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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To think holiday cottage company is taking the p**s

306 replies

HettyMeg · 03/09/2023 22:17

We don't stay in holiday cottages very often so I don't know if we are a bit out of touch. But the one we're staying in has got a list as long as your arm of things we need to do before check out, including strip the beds and place all bedding and towels in a bag for laundry. It also says categorically do not put glass bottles in the bin, but there is no recycling for glass or information about where to recycle so we just need to take them home with us. If you get makeup on a towel you will be made to pay for a new one, which seems OTT to me as they can surely wash out a bit of foundation?!

OP posts:
1ittlegreen · 04/09/2023 07:46

I always message the host to ask what the policies are on check out. If I don't like them I don't book.

user1492757084 · 04/09/2023 07:51

Knowing in advance is everything.
Switch the dishwasher on earlier and wash the breakfast dishes in the sink. It is fair to not want the next guests fishing almost dry dishes out of the dish washer.

Stripping beds - usual even in many Motels.
Not staining towels with makeup is sensible.
Glass in separate bag - always safer.

CardamomGarden · 04/09/2023 07:51

Most of those are standard in other countries - recently stayed in France, Netherlands and Denmark

MN threads on this topic have put me off holiday lets in France for life! I recall one where the op had got up early to clean the house and was rewarded with a review commenting on what a poor guest they’d been.

IWillNoLie · 04/09/2023 07:53

The cleaners won’t get six hours to clean a property. Depending on the size of the property they will be paid for just one or two hours and will have several properties to change over between 10am and 4pm.

ZadocPDederick · 04/09/2023 07:54

I've only ever come across the bed stripping requirement during covid, but never since. I prefer to put glass into recycling anyway, so if there isn't a separate recycling bin at the cottage I usually search out the nearest public one or take it home - though I agree in a good cottage if they don't have one they usually tell you where to take it. The make-up think is new to me.

soundsys · 04/09/2023 07:55

user1477391263 · 04/09/2023 07:20

the cleaners do all day between me checking out before 10am and the next guest arriving after 4pm.

I'm guessing that they are actually only in there for a short period of that time, as they are paid by the hour! Also, cleaners have to charge a rate that takes account of the fact that they are spending all this time driving about from place to place. In a rural location, that could be quite a long time.

With hotels, you've got a hundred rooms lined up in one building, they are next to each other and have completely standardized interiors, so cleaners can zip quickly down the corridors diving into one room after another and cleaning up rapidly using standardized equipment. A large number of rooms can therefore be cleaned up per shift per cleaner.

How do these early checkouts and late checkins work if you don't have a car to leave your luggage in? We don't have a car and always go on holiday by train. Hotels, IME, always let you leave your bags in a left-luggage room if your checkin isn't until later. Do the AirBnB/holiday cottage places at least let you pop your bags in the hall etc.? Or do you have to find a left-luggage deposit place?

Most airbnbs I've stayed in have let us pop out luggage in the hall, yes

LAMPS1 · 04/09/2023 07:58

Holiday cottage owner here.

The ‘strip the beds’ instruction is a left over from covid when it was compulsory. I don’t expect guests to strip the bed but they often do.

Towels are ruined (or stolen) more than you would expect but I count replacing them as part of the costs. I also have laundry spot stain remover at the ready at every changeover which is sometimes all that is needed.

Running the dishwasher at the very last minute is normal and to be expected…I’m grateful if it’s running when I go in at ten to clean.

I have a container by the back door for glass bottles. Our council provide the box. It’s terrible to expect guests to remove their rubbish. But normal to inform them how /where to store it ready for collection.

I don’t leave written rules and instructions at all. I personally ask guests to remove outdoor shoes when I show them in. And I inform them about recycling in our county and show them where everything is.

Most of the time, the place is left clean and tidy. But I still have to spend time cleaning it properly and it takes me all day until 3 or 4 to do the changeover with somebody else doing the garden.
If guests find it spotless and gleaming when they come in, (as they should) they are more likely to respect everything and leave it clean at the end of their stay.

Only once this season have I had uncaring, disrespectful guests where I needed extra time after upholstery cleaning and painting a kitchen wall.

However missing towels and stained pillowslips can be more of a problem.

Funkyblues101 · 04/09/2023 07:59

LadyAstor · 04/09/2023 06:57

Ive always wondered what the cleaners do all day between me checking out before 10am and the next guest arriving after 4pm.After all, Ive stripped the beds, washed and dried the dishes, tidied up, put the towels in the laundry basket. Surely it doesnt take six hours to make the beds, clean the bathroom and run the hoover round?

I do prefer a cottage v a hotel but like the late checkout option in a hotel. I also miss being able to check into a place from 2pm like i did before covid.

I think the cleaners probably clean more than one house!

DailyDriver · 04/09/2023 08:00

I think some of that list just falls into mildly annoying rather than taking the piss.

We've stayed places with no kerbside glass recycling so found a bottle bank somewhere, it wasn't a huge deal.

catsnore · 04/09/2023 08:02

The bedding thing is pretty standard since Covid I think.

The glass is because some waste contractors such as Biffa have stopped taking glass so there's no easy way to get rid of it for the hosts.

The towels is odd but then some people do completely ruin towels with make up and fake tan and hair dye so I imagine they're trying to avoid that.

Twiglets1 · 04/09/2023 08:05

Covid is no longer a viable excuse or reason to expect guests to strip the beds.

Rocknrollstar · 04/09/2023 08:08

Since Covid we have been asked to put the washing up in the dishwasher and leave it in there.

TheMousePipes · 04/09/2023 08:10

We’ve just returned from a cottage holiday in the UK. Whilst I still enjoyed my break I think I’m just done with cottage holidays for a while.
They just keep getting more expensive.
The kitchen is never as good as mine.
Being out at ten/ not in till 4 means it’s essentially 6 days, not 7.
Check out lists of jobs keep getting longer, and this time when we got there the cottage wasn’t particularly clean.
Time for something different I think.

ButterCrackers · 04/09/2023 08:10

I’ve stayed in places were the beds had to be stripped. I think it’s unnecessary because it must save just a few minutes for the cleaners. Glass bottles I’d leave on the counter as the cottage should provide recycling options. It’s normal to leave the place clean and to have treated the place respectfully. I get that some guests are not respectful and cause damage and which is wrong.

Fizbosshoes · 04/09/2023 08:11

Justleaveitblankthen · 04/09/2023 07:04

Having never owned or even used a dishwasher (space/preference/, cultural norms) I'm bemused at PP wishing to run a full cycle for a few cereal bowls on the morning of departure.

I do have a dishwasher at home but I still don't think it's unreasonable for the dishwasher to be left empty, and would also think its fine to wash up toast plates ie cereal bowls
although I know MN disapproves of carb based breakfasts
I imagine cleaners are under pressure to turn around several.properties on change over day and emptying the dishwasher might be 10 min they don't have available.

Goshdarnitgoofy · 04/09/2023 08:12

Definitely the reason I only stay in hotels - who wants to cook and clean on holiday?!

IglesiasPiggl · 04/09/2023 08:12

1ittlegreen · 04/09/2023 07:46

I always message the host to ask what the policies are on check out. If I don't like them I don't book.

This is a really good idea. I shall start doing it!

PerspiringElizabeth · 04/09/2023 08:12

We stay in holiday homes at least once a year and have never had to strip the beds. If we were meant to, we didn't, and still got deposit back. Seems OTT for what's meant to be a holiday! I obviously would if I was someone's guest, but not as standard if I was paying.

SoShallINever · 04/09/2023 08:18

Aspects holidays are very good at avoiding silly rules.

enchantedsquirrelwood · 04/09/2023 08:19

I don't think you should have to do anything other than keep the place basically decent ie sweeping up crumbs and not leaving a load of washing up in the sink when you leave.

But stripping the beds only take minutes so I don't have a big objection to that, even though I'd not have to do it in a hotel.

The make-up on a towel thing is a bit ridiculous. Does that mean if I have a heavy period and stain the sheets that I'll have to replace those too? They should have a decent laundry system. Also breakages and minor mess happens - it's a cost of doing business and it's not like the rents for these places are cheap.

There should be a glass container to collect the bottles, jars etc. We have a green box in my area.

I agree that it's not a passive income stream and if the owners have chosen to do this rather than rent a house out for residential use (and yes I know some places are only allowed to be used for holiday use) they can stop whining.

GETTINGLIKEMYMOTHER · 04/09/2023 08:21

Totally unreasonable to expect the dishwasher to be emptied when they want you out by 10. FGS these people charge enough for you to stay in their too often inadequately equipped properties - and don’t get me started on lumpy old mattresses, ancient synthetic duvets like flat pancakes…

Lyxou · 04/09/2023 08:21

I'm noticing that holiday accommodation seems to get more expensive and less good, with more restrictions every time we go these days.

We did a driving tour round Europe this year, so stayed in a variety of places: budget chain hotel, youth hostel, private hotel, chalet, eurocamp. Of all of them, by far the nicest was the youth hostel (in Germany), followed by Travelodge (UK),and then Eurocamp (Switzerland). The private hotel had seen better days and the chalet was ridiculously restrictive on cleaning, like the OPs situation. The private hotel and chalet were the most expensive!

Later in the summer we also stayed in a youth hostel in the Yorkshire dales, and that was also lovely - had to strip beds,and if we used the kitchen, clean up after ourselves (we only used it to make cups of tea anyway), no cleaning before checkout, no cleaning of our room.

The only other accommodation that is good, is on cruises, which is essentially a floating hotel.

Pretty much every privately owned accommodation (airBnB etc) has been a massive let down for one reason or another.

Fizbosshoes · 04/09/2023 08:23

We always SC and I don't mind most of the rules but once we stayed at the most very basic of mobile homes in France (it wasn't graded - or priced - as basic, albeit we knew it wasn't a premium one) They left absolutely no consumables at all - luckily we had a loo roll in the car because the campsite shop was open in the morning and evening but not the afternoon!! I'm used to camping so had (luckily) taken loo roll, soap, cloths, tea towels and anti bac spray. None of these were provided. Neither was washing up liquid or any cleaning products. There was a broom and a dustpan and brush. At the end if our stay we were leaving at 6am to catch a ferry but the rep asked us to clean really thoroughly as she had a really busy day. I thought it was a bit of a cheek when they had provided no cleaning materials and I had found a previous occupants dirty socks there when we arrived!

listsandbudgets · 04/09/2023 08:25

We always strip beds. run dishwasher, make.sure toilet is clean ( why should a anyone deal with our shit!!) and wipe kitchen surfaces and table.

My SIL cleans holiday cottages and some if her stories make me angry. Last week she did one where every pan and every piece if cutlery and crokery were filthy, floors.and sofa and even unstripped were spattered with food, bath room was filthy.. Read sand and even mud in shower and toilet was unspeakable, bins.were over flowing too. She.sees plenty like this and it throws out her time schedule for later cottages.. and it's inconsiderate, arrogant idiots like.that who throw back check in to 4pm.

MissDollyMix · 04/09/2023 08:26

We must be very lucky then because we stay in 3 or 4 holiday cottages every year and have never been tasked with onerous checkout lists. Never been asked to strip the beds- not even during covid!
Agree though that holiday cottages in this country are getting stupidly expensive and are often poorly equipped. We ended up going abroad this summer as I got fed up with the prices in this country!