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Chez Coq................tel what does the shuttle service comprise ?

Presumably not transport to and from the airport at the prices you are offering. Is it just to and from the ghost TGV station and Picardy airport?
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Well I can safely offer transfers from the airport happy in the knowledge that I wont be called upon to perform in my lifetime.

I'm flexible, most people coming here have their own transport, those that dont will be staying for a longer time, I will pick up from the local station, the gare de betteraves or even Amiens or St Quentin if need be, my first ever client a Canadian I picked up from the TGV station and returned him there at the end of his stay but he stayed 2 months and returned for a further 6 weeks albeit with a car that time.

You gotta have a means of escape to remain sane here [:P]

Its not about the money, or at least not about the profit for me, I already have enough coming in from my UK rental to live on thanks to the housing bubble and the higher exchange rate, all I am looking to do is get a good chiffre d'affaires for a couple of years and then sell, or at least be comfortable knowing that I could sell.

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I'm very pleased with how its going with Booking.com, less than 24 hours and I have already got réservations for 16 nights plus I dont have the calender open indefinitely, its closed off at the rentrée because I will probably let to the aéronautics students in term times.

If I had the calender fully open I reckon I would be sold out for all the WW1 commemoration dates up to the 100th anniversary in 2018.

I have gone from a man ambling along meaninglessly for the last decade s'amuséing myself [:P] who loves to a wind people up who ask the same old question by saying, "Deadline? I dont have deadlines any more, thats for the rest of you that wouldnt jump off the ride", to a man now with a purpose, get this place finished and up and running long enough to sell at the peak time, I cant wait another 100 years [:D]

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€1050 of business booked in a 24 hour period after going live at 22.00 on a Sunday evening followed by a UK bank Holiday.

The internet sure has changed things, how on earth did people get established in the bad old days?

They probably had a first year like I have had relying purely on word of mouth and in my case the prominent position of my building, in those terms I did very well in my first year but the last 24 hours has made it look insignificant.

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Do you get a lot of cancellations from guests?

Its only been a week and out of 13 bookings I have now had 3 cancellations, all by British and one guy cancelling, rebooking a longer stay only to cancel once again, in fact there remains only one UK booking, the French and other European s making réservations havn't done so.

Is this a regular thing, if so does anyone know what it is going on or why they are doing it?

It could be because I am not up to speed and havn't sent out mails requesting payment of a deposit yet but TBH doing that is what I thought would flush out the insincere.

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We don't have a cancellation policy and we don't ask for a deposit if the booking is in the fairly near future for only one or two nights. So yes, we do get quite a few cancellations. Easy come, easy go. But we do well enough all the same and don't upset punters by refusing to return deposits.
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The worst was they were the longer stays, 3, 4 and 6 days [:(]

Like you I would prefer not to create bad feeling and dont even want the hassle of collecting deposits beforehand but Q reckons if you dont some people will book several places along the route and just stop at whatever one suits them according to their progress.

I wondered if it was perhaps people booking and then seeing that the ferry crossings are much higher beyond 24/48 hours?

The guy who cancelled twice did respond to my (polite) mail asking why and explain.

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Maybe a difference between you and Q, and me. I'm not on the way to anywhere. Our guests are tourist visitors to the area or professionals working for a few days plus a few pilgrims - we are close to the pilgrim route to Spain. I could write a book about the variety of people we've had which makes the whole thing of doing CdeH rewarding!
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Passing trade is quite small for me, most of the people who stay here are French or Catalan. They come for the hiking, Cathar Castles, the City at Carcassonne, Rennes le Chateau, VTT and water sports. It's the Brits that stop off on their way down to Spain.

If you are an hotel it is simpler because you have a credit card machine and Booking takes the card details for you. At least then if they don't turn up you can charge them. For us the level of 'no shows' decreased to zero when we started taking deposits. I have to say that we have had 'no shows' from other sources and not just from Booking.

Don't forget you must go into the Booking Extranet and mark the reservation as a 'no show' the next morning else two things will happen. The first and most painful is they still take the commision, the second still enables the 'no show' to make a comment. If you leave it a day or two before marking as a 'no show' and they have made a comment then it does not get deleted. Don't have a clue why, must be a bug in the system.

We also cancel reservations. Just yesterday having waited three weeks for a deposit for a three night stay in July I gave Booking the details including the emails and asked hem to cancel it which they did.

The other thing with Booking users is they only look at price and very few read the text. This week we had a couple turn up at 13:00 for the room when on Booking it clearly says after 16:00. When they gave us a review the marked us down and commented that they couldn't get in the room at 13:00. I replied that their comments were unjust and that they should try reading the details before booking next time. Another, even though we clearly state on Booking that we only accept children over 14 years, turned up with a screaming baby and got stroppy when I told them they could not stay. Sounds harsh I know but people stay with us because we don't have children here and they want peace and quiet.

Different people have different ways of running their B&B's. Most have never done it in their life before so it is a learning process. I treat mine like a proper business and not a charity for others to abuse. Probably why I only earn just under the maximum amount allowed for B&B's. Bum's in beds is the name of the game. The more capacity and the more turnover you have makes it easier to sell when you retire and you will need to prove these figures over the last three years if you sell it as a going concern

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[quote user="Quillan"]

 Bum's in beds is the name of the game. The more capacity and the more turnover you have makes it easier to sell when you retire and you will need to prove these figures over the last three years if you sell it as a going concern

[/quote]

And that is my raison d'être and probably why ultimately it will be another nationality than French that will buy the business, given that I am in the middle of the battlefield touristique circuit, and no more than a couple of minutes from all the commemortaion cérémonies 2016 -2018 is going to be a bumper period, if I'm finished in time and have been running at capacity for say a year anyone with half a brain would realise they should either buy quickly and make hay while the sun shines or after 2018 when it may not be at such a premium, but the French? No they will stick to what they are told and believe blindly, must have 3 years chiffre d'affaires and pay 10 times the annula gross rental value even for a loss making business [:(]

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The three years is a standard business model in this market as it is with pubs, bars etc anywhere in the world. Turnover is quite different to profit by the way. Sometimes we sell beds really cheap just to fill them to keep the occupancy rate at around 82% average across the year. It's a bit like airlines, all to do with number of seats booked and turnover. Totally illogical but that's how they view the business.
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[quote user="Quillan"] Turnover is quite different to profit by the way[/quote]

Tu Parles Q! [Www]

Shame its such a difficult concept for the French business gurus and above all those who value rental buisinesses to get their head around.

These cancellations are beginning to get me down, I'm sure the last one was just a wind up, woman rung me 3 minutes ago "Est-ce que vous acceptez les cheque vacances?" I said no as I didnt know how and she said that in that case sho was going to cancel her booking and put the phone right down.

I came straight to my computer to find that she had booked 10 minutes ago for a week and cancelled 4 minutes ago at the exact second she hung up, she must have had her finger on the mouse.

The biggest booking yet lost before I even knew that I had it [:'(] If it continues like this more than 50% cancellations within the first week then I'm going to go back to feast or famine on long term rentals, it will only be a question of time before I lose it with someone which won't do the feedback any good.

Out of interest what would I have needed to do to accept "cheque vacances" and how much would it have cost me?

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I've just had a look at whats involved in cheques vacances, as my glass is currently half empty due to the impatient halfwit I probably didnt get to see the advantages, what I can see is being at the mercy of the fonctionnaire mentality that wants to fine you huge amounts if you dont enclose the cheques in the right bordereau, if something is not filled in or tamponned properly, that they may just throw them away when their inbox gets full (je suis complétement débordé)  having to send stuff recorded delivery and wait in hope that one day I might get paid, finding out that I had been scammed etc.

Am I being too negative or are there advantages? Do you accept them? does it work for you, have you lost business by not accepting them?

I'm a bit sceptical about this last booking, it was for a week starting in just 4 days time, suspicious? - You tell me.

In any case I'm sure that had I accepted it they would not pay me until they had processed my application to become agréé and that aint likely to happen in a month of jours fériés [:D]

Hey I have just invented a new phrase! My father always said a month of Sundays.

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Don't touch them. I believe they take a large percentage, much more than a credit card. I think Clare used to take them years ago but gave up due to cost. We lose about one client a year because we don't take them.

If you have completed your entry correctly it should say exactly what you take i.e. French bank cheques and cash. If people can't be arsed to read what it says then tough.

I am rather puzzled as to why things are not going so well for you and that you have so many cancelations. I think perhaps you need to step back and look through it all again and at your competition that also advertise on Booking.

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I'm sure they get just as many dickheads, maybe they suffer fools better than I do, that was always my weakness in business, it was never about the money for me, the greed or thirst for money was what allowed others to grit their teeth and smile.

From the day this opportunity presented itself 11 years ago I knew that I didnt have the character to be a hotelier, I said that I would be a cross between Rigsby and Basil Fawlty [:D] I know that deep down I have taken so long in the renovation just to put off the day I would have to be at the sharp end.

I look closely at the competition on booking.com and apart from the Hotel Ibis which by its number of rooms and reputation Iill always be busy I  have got far more bookings that the others in this limited time frame, the site shows when their last reservation was and for most of them it was a week ago.

To put it in perspective I have taken €1050 of business that I would not have had, but I have lost €1025 in cancellations, I am actually €75 down from where I was after 24 hours [:'(] since then 2 out of 3 of the competitors have had no bookings.

Thanks for the info re C.D.V. the site said 1% but knowing the costs of French businesses and CDV looked very fonc based I cant believe they would survive on that, one lost booking or a few a year I am happy to lose if they all behave like this one.

I do adapt in response to lost business, building a launderette and adding the extra beds were all from knowledge gained that way, if the losses through CDV become significant then I may re-assess.

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Another booking just come through, Sunday seems to be the busy night.

Anyone have any experience of AirBnB?

My Canadian guests all said they looked at that site before coming over but found nothing, and its true, there is very very little offered in this area.

Downsides?

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Penny just dropped especially after you asking about cheque vacances. Your a hotel yet you don't take debit/credit cards like the rest. Travelers who use hotels tend to prefer paying by card and when they work out you don't take them they may cancel. I was looking at it from a CdH/B&B point of view but you're not one and you are in the hotel section of Booking (which would be correct).
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Dont think that has been the reason so far, I have not asked for a deposit up front although I heed your comments on that, the listing shows "Aucune carte de crédit nécessaire " quite boldly and as a positive, some guests have even sent a mail to say "booking.com say I dont need to pay until arrival" further down in the small print which by all accounts no-one reads is Cet établissement accepte uniquement les paiements en espèces.

my inability to accept credit cards has been a problem to my Canadian clients who did not have bank accounts in France and were paid in dollars, even the companies that have approached me have not wanted to pay by credit card, instead making me jump through hoops with devis' factures before then deciding at the last moment that the stage or employment was not going to happen after all.

I would be the main beneficiary if I could accept credit cards but this backward country wont allow any thing as last century as that unless someone know otherwise, the most important and essential thing is that I can make préautorisations and take deposit payments without the Customer being present with their card, anything else is of no benefit whatsoever to me.

Anyone have any ideas?

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[quote user="Chancer"]

Dont think that has been the reason so far[/quote]

In this instance I would agree with Q. People read your blurb, like what they see, book, then, when the small print is read re cash only, they cancel.

Re your ad on Booking we would be OK as we have french cheques, though normally I carry very little cash and use my card everywhere. I especially do not like having to withdraw cash in locations that I don't know well or feel unsafe in.

From a foreigner point of view you not taking cards could be real stumbling block for the future and, as you yourself say, you are in the tourist trail for monuments etc so it perhaps mostly foreigners/people passing through who are going to be interested in your place.

Sue

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Its more the inflexibility of the system that says I accept cash only when thats not the case, a French cheque or Paypal could be used, the same system that tells them that they can pay on arrival and then elsewhere tells them that the full amount will be debitted 2 days before they arrive, if only I could!

Its a Learning curve for me and I am lax in to date not having the form letter templates made to respond immediately to a booking, partly because I'm still not sure whether asking for payment beforehand will put them off or put others at ease by knowing they have a means of payment other than cash.

Booking.com says I should contact them requesting payment in full by virement (no good for non euro customers for a start) within 7 days or I will cancel the booking, that doesnt sit well with me, they have been told erroneously by booking.com tha they can pay on arrival, that they can cancel without charge 2 days before the stay and yet they say I should tell them that my booking conditions over_ride those of booking.com, its just not the way I like to do business with people.

Another gripe, I'm quite happy to accept cancellation up to 2 days beforehand from the customers without penalty, in practice I cannot enforce one anyway unless they have paid up front (and the site tells them they dont need to) but I am not allowed to cancel a booking, if i do I have to pay the commission which is understandable but the extra hotel costs, taxis from my location to the new one etc etc. Plus I have no choice even in accepting a booking, at least with AirBnB you have 24 hours to decide whether to accept a booking.

I definitely want to be able to process credit card payments but the Customer not present and préautorisation is a must.

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Aside from the French guest who booked before asking about CDV , who asked the question in the booking but because I had not responded in 8 minutes on a Sunday evening phoned me with their finger over the cancel button, AKA a muppet [:P] the other cancellations have been  British customers, one booked and cancelled twice and has already explained the reason (nothing to do with payment) and I have just E-mailed the other to politely ask the reason for the cancellation.
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You need to go 'outside' of the French system to take cards like we do. I did gave you two links. You need to get a new phone as well. The fact that you can't do a 'Customer not present' does not matter because the guest is not to know that [;-)] and if you tick the box on Booking it will ask everyone for their credit card details which of course Booking don't use but just pass on to you. Indeed they (the guest) might even think that Booking will take the money. What they think and what actually happens are two different matters and who are you to supply, without being asked, the information about you not being able to take a payment without them being present. Think French, if you're not asked don't volunteer the information. As I said your cancellations/no shows are very high and you need to work out why as it is not normal (in my experience so far).
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[quote user="Chancer"]Aside from the French guest who booked before asking about CDV , who asked the question in the booking but because I had not responded in 8 minutes on a Sunday evening phoned me with their finger over the cancel button, AKA a muppet.[/quote]

No, IMO you are being a bit hard on her. She, in your own words, had left matters a little late. Perhaps she had a list of possibles lined up, liked the sound and the price of your place, then discovered that you didn't do CDV and, because she has kids(?) to take to school early in the morning plus she works all hours, she cancelled you and passed on to the next on the list as she has a limited amount of both money and time and Sunday evening is the only time she had available to sort it all out. Who knows otherwise ?

Been there myself, done that and still wear the t-shirt from time to time [:)].

Sue

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I'm hard on everyone when I get wound up, thats why I knew a long long time ago that I was not good for this business.

I loved my old business, loved building and maintaining relationships with long standing and loyal customers, it was a mutual love affair but other market segments required advertising and a flow of new customers, many of them the public, a proportion of them are what wound me up, that and being constantly besieged by telemarketting or telescam calls, that has now invaded my life here in France, I cannot imagine how bad it must be now in the UK after 11 years away from my business sector.

Things are looking up, I've had 4 bookings totalling 7 days while I have been outside working, the calender is slowly filling out.

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I have a wallnut tree and a big stick with which to beat it with well away from, and of sight of the house. You need to keep smiling and bit your tongue because reviews are everything in this game. We have had a very busy two weeks going into our third whilst our nearest competitor has had one booking which we sent to them. Why because they have a review rate just under 8 on Booking. To be honest if you don't think you can deal with all this (and wait till they actually start turning up) then you should get out of the business before you devalue it to the point of being near enough worthless.
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