Being asked to strip beds in holiday cottage

[librarian55]

We have just returned from a long weekend in the Lake District which was organised by my DD. We stayed in a very nice cottage. The day before we left, the letting agent texted my DD asking us to leave the place clean and tidy (fair enough, we would do that anyway) but they also asked us to strip the beds. AIBU in thinking this was very cheeky? The cost of cleaning would be included in the rental price and since we were expected to vacate by 10am, we didn't have that much time in the morning. I know it doesn't take much time, but I go on holiday to get away from such chores.

We have a holiday let - last week a guest proudly told me she'd stripped the beds. But which she meant she had taken the pillows and duvets off the bed and dumped them on the floor, covers still on.

She also stripped the utility room of all 18 spare loo rolls and half the firewood too, but that's a whole other thing...

Irrelevant. It takes OP the same amount of time as the housekeeper. The debate is whether customers are being charged for it.

Because you put the used bedding in a plastic sack which is then emptied into the washing machine without the cleaner having to touch it.

AIBU in thinking this was very cheeky?

Yes. How much time would it take to strip the beds? (unless you have 10 children).

It isn't exactly an onerous task.

@Whatfreshhellisthisss I think the issue is that it's harder to recruit cleaners now, hence later check out / ask guests to do more / earlier check out

But they need to be careful not to push their luck too much

I had one place ask us to strip beds and hoover.

I normally do tbh, & left that last place we stayed cleaner than we found it. I do it because I want people to think we are lovely clean guests and, having worked in hotels, I know it’s backbreaking work and some people are pigs. However, it’s the expectation that rankled.

I’ve yet to stay in a holiday cottage without this post covid.

Harder to recruit cleaners = fewer cleaners doing more houses, therefore needing more time to do it

I think next time I book something I'll request a breakdown of charges or ask how much it is with a full clean (ie you strip the beds, etc)

Yeh not doing it - have a bad back and am not exacerbating it on hoilday when there is a cleaning fee.

I strip beds but leave the linen on the bed in a heap. Towels and tea towels I put in the bath.

One place I stayed in had some quite harsh reviews of what was my personal favourite cottage I've stayed in, whilst harsh not admittedly completely unfair.
The woman who owned the cottage was a lovely lovely lady, popped in with goodies from her farm shop, gave me some good suggestions for days out and the best places to eat.
Because she was so kind before I left I deep cleaned the entire place, top to bottom and she cried when she popped in she'd brought her babies (I love babies) to see me and when she arrived the place had been scrubbed to death (my DP doesn't half put up with some shit from me), she hadn't the money to hire a cleaner but was struggling with PND, had young babies (twins) and farm life.
I'd have loved to have returned to her cottage but it's too small for my family now.
I suppose a cottage is a very small business, not a hotel so I'm happy to do what I can to help the owners, however you're right that you don't go on holidays to do chores.

Landmark Trust holiday lets always ask you to strip the beds.
So we ve always stripped them wherever we stay.

We were on holiday in France a few years back. A family in the neighbouring cottage left early, as they were not enjoying themselves. We asked if we could have a look around as it looked much nicer than ours.

The previous occupants had left it in a complete state. We were astounded that bed linen was thrown all over the place, they hadn’t bothered to put dishes in the dishwasher, food stuff everywhere. We had assumed everyone would leave their cottage in a reasonable state.

W3 were wrong.

So no I do not think it’s unreasonable.

I don't mind, and have always done it anyway. I always used to think it would make the owners think I was hiding a stain on the sheets though!

There’s one we stay in that has the vacuum cleaner locked away under the stairs, which makes “please leave the cottage as you found it” a bit tricky . That’s owned by a larger rental company though, who also have student lets, so I do the bare minimum there. Still strip the beds though.

I always like guests to strip the bed when they leave - if there are spunk stains on the sheets I don’t wanna see ‘em.

Something I would do, without being asked.

This makes me cross. I want to relax and not think or do housework on holiday.

Paying over a thousand pounds for a week, I don't want to have to strip beds.

I always strip the beds whether they ask or not.

It’s a fairly standard request in holiday rentals. Takes all of 2 minutes to do.

Some do, some don't. It takes minutes.

This is actually why we're going off airbnb/private lets and back to hotels - owners are taking the piss, not only in UK but in US and Canada as well. If I'm paying a cleaning fee, I'm not doing your cleaning for you. And I'm ALWAYS paying a cleaning fee.

Also - Covid isn't spread via sheets.

How do they check bed linen for spot cleaning if you strip the beds? Can’t believe people do this stuff when they’re on holiday. Cleaning is included in the price. ‘It just takes 2 minutes, it’s polite’. Blimey, have a day off.

Yes, the Landmark Trust trained me to always strip beds too.
This recent place asking us not to, came as a surprise for that reason.

As an aside, I have had guests in my home who have stripped the bed at the end of their stay and I found that very odd.

So have I and so did I.