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

Sounds like self catering is perhaps not for you?

I agree - yes to seeing the basic house rules (especially in relation to dogs) before you book.

For me it's when they fill every available cupboard and drawer with pots, pans, crockery etc and no actual space to put any food away!

A few places we have stayed over the last few years the showers haven't been draining ....cue us pulling huge chunks of hair out the shower drain. We always tell the owners who usually apologise but the last one said it had been recently done. Their definition of " recent" was different from mine!

My husband used to run holiday lets just before he met me. He told me some amazing tales! He didn't make very much money and in the winter was almost paying guests to stay as the heating was ramped up until he put a ceiling on it. Having to pay commercial rates for the water and heating/hot water and waste also ate into any possible money he made.

A floor plan would be a great idea, we stayed in a lodge this year, they had their own website and included a floor plan. It helps when deciding who is going to sleep. Some places have virtual tours, but again, the camera can be deceiving.

Agree with ones that say they are dog friendly but once you arrive you are presented with the list of places the dog can’t go etc. Also need to know if the garden is secure.

Floor plan very useful in bigger properties so you can think about how bedrooms might be allocated/who shares with who etc

Floor plan please - you may say its accessible, but without seeing a floor plan and ideally, the width of doorways and any relevant narrower gaps, I really don't trust you.

Pics of access to property, access from property to garden, and a video showing me how secure the perimeter fencing is (because again, what you say is secure my dogs might say otherwise!).

If rules are provided to me after confirming the booking, I disregard them.

All rules/ requirements should be upfront before booking, otherwise how can a fair price/ good value be determined?

Hard agree on the floor plan. Been wanting to book an air bnb where we can put grandparents on a different floor with en suite to our family of 4 and its been impossible to tell on most listings without emailing the owner to ask them to describe the layout.

I’m also looking at villas and my pet peeve on villa plus or anywhere else else is that you can’t filter by whether or not villa has air con in living space as well as bedrooms and whether or not it has a pool table/table tennis.

Floor plans are so, so helpful for me due to accessibility and noise issues. I need a ground floor bedroom that doesn’t open off a living room or open plan kitchen/ living room, so that my partner can watch TV late without disturbing me.

Without floor plans I’ll have to make enquiries with agency, which takes up time and can lead to crossed wires. If no floor plans, and info not forthcoming or unclear, I can’t book the cottage.

More information re accessibility is desirable. A very few cottages provide an access statement - that makes things much easier.

Blackout blinds/ curtains in the bedrooms.

The 10 a.m checkout is hard work but I understand the need. Cleaning a cottage is a lot more extensive than cleaning a hotel room.

If you don’t want suitcases to be put on the bed - provide a chair or a suitcase stand so we can unpack without hurting our backs.

We rented a cottage in Charmouth once. The garden was lovely and the view was amazing. The weather was also fabulous that week. If it hadn't been my husband would have got straight back in the car and gone home. It looked exactly as if the elderly resident had died, they'd removed the body, given the place a wipe and rented it straight out. It wasn't an Air bnb it was rented through an agency we had used many times but it was horrendous
Ancient mattresses ( big dips in the middle).
Ancient sofas.
Bathroom was from the 70s ( this was in the early 2000s)
Bathroom cabinet still had false teeth,TCP and something called ' paint-on -skin' in a bottle
(presumably for leg ulcers).
Everywhere was horribly dated.
We complained and got 50% of the cost refunded. The agency hadn't checked it properly and it was removed from the brochure.

I stay away, on business expenses a lot, many utterly gorgeous, high end. I've also done my share of budget.

Some relatives announced they would be investing and running a very, very high end Airbnb. Very high end. Very high end. Higher end that anyone could possibly have experienced.

Its not turned out to be that easy.
Pine furniture from ebay, sofas from Facebook marketplace, utensils & crockery from IKEA. And they can't work out why people won't pay SoHo house prices.

It takes a lot of skill, proper investment of time and money to make somewhere work.
Landmark Trust and National Trust run big portfolios, a strong brand, a strong look and everyone's expectations tend to be exceeded.
Individuals do get it right but it's not easy. Got to know your market.

My biggest pet hate is inherited family homes, let because they can't bear to sell, that get sadder and sadder. Abandoned knock knacks, shabby, uncomfortable but indestructible upholstery and plumbing with a hint of care home.

This sounds like my next door neighbours - they spend hours on each change over and the house is spotless, well equipped and greeted with flowers and chocolates plus I have their extra contact details if the renters are needing anything and they are unavailable on the rental phone number. (I have the other number for emergencies as an extra precaution which it tells them in the pack).
Theirs is the rental I would love to stay in, nothing is too much trouble for them.
The 1 comment I don't understand is - 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.) .... How many to you expect to be able to choose from or if you are that particular please take your own. I have taken a couple of pillows in those bags you take the air out or buy one from a local shop.

if owners want 10-4 for a “proper clean”, strip your own beds, and sort out your own recycling. When they are charging £1000+ a week, they have a cheek expecting you to do anything.

To be fair, @TheStroppyFeminist some do show floor plans. You just need to find those places. They do exist.

We only book where they do, or contact the owner and ask for more information.
After 40 years of self-catering I've got my eye in and only book top quality 5* places where it's as good as home or better. We have a couple of places that we usually return to rather than risking somewhere disappointing.

I avoid cottages where dogs are welcome as there is no guarantee they've not been in the bedrooms.

I do empty the bins even those in the loos.

I don't strip beds. I am not wrestling with a duvet or bedding on a 6ft bed before setting off on what is often a 7 hour drive home, leaving at 8am to avoid traffic, when I've paid a LOT for the rental.

The stripping of beds seemed to start with Covid when they said that the cleaning would take longer and it's continued ever since.

I agree the 4pm check ins are a cheek because that's a whole day gone unless you're happy to spend time in the area but not in the cottage.

Totally agree with you about showing the bathrooms properly. I am disabled (not in a wheelchair but have quite bad mobility problems) and I find it helpful to see what the bathroom arrangements are,as in does it have a walk in shower or is it just a shower over the bath (which I can't use). I invariably end up having to call or email them to ask. So frustrating.

I am with you on the floor plan. I have been known to go to quite stalkerish lengths to try to find one - previous house sales, planning applications etc. It matters particularly when looking for a large property for extended family or a group of friends, not if it's just DH and me.

We've just come away from a National Trust cottage we've been to 3 times before but they always have floor plans on their listings. We had to strip the beds in 2020 but not since then. We did take out the recycling though. I spilled a full cup of tea on the living room carpet and we got a carpet stain remover and hoovered after using it but that was our fault!

When the listing says there is a coffee maker in the kitchen, but doesn't tell you what kind. I need to know in advance if I should bring filers and ground coffee or Nespresso pods or what!!!! If it's in the middle of nowhere I want to have this in advance to avoid having to drive ages to the nearest tiny Spar/Co op. Thanks 🤣

I own gites in France. We look after our guests well - or our housekeeper does. We are rare in that we provide made-up beds. I cannot begin to describe the despicable state accommodation is sometimes left in. If a child is incontinent then tell the housekeeper and fresh linen will be provided. Ditto if your period starts in the night or you leak! Sand in the washing machine breaks it, Rinse the towels first and read the notice. We charge high prices because stuff needs frequent replacement and this has to be factored in. The scruffy geezer with a hole in his espadrilles who is watering the garden is my DH not staff. Much of our business us now Dutch and German. They behave better and tend to be cleaner.

In the UK I find descriptions fine. I guess it depends what you pay for. I have no issue with a 10am checkout time. We like to be on the road before 8am in any event. We leave our own home clean and tidy before we leave for work every day, it's not an issue to leave a cottage clean and tidy. It takes me two minutes to strip a bed and bung the linens and towels in the bath. I wouldn’t dream of leaving a skid behind or a dirty cooker/greasy floor and I am used to having cleaners and always have been. I just don't spend time in or leave filth.

I hear you! I have a 2 bed cottage advertised through Airbnb. Growing up and with my own family we’ve done a lot of self catering and we’ve never been asked to do anymore than put the rubbish out, stuff in the dishwasher and leave it clean (not a deep clean but just as you would at home - kitchen work surface wiped down, toilet flushed!). Most guests are respectful as you say but a few leave me wondering what their own homes are like!

With respect, are you paying for cleaners? Because it shouldn't take 6 hours to clean a house.

We've seen the cleaners come and go on change-over days and there is no way it takes 6 hours.

The owner employs an army of cleaners where 2 go into each property.
One does upstairs and the other downstairs. It works like clockwork from what I can see and they are all immaculately clean (we've stayed in a few on the small site of 6 cottages.)

Having said that, I leave it immaculate- as found - apart from stripping a 6 ft bed which I can't manage and don't have time for before setting off early.
We do the bins the night before, stack the dishwasher so just have to add the breakfast things, make sure the loos, sinks and worktops are clean too.

I often leave the housekeeping people a box of chocs and thank them for the clean house.

Ths sums it up.

Me too! I don’t care about their ornaments. I want to see the things which matter to me, like beds, kitchen, shower, etc.

I have an Airbnb and I wouldn’t dream of asking people to strip beds etc and I don’t have a cleaning charge. I can’t stand places that make you do that . I also think 10 am is too early . My check-in is 3pm ( but if it’s ready earlier, I always contact and let guests know that they can come earlier.
Do not get me started on French airbnbs or French campsites , particularly the latter. I totally get that some people bring their own linen but I can’t stand having to
a) extra for fckn bed linen
b)make our own beds and strip them after . It’s absolutely ridiculous and the opposite of hospitality! I literally can’t believe paying for linen …em yes I would like a pillow and sheets yes….
When we visited Denmark the campsites were all made up beautifully and it was comfy and all bedding included. I also had 6pm check-ins in France …