more. And there'll be complaints if the house is cold etc if people are hiring the house as a holiday let.

I'm not sure why you're so worked up about it - it's their money, their business, theirs to lose, that is! But you're turning it into some sort of moral test of thse people. Other relatives may be 'natural' hosts for family, but terrible businesswomen for paying guests.

Just observe & let them learn.

Exactly this. Many people do things completely differently with their "business" hat on as opposed to their "private/family" hat.

For all we know, the owners of the holiday home may have no intention to "run" it themselves and may well be engaging "professionals" to run it, i.e. cleaners, housekeepers, management/marketing firm, etc.

I'm an accountant and have several clients with holiday lets in the Lake District. Some of those clients literally never go near the homes from one month to the next. There are a few holiday lettings firms who literally do everything for them, even down to buying stuff (consumables, light bulbs, replacement linen and crockery, etc), organising repairs & decorating, etc. It's exactly the same with those owning holiday lets abroad where they engage a "local" managing agent to deal with it in their absence.

We usually rent a holiday let for our holidays (UK and abroad) and prefer to use the "managed" ones where you have no contact with the owner as they tend to be more professionally operated.

Pressed too soon. I also absolutely hate staying with friends/relatives and havn't done it for several years now. If we're travelling to meet up with friends/family, we always now stay in either a hotel or holiday let in their vicinity. There's just something "icky" about staying in someone's home as a guest, you never feel comfortable as they're seldom set up for guests and you basically have to "put up and shut up" because they're doing you a favour. No thanks!

Just posting to say I couldn't really care less 😅

well if they let it out as a luxury experience and people dont think they are getting it then any reviews will reflect that

Anyone else not have any fucking clue what the op is on about?

Why are you posting in weird stilted statement paragraphs?

Think the OP was expecting the full, luxury experience of a premium holiday let but free-of-charge.

You really would be very generous-spirited to go through the rigmarole of changing sheets, doing laundry etc. for that number of guests, unless they're paying the going rate.

We have a second home (please don't shoot me). We often host family and friends there but we always ask that they bring their own bedding and towels, and for short stays help us to clean it / long stays contribute to the cleaning fee. We are offering use of a bloody nice house in a spectacular location for free.
It costs us nearly £500 in cleaning and laundry for each turnaround, so if we're letting guests stay for free we expect them to help avoid or cover those costs.

We also ask for a contribution to food and drink. Trust me, I work like mad when we have guests and much as I love hosting I am knackered when they leave! I'm not on the make or being lazy. It takes huge efforts to keep a holiday let clean and fit for high-paying guests!

Truffles, the way you word it makes much more sense. For people who have more time than money, maybe this would be of value. It sounds like you stay with the friends and there is a friend/get together aspect to it.

For others, we would not care if it's "free" and would just rather pay to stay in a place that takes care of the essentials.

Then there's a third approach that I have seen frequently in certain circles-- the host provides the essentials (yes, clean bedding thank you very much), towels, etc.,. The guests (who are not sniffing out a freebie) bring hostess gifts, drinks, etc. offer to pay for the cleaner's fee, and of course take their hosts out to eat. And they stay together as friends.

Did you pay for your stay, if not, then you are being totally unreasonable about what should be provided.

😂😂😂😂sorry one loo roll tight fisted sods I wouldn’t want to stay there again that’s for sure. A high quality let usually provides bedding; towels, definitely loo rolls.

10 in a 4 bed, 1 bathroom seems overloaded. For one night I would offer to bring own towels and bedding.

It sounds nonsense about the generosity, it’s a let, not a gift. They may not be up to ‘high end’ as you say (tiny bit sniffy) but they let you all have it for free and who knows, maybe the heating was on a timer, or maybe they’re broke because of the outlay. Either way, you all got it for free, maybe just give some constructive feedback so they do get good reviews and good business, that’s what a good mate would do.

10 guests plus themselves in a4 bed house? Sounds cramped.

£500??!

I run an Airbnb - my costs are about £30 for laundry and £90 for cleaning each turnaround. Is it 10 bedrooms?

If they are just looking at minimum input for maximum profit, it doesn't bode well. And if they haven't researched the general market and got a handle on what 'luxury' actually entails, they will, I fear, be disappointed.

Maybe I’m unreasonable but I wouldn’t expect to bring bedding, even if being allowed to stay for free (towels I also usually don’t bring these days).

I think if you choose to host your friends, I don’t think you should ask them to contribute towards cleaning costs. However as good friends, we would buy drinks, food and help to clear up at the end.

But what do I know, I’m not a successful AirBnB owner 😂

@TrufflesForBreakfast when you say you host friends do you mean you allow them to use the property alone and (reasonably) expect them to pay to do so or do you invite them to stay with you and charge them?

because if it’s the latter that’s pretty much the most inhospitable thing I’ve ever heard of.