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

Some cottages provide a floorplan, for example:

www.lowsteads.co.uk/holiday-cottages/curlew-cottage

Strip beds! No chance. I’m happy to do a wipe around and take to bin but I’m not vacuuming. I’ll put things in dishwasher. One place was so disgusting that me & BIL took 2 hours to clean everything up to a decent standard.

My bugbear is lack of seats for the number of quests it accommodates! I usually go for ones with a minimum of 6 quests when there are only 4 of us. Without fail there is one tiny two setter sofa. Where are the other people supposed to sit. I always try to get an idea of this but it’s never correct.
My last one advertised a bedroom ( once again said it was for up to 6), the so called bedroom was minuscule with tiny bunk bedS! Yeah right! Could hardly open the door. It had a sofa bed in the living area/kitchenette area. Luckily there were only 2 of us. Nearly left straight away but outside was stunning so sucked it up.

So many places have flimsy curtains and blinds that make light pour in from dawn. I want blackout blinds so I can sleep in on holiday if I want to!

I’m done with cottages.
If I have to be out by ten then I’m not getting up at seven to do what your staff apparently need six hours for.
We’re going to Falmouth this weekend and staying in a pub. Check in at 3, check out at 12. No cleaning.
Stayed in Plymouth last weekend in a hotel. Check in at 3, check out at 12 or pay £10 an hour for a late check out.

Once upon a time we’d have stayed for the week in a cottage but they’re so expensive now we elected to come home in between. Saved us a grand and I didn’t have to make my bed or clean anything.

I've never hoovered or emptied the bins after staying at a holiday cottage. I expect that's what the cleaner does. I do get everyone to strip the beds just to make it a bit easier though.

I agree with the fact that all bedrooms should be made up. Last place I stayed in only made up one room, despite having three bedrooms. I was staying there with my adult daughter and we wanted a bedroom each. Again the assumption was made that it was one couple, sharing and there wasn't even any spare bedding so we could make up a bed ourselves - had to call the owners (who came and were lovely about it, but even so, don't assume!)

Totally agree that guests should be clean and tidy and communicate if there has been a problem (incontinence, leaking period, etc). The prblem with leaving at 10.00 a.m. when you have to have cleaned the whole house and done the washing and re-made the beds is that you have to get up super early, and then entertain the kids / dogs / family etc without making any mess whatsoever, while the washing machine and the dryer run so you can re-make the bed with clean linen (as stipulated by the long list of commandements issued on arrival).

Yes! And then 6 pictures of the nearest beach/attraction - I know what that's like, that's why I'm going. I need to see the kitchen/bathroom etc, not a close up of a pebble on a shelf.

o see the kitchen

@Sirzy

it you shouldn't have to. Generally you pay for a clean, so it should be part of that.

if I want to hoover, mop, clean bathrooms etc I can stay at home.

Completely agree on floor plans.

My pet hate is how poor the kitchens are in almost every holiday let, no matter how much you pay. Never enough storage, never any sharp knives or decent pans. I take my own kitchen knives with me but it’s annoying to have to do that when you’re spending thousands.

Totally with you. I want to see floor plans and I also want to check in before 4pm! Especially if I have to check out at 10am.

Love a floor plan and good photos of the facilities, I don't care what artwork you have, I care if there's a separate bath and shower.

Dog friendly, is the garden secure? I won't follow any rules that aren't listen on the booking. "We're so dog friendly we provide treats in a little doggy hamper......don't let you dog out of the kitchen." Nah.

I'm not paying for your cleaner and cleaning the gaff.

I don't really do self-catering, but I could probably do a similar list for hotels.

Premier Inns have door closers which are quite quiet. If they can do it, why can't all hotels do it?

Why don't TVs have volume limiters on them - if you want louder TV, you use headphones.

Why do they do a pre-authorisation on your card and then not release it for 30 days, even though you checked out (and paid) after 3?

Lack of storage so you effectively have to live out of a suitcase

Showers where you can't take the head down.

most holiday cottages could be let as proper homes for families. The industry is destroying communities.

Totally agree with this.

I travel solo mostly and always stay in a hotel. I feel more secure and there's always 24/7 reception. And a bar for a glass of wine and a chat with the bar staff. Who are knowledgeable about what's going on locally.

There have been a few threads on MN about this. I don't see why you should do anything like this - you are on holiday. You leave the place tidy and basically clean but I can't see why you should do things like empty the bins or hoover unless you've actually knocked a load of crumbs over the floor or have a pet with you which moults everywhere!

I don't think there's an expectation to clean the whole house. Just strip beds and leave it as you would like to find it. I don't hoover, mop or scrub bogs but we never get them dirty anyway. We do the bins, like we do at home. The kitchen is left neat and clean and tidy, like we leave our own every day. Our DC, when they were DC, were up by 6am anyway! We're usually in the car by 7.30am in the UK, having had a cuppa, get two hours driving under our belts and stop for breakfast!

Then again, I've never tidied before a cleaner comes because we keep everything tidy. The cleaner cleans.

I run an Airbnb and only ask for the fridge to be emptied, dishwasher run with any dirty dishes etc and the rubbish removed from the property. Everything else our cleaners will do. I don’t want guests cleaning not only because it’s the end of their holiday but because we have specific standards.

The timing of checkout is because a lot of agencies will have one cleaning team serving loads of properties and it might be different ones so they want the flexibility to do them in the order that suits. Its basically agencies giving themselves the maximum possible cleaning time while still arguably giving you breakfast & supper in the property.

I don't think this is unreasonable, however, i do think its incompatible with the expectation people strip beds, hoover, empty dishwasher, wipe down surfaces etc. Its too much to expect people to do in the morning, people want to be having breakfast not rushing round with the hoover. They have taken hotel check in & check out times that can't reasonably apply - in a hotel you aren't required to strip the bed or clear up breakfast dishes or hoover so a 10am checkout is fine.

Really they should split their properties into two batches - morning checkout & cleans, and later checkout/cleans. So if you are asking people to check out by 10am, you could allow them to enter by 2pm or even 1pm. If you expect guests to have already hoovered, stripped beds, left dishwasher unloaded etc it takes hardly any time to pop on new sheets & clean the loo. Then your afternoon properties would allow people a more leisurely departure (perhaps noon) and a 4pm entry to the property.

This. I don't strip beds. Too far. I'm on holiday. I do leave it clean and tidy and hoover if I need to. I take excess rubbish with me such as wine bottles but I don't empty the bin not unless it's overflowing. Same at home 🤣 worst job ever.

YABU, but it's not because they can't be arsed, it's because the market hasn't made a demand for it. If people are willing to pay w/o seeing floor plans, the shower stall set up and to check out by 10am then why would they take the time to provide it, or change the c/o time?

I'm sure you can phone and ask and they are obliged to provide the information (especially if you need to know for accessibility reasons).

https://www.norfolkhideaways.co.uk/dog-friendly-holiday-cottages
https://www.barefootretreats.co.uk

I've used both these companies recently and had excellent service. They do have floorplans and supply a ludicrous number of lifestyle pics but you can at least establish the layout of the bathroom. Leave it clean and tidy and empty the bins is not unreasonable I think. But I think peoples standards for "clean and tidy" probably vary widely hence the long changeover periods.

Bug bears are dog related. Lots of rules which you are only made aware of after arrival or after your deposit has been paid. I don't mind most of them but it's useful to be entirely clear in advance both for those who do and don't have dogs.
We stayed in one beautiful cottage recently but the whole ground floor was open plan with a "no dogs on sofas rule". Short of sleeping on the sofas ourselves very little way to prevent this overnight. No stair gates or other barriers could be employed. We had anticipated this issue from the pics and brought two huge throwovers with us but it felt a little naive.

And, you can leave your hotel room, check out but still linger from breakfast.

The holiday cottage this year didn't provide hand soap which took me by surprise, as all the others I've stayed at have done. The first thing I need to do when arriving is go to the loo and then have a cup of tea!

I stayed at a place once that slept 10 but had a small fridge, and others have had a very small dining table that barely seats four people plus food. I'd love blackout blinds too as I like my room very dark. And a good reading light. It must be hard to please everyone however. For example I like my mattress soft, but others might not.
Definitely agree with not needing arty soft-focus shots of wine glasses!

Showers where you can't take the head down

Our last AriBnB had a shower head that you could only hold, so you had to shower one handed. It was a beautiful walk in shower with a really powerful head, but there was no way to stand under it and wash your hair with 2 hands.

I ended up having the shower on while the head was in its cradle and then sitting on the floor of the stall.