One week bookings-Peak season

[Hibou]

I am in a quandary as to 1 week bookings in July and August.  Are renters going for two centre holidays?  I have already turned away a one week booking for July because it would leave me with more odd weeks. Should I be more flexible or hold my nerve and stick to the two week rule?

[Suandpete]

We have a gite so maybe things are a bit different but we certainly wouldn't turn a booking away and early on made a policy decision that we would rather fill up with one week bookings than have gaps - which isn't really likely (we have already turned away 22 requests for the summer holidays as we are full).

I think quite a few people are either taking 2 centre holidays or taking a while to get here and a while to get home (we are in Deux Sevres).  Another thing about one week lets of course is that if there are any problems with the way a particular family treats a house it would be easier to sort out after one week than after two!  I guess in the B&B world that wouldn't be a problem though.

 

Su

[Owens88]

WOW.

We have been pleasantly surprised at how many two-week bookings we get.

We never guessed that some people would not accept one-week bookings.

In fact I had been inclined to ask what sort of discount people applied for two -week bookings !

Cheers

[Quillan]

Ah but only we knew the answer but then we would also know the numbers of the balls in the lottery as well so it wouldn't matter really.

Our own policy is to take anything from 1 night to 6 weeks from any nationality at anytime of the year. I fear that if we 'held out' for 2 week bookings (and who said this was a rule anyway?) we would not have been full for the last two years. Many people book for one night to test the place and often stay on for 7 to 14 days if it's OK, thats providing we can do it which is rare which then makes them book again for next year well in advance.

[mascamps.com]

My thinking is on the "bird in the hand" principle at the moment, although I do have a preference for bookings of more than a night which, I find, are a hassle and bump up your costs through extra cleaning etc. We've even booked out gite for a night now and again though that definitely is a lot of hassle and best avoided.

Quillan: is there a reason for your six week limit? Personally, I wouldn't have a problem if someone plonked down enough cash to book a room for months on end but I ran across some legal limit once; thought it was more than six weeks but perhaps not.

 

Arnold

 

[Ian Hoare<br>All the best<br>Ian<br>La Souvigne Corrèze<br>http:www.souvigne.com]

[quote]I am in a quandary as to 1 week bookings in July and August. Are renters going for two centre holidays? I have already turned away a one week booking for July because it would leave me with more odd...[/quote]

Hi,

I am slightly at a loss. This is a forum to do with B&Bs, not gites. Well, it is my understanding that B&Bs in France are often/usually let for one or two nights. In fact, the debate in this area is over whether _gite_ owners should be prepared to take short lets of 3-4 nights.

So far as I was aware, as someone who has run a B&B for the last 10 years, there isn't and never has been a "2 week rule". I'd not deny that it would be nice only to have to change bedding every week or so, but I don't think that's the name of the game. I don't know how many times we've had guests who've come for a night one year, perhaps on the way through, come for 3-4 nights the next year, and then end up as regulars. For what it's worth (and free advice is always worth what you pay for it) I think it's madness to reject ANY lets, no matter how short.

And yes. It's a devil of a lot more work. But if you don't want to work, why are you running a B&B?

[Ian Hoare<br>All the best<br>Ian<br>La Souvigne Corrèze<br>http:www.souvigne.com]

Hibou, I apologise. I see from your other posts that you are a gite owner. I assumed from the fact that you posted here in the B&B owners' forum that you in fact ran a B&B.

As I don't myself run a Gite, I'm less qualified to reply, except to say that here in the Corrèze, proprietors have long ago abandoned any idea of trying to stick to two week lets. The days when people went away for a month, and just to one place are long gone, and even a fortnight nowadays is a bonus.

It never was a rule, by the way. Owners preferred longer lets, because they were less work, that's all!! Mind you, I daresay that if you offered some incentive, like 10% discount or a meal "on the house" for a fortnight let, you might put up your proportion of long lets.