This policy is having a serious eff ect on our business Lynne Johnson, Cranmer Country Cottages
T
he government policy of fi ning par- ents for taking their children out of school during term time is hav- ing a serious effect on our business. We have eight holiday cottages con-
verted from a Victorian dairy farm in North Norfolk and this policy is forcing us to reevaluate our strategy. Our cot- tages were developed for, and are targeted at, young families. Despite popular belief, we don’t
‘hike’ up our prices during school holi- days and we don’t exploit families. We look carefully at the fi gures for the
ISSUE 3 2014 © cybertrek 2014
year and work out our prices so we can sustain our business during the rest of the year. We offer discounts on off-peak periods which often bring us down to break-even costs. Previously our guests have been able to take advantage of these dis- counted rates by taking their children out of school for one day and taking a long weekend. Or if there was a school inset day they might have added a day to make up a mid-week break. It’s this business which is being damaged by the government policy.
The feedback we’re getting is that guests are looking for a two night break rather than the traditional three night break. The cost to us of a two night break is much the same as a three night break but we can’t expect guests to pay that extra cost. We have had to make the decision to offer a cheaper two night break with people leaving on Sunday afternoon rather than Monday morning, but it means restructuring the business – we don’t normally have staff on site on Sunday and it is important to us that we send our guests off with the same friendly service we offer on a Monday. It has been suggested that the gov-
ernment staggers school holiday dates. This would benefi t businesses and fami- lies as accommodation providers would be able to fl atten their prices more if they felt that there was more than 20 weeks’ guaranteed business. ●
Read Leisure Management online
leisuremanagement.co.uk/digital 67
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