Easter bookings

[cysgod y coed]

I have the Easter fortnight period as per week only but have had several requests for long weekends during the period.

Do I grab the short bookings or hold out in the hope of booking the whole weeks?

Also our min booking for other periods is 3 nights but lately I have had requests for 2 nights. I am tempted to give shorter breaks but to up my rates per night to offset the cost of additional work.

Any advise?

[Nemo]

I accepted two short break bookings months ago for Easter. I find many people do not want a week that early in the year in the UK. After all it's usually an addition to a main summer holiday. I advertised Fri to Tues, or late checkout Mon if they prefer for a premium rate (I can't remember exactly what offhand but I think it was 70 to 80% of the week).

I am now just starting to get enquiries for short breaks during the rest of the Easter holidays, so will hopefully fill the rest.

For your 2 night requests, charge your 3 night rate, or maybe a gesture of £10 less say, & offer a late checkout. Some will bite, some will not, but you need to make enough profit still. Guests staying only two nights & leaving by 10am for example might well leave your place in a mess; giving them a very leisurely checkout means they have less of an excuse!

[Lindisfarne]

I used to hold out but last year rejected 3 short break bookings in the hope that the weeks would book - guess what ? They didn't !

Now within reason I take what come in

For 2 nights I still charge 3 night price and they mostly book

[dizza2560]

I am lucky in that I have one week booked. but will have no hesitation in taking a short break for the remaining week.

[Happylady]

I am lucky in that I have one week booked. but will have no hesitation in taking a short break for the remaining week.

Same here

[cysgod y coed]

Thanks for the advise following which I contacted one of the enquiries and had a 3 night booking for the second Easter week for £500 (£800 for the week )

Now trying to contact another query to charge £600 for three nights in Easter week.

Bird in the hand from now on.

[cysgod y coed]

In case you are wondering our property is no 178650 with holiday lettings.

Do you like it.

Wei have a Facebook page also under Cysgod y Coed, Trefloyne

Quite new to Facebook

[Happylady]

Surprised Easter week not yet booked hoping for a late booking

[la vache!]

Easter fully booked here with UK guests, but it is so early this that the pool will cost a fortune to heat and heating will be required in the gites so it won't be very profitable.

[booboo]

Nothing at all here, not even an enquiry

[harcourtv57]

We have one property booked for 9 nights over Easter (although they are late in paying!) and nothing for the other yet, although we usually get a lot of short break requests. Its particularly quiet this year

[marsh frog]

Nothing for us either. Last year Easter was booked in January.

We had an enquiry for 5 nights over the easter weekend which we were happy to allow. He said he wanted to book so went through all the usual stuff, but his payment didnt arrive on time [ a couple of days ago] We emailed him yesterday afternoon to remind him his payment had been due 2 days earlier and last night got an email via HL saying 'circumstances had changed & they could now no longer go ahead.'

The email had been sent 2 days earlier - the day payment was due

We recieved it about 5.30 pm yesterday - it had been sent via the HL route not directly to our email address but HL had not forwarded to us. So we chased him up when he had already emailed us to withdraw. HL making us look really professional!

[delilah]

I have Easter week booked here in the Uk. Family from Germany who booked....funny, but i seem to have three families from germany booked in, via OD. First year, so have yet to see any patterns. Basil Fawlty sketch anyone

[linda que linda]

Just booked both units for Easter, but for a disappointing 3 days. Our inquiries (Mexico) have been coming later and later ... I suspect it has to do with the shift from U.S./Canadian tourists to Mexican nationals coming down from the interior. Being only a 6-7 hour drive, they can make last-minute plans.

Marsh Frog, a similar thing happened with one of my Flipkey inquiries ... I sent duplicate responses from FK's system and my own email. They responded back through FK, and I noticed my email had not reached the inquirer for a full 24 hours. Now I send duplicate emails as a matter of course.

[Happylady]

We're now fully booked for the Easter fortnight