Dear holiday cottage owners

[SylHellais]

We’re in one, and I felt the need to post a note to all holiday cottage owners as the following issues appear to be inherent.

• for the love of god, just buy a whole set of matching cutlery, plates and glasses. They are not expensive and it’s massively annoying to see a cupboard full of random glasses and bits of crockery you don’t want in your own house.

• sharpen your fucking knives.

• buy a set of three non stick saucepans and two non stock frying pans, one small and one large. They don’t have to be expensive.

• when women wash their hair, they need an additional bath towel.

• a plug socket, near a mirror. Thank you please.

• bin bags. And tell guests which bin is for what.

• can you please fix all the small things like the seal around the wood burner which fills the cottage with smoke, or the pedal bin which doesn’t pedal, or the radiator which is stuck on full chat because the valve is broken, or the oven which is impossible to work out how to operate.

Your guests will thank you.

When we set up our rental the company we use advised us to screw pictures onto the wall. I couldn't bear to have the place look like a Premier Inn so didn't. So far so good, we still have all the pictures. And before anyone asks, they were all bought new from local galleries specifically for the property. They're not old tat!

oh, and our lever wine opener kit, with opener, foil cutter, stopper and drip thingy , all in a nice presentation box, disappeared at some point during the season.

We were on a balanced decision as to whether or not to continue our business for 2022. We are closing it. I feel really dismayed by the unpleasantness on this thread....the use of the word ‘fucking’ to do with knives and towels, the suggestion we don’t care for our clients or value them when we really do. Happy to end it.

@lotusmonster
what you're not seeing in the many lurkers - like me - who are thinking 'Sheesh, if you care that much about effin knives/cork screw/pillows/dishwasher tablets, take your own'.

If you love doing it, don't like a bunch of randoms off the net put you off.

*let not like

...cancelling a booking for this July last week, a whole five months after we made it because you've decided to sell up is a lousy thing to do, really, really lousy...

@Lotusmonster

We were on a balanced decision as to whether or not to continue our business for 2022. We are closing it. I feel really dismayed by the unpleasantness on this thread....the use of the word ‘fucking’ to do with knives and towels, the suggestion we don’t care for our clients or value them when we really do. Happy to end it.

Yes it is a bit aggressive isn't it? F-ing knives etc.

Every year I say to DH 'let's sell' but he is too attached to the whole package (our house is lovely and on the same property as the rental). We are with a good local rental company so if we ever had to sell up quickly - like in the same season, they'd ensure alternative accommodation. But I'd hope for a more controlled exit strategy than that - selling say next spring and taking no new bookings from sept onwards.

We may have been lucky, but no major things broken or stolen at our let.

We live on the same site, and some areas are communal ie we have a fully kitted out cellar storing bikes/ skis/ swim wet stuff and allow guests to help themselves to tools to fix bikes, or swim or beach equipment like beach deckchairs/ beach towels/ arm bands.

We have boxes with age appropriate toys/ children’s equipment in so guests can collect what they want from those.

I think in 5 years we have only had a few glasses smashed ( perfectly normal accidents) , and someone took the bathroom bin once. Everyone seems to really take care of the property and leave it how they would hope to find it. I don’t expect people to clean etc, but nobody has say borrowed highchair then put back filthy, or left anything majorly dirty. Just normal dust/ crumbs you expect after a few weeks stay.

One thing I do find annoying is the amount of people who ask for more people to stay. We clearly say it’s a 2 bedroom property, that sleeps 4. There is space for additional x2 babies in travel cots if needed, no extra cost. So why I get 101 people ask if we happen to have space for 5 adults, 8 children’s and some pet rabbits baffles me. We cater for 4, so dining seats 4, living space 4, garden 4, kitchen has x8 of everything etc..

I require 2 towels every time I shower. one for my hair, one for my body. the end.

I often take one of those roll up hair towels with me to a holiday let, just in case. never an issue in hotels where they seem to provide 2 towels per adult. I am happy to keep them all week. But I need two.

@Lotusmonster

We were on a balanced decision as to whether or not to continue our business for 2022. We are closing it. I feel really dismayed by the unpleasantness on this thread....the use of the word ‘fucking’ to do with knives and towels, the suggestion we don’t care for our clients or value them when we really do. Happy to end it.

My initial post was meant to be a bit tongue in cheek rather than aggressive. Perhaps I should have added a smiley or an exclamation mark or ‘lighthearted!!’ after it. I’m sorry you feel it has stopped you wanting to do a holiday let.

However, in all seriousness, I think particularly this year when people are paying increased costs for self-catering (in many cases, not all, before someone jumps in to tell me they personally haven’t increased their prices), it’s a bit galling to pay several hundred for somewhere and find broken saucepans, ancient pillows and inadequate and shabby utensils. Numerous people have made the same comments on the thread so I don’t think it’s just me being a princess.

We do take our own pans and knives and will most likely take towels next time, but it’s a bit wearing to have to try and guess in advance if your cottage will have basic equipment then load half your kitchen and bathroom into the car.

I’m sure there are plenty of shit guests out there too and please take it as read that most of us try hard not to be shit guests.

We've booked a couple of cottages for later in the summer and the email with the invoice for the balance listed what was provided in the cottages, eg one loo roll per loo, one dishwasher tablet, small bottle of washing up liquid, hand towel per person (but please bring your own bath and/or swimming towels). That's all fine as it's very clear and we know what to expect, and what to bring with us.

We've stayed in some lovely places during the last few years, with immediate family and with extended family, and as long as we know what to expect, we can live and work with it.

Personally, I don't like to do a lot of cooking on holiday, but when the children were small we didn't have a lot of spare money so doing our own cooking kept the cost down.

OP I'm curious.
Do you book through companies or Airbnb? If through a company they really ought to be able to give you a basic inventory. Our letting company tells us what to include (we can obv add to it) so there is a baseline of 'stuff' visitors expect.

Can i just ask the hosts on this thread, do you find your places are better looked after if you live on site and get to know the guests, compared to being absent and faceless?

I have a main house plus a separate gite and initially I was thinking of always be away when it was rented out, and having it managed for me. Now I'm moving more towards staying on site when rental guests are there, for various reasons.

@SunflowersAndLavender

Can i just ask the hosts on this thread, do you find your places are better looked after if you live on site and get to know the guests, compared to being absent and faceless?

I have a main house plus a separate gite and initially I was thinking of always be away when it was rented out, and having it managed for me. Now I'm moving more towards staying on site when rental guests are there, for various reasons.

Can't really say. If we plan to go away for longer than a few days I like to block out the time so no one stays next door. This is because I can't bear the thought of a problem and not being right on it for guests. But I do think that one of the reasons I haven't had major problems (bar the lucky parrot and the mould infested cooking pots) is that I do eyeball guests. Actually I call it meeting and getting! It's a chance, if they're new to the area, to pass on some top locals inside info. People seem to like that they're given access to places they wouldn't normally go to.

We've stayed in some lovely places during the last few years, with immediate family and with extended family, and as long as we know what to expect, we can live and work with it.

I think that's the key. Super basic is fine if that's all you need and all you want to pay for. It's when words like 'luxury' are bandied about that people start to have higher expectations and can feel quite cheated if they are not met, even if the price is not really what you'd need to pay to get actual luxury. It's better to be really clear about what they can expect, or not.

We stayed in one last week, half the bloody light bulbs were blown and I wanted a glass of water to take to bed, could only find picnic tumblers so used one, the bottom had a crack in it I found out the next morning when my book was soaking wet

This is because I can't bear the thought of a problem and not being right on it for guests.

This is how I feel too.

Based on a recent lovely holiday, in a stunning lodge, my niggles were small but seem to be a running theme in the majority of lodges and cottages we have stayed in. A couple of faulty light bulbs, glass chopping boards, those cups with the teeny handles (We went and bought mugs), blunt knives. Minor things really. The thing that spoilt this beautiful lodge though was the leather/faux leather sofas...My goodness they were the most uncomfortable sofas I'd ever sat on! Slippery, too hot when sunny but chilly in the evening and very low arm rests so you couldn't put your arm on anything. Cushions had been removed due to Covid but they wouldn't have stayed on anyway...even my throws slipped off Kind of spoilt the stay, couldn't wait to get home to my normal (cheap Ikea) sofa!!

@SunflowersAndLavender

Can i just ask the hosts on this thread, do you find your places are better looked after if you live on site and get to know the guests, compared to being absent and faceless?

I have a main house plus a separate gite and initially I was thinking of always be away when it was rented out, and having it managed for me. Now I'm moving more towards staying on site when rental guests are there, for various reasons.

We use a local management company, they deal with everything, bookings, key holding, cleaning, linen, maintenance etc. They do take a huge chunk of the income though, if I lived closer I would probably try to manage it myself.

@shallIswim

OP I'm curious. Do you book through companies or Airbnb? If through a company they really ought to be able to give you a basic inventory. Our letting company tells us what to include (we can obv add to it) so there is a baseline of 'stuff' visitors expect.

I’ve only ever booked direct with owners as far as I can recall. We regularly use self-catering because we prefer the freedom of it and having our own space rather than be in a hotel or B&B.

Interesting about the inventory - I don’t think I’ve ever once seen one! Usually they will say stuff like ‘bring your own beach towels’ but nothing more detailed than that.

Being honest, I don’t expect 5* luxury in a holiday let unless it actually markets itself as such, but just basic decent quality equipment would be nice.

@SunflowersAndLavender - I think being on site helps with less ‘trouble’ as it were. Some people don’t like being nearby hosts, but it means only those who don’t mind or like that book. We have had many evenings when guests have asked us to join them for a drink etc as especially those staying 2 weeks plus you do kind of get to know. Although our set up is so we all have very private own spaces, garden and terraces if we or they want full privacy.

If they have any questions on area/ places/ any issues they are brought up or asked as needed. We provide 2 towels each as standard, but if someone knocked and said ‘oh I usually need 6 to dry my hair’… then it wouldn’t be a problem for that Particular week and they are welcome to have more. So problem solved straight away.

We also tell people to just ask if they want anything not provided as standard ie large cake tin for birthday cake and they just borrow from us.

I am on site now and it does help I think.

We meet and greet at a safe distance in most cases.

We have still had a few badi-sh guests, but I do think those few people would have been worse had we not been on site.

Thanks Caspian that pretty much sounds in line with our set up and how I plan to do things. I know us being on site may put some people off, but I do think it means there is less likelihood of anything untoward going on if they know we are lurking quietly in the background.

We've rented places with the owners on site before and we barely ever saw them. It never bothered us. Mind you, we on our own with young kids so we were all exhausted and in bed by 10 pm. No drunken partying.

We have still had a few badi-sh guests, but I do think those few people would have been worse had we not been on site.

Yes, exactly!