Holiday Cottage Start-up

ViksB

Thanks for the advice everyone. This is brilliant stuff.
I think the decision has been made to do it ourselves. The first year we will go with the tourism infomation centre to get some stars and advice.
We are not sure the best way to manage the bookings and payments, alot of sites seem to use GuestLink. We have requested some information. Is there any alternatives?
So another decision to make dogs or no dogs. Originally we had thought no dogs, but it is sounding like dog might be a good idea. We are concerned with how much damage they may cause to the house and the cleaning of hair etc from the house.
So much to think about.
Thanks, keep the advice coming. Off to read up on www.laymyhat.com now.!!

apexblue

We don't use an on-line booking system. When we get a booking we email our booking form with payment details by on-line transfer, cheque or credit/debit card via PayPal (charge applicable).

jebervic

We don't use online booking either, we post out booking form and request payment by cheque or bank transfer.

oh and no pets or smoking for us

Savvy_Sue

Pennywise wrote: »

And the opposite applies too. There are a lot of people who want a pet-free cottage and won't book somewhere that allows dogs, however well behaved they are claimed to be. That's why a lot of farms etc with two or more cottages on site do one that's pet friendly and one that's pet free - to try to keep everyone happy and not lose any bookings at all. For me, I wouldn't stay in a cottage that allows pets, but that's just me - I appreciate that others want to take their pets with them. I think it probably comes down to your personal choice.

We always prefer no pets too: DH has asthma which is made worse by animal hair. No use saying that it will all be cleaned between rentals, when we bought this house it took WEEKS of vacuuming before DH stopped wheezing from the cat and dog who'd lived here before!

jexygirl

I think the dogs / pets thing is down to location.
If you are rural, lots of walking, dog owners do that - (not saying none dog owners dont!) but dog owners are looking for somewhere with good walks / rural which is why we do so well and no doubt the same for apexblue.
Sue et al are right, some people go for places that dont allow pets - but that was the point I was trying to make.
So many places dont, so there is a wealth of choice for those prefering pet free, whereas, those that do allow pets are not so easy to find, and the ones that do, often tend to be booked in my experience because the choice is limited.
make more sense? I doubt it
Jex

hcb42

I work in hotel industry, but more importantly just spent hours and hours looking for a holiday cottage.

The problem with the big agencies is there is way too many properties to sort through, i tended to lose the will to live. (although I did find one and book it, via imagineireland )

I did always try and look for the cottage's only website, mainly as I feel there is usually more information, it also gives an air of professionalism and when booking hotels i use the same approach (look at laterooms for availability, but book direct, for best upgrading opportunities)

the best sites I saw had some kind of manual grid, which was updated every so often but showed availability, so I knew if I was wasting my time or not, this was of course from those that did not have a booking engine.

I think the ones that make you print a form and send it off go in the no pile almost automatically, that's too much effort and not feasible if away from home for any reason (which I have been with work for years)

I would be in the no camp for dogs as well. It's a nightmare in hotels and it will just add to your housekeeping and upkeep costs.

some of the tourism agencies offer booking engines, and of course they are local, so worth exploring.

Savvy_Sue

The main thing with the pets / no pets, like others said, is to have it up front. That way I can put the cottage on the 'yes' or 'no' pile straight away. Same with the number and configuration of beds: I'm potentially looking for a cottage at the moment, and could I suggest that if you're going for your own website you show it as '4+2' or '4+1' if you're offering 4 in bedrooms plus 1 or 2 on a sofa bed?

Pennywise

Savvy_Sue wrote: »

The main thing with the pets / no pets, like others said, is to have it up front. That way I can put the cottage on the 'yes' or 'no' pile straight away. Same with the number and configuration of beds: I'm potentially looking for a cottage at the moment, and could I suggest that if you're going for your own website you show it as '4+2' or '4+1' if you're offering 4 in bedrooms plus 1 or 2 on a sofa bed?

All so true. When there are a lot of cottages in the "potential" pile, I simply don't waste my time emailing to ask about pets or bed configuration or whether they have a dishwasher or broadband, etc., I just move to the next website where all the info is laid out. Only if I'm getting desperate will I bother to email to ask. Exactly the same with the booking availability and prices - I want it all laid out so I can see at a glance if available and the price - again, I'd have to be desperate to email them.

hcb42 wrote: »

The problem with the big agencies is there is way too many properties to sort through, i tended to lose the will to live.

Yes, my experience as well. Especially the English Country Cottages directories (and all their other trading names using the same website system). They're a nightmare as the search filtering is poor. If you want a specific town or locality, they're hopeless as you have to wade through dozens or hundreds in "Yorkshire". Even when you do the advanced search and select pets or not, number of bedrooms, price range, etc., it still comes back with loads of properties that don't meet your criteria. Losing the will the live is spot on!

luminated

Interesting thread to read as I have spent many hours in recent days looking to book self catering. So it strikes me there is an amazing business opportunity for someone to get a web site going for the self catering industry in the way Rightmove has become a must look at for buying or renting homes.

But it would not be a 'work from back bedroom' as it would need serious time and financial backing. Oh if I were younger, in good health and had a few pounds behind me.

ViksB

On the dogs / no dogs front, what about having a large kennel run outside. The property has a large outdoor space and it would be easy to install a new kennel/ run, would this be a go no for dog owners. Would dog owners be happy to leave their dog outside in a large kennel run or would they insist on them being inside with them?
Those of you who are saying yes to dogs, I assume it is best to have laminate/tiled floors. Are there any carpets which are better than others? What about sofas, leather, fabric?
I love dogs, but we have never had dogs in the house. Our dogs have been working farm dogs and lived outside.
Thanks