If you have Holiday Accommodation, make sure your Negative Feedback it treat Positively

If I had one tip for people who intend to rent own holiday accommodation, that would be to be as flexible as possible towards the customers.

With our first Whitby cottages we read all the usual books, which tell you to make sure that there's nothing personal left in the cottage and it should feel like it's never been used before. Also they tell usually should meet and greet the holidaymakers to make sure they are familiar with the premises and to give them the welcome. We started off on this kind of mind-set but then after doing some research with our customers, that most holidaymakers prefer a situation with a little bit more like home from home. We now make sure that we keep this premises completely clean of course, but we do leave things like tea and coffee and various food items if they have not been opened. We also allow customers to open the key safe and entre themselves, which means we do not meet the customers at all. The thing is that the majority of them tell us that they prefer this situation, it makes them feel free and easy and it's like they're the owners of the premises.

We take this through every stage which allows the guests to book from one night onwards with no bond taken in case of damages and we found that the vast majority of people are very careful with the property and the appreciate that he is of their booking and holiday. We can only do this obviously because we are a small holiday letting company and can understand that large companies have bring in some structure of rules, but we found in small is beautiful we can be more flexible.

We also make sure that there is a guest book which we push forward asking if people give us feedback, there are occasions when people find negative aspects and this is very useful in making sure we can remedy the problems. Most owners would not want negative feedback thinking it is hurtful, but the actual fact is when you think about it is the most useful thing you can get because it means you can stop the problem in its tracks. The British are quite reserved complaining it's a well-known joke, often preferring not to make a fuss, but if you really want a successful business it's much better to get to know the truth, it’s the only way to make sure that you provide as much as possible the perfect business or your guests.

Whenever I visit other holiday accommodation and make sure that if there is a way of leaving feedback, even if it's not pushed forward encouraging me to do so, I will leave honest feedback whether it is negative or good. Good feedback for this type of business is obviously good, but don't forget negative feedback is also good. Obviously if you place good attention to the customers, eventually the negative feedback should dwindle down to virtually nothing and then you are doing a good job indeed.

My second biggest piece of advice would be that if you can make your holiday accommodation at as good as the facilities which people have in their own homes, with things like broadband Internet, widescreen satellite television, memory foam mattresses comfort etc., it will cost you more money to set the premises up obviously, but we think in the long term with a higher occupancy rates and repeat customers you will more than make this back.

We now have a number of Whitby cottages and we make sure that they're all the same specification, so that if customers can not have a booking in one they are very likely to choose one or the other similar properties. If you find that maybe facilitate is not there like outside space, it is very important to make sure the tariff is reduced accordingly.

It's always the same in business at the end of the day if you provide value for money and customers can buy your product easily, your business should be a success.

Whitby Holiday Letting Agency