Spanish Villa
We had a very interesting debate on the Tots to Travel Agents forum recently, as we began discussing what guests really want from their self catering property. The opinions were very mixed, which when you consider that us “Mums on the Ground” are spread across France, Italy, Portugal and Spain, is not really surprising. However, we even discovered very unique experiences from different sides of the same country, something which made for quite a thought provoking debate…
- in Italy, 80% of our guests will take up the offer of a home cooked meal on arrival, but in France this summer these results have been mixed. In some of our Gites, the offer of a home booked meal is always taken up, yet in others, people don´t seem to be interested. Why? Who knows. Would you want a heavy meal on arrival on holiday, or just a quick salad and bottle of chilled wine? One of our Mums is now thinking if installing a slow-cooker in her properties, so she can fill it in the morning and the delicious contents are there ready and waiting when the family arrive. Sounds like “first impressions” heaven to me.
- Speaking of food, a lot of our properties have the facilities to book home cooked meals during the stay and many even offer the possibility to book a private chef. Who wouldnt want to sit back with a bottle of Rioja while someone else slaved over the hot coals?? but again, in some places these services are going well, yet in others they are hardly taken up. Still we all agreed they are definitely worth offering to add value to the rental, and what about more unique propositions such as a private wine tasting evening, or a tapas tour of Spain in your villa?
Wine Tasting
- Gadgets were the cause of much debate too. General consensus was that people are coming to expect extras such as iPod docks, a decent hairdryer, some quality bathroom smellies, and above all a free WiFi connection. Why WiFi, are people really going to bring their laptop on holiday? Simples, how many people do you know who own an smart phone, or an iPad for example? They can save a fortune on roaming if their holiday villa offers free internet – and what would this cost a holiday property owner to install? 40€ a month for a decent ADSL line with Movistar? (just unplug the phone line, leave guests the log on code, y ya esta!). The fact is that people are willing to turn down the perfect villa if it doesnt offer ADSL these days.
mp3 players
- Speaking of gadgets, its great to offer luxury kit when catering to a luxury audience (evoking thoughts of a posh espresso machine, cool Dolce Gusto thingy with neat little pods to pop in) but I´m afraid we Mums from Spain and Italy cant give up our traditional Italian style coffee makers – you know the sort, it forces the water up from the bottom and steams through the ground coffee for lovely hot delicious elevenses. This is so simple, makes the best coffee by far, but who on earth travelling from the UK would know how to use one?? I didnt before my well travelled Canadian friend taught me! Doh!
- And on the subject of coffee, what about the milk? Where can you buy fresh milk in Spain without a trek to a big superstore? One of our French mums pops a litre of fresh milk in the freezer to take out when needed, but is UHT really so bad these days? I cant tell the difference at all, it stays fresh and doesnt need refrigeration until used = better for the environment? (ok, better not get into that debate!)
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Holiday Babysitting
Finally, babysitting. Another very mixed bag. In France there seems to have been a
small decline in general in the take up of the free nights babysitting, yet in one gite it is taken up 100%. Fewer people too seem to be booking babysitting as a payable service this year on some places, while demand rises in others. Is this to do with more people bringing their extended families on holiday, or booking a large property with friends and taking turns over childcare? I have definitely noticed a lot of buzz on travel forums from mums asking or recommendations for local babysitters here in Spain.
So what is your opinion on this as a Holiday Property Owner? Do you think investing in little luxury touches and offering value-added extras is a great strategy to ensure an excellent reputation and repeat business?
I am passionate about promoting family holidays and child friendly travel in Andalucia. If you have or know anyone with a holiday property in the Malaga area that you think would be suitable for this special niche family market, then get your copy of our free book of tips & advice, or contact me at any time, I would love to hear from you!
Hi Lindsay,
Great article – we have done something recently and there are common themes (which I’m quite glad about!).
WiFi is a big one, as unfortunately the answer is ‘yes’ a lot more people are taking their laptops out on holiday – me included unfortunately!
Milk too – we always pick up on this.
Another small thing that always bugs me – if you market your property as ‘child friendly’ then include children’s hangers in the wardrobes! (it sounds petty but try getting your 6 year old daughter to wear a creased dress for going out!!!!).
Hi Paul, thanks for your comment – yes unfortunately I have often seen properties marketed as “child friendly” because they have a cot & high chair (and some even wanted guests to pay to use them!) but we know that the little things really make a big difference.
Best of luck with your ventures over here, (and try leave the laptop home more often!)
Lindsay
Hi Lindsay
Wi-fi is especially useful for guests who don’t know the area, for finding local shops, directions, restaurants and of course the weather forecast. There’s nothing worse than finding that great restaurant or beach on the last day of a holiday…Been there, done that!
Maybe it’s worth including some recommended websites in the welcome pack so guests know where they can find tips to help them enjoy their stay.
Andy
I agree, when I was a holiday rep (in my youth!) I was like a walking Tourist Information Office for my guests, but how many people travel DIY these days without such support? Providing local info & recommendations to guests is a huge help, and I agree for those properties with WIFI it would be great to have some recommended sites for guests to look at, apart from the usual Trip Advisor!
Excellent article and very interesting debate on the topic of providing meals on arrival. I work with owners in my Canadian agency and the issue of quality gadgets is one we address all the time. There is a tendency here for owners to buy the cheapest Walmart small appliances they can and I always love to see a quality coffee maker or espresso machine – it just demonstrates that owners care.
I will be referencing this article in my next blog post.
Many thanks for your feedback Heather, great to hear from such a pro & I look forward to reading the blog!