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legal stance, what to do...??


Susie
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Well.... after much debate between moi and Wendy, we started listing on gay-friendly sites as it happens. Now and again we get a fair number of hits from them but haven't really had an awful lot of bookings from them. Those that we've had have been amongst the very best guests we've ever had though.

What you should try is to call yourself a "country retreat" for the laugh. For reasons which completely escape me, one Australian site refers to us in that way. Anyway, on this side of the world that's a synonym for "nudist colony". We've had a number of people staying with us who have obviously looked at the Ozzie site though they've all booked through other sites and boy do you get strange looks from them when they turn up!

 

Arnold

 

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[quote user="mascamps.com"]

Welllll, as it happens we, purely by accident, wrote something in the French version of our site (since amended!) that had the effect of us receiving a number of "just for the afternoon" bookings for a while.

Going by the arrangement of the pillows in the room afterwards we came to the conclusion (after much consideration!) that they were into some things that can't really be discussed here but, let's say, involved rear entry amongst many other things.

Very profitable too. They came in the off-season but even so we still managed to rebook the same room twice in one day once or twice.

 

Arnold

 

[/quote]

So they were definately "satisfied "customers

 

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Cassis - what a great idea.  Betty - would you be prepared to cater for the more mature client with that 'French Countryside'experience, think milkmaid but with wellies, tabard, headscarf and cig in corner of mouth.  The wetsuits could go down a storm for our 'nautical feel' weekend (just pop down to Marseilles get me a couple of sailors for authenticity).   Can't have Arnie cornering the market in naughty B & B's, can we?
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Cassis you may do well with that. We have had our fair share of 'half day' bookings. They are easy to spot besides the 'half day' room requirement...the female NEVER seems to match the male she is with. She is always looks smart/business-like while he looks like the product of an upset stomach.[+o(]

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One thing, Wen - what time do they clear out by, and how long does it take to clean the room afterwards?  Can I get a half dayer in if I know the main guests arrive at, say, 6.00pm?  Are any special cleaning products required?  Do you change the sheets?

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[quote user="Cassis"]One thing, Wen - what time do they clear out by, and how long does it take to clean the room afterwards?  Can I get a half dayer in if I know the main guests arrive at, say, 6.00pm?  Are any special cleaning products required?  Do you change the sheets?
[/quote]

Mikey's dynamite solution would presumably clear even the toughest of stains, from the most specialist of niche market guests - apart from Young Conservatives, I suppose.

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Cassis, they usually checkin about lunchtime(11am/noon) and are 'in-residence' until about 2/3pm.  One couple booked lunch here, came in and sat down and by the time I had taken their entree to their table they had disappeared upstairs.

This may all seem rather seedy but it is a fact of life if you run accommodation. I know that franchise owners of F1's are well acquainted, thats why we never stay with them.

If your 'proper' guests arrive around 6pm you will have plenty of time and because the earlier lady's are 'pro's' they do not leave a mess. ours never have. The bed will certainly need a change and so the bin will need emptying. Wash the bath/shower recess particularly well.

But above all, retain that professional demeanor when collecting the keys. [Www]

Smirk afterwards.

 

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I am converting a derelict hotel into apartments, when it was last trading the rooms were rented by the hour "avec une hotesse gratuite", apparently in the 70's there were around 7 such establishments here.

Many local people have commented that I should resurrect the old commerce[:D]

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[quote user="Anton Redman"]

Most of the above explains why I prefer to stay in the worst/cheapest/shodiest  French  hotels rather than  British owned C de H. If you would prefer people to be no shows rather than turn up at 1 am then that is your choice but you should make it totally clear on your website and expect to loose the business.

The attitudes to hospitality expounded above explain why we hunted long and hard for a cattery which was French owned .

Personally I would  rather negotiate with dogs for sleeping space than buy something from you..

This week on the Forum there have been enough postings about the nuls who simply do not realise how big France is, there have also been enough postings from people who have been totally messed about by the Tunnel, Ferries and Airlines. My view is that if you want to make somebodies 'day' even worse at 11 pm after a couple of problems beyound their contriol that is fine but you should not be running a hotel or C d H.

Despite my predelictiton for refering to Flemish as 'Dutch pour dels Nuls'  or 'Afrikance for the Intelligencia'  I would suggest you get the thirty phrases you need to reply together.

[/quote]

Anton I have not yet read any of the comments from here on yet.

Yes, there can be problems with delays on roads, ferries, aircraft etc. BUT if I were delayed by one of these, I would be phoning the establishment at the earliest opportunity, i.e. if at an airport with a delayed flgiht as soon as the anticipated take off time was, claculating when I should be arriving and enquiring if it would be OK to arrive then, fully accepting that if it would be 1am that the owners may say that it would be unacceptable. I would then check in to one of the hotel chains that are either manned 24 hours or have a check in machine. If they had said it was OK I would keep them updated on my progress and not just let them wait hoping I would arrive at the estimated time.

However, some people are their own worst enemies, leaving barely enough time to get to, say the airport, if everyhting runs well. When it does not then they miss flights etc.

Consideration goes both ways and perhaps the traveller needs to be more considerate to the C d H etc owner.

Paul

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[quote user="wen"]

Cassis, they usually checkin about lunchtime(11am/noon) and are 'in-residence' until about 2/3pm.  One couple booked lunch here, came in and sat down and by the time I had taken their entree to their table they had disappeared upstairs.

This may all seem rather seedy but it is a fact of life if you run accommodation. I know that franchise owners of F1's are well acquainted, thats why we never stay with them.

If your 'proper' guests arrive around 6pm you will have plenty of time and because the earlier lady's are 'pro's' they do not leave a mess. ours never have. The bed will certainly need a change and so the bin will need emptying. Wash the bath/shower recess particularly well.

But above all, retain that professional demeanor when collecting the keys. [Www]

Smirk afterwards.

 

[/quote]

 

[blink][Www][:$]

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JR... Whilst my first word of advice when people buy a place is usually to retain the existing name and website, I think that perhaps this might be a time when you'd be best to change it pronto. Also worth looking yourself up in search engines and indeed signs around the place and make sure that everything is changed!

 

Arnold

 

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