We were seven friends / wine connoisseurs on a seven day wine tasting trip to Bordeaux.
The good
- location was excellent. Easy access to everything - restaurants, river, ...
- 3 of the 4 bedrooms were good, one was average
- the big room upstairs was great where families / groups can spend time hanging out
- the terrace had a lovely view but the deck and some areas need some fixing
The bad
- entire place had a slightly musty smell
- the laundry room had a smell we couldn't get rid off from check in time till we left. We left the window open and closed the door to manage. Something needs to be done about it.
- Inadequate essential supplies and lack of upfront clarity on what would or wouldn't be provided in terms of supplies and cleaning services
- not enough initial supply of paper towels and toilet paper for seven people for seven days. No replenishing available and we were told we had to buy our own. Wish that had been made clear earlier
- zero supply of shower gel / soap or shampoo. we were told we had to get our own. wish we had known that earlier
- we got one towel per person for our seven day stay, and no bathroom mats. we were told there would be no fresh towels provided and we would have to wash them. wish this was clear up front
- the cleaning arrangement during the stay was unclear. when asked we were told there would be no cleaning during a longer stay, if required we could a paid for service organized through them, and garbage disposal instructions were somewhat vague. this should be made clearer upfront on the listing so guest know what to expect
the worst
- the bathroom showers taps had inadequate pressure and temperature. we arrived on a saturday and this got fixed by Tuesday, but the next morning the sewage backed up into the shower. this wednesday was a bank holiday in France. while the manager jumped on the plumbing issue and got it resolved fairly soon, getting them to accept responsibility for the ensuing smell it caused and having them fix it asap, so the place could be livable, was a little bit of a struggle. The response from them was it was a bank holiday, and we are not a hotel service. they did get it done after we said we would move to a hotel otherwise, but did try and charge us for the cleaning (to be fair the cleaning also included other parts of the house)
My advice
- have crystal clear information upfront about supplies, cleaning services, what is guest responsibility upfront
- fix the plumbing and smell issues, and the other small ones mentioned.
- have a little bit more of a customer is first philosophy in communications, response, etc.
This would make the place be really good for the guests