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

@Werweisswohin You still have some clothes, toiletries, when with kids you still need things to amuse them, their night light, cuddly toys, breakfast things and everything left in the fridge.

Then check in later?

@Thurien we do tend to check in late because we will be out for the day before going to the cottage.

Pack the night before.
Showering is not a household chore.
That leaves washing up, quick wipe and strip beds - hardly a days worth of chores.

the check in/out times changed just after Covid - and never moved back.
A china teapot should be requisite.
And a freshly descaled kettle.

Then the holiday is yours. You get a day out beforehand, occupation of the cottage and still the same rental period as everyone else.

I do think if there was a site where all the holiday let's had a check out at 12 and check in at 2pm they would be so booked up the night they lose between bookings wouldn't matter.

obviously a place that only has guests for one or two nights needs " the inbetween" to clean. But places that have a minimum of three nights could lose a night so that it could be properly cleaned that afternoon or next morning and give guests a better experience.

Pack most stuff night before- PJs and a teddy don't take long to shove in a bag next morning (we never took night lights on holiday).
Quick wash of dishes and wipe around and strip the bed.
Kids can play with whatever they're using on journey to entertain themselves.
Don't overbuy so there won't be lots of food left.

As @Nadeed said I want to enjoy my holiday and I can’t pack everything the night before.

showering still takes 30 mins or so and it all takes time when we could be relaxing on holiday.

Yes, that's not on

So don't shower if you'd rather be relaxing?

@Nadeed you sound like a very thoughtful guest! It's really just so the cleaner isn't greeted by a bombsite. We certainly wouldn't want your last memory of your stay with us to be choosing between aggravating your back or 20 minutes sweeping the floor. If you mentioned your bad back we'd probably tell you to leave it. Our cleaner would be doing a thorough sweep, then mopping the floor anyway. Anyone who actually expects you to clean ready for the next guest doesn't deserve your business IMO.

We've found what avoids some of the problems mentioned on this thread is the owners actually staying in the place themselves occasionally - we soon notice lumpy mattresses, sticky non-stick frying pans etc!

I'm quite happy to take and use my own bed linen then of course I will be stripping it at the end of the stay. Beds must have mattress protectors.

I don't want a guest book that's just full of gushy compliments. I want recommendations of where to eat, drink, visit and so on. I don't think a guest book is the right place for complaints but if you do have some suggestions for the owners it's good to be able to tell them. Owners should stay at the place to experience it from the guest's point of view. I think some of them haven't a clue that the sofa is uncomfortable or the bedside lamp isn't bright enough.

I also like accurate photos - if you change your nice wicker log basket to a cheap plastic crate then the guest may feel short changed. Get someone who has an eye for detail to look over your rental from time to time! I don't want dusty dried out diffuser reeds or black mould in the bathroom. Also, don't use the cottage as a dumping ground for old ornaments, kitchen stuff, magazines etc.

We always pack the car the night before we leave a place and everyone has a small cloth bag for their pj's and toothbrush. The place is always left immaculate, beds stripped, towels/ tea towels where specified, everything where it was, perishables chucked out, hosts always comment on how good we are, I don't think it is too much to ask and it doesn't bother me much.

You think someone who owns a holiday home is too good to clean it themselves? Why would they need a break from 3 hours cleaning per week?

If you want to check out at 13:00 and check in at 11:00 them I recommend one holidays in Cape Verde.

I guarantee the holiday home owners will be very accommodating. Delirious even.

I agree.

Not giving directions to find the place is a common problem. Often there's a big sign saying the name of the place but they use a different name in the listing so you end up thinking it's the wrong place. Or places with several cottages but no way of telling which one is yours.

Also misleading parking information. Stayed somewhere with free on street parking. It turned out the parking was limited to an hour - with no option to pay for longer.

Air fresheners (usually to disguise the smell of dog), and kitchens full of discarded equipment that is obviously stuff someone didn't want any more.

Ideally salt and pepper should be provided as well as hand soap, tea towel, washing up liquid and sponge. And at least a few rolls of toilet paper

Yes to floor plan and bed description. We also need to make sure there are bedside sockets for medical equipment. We have a very basic apartment for a ski trip next year and I’ve been googling for pictures to check the socket situation with no luck.

I’m happy to check out at 10 as long as I don’t have to do cleaning. I’m happy to take the bins out and shove things in the dishwasher on departure but I don’t want to be stripping or making beds or having to wash up at 7am.

Salt and vinegar below
Being nosy, but where did you park your car in the end ?

@SaltAndVinegar2 we clear out left over condiments now due to H&S reasons. Not worth the risk. However, we do offer welcome packs and unusually for a deposit we provide towels and beach towels. 15 years ago, we used to leave left behind inflatables at the pool. We no longer do, again due to H&S. The same vis the left behind and communal buggy. It's sad but we can't take the risk from complainy litigious clients.

We were supposed to put the bins out at a recent cottage. Fine, except the bin schedule provided was about 3 years out of date, and there was no recycling bin on the property. We could find no recycling facility in the town either, and ended up stuffing 2 bags of recycling in the car to take away - very annoying, and not possible at all if you were using public transport.

Some of these posts are hilarious. You're there for a week or two, not a year! If you want everything to be just like your house, then stay home and have days out.

'All the towels are the same colour! Oh no!'
'They don't show me a photo of the glasses cupboard so I don't know whether to bring my own champagne glasses!'

And theyre just random picks from lots of similarly trivial and ridiculous complaints.

I would like floor plans too. Often it doesn't matter, but sometimes the only shower is off one of the bedrooms, or the third "bedroom" is actually a sofabed in the living room. There have been times I've only found this out from the reviews, from other customers who have also been misled by the description and photos. One that I shortlisted recently was described as an "apartment", but actually was just 2 bedrooms - no living room or kitchen, and a bathroom shared with other "apartments".

10 am and 11am/12pm are very different and 2/3pm check in vs 4pm is also v different in terms of impact on your day imo.