Isle of Wight Vacations

I manage a lot of properties - each one has it's own ID and it's own listing, it's own photos, it's own pricing - that way, guests will not be confused etc. We have a group account - when we log in, we are logging in to that group account - this shows a list of the properties and we can click on one and go to that property. That's the only login we need to remember (or store!). Keeps everything simple for us too. If you want a group account, send a message to Booking.com via your extranet.

Like Sharne, we don't want to offend anyone - these days, people are very easily offended. The properties we own and manage are also quite compact, so there is little space for extras like Christmas trees. It would also take a lot of time and money to decorate all the properties, and then we'd need to store everything for 11 months - it's not really worth the time, effort or cost.

Send a message to Booking.com via your extranet and ask them to set up Payments by Booking.com. If they set this up, you can take payments (but not damage deposits) in the same way as with AirBnB / TripAdvisor etc. Commissions are high, so increase your prices. You will have to wait a long time for payments too, but you eliminate fake bookings, you mostly stop no-shows, and life is a lot easier. You can also set all booking dates in your calendar to non-refundable, so you get genuine guests and you get paid even if the guest cancels / can't come etc.

There is a chance that they will refuse to set up Payments by Booking.com. They might say they don't trust you as a host, as if you are a criminal. If this happens, just set up on AirBnB / TripAdvisor / HomeAway (do this anyway) and don't open on Booking.com. Simples!

Most of our properties are dog friendly - we have a couple where pets are not allowed. Guests do not always tell us when they are bringing a dog - they assume there will be extra charges, extra rules etc, so they say nothing in the hope of avoiding any extra fees. If we did charge an extra fee for dogs, even more owners would say nothing. Fortunately, we rarely have problems from having dogs in our properties.

Our pricing takes account of "average" cleaning costs - sometimes, guests will leave properties spotless, sometimes they'll make a big mess. Occasionally, like today, one of them will leave a lot of dog hairs. The cleaners get paid the same for each clean regardless. Sometimes they have a quick and easy clean, sometimes it takes longer, but it balances out - and all cleaners are made aware that they are still paid for say 1.5 hours even if they only need to do 1 hour. They're all happy with the arrangements and the pay. So well-paid cleaners, given plenty of time for cleaning, helps to deal with a lot of problems.

We do also lay out the ground rules for bringing pets - owners must not allow dogs on the beds or the sofas, must clean up after them etc etc. Most guests are pretty good with this.

We do take some precautions like having loads of spare bedding, so if one set gets really messy from dogs, we don't have to stress about trying to clean them "right now", they can wait till a quieter time of the season. We might get "paw print pattern" bedding if more people bring dogs! We also have laminate flooring in the living rooms, but carpets in the bedrooms, so this helps with cleaning - and we have good vacuum cleaners and good procedures for the cleaners so that they always clean every property top to bottom, back to front, finish at the front door etc, which helps ensure cleaning is a high standard every time.

We want our guests to use our holiday homes as a base, somewhere to sleep, and to go out and spend their time and money supporting the local tourist industry. Therefore, we provide the basic essentials - TV, cooker and microwave, WiFi etc etc. Guests say our properties have everything they need. A couple of weeks ago, we had a guest who didn't know how to work a basic gas fire. So we don't think we need to add any extra technology, and even if we did add it, there would be little real benefit, and we'd probably end up with guests asking loads of questions about how to work it .....

I would love almond trees! I used to grow anything and everything - and make jam, chutneys, pickles, fruit wine etc. Last year I moved into a new (very old!) house and the garden needs a lot of work, and with business being so busy, I haven't grown much this year. I will get some work done in the garden this winter. And yes, the digging is hard work, but it helps to keep me fit!