Dear Diary: 12th May 2020

Notes on our B&B life

There isn’t much going on in our B&B life at present except for getting on with all those things that had been “stacked” on a shelf in the “To Do Later” box. As I was unpacking that metaphorical box, I unearthed the following “Done” and “Still To Do” items.

i. Publication

I hope that you may share my excitement and joy with me. I had written in our Bowness Bed and Breakfast blog about publishing my first ever short story. You can read it here: https://www.trouvaillereview.org/home/he-could-hear-them. I have always enjoyed writing, but time hasn’t always been on my side. Moreover, I tend to write only when something really moves me to put pen to paper, so to speak. Here is the link to the short post I wrote on 10th May 2020, when the item was published: https://bownessbedandbreakfast.wordpress.com/2020/05/10/excitement-2/.

ii. Social Distancing

It is of course quiet now in the Lake District National Park except for the incursion of those who are visiting without regard to government restrictions. The latter will be relaxed from tomorrow, so it will be interesting to see how many people are about. It is an unfortunate circumstance that the UK’s North West does have one of the top Covid-19 infection rates, and that the many people we have seen gathering in groups before the relaxation to come in tomorrow do not seem to realise how serious this situation is. One day, when we went to get essential groceries, we saw about a dozen people congregating closely in an area outside the terraced walls of a well-known coffee shop. People travelling to the Lakes and many who seem to live within it don’t seem to realise that this part of Cumbria has one of the highest incidences of coronavirus outside London. However, once this is over, we’d love to welcome you back to our home and the Lakes again!

iii. Shopping

It is good to see that most stores now have essential items in store, as well as non-essential items. I read and saw in the media about a policeman within the higher echelons of his force stating that the police could check supermarket trolleys to ensure that the populace was not buying unnecessary goods. It gave me a little fright because I was going to buy some supermarket jeans for Hubby, whose work jeans were so tattered that they were no longer respectable to use even for work around and outside the house. I hoped that no one would comment and no police would show up at the store when I nipped in to buy a trolley full of groceries plus two pairs of jeans.

iv. Special Offers

I’d really like some suggestions of what Special Offers you, as a guest, would like to see. I have been wracking my brains about this since it’s been a tough new year for us thus far, but I’m equally certain that there are others also suffering hardship. Having no income at all and relying on savings to live off is definitely not recommended! Our main offers at present include money off when booking directly with us either through our website or by phoning us up. Week-long bookings can take advantage of an extra night’s stay free of charge. 

When guests book through Online Travel Agents (OTAs) such as Expedia or Airbnb, we pay a percentage in commission, and therefore cannot afford to offer lower prices. Expedia is one of the more expensive channels through which people can book Blenheim Lodge, where charges are nigh on 20% in commission plus VAT, and our channel manager through which these OTA bookings come through charge us £1 plus VAT per booking, which is non-refundable even when bookings are cancelled. Everything soon adds up.

v. Bookings

We have always offered flexibility for changing booked dates and new booking dates when booking DIRECT with us at Blenheim Lodge.  Please do bear this in mind when you are thinking of booking with us, and we hope that this gives you confidence to BOOK DIRECT with us. OTA bookings are a different kettle of fish, and we don’t have the same control over those bookings and cancellations. Obviously, we expect people not to abuse this flexibility by leaving reservations to the last minute before changing them, thereby incurring costs and stress for us because we end up being unable to re-let the accommodation they cancel. We would also not refund if people are intending to claim for cancellation from their insurance policies. (In such cases, our non-refundable cancellation policy would apply.) Where pricing for the new booking dates are higher, we would expect this difference to be made up by the guests.

vi. Vouchers

If you need to buy a gift for someone, wish to cheer someone up, or are looking to take some time out yourself but don’t know when you’ll be able to get away, why not consider purchasing a voucher for further use? We have been selling gift vouchers for as long as we’ve been here, and you can tailor it to such an extent that you can even decide on the room you want to stay in when you buy it. Alternatively, you can leave things open, buy a gift voucher for a specific amount, and then allow whoever you give it to to use it as part payment for the room they choose. It’s as flexible as that!

Looking forward to welcoming our guests

We are looking forward to welcoming guests back to Blenheim Lodge when it is safe to travel. Please feel free to enquire about accommodation with us as well as to ask any questions you might have prior to booking and travel. Our phone number is 015394 43440 and email address is enquiries@blenheim-lodge.com if you have any queries. For more information about us, please visit our website: www.blenheim-lodge.com.

As the line in the Vera Lynn song goes, “We’ll meet again” – but I trust that this line may also be slightly converted to “We’ll meet one day.”

Take care and we hope to meet you soon!

Blenheim Lodge . . . panoramic Lake views, peace and tranquillity, nestled against acres of beautiful fields and woodlands, in the heart of the English Lake District National Park.’