Lay My Hat

50% on booking (not a booking without it!) and 50% 2 months before, no deposit. Guests seeem happy witth this - never had a refusal. A split payment seems to be essential.

I recommend our chap www.celticwebdesign.net .Very easy to work with.

Yes. Big but useless.

We don't do fixings but don't supply things which need them. We are abroad after all!

Yes, we encourage guests to take books and leave something of theirs behind - means I aways have something new to read! I guess we gain more than we lose. I say it is for fiction only but I dont know if that is respected - I can't be bothered to check. Anything I really want to keep stays in our apa...

We are with them - for several years altogether. Our commission is 'only' 12% so perhaps you can negotiate with them? We only get about 3 bookings per year but it is free to list unless they actually get you bookings which I am starting to really like. The only negative (apart from their booking sys...

Feedback form is on check out sheet - great for getting to know which batteries are weak, which lightbulbs gone etc. Requests for feedback are on email sent hoping they got home OK, also 10% off next booking of at least 4 nights. We have 165 reviews on TA so I guess it works!

have a price list and leave guests to put money in a pot. We don't know any theft in 9 years and guests seem to LOVE being trusted.

We have different ones in UK and Germany and the only problems have been 1 lot of guests who didn't print out instructions or make a note of code number (solved by putting card with lots of emergency staff help phone numbers on) and 1 lot who refused to even try because we were there. i.e. no proble...

Experience: bookings from those countries come from the same places as peak bookings. What about French sites?

We always, always work in Euros regardless of the nationality of the guest. They are going to have to spend Euros while they are here I think?

Annew is right, bank charges for transfers in sterling are the same as for Euros i.e.peanuts and online transfers are easy. And cheques are virtually unknown here - special request only - I have used a cheque once since 2004!

As usual, thank goodness for mouse. Our January was also a disaster herealthough it started off well. Overall, website hits and enquiries are down on last year by 50%. Bookings are down by 40% (conversion is actually up to 48%), revenue down by 1/3 (the reasons for that ddon/'t really matter). Last ...

I like iha. I think we have only had one booking but he turned into a very valuable regular, taking 2 apartments for extended family. Now I have another enquiry (usually 1 or 2 per year) and I just have to pay the minimum €32 (one quarter year) to see the details. I reckon it is worth it!

I try never to book a holiday rental with a sofa bed. I've yet to find a comfortable one.