To Check in... Or Not

[rentalagent]

Thanks LV... us agencies aren't all annoying you know

My average spend per week is 5,000€ but they run from 750€ upwards... would the amount you're paying change your expectations on having a meet and greet or not or would it be the same whatever the budget? Over 5,000€ a week I think I'll carry on meeting them personally, but what's the cut-off (if any) for meet and greets at more reasonable budgets?

[French Cricket]

Well, as usual I'm going to be the fly in the ointment .

I happen to think that the personal welcoming of guests - whether by the owners or if they're not on site by someone who's representing them - is hugely important. Like pepsi I think it creates a level of trust and relationship that then makes it much harder for the guest to abuse a property, because they see a real person attached to it.

But it's not just about that. It's something to do with stepping outside the growing culture of 'virtuality', of everything being done at a mouse click with no personal contact required, back into the old fashioned culture of contact and relationship. It says to the guest "You can choose if you like to keep this meeting short and sweet and I'll respect that, but know that you (and not just your money) are important enough to us that we actually want to say hello to you, to give you a face to put a name to if you need help or advice or just a friendly contact". Or something like that.

I also think it helps keep the owners/agents in touch with the fact that their guests are actually just real, ordinary human beings (complete with foibles and failings) just like they are. It's much harder to 'forgive' a guest for problems that may occur if they're just a name on a piece of paper, and much easier to blow it all up out of proportion and start name-calling ....

[tavi]

FC, as I'm on Facebook simultaneously, I was looking for the "like" button for your post.

I'll just have to do it the old fashioned way - I agree with your sentiments entirely.

[Mouse]

Thinking about it - aren't you approaching it from the wrong side? Shouldn't you be asking your clients what they want you to do (Owners).
If they don't want you to meet then OK, they get a cheaper service and you don't have the hassle.
But if they do - then it doesn't matter what the guests want surely? If the owners prefer you to offer a meet facility and are paying for it then so be it.

As an agent I ask my owners what service they want and price accordingly. The guests are their clients - I'm just the intermediary making sure the service they want to provide is being delivered.

Mosue
x

[fincafern]

I liked your post very much too, FC.
We are on site owners and feel it is essential that we meet our guests, even if only a few moments.
It would be very rude not to meet /greet in our situation.

[e-richard]

Well, as usual I'm going to be the fly in the ointment .

Great post FC. It certainly made a point, but as we all know, people are very different, so I don't think that is the only answer.

I'm an off-site owner, with a local agent. I believe strongly in building that personal relationship with guests, but I believe that it CAN be done prior to holiday. Whether by email or phone its the manner in which you communicate, the words, the tone, the frequency and the personalization of the communications.

As a holiday guest, we've always taken self-catering for the past 30 years (long before the Internet), and do this because we treasure our privacy and independence. We hated the meet 'n greet coffee mornings from the holiday reps in the old days, and maybe this has coloured our views.

In the meantime, our local agent has these views to offer:

1. Use a keysafe.
When guests first arrive, they are tired from travelling, probably stressed out and its the worst time to expect them to absorb any further information.

2. Give the guests time.
They need time to explore the house, see what they can find themselves, build a list of questions and identify the issues - none of which they could know on immediate entry.

3. Follow up
Drop in to say hello the day after arrival. Guests are refreshed, receptive and more aware of the layout of the house.

Then, finally, for those guests who are fiercely independent, leave immediately, but ensure they know your phone number for emergencies.

[Mouse]

I believe strongly in building that personal relationship with guests, but I believe that it CAN be done prior to holiday. Whether by email or phone its the manner in which you communicate, the words, the tone, the frequency and the personalization of the communications

I very much agree with this. The relationship starts at enquiry.

I also (sadly) have many examples over the years of guests not respecting property even though they've been met by me as owner or agent.

Finally - I think e-richards 3 point plan is the ideal. Unfortunately though it depends on market and location. Here the villa's are in a village, we have the midnight law and neighbours so it is imperitive that we do the meet when they arrive and can't risk leaving it to the following day just in case they feel it's OK to create a disturbance after midnight (of coure they won't realise it is a disturbance).

Mouse
x

[MaggieP]

we changed booking agencies and now have the information to directly contact guests prior to arrival. All apart from one appreciated the call from me the owner. The one that didnt broke the microwave and as a smoke screen said they'd been bitten by ants in the kitchen. (it was March and we have never seen ants in the kitchen since buying the property 20 years ago).

Our changeover lady phones the guests up the day after arrival to check all is ok. This seems to work for us. We dont take a damage deposit but have an honesty form. So far this year we have received £20 in damage money for glasses and a lemon squeezer! Replacement microwave cost us £80 which we didn't chase as it was difficult to prove what had happened although the booking agency was willing to follow this up for us.

[pambon]

Well, as usual I'm going to be the fly in the ointment .

I happen to think that the personal welcoming of guests - whether by the owners or if they're not on site by someone who's representing them - is hugely important. Like pepsi I think it creates a level of trust and relationship that then makes it much harder for the guest to abuse a property, because they see a real person attached to it.

But it's not just about that. It's something to do with stepping outside the growing culture of 'virtuality', of everything being done at a mouse click with no personal contact required, back into the old fashioned culture of contact and relationship. It says to the guest "You can choose if you like to keep this meeting short and sweet and I'll respect that, but know that you (and not just your money) are important enough to us that we actually want to say hello to you, to give you a face to put a name to if you need help or advice or just a friendly contact". Or something like that.

I also think it helps keep the owners/agents in touch with the fact that their guests are actually just real, ordinary human beings (complete with foibles and failings) just like they are. It's much harder to 'forgive' a guest for problems that may occur if they're just a name on a piece of paper, and much easier to blow it all up out of proportion and start name-calling ....

Entirely agree with every word, but then a) I live on site and b) my birth certificate says I'm 'old fashioned'

Also cos I'm married to a local guy and have lived here for more years than I care to remember, ('about me' info on my website) this seems to fascinate a few guests who sometimes like to know more

[Circé]

I agree with e-richard's 1- 2-3, 'cept our keys are in some places under the door mat not in a safe.
As an off-site manager for several rented properties, not in our village, we never know for sure when folk will arrive.
Keys are left, plus welcome drinks and a personalised welcome note and we follow up later in the day or next day, in person.
Often these days the guests text the owners to say they have arrived, and the owners tell us by email. NOBODY gets my mobile N°, they don't need it.
Surely it's a matter of 'horses for courses'? We rented a property last year for our own hols and collected key off the owners parents next door, so they in effect meet'n'greet, but they didn't force bonhomie and chit chat on us, it was just a professional handover which is all we want after a long drive.
If you are an on-site owner and offer extra services be it massage, meals or whatever yes you'll want to meet guests, but you shouldn't be over effusive.
If your electrics or plumbing need a practical demonstration maybe you need to upgrade the property? Nobody should need to explain the basics of a house, it should work.

[Mouse]

If your electrics or plumbing need a practical demonstration maybe you need to upgrade the property? Nobody should need to explain the basics of a house, it should work.

I wish Even after explanation some guests can't lock the front door (double lock and key comes out at an upright angle) or use the electronic gate/intercom system. Then add the 'cutlery drawer' in the kitchen (it's a drawer within a drawer)...no-one would find that unless they read the info pack, along with 'how to use the a/c'...THE biggest problem for guests, along with the dishwasher.

We always manage to settle in to a place pretty quickly - but sadly not all guests are created equal.
So those 10 minutes doing a quick show-round are well spent in our case.
If we weren't on site then I would do it over a phone-call or personal welcome note.

Mouse
x

[pambon]

Oh yes, the electronic gate and intercom stumps guests here too. I can always tell those who read and assimilate the notes by the correct/incorrect usage of these two things! Some simply end up by asking.....

[rentalagent]

Thank you so much all of you! I find that emailing a copy of the welcome book together with the directions and confirmation of final payment a few week before arrival helps so, so much with all those niggles you mentioned. I only started doing it this June and really didn't expect it to be as effective as it has! Almost every guest who receives the info in advance reads it all; not only do they tell me they've read it but by the comments and questions they make and ask on check-in I can tell they have!

I think I might trial key safes for a few select properties next season (including my own, and it will be the first year ever I rent my own house!) and will let you all know how it goes.

I'm a rental agent rather than a management agent so am the one making all the bookings and doing all the marketing so I always have a good rapport with guests before arrival so thanks to LMH I'm looking forward to trialling a new way of working... Old rental dogs CAN learn new tricks!

[Martha]

rentalagent, I completely agree - I send ours as a PDF with the balance and people definitely read them - I have often found extra copies when people leave (though I do tell them that we have copies in the house!)

"Nobody should need to explain the basics of a house, it should work."

I don't agree with this at all I must say.
For instance -
People who are used to modern urban life in the UK are very used to flushing whatever they want down the loo.
Many many places, especially in rural areas, have plumbing that can't cope with this. It's not something that can be easily fixed as it's not just the house but the entire local system it's attached to. We spent thirty grand on improving ours and it is as good as it can get, but it's not infallible.

So it's important that they are asked not to do this, and the consequences explained, not too graphically and with a bit of humour!

But I'm more thinking, in general of the things that are just not where they are used to finding them - as e-richard says. An individual house will often have its own quirks and occasionally people will need stuff pointing out to them - I don't see why this is a problem at all.

[rentalagent]

Martha, I totally agree... add to the plumbing the fact that electricity supply is limited to most properties here so running all the a/c, the dishwasher, the oven and the washing machine together will make it trip and telling them where the fuse box is. Explaining how taps work (?!!) ie "C" here is "caldo" not "cold". Explaining rubbish recycling and collection days, whether you can drink the tap water or not, how the a/c controls work, how to lock the doors (eg pull the handle up before you turn they key)

Every single property has quirks even if everything works properly, but that's part of the beauty of staying in privately owned houses... otherwise you may as well only stay in Holiday Inns and eat at McDonalds every meal if you really want things to be standardised worldwide! Each and every thing is listed in my Villa Books and they're constantly being updated as guests find new and interesting ways to be confounded by the simplest of things to make sure we have it ALL covered

I've just been amazed that guests tend to assimilate all this info from the welcome books sent before arrival more than they do when it's explained to them in person on check-in. Equally amazed that it took me years to work that out!