Questions to ask for a self-catering enquiry for EUROPE
The traditional cottage, villa or farmhouse in the country is normally reserved on a
weekly basis from Saturday to Saturday.
Stays of under 7 nights are available at certain times. Check with us creative options for
all shorter stay enquiries.
- What are their ideal rooming arrangements? Couples, singles, number in party, bed configuration, etc.
- What are their dates? Try shuffling the itinerary to make it work for them, e.g., combine two 3-4 night stops into a one-week booking. We need dates to provide reliable availability & price.
- Do they prefer a standard/moderate/superior/discerning grade of accommodation? Do they normally travel business class? Do they normally stay 3-star, 4-star, 5-star?
- Have they been there before? Do they have a particular location in mind? Do you/they need help with the geography?
- Do they want to be in or near a particular town for some reason? Sometimes clients mention a particular location because they know it while they are actually happy to be anywhere in that general area.
- What sort of holiday is this? For serious day-tripping, for the food and wine, for the village life, for major relaxing?
- Is a pool a priority? (Pools are generally open June-September inclusive – a bit longer in Spain and Portugal.) There are many situations in which pools can be shared – this makes for a more cost-effective stay.
- Some properties have a bath and no shower – please confirm a shower is a priority!
- If you have more than one couple travelling together, would they prefer their own bathrooms?
- Most (but not all) properties have a washing machine or laundry facilities – is a washing machine a definite priority?
- The most requested location is “within strolling distance of a village”. Is that important? There are more possibilities if the clients are open to something a bit further away: there are many properties just 2-3km from a village – not a difficult drive even after a glass of wine with dinner!
- Are they travelling with children? How old are they? (Some properties are not so safe for younger children.) Can the clients take their own portacot if necessary?
- Will they have a car? Do they definitely want to be able to rely on public transport? This is not ideal in country locations but not impossible either. Please establish this as there is a lot of work involved in providing both car and no-car options.
- In Italy especially there are many large farmhouse complexes divided into several apartments. These offer excellent value for money. Are clients happy with this arrangement or would they
- prefer a “stand-alone” villa?
- Is a TV a must? To obtain English-language channels they need satellite TV. Is this important?
- Are clients likely to do their own research on the Internet? Recommend our website – we will endeavour to refer all enquiries from them back to you.
- Country properties rarely have phones or Internet connections. Are these essential?
- What is their budget? It is helpful to us to have an idea of what they are thinking in budget terms as we may be able to suggest a way they can save money or whether it is worthwhile to spend more.
- For many clients, this part of their holiday is their “dream”. What is the picture in their dream?