Why don't holiday cottage companies do these things? AIBU?

[TheStroppyFeminist]

I have been searching for a holiday cottage for next year and so far haven't found the right one but FGS, why don't cottage companies:

1. Show you a floor plan? I want to see where each bedroom is in relation to other bedrooms because of snoring etc
2. Show you the bathrooms properly? I want a huge walk in shower and I want a separate attachment as well but you can hardly ever see whether there is one
3. Insist on a 10am checkout and a 4pm or later check in? It's annoying and we sometimes leave the day before to avoid getting up early

I also won't empty bins or strip beds, I'm on holiday! AIBU? What are your self catering hates?

YABU, understandable, they CBA
YANBU, they really should provide this info

It is because they can get away with it. Same as estate agents and the spivs who seem to work there.

Maybe proper regulation of estate agents that I advocate should extend to all rental of property, even for short term lets.

Dogs.
A place where dogs have been is a definite 🤮 for me.

One holiday house we stayed in, you could only get to one bedroom through another. No mention of this on the listing or anything and obviously no floor plan. It really made things difficult for us

The check-in and out times aren't that different to a hotel. And hotels don't generally show you that much detail to answer whether you get a specific type of shower either.

Never occurred to me to need a floor plan. The listings always describe what floor rooms are on. If they are upstairs they are going to be next to each other so not sure what more a floor plan adds.

I think you're being picky about nothing really.

Now the overall design of most booking websites is something I can get on board with moaning about. They never seem to be designed so you can click on a specific property and then go back to the same search. They always take you an extra step back and the map based searches are very hit and miss.

The whole "leave by 10am but also strip beds, hoover, empty dishwasher, empty bins, sort recycling" business pisses me off. Either let me leave by midday so I've got time to do everything plus pack the car before we go, or let me leave at 10am having done just a basic clean and left the dishwasher running! It makes the last morning a mad stressful rush 😬

If it’s a big house it will need a proper clean, hence the 1000-1600.

I think all should come with floor plans too. No sharp knives, and insufficient cooking utensils and crockery etc., for the amount of people it advertises for. Also one piddly ice cube tray is rubbish too!

You don't have to clean the hotel though. You just pack your stuff and leave. Self catering places these days expect you to do a lot by 10am!

Aaid thisbro dh last week - the last 2 times we have been to France we have had to take our own bedding - wasn't cheap to stay so a made up bed would be nice! Plus bedding takes up valuable space in the car. And we couldn't check in til.5pm.

They need the later check in times because people refuse to even do basics like emptying their own bins before leaving.

Few photos of the knick-nacks on the listings 😂

Sorry that was meant to say said this to dh last week. Shit phone!

I've never been expected to do much. Stripping the beds, sorting rubbish and recycling takes 20 minutes at the most. I've been in one that asked for the place to be hoovered. I gave it a very glancing run round. I leave stuff in a running dishwasher unless specifically asked not to. Even then I still leave it washed and drying on the side.

I am not a holiday cottage owner but my guess would be:

1. Majority of people don't want or need to know the exact floor plan, if they are getting plenty of bookings without providing this info then why change
2. As above
3. They need several hours to clean the property, deal with any breakages, change bedding etc before the next guests arrive - but I'm sure you probably know that!

If you are ultra fussy and high maintenance and need to ask lots of questions before making a booking then that probably works well for them too as it gives them the opportunity to screen out people who are likely to be a PITA before they accept a booking

I never feel the need for a floor plan or better pictures etc because the descriptions have always given me all the details we’ve needed about the type of showers etc, but I would appreciate a later check out than 10am like others have said, to allow time for stripping the beds, emptying the dishwasher, hoovering and the other things they expect.

This pisses me off. 13 arty close-ups of the fruit bowl/ bedroom headboard/ 'live laugh love' sign and the view from one window. No proper view of the living space.

Now we need accessible accommodation then clear photos of the bathrooms etc would be helpful. Some places that sell themselves as being wheelchair accessible have a very bizzare definition. Over bath showers aren’t accessible for most people with mobility issues!

Yes to floor plans. Also bed sizes / set ups - I wish you couid specify no bunk beds in the search criteria as these do not work for my family and it’s a pain shifting through them.

Other things I find really useful are a choice of pillows ( spent week in a lovely English Heritage house that was perfect accept for the thin floppy pillows that were hell to sleep on.) Also night lights in halls (if in countryside) as it can be pitch black at night otherwise, making trips to the loo a bit treacherous.

Extras I adore are: board games and books, plentiful supplies of loo rolls/ washing up liquid / dishwasher tabs etc … I hate it when you only get given one or two tabs …easy recycling options and info on the local online supermarket shopping available prior to arrival so you can find a delivery for shortly after your arrival.

Less pictures of soft-focus breakfast trays on beds, or beaches 10 miles away that I can google myself!

Agree re the floor plan, or failing that a better description - we recently rented a cottage that said something like 'bathroom with toilet, plus separate toilet'. I foolishly assumed that at least one of those would be on the same floor as the bedrooms. Oh no, downstairs bathroom with a toilet in it, then a separate toilet immediately next door! So 2 toilets about 10 feet apart down some very steep creaky twisty stairs and across a flagstone paved dining room, and not one on the same floor as the 3 bedrooms. It made a middle of the night wee quite the adventure.

Also, a listing that says dog-friendly, no mention of any restrictions, but then when you get there there is a laminated list of rules a mile long about all the things a dog is not allowed to do and places in the house where it isn't allowed to go. I've learned my lesson with that one. Totally appreciate that some cottage owners want those rules in place for whatever reason, but in that case make it crystal clear on your listing, then I won't rent your property and spend all week on edge in case the dog legs it into a bedroom for a nose about when I'm not looking.

I fucking hate that kind of layout.

Where are you staying that you have to strip the beds!? I only do staycations and I've never had to do this!

Tbh the thing that annoys me is the 'Guest Book' - if I had a nice time, I'll leave a review on your website.

Nooo I love reading through a guest book!!! I stayed somewhere once where a caretaker had commented after every stay about how clean it was left. We were dying 🤣🤣🤣🤣

Yes, I'd love a floor plan. We ended up staying somewhere where the kitchen was on a different floor to the lounge. They both had outside access so it wasn't obvious from photos that the front and back garden were on different levels.

-Described as 3 bedrooms, but the 3rd bedroom was the lounge room that had no curtains and was overlooked
-Described a heated, luxury pool, but never mentioned that this was in a building up the road! I only made that chilly walk once because it was winter in Scotland.
-If its a dog friendly property, I want to know if the garden is secure and ideally a photo. Also, if its down 3 flights of stairs- I want to know this!

Yabu, they need to clean between guests, if they have a few units they need time to do them. Never needed a floor plan and as for the shower, if you want 5 star, hotels are better.

I stick to hotels mostly, self catering generally isn't as nice as my own house