Viewing 22 posts - 41 through 62 (of 62 total)
  • A week riiiiiight up North – Ullapool?
  • convert
    Full Member

    especially as we need somewhere that’ll take a dog.

    out of interest….from the owner rather than guest side of the fence – would you pay extra for permission to have a dog in the cottage? Not just because of shortage and going for what is available but would you recognise as a dog owner it might cost you more and accept it?

    We’re just putting our place back on the market and the letting companies are encouraging us to allow one – partly because it’s always been an incentive and also because lockdown has spawned a million (no exadurating) new dog families a great number of whom now want to staycation with their new mutt. The cleaning companies obviously roll their eyes and want extra from cleaning a cottage that accepts dogs.

    esselgruntfuttock
    Free Member

    There was bugger all accommodation left on the West coast for the dates we wanted, especially as we need somewhere that’ll take a dog.

    We’re (fingers crossed) heading up to Durness at the end of June. Booked a cottage in November 2019 for June 2020, Covid came along so we put it back to this year. It takes dogs but we don’t have one at the mo.

    Last time I was up that far was 1978/9, did what is now a famous trip over 2 weeks. I’ll be taking sea fishing gear, walking boots, binoculars & a spotting scope. Forsinard Flows is on the list for this time.
    Stunning countryside all the way up the west coast.

    nickc
    Full Member

    I have been entirely naked in Croick church.

    Christened?

    Fresh Goods Friday 696: The Middling Edition

    Fresh Goods Friday 696: The Middlin...
    Latest Singletrack Videos
    IHN
    Full Member

    out of interest….from the owner rather than guest side of the fence – would you pay extra for permission to have a dog in the cottage? Not just because of shortage and going for what is available but would you recognise as a dog owner it might cost you more and accept it?

    Yes, I accept having to pay more to be able to take a dog, but not that much more, say, a tenner a night tops, mainly for the scarcity of choice.

    I don’t really accept the ‘higher cleaning costs’ argument though; I assume the place will be cleaned and hoovered after any stay, I don’t see why there needs to be more cleaning after a dog has been there. I say that as responsible dog owner though, who makes sure that paws/coats are wiped and dry before it goes in the place, doesn’t allow it on furniture etc etc, and I get that not all owners will be like that. However, saying that, I assume there’s enough human guests who leave places in a right state after they’ve left, which will need ‘extra’ cleaning before the next stay, so, again, I don’t get why having a dog is a particular ‘cleaning risk factor’.

    tjagain
    Full Member

    Smell. pee and poop plus damage

    although thats probably best dealt with with a bigger deposit and a bigger cleaning fee rather than an increased daily fee

    big_n_daft
    Free Member

    The cleaning companies obviously roll their eyes and want extra from cleaning a cottage that accepts dogs.

    If it’s a choice between a property that does/ doesn’t take dogs I’ll book the one that doesn’t

    geomickb
    Free Member

    We always look for cottages that don’t take pets.

    In our experience, they seem to be furnished to a higher standard and we don’t want one that is a bit “doggy”.

    IHN
    Full Member

    Smell. pee and poop plus damage

    Yeah, fair enough

    although thats probably best dealt with with a bigger deposit and a bigger cleaning fee rather than an increased daily fee

    Yep, that’d be my thoughts too

    convert
    Full Member

    If it’s a choice between a property that does/ doesn’t take dogs I’ll book the one that doesn’t

    As a guest…me too. As a host – I’m obviously not wanting extra damage or more frequent replacements but the statistics show I’m not normal and places that accept dogs have higher occupancy rates and are able to charge more. Weird huh.

    although thats probably best dealt with with a bigger deposit and a bigger cleaning fee rather than an increased daily fee

    Deposits for holiday lets is not normal these days with the bigger firms – can still do it through airbnb though I think. The cleaning fee is interesting…..airbnb allow you to charge more for dogs but if you use the big firms like cottages.com its all built in – I am uncomfortable that non-doggers (like me) end up paying more for a service they don’t use if they stay in a dog friendly place without a mutt.

    You are right though – there is a big difference in the way the place is left by everyone. My heart say attract cool mtb/kayaker outdoorsie younger folk but my head and bitter experience tells me beige oldies make the best punters. Cleaning firms generally seem to think a cottage takes pets take on average across a season one man hour a time longer than one that does not and you’ll be expecting to replace furnishing and carpets one season sooner.

    IHN
    Full Member

    statistics show I’m not normal and places that accept dogs have higher occupancy rates and are able to charge more. Weird huh.

    Not really; there are fewer places that take dogs, and a lot of people who want to take dogs, so those places can charge more and are more likely to be booked. Conversely, there are shitloads of places that don’t take dogs, so dog-avoiding bookers can be more picky

    Cleaning firms generally seem to think a cottage takes pets take on average across a season one man hour a time longer than one that does not

    So put up your prices by one extra cleaning hour’s cost a week (but it still sounds dodgy to me, cleaning up after us and our dog would take no more time that cleaning up after us on our own)

    I am uncomfortable that non-doggers (like me) end up paying more for a service they don’t use if they stay in a dog friendly place without a mutt.

    You and they are not paying to be able to take a dog, you’re paying an agreed price to stay in a cottage and, as above, if you want somewhere dog free there’s plenty of other choice. If you’re happy with that price, you’re happy.

    FWIW, the places we’ve stayed with dogs have been immaculate, no different to non-dog places

    big_n_daft
    Free Member

    So put up your prices by one extra cleaning hour’s cost a week (but it still sounds dodgy to me, cleaning up after us and our dog would take no more time that cleaning up after us on our own)

    I’d be surprised if that was true, even more surprised if it was true for my neighbours and their huge Newfoundland

    Woody
    Free Member

    I don’t really accept the ‘higher cleaning costs’ argument though; 

    There are extra costs, as unless you have a hairless or non-shedding dog there will be hairs which can appear for days later no matter how carefully you vac and dust + it knackers a whole washing load if a hair covered sheet inadvertently gets into the washer. Some owners really don’t care how manky their dogs are after a day out in the hills!

    I used to charge £10 per stay per dog which I think is very reasonable. I’ve been charged £20 per night for my 2 mutts which I think is ridiculous, especially if you stay for a few days or more.

    IHN
    Full Member

    it knackers a whole washing load if a hair covered sheet inadvertently gets into the washer.

    Yeah, fair enough

    I used to charge £10 per stay per dog which I think is very reasonable. I’ve been charged £20 per night for my 2 mutts which I think is ridiculous, especially if you stay for a few days or more.

    I’d agree on both points.

    matt_outandabout
    Full Member

    We refuse to stay at pet friendly places now. Some allergies mean it is a no-no for us now.

    convert
    Full Member

    Not really; there are fewer places that take dogs, and a lot of people who want to take dogs, so those places can charge more and are more likely to be booked. Conversely, there are shitloads of places that don’t take dogs, so dog-avoiding bookers can be more picky

    I have just waved off the lady from Sykes and asked the question outright. Prices are calculated by view and location, number of beds, facilities, condition etc etc all plugged into a database and out spits a season’s worth of prices. Allowing pets adds 5% to the base rental price table for a property (and increases occupancy rates by 25%). Fun fact – adding a wood burning stove also increases it by the same 5% and cycle storage by 2% – so your typical STWer with a trail hound, a fetish for burning stuff and bikes to store is shit out luck. Now if I could just install a Gaggia Classic too….

    Fun fact for me, but sadly not for you is the dynamic pricing models are currently adding 30-40% to weekly rental pricing (on top of those base prices) for this year and 20% for 2022….

    tjagain
    Full Member

    I think the dog owners perhaps do not realise / are used to the smell they leave behind and thus underestimate the extra cleaning required.

    Mind you one of the camper vans I hired was the one the company reserved for pets and it had white upholstery! ( we were the first rental)

    £10 extra – thats half an hour of cleaning

    geomickb
    Free Member

    Did someone say Sykes?

    Not again, shocking customer service (even when the cottage is next to a building site which woke us up at 7am).

    convert
    Full Member

    Did someone say Sykes?

    Not again, shocking customer service (even when the cottage is next to a building site which woke us up at 7am).

    Interesting……I was quite encouraged from my experiences of them so far. Their reviews from guests and hosts seem pretty good. Our gaff (under my mother’s ownership) was with Scottish Cottages/cottages.com who did not cover themselves with glory with Covid last year for both hosts and guests. For what it’s worth their paperwork reminds me of officious rental agencies whilst Sykes is more approachable.

    Spin
    Free Member

    Christened?

    Much more recent than that! Changing after supervising a particular wet DofE trip that finished there. I figured the bebbe Jesus wouldn’t mind.

    Woody
    Free Member

    Follow up on ‘rentability’ with dogs.

    Just booked a cottage for a week in September in Beadnell. 4 adults, 3 dogs. We were between 2 very similarly priced properties but the ‘dog charge’ was £60 in one or £210 for the other. That’s £150 to spend on beer and a Birthday meal for Mrs W so in the end it was an easy choice 😉

    ampthill
    Full Member

    Much dislike of Sykes from my wider family. Really stuffed up this year with my parents. Rented them a cottage that wasn’t actually available. These things happen. But then dug a hole by only being able to sort the refund on the phone But the number they supplied was the general booking number that which engaged for 3 days. Mum who eventually sorted all that out claims that Sykes generally have a poor reputation via online reviews. I seem to remember the booking high fee wss an issue in all this as well

    Of course Sykes might well know that there best interests are best served looking after cottage owners not guests

    steveb
    Full Member

    We have reglarly used cottages with our 2, often 3, dogs. Sometimes no extra charge, don’t mind a bit, but would draw the line at £20/dog/week.
    Would love to get back to the far north, its been a few years since up there. The west coast & island landscapes on a sunny day are just amazing.
    Over the years we’ve done campervan trips, tent camping and cottages, from the knob of scotland (Kintire) to Uists/Harris/Lewis, Skye, Ullapool, Poolewe, Durness, John o’Groats.
    I kinda a worry now, particularly this and next year, it will be too busy to enjoy as we used to.
    Off the Cumbria on Monday in the campervan, very lucky that wife’s booked months in advance annual leave happened to coincide with campsites opening. Me, wife and 3 spaniels in a MWB ducato van – snug!

Viewing 22 posts - 41 through 62 (of 62 total)

The topic ‘A week riiiiiight up North – Ullapool?’ is closed to new replies.

New deal added to Members Discounts