In our gites we have the usual challenge when things go wrong – our window of opportunity to put things right only lasts from 10.00 am to 4.00 pm on a Saturday, and only then if the problem is spotted quickly.
Unfortunately people don’t always rush to tell us that the dishwasher is playing up or a table leg is loose, perhaps for fear that we will try and charge them extra for it, or perhaps because they think we already must know and can’t be bothered to put it right. ‘How could they not know that the thermostatic tap sticks at 42 degrees…?
So sometimes it is only later when we learn of the problem. As a result this year I would like to give a special mention to a couple of guests who helped us out, and are especially welcome to come again next year:
In third place we have the guest who took apart a chest of drawers to mend a fitting that was stopping the drawer opening properly. I had found out about this a couple of days earlier and though the chest of drawers would need replacing so this was very good news. Myself I would have just used one of the other drawers…
Second prize goes to the person who found that some of the slats in the middle of a bed were slightly stretched, so took all the slats out and swapped those at the ends for those in the middle. Never would have crossed my mind, but was perhaps more obvious when sleeping in the bed. Great idea and I’ll pass a quiet winter evening re-doing all the beds. Or at least lying in them all day to see if any need doing.
First prize for ingenuity goes to the guest who was reading through our visitor’s book (the book containg the comments left by guests and includes a lot of useful suggestions about things to do in the area) and decided it would be more useful with an index. So he spent the time to number each page, then added an index of all the activities and places to visit, cross-referenced to where they were mentioned in the book. Again I blush to say I would never have thought of doing it, but it is a very good idea.
Perhaps next year we’ll offer discounts to anyone promising to help us out with our general gite maintenance during their visit!
As a side note, almost everyone that stays here leaves with the parting comment ‘We did break a glass…’. No problem at all of course, but a mystery all the same. It is never ‘lots of glasses’, and usually nothing else gets broken. I’m starting to think it might be a strange ritual when people arrive on holiday – first things first, let’s just smash a glass and then we’ll get the car unpacked…
‘We did break a glass…’.
But, of course, only the nice ones do that
Could you send your bed fixing guest up to Brittany for his next holiday – I’m sure we can sort out a discount for him!
All the best
Keith
In all our years of holidays I dont think we have ever broken anything. A bit concerned about slatted beds. we find them most uncomfortouble and would never go back. I think poor beds are the unsaid problems of holiday accomodation. Fine if you are young fit and light in weight. But if like us you are old, less fit,and on the heavier side. We now ask if the bed is king size and what the base is like. Over firm mattresses are another fault they are not good for bad backs at all, they cause them.
We go away less and less as we find so much accomodation disapointing.
Do you use your guest accomodation and sleep the night and live in it from time to time, as that is the way to find out what it is really like.
We use the accommodation so that we find out about general problems, non-functioning equipment etc. but we haven’t until now actually slept in the properties.
I didn’t realise slatted beds could be an issue. We have some family coming over at Christmas so we’ll make sure they try out all the beds for us, I’m sure they won’t be shy about telling us if there’s a problem!
We can live with a ‘bad bed’ for 1 night but a week no.
We find it is nothing to do with price, some of the best beds are very old with lots of springs in the base. I have never found a slatted bed satisfactory.When we stayed in Austria the slats kept slipping through as your guest probably found.
I am sure in france you could find some magnificent old beds.
Hmmm, I’m not sure I’d say we have ‘bad beds’ – we have a high rate of people coming back and recommending our properties so something must be OK. But the story wasn’t really about our own gites, which I usually try to keep separate from this blog, but more about the acts of people who stay in them!
Having said that I will certainly check them out during the autumn and make changes if necessary.
Boris I was not saying anything about your properties I was just sharing my general thoughts on how we have found things, and problems we have found. One of the best beds we ever found was at Le Cep in Beaune. It was the widest longest 4 posters we have ever seen. fantastic nights sleep.
http://www.hotel-cep-beaune.com/uk/navigation.htm
That hotel certainly looks very nice and comfortable! If I hadn’t been to Burgundy a few weeks ago I’d almost be tempted. Certainly the hotel I stayed at was rather less, shall we say, fancy…
Boris
It was a treat we stayed 2 nights on our drive back from Italy. i called in on speck and did a deal. Suite for the price of a room.
The breakfast in the courtyard next to its medieval tower was fantastic.Oh and we had a private lift to our rooms.
We have a different life style now.
I too never realised that slatted beds could be a problem. We do still have some antique beds with flock mattresses in our seven gites, but until I read the comments on your blog, I was determined to replace them with something modern (ie slatted beds). Shan’t bother now!
We seem to get a lot of people who break just one glass. Funny to think this might be a ritual! Fair brightened my day!
The guests who left here yesterday, after I’d written the blog of course, said exactly the same as usual ‘We did break one glass’.
Unfortunately because of the blog I then burst out laughing, which he seemed to think was a strange reaction…
Something modern is not always better, It is very desireable to re use things rather than replace. We have just repaired our Norfolk flint wall. many of the old coping stones were crumbling and could not be used. Old replacements the best price to find matched ones was £18 each. No way was i going to pay that so I have replaed the lot with new rounded terracotta type. Sold the good old ones that paid for all the new ones with change. We have re used all the old flints and replaced some of the bricks the new Norfolk Reds. So I have a wall that is old and new and it looks grand.The new flints we used we found by field walking so they were free.
Boris,
Those sound like ideal guests.
I think you are correct in saying that guests often don’t inform of breakages due to the fear of a deduction from the damage deposit. I expect most owners wouldn’t deduct for accidental breakages of small items and would rather know of any breakage before incoming guests complain about missing items.
Philip