Stop flyers, switch to StyQR!
We’ve all heard about that shelf full of flyers for touring the region, discovering a new museum or eating in a gourmet restaurant. What if you freed up some space and offered all this in one digital booklet ?
1. Why not offer flyers anymore
Have you ever found a flyer folded into 48 pieces in your pocket after doing the laundry ? We did, we saw it, thought “why not” and kept it in our pocket for a long time. All to forget and never go to see the place he was selling.
Also think about the environmental impact of all this printing. The ink, the paper… all to end up in the bin most of the time.
So to put an end to this waste and offer communication that really works, switch to a digital booklet!
2. The advantages of StyQR
With StyQR, all the information you want to communicate to your customers is in one application. With just a few clicks, your customer can find out where to eat, where to walk and which museum to visit.
You can also tell them about promotions and partnerships negotiated for them with certain companies. So, rather than showing up with a flyer that they might lose, they’ll simply pull up their app and present the code.
For them it’s simpler, more up to date and more personal. Indeed, you will be able to offer them personalised recommendations according to their tastes and desires. For example, you won’t have to offer them a family excursion if they are travelling as a couple, or a great promotion for a duo massage if they are a single person.
So, do you want to move into the digital age and offer a complete experience to your customers?
Looking after your pet during the holidays
Sometimes you can’t take your pet on holiday with you and that’s a shame! But how can you leave with peace of mind?
1. For custody in your home
If it is the first time, or if you do not wish to stress your pet more than necessary, you can opt for a pet-sitter at home.
In this case, many pet-sitter websites exist such as :
On these sites, you have the notes of the pet-sitters, their availability and their rates.
Here, you have two options: either it’s a regular visit, or the pet-sitter stays with your pet during your holidays. It’s up to you.
2. For outdoor custody
You can also choose to board your pet. He will be with other animals and will be supervised by professionals. You can opt for boarding with or without a kennel, for shorter or longer periods.
The website 30 millions d’amis refers to many of them. Here again you have two choices, either you have it kept close to your home, or close to your holiday destination! That way you can pick him up on your return!
This is probably the more expensive of the two solutions, but it allows you to leave knowing that your pet will have fun!
Now there’s no excuse! You’ve got all the information you need to make sure your pet has a great holiday too.
And if you’re looking for a nice place to go in France, check out our article on the PACA region.
Garden: what if you added a vegetable garden?
Do you have a house with a garden? Why not add a vegetable garden or herb patch for your guests to use?
1. Why propose a vegetable garden?
Offering a vegetable garden to your customers is a plus for you. Indeed, good food and local culture are increasingly valued. So if you offer your tenants the opportunity to help themselves to your good tomatoes this summer, they will be delighted!
Out of season, you can also offer jams, tomato sauces or pickles, made with products from your garden! It will make a real difference, we promise!
If you have the time, you can create it yourself by putting for example: squash, tomatoes, strawberries, peppers, lettuce… But if not, there are solutions for tailor-made vegetable gardens!
2. No room?
Don’t have enough space for a proper vegetable garden? You can opt for an herb patch!
Smaller but just as pleasant and fun for your customers, it allows you to have plenty of herbs available for the kitchen!
You can plant :
- Chives
- Parsley
- Thyme
- Mint
- Rosemary
To see it flourish, it should be placed in a sunny, open and warm area. You can buy a ready-made one or make your own. If you’re interested, here’s how to do it:
- Assemble 4 wooden planks 1.20m x 20cm to form a square
- Add compost mixed with garden soil. If you have some, you can even add some sand.
- Using a thick rope, form several squares according to the number of plants you want
So, are you tempted by our vegetable garden idea? Don’t hesitate to send us your photos if you are creating one!
And if you also want to adapt your home for children, here are our tips.
Departure gift, why does it change?
Forget about gifts on arrival, now offer gifts on departure to your customers. It will ensure that they leave happy. Let’s take a look at what you can offer as a departure gift.
1. Why a going-away present?
For rentals, we are much more used to receiving a gift on arrival than on departure. And that’s where the interest lies! You will create a surprise and as a result, the customer will remember you for a long time.
The departure gift allows your customers to end their stay on a positive note. Yes, they are leaving, the holiday is over, but they have a present! So they leave with a smile.
2. Some gift ideas
To ensure that your customers leave your home on a positive note, you can :
- Offer a bouquet from your garden or in season
- Jams or compotes from your region, or even better, homemade!
- Local fruit and/or vegetables
- A book about your region to remind them of good memories
- A snack for their return journey
- A personalised postcard
- A tea towel embroidered with your region or the name of your location
- A notebook stamped with your name…
It’s up to you and your budget! Try to think of two things in particular:
- Making it easier for them to return (food for example)
- Daily use in their home to remember you
Now you have all the keys to give the perfect gift to your guests. And if you prefer to stick to the welcome gift, here are some original ideas!
3 zero waste brands for a clean rental!
Do you want to have a clean rental but also pollute as little as possible? We’ve got 3 great brands for you to choose from!
1. Natural Danika
Danika is a transparent brand with natural and biodegradable products. They offer you many products such as natural detergents to make your own, floor cleaners, and dishwashing soaps.
What triggered the creation of the brand? The composition of commercial detergents, which are too aggressive and which, when not fully treated in water treatment plants, pollute rivers and affect biodiversity.
2. Lopa
LOPA stands for Love Our Planet Again. And for this, the brand offers you: a bag of powder to make your own shower gel.
Thanks to it, you will be able to offer your customers zero waste shower gels!
3. Iris Hantverk
This pretty Swedish brand offers a refined design for high quality brushes. The best part? They are made by blind craftsmen according to the classical Swedish tradition.
You will find brushes for all uses: dishes, food, bath… You will see that they will make an ox effect at home!
Do you know of any other zero waste brands? If so, tell us in the comments!
And if you’re interested in being green, we have an article to help you create your own eco-friendly accommodation.
Seasonal rentals and hotels: who wins the duel?
The figures for holiday bookings in France are in. We now know whether the French prefer holiday rentals or hotels. Any ideas before you read on?
1. A preference for seasonal rentals
Once again this year, the French are choosing to rent hotels! According to Europ Assistance: “Only 29% of French holidaymakers will sleep in a hotel during their stay this summer, compared to 46% on average for Europeans”.
And this, despite the definite increase in rental prices! +9.4% for houses in the mountains, +7.6% in the countryside and +7.2% for the seaside.
Among the most popular regions, we find, not surprisingly, Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur (excluding the coast), the region that is progressing the most with +49%, followed by the Côte d’Azur (+37.5%) and Corsica (+26%) (in comparison with 2019).
2. Is it really a dislike of hotels?
According to the agency, the French do not shun hotels, but are very attached to holiday rentals.
The main explanation would come from the impressive choice of rentals offered. Indeed, in France, there are about four million second homes. That’s a lot of possibilities!
More and more people want to feel at home, in a cocoon with a garden, rather than being constrained by hotel hours. If you are going to travel in your own country, you might as well do it in a house!
What do you think? When you go on holiday, where do you choose to sleep?
If you are interested in this topic, we also have an article on the figures for tourist accommodation in 2021.
Organic and local: the new values
These are the only words on our lips: organic and local. So if you have a restaurant or offer some products to your customers, opt for these two important values. We’ll tell you how.
1. Why it's important to get started
Why get involved in organic and local labels? Simply to gain new customers, help your region and support the planet.
Indeed, the search for authenticity is increasingly present among travellers. For them, a visit to a country or a region now includes a culinary discovery. People are also increasingly trying to take care of their bodies by eating better, and therefore by eating organic. So if an establishment offers you organic options and buys from a few local producers, the choice will be made quickly.
Think partnership too. If you buy your meat from a local producer, you can specify that he supplies a hotel, potentially bringing his customers to him. It’s a virtuous circle.
2. What to propose
Of course, changing and modifying your offer will take time.
So start gradually, for example :
- For breakfast: offer jams from the region, organic (and local if possible) fruit and vegetables, bread from the baker across the street…
- Lunch: why not offer biodynamic wine? Or wine from the vineyards next door? Meat from the local producer or vegetables from the garden?
- Finally, for dinner: fresh pasta from an artisan, local alcohol, flowers on the table…
All this will allow you to create a link with the shopkeepers, to bring them additional sales by your customers who will have tasted and liked it and finally to make your brand or location spread more widely by word of mouth.
In conclusion, not all your products need to be organic, but offering a few products is already a very good initiative. And if you want to go even further, bet on home-made products!
The most beautiful swimming pools in Paris
With this nice weather and the heat coming quickly, we would like to take a dip in a nice cool pool ! And as we are in Paris for a few weeks, here is our selection of the 3 most beautiful pools to stroll in!
1. The Pontoise swimming pool
This swimming pool in the 5th arrondissement is known for its historical value. Indeed, its buildings (built in 1933) are classified as historical monuments. It was also made famous by Jacques Cousteau with his diving suit tests.
What do we like? The possibility of night baths and its large 33-metre pool.
It costs about 5 euros to enter.
2. The Butte aux Cailles swimming pool
Another swimming pool classified as a historical monument ! It is one of the most famous swimming pools in Paris with its Art Nouveau façade.
Why do we like it? For its spring water supply and its low price : 3 euros.
3. Josephine Baker Pool
Finally, Josephine Baker. Located in the 13th arrondissement, this floating pool has solariums and a 25-metre pool. Very popular with Parisians for its beautiful view of Paris and the Seine, its entrance fee is 3 euros.
4. The other emblematic swimming pools
Paris has many swimming pools, but if we had to add a few to our selection it would be :
- The Keller swimming pool in the 15th arrondissement
- Château Landon and Catherine Lagatu in the 10th arrondissement
Finally, we also love the Molitor swimming pool, but it’s quite a budget! And you, what are your favourite pools?
Tourist accommodation in France in 2021
How many tourist accommodations are there in France? And among them, how many hotels are there? Campsites? Who has been the most affected by the crisis of the covid? We will answer all these questions!
1. The numbers
There are a total of 29,313 tourist accommodations in France (in 2021). Among them :
- Tourist hotels: 17,405
- Campsites: 8,239
- Tourist residences and similar accommodation: 2,386
- Holiday villages and family homes: 962
- Youth hostels, international holiday centres, sports centres: 321
Note the difference between a hotel, which is booked for a short stay, and a tourist residence, for longer stays.
2. Tourist accommodation and the covid crisis 19
At the hotel level, the drop in turnover is brutal (compared to 2019): minus 43%! However, the hotel industry in France is more resilient than its neighbours: 47% in the UK and 63% in Germany. Unsurprisingly, the hotels most affected are the luxury hotels, due to the lack of international customers.
However, leisure tourism has not fallen dramatically. Indeed, by postponing their trip to France, the French have increased their bookings in the mountains and on the coast. Rental prices have risen and houses with swimming pools have been snapped up during the summer!
If you want to know more about the subject, you can consult the numerous infographics of the ‘INSEE.
All these figures are impressive. Did you suspect such figures? If you are interested, here is an article on the Gîtes de France label that should please you.
What should I do if something happens to my property?
Fire, water damage… These problems can occur during a rental. But then, how do you react to a disaster?
1. Check your insurance contract
As a homeowner, you are normally covered by a comprehensive home insurance policy for holiday accommodation. This contract contains two clauses: the waiver of recourse or the renunciation of recourse.
These clauses specify whether or not the owner, and therefore the insurance company, can claim payment from the holidaymaker.
Are you concerned about your rental property and your customers? Opt for a multi-risk home insurance with waiver of recourse. This is the only way to ensure that the holidaymaker is covered for civil liability, fire and water damage.
2. For tenants
If you had tenants at the time of the loss, it is up to them to make use of the comprehensive home insurance. In their contract there is a clause called “holiday” for rentals.
You can check with your tenant beforehand whether this clause is included in their contract. If the clause is not included, the tenant can take out temporary home insurance (1 to 90 days) which covers him during his stay. It works like a comprehensive insurance and is very cheap.
Have you ever had to deal with such a situation? If you are interested, we also have an article on the partnership between Luko and Airbnb.