COVID-19 Newsletter

I thought it wise to put something out regarding the COVID-19 outbreak in relation to the booking season, our policies and what may potentially happen. While the impact of the virus on the health of the general public remains miniscule compared to regular flu, it does appear that many people are worried about the impact of a widespread epidemic.

Marketing

We will continue to market your properties along all normal channels as we do every year. It is unclear whether the outbreak will have a positive, negative or negligible impact on the number of bookings at this early stage. Presently bookings have been strong and generally on par with previous seasons.

Owner's Cancellation Plan

Until the virus is declared officially as an epidemic then if you have opted into the Owner’s Cancellation Plan this will continue to pay out under the regular Terms & Conditions of the plan. Cancellations received after the declaration of an epidemic will not be covered and you will not automatically receive balance funds for those weeks cancelled.

Cleanliness

Cleanliness and hygiene are always important, but they are in particular focus right now. Luckily the nature of this industry means that properties get a deep clean nearly every single week. This should continue to be the case and perhaps special attention paid to kitchen and bathroom areas where guests will want to be particularly reassured about hygiene. Cooking utensils, pots, cutlery and crockery should all be spotless – as you would want yourselves if arriving at a holiday home.

Business As Usual

I hope that the outbreak will soon be under control and that everything can get back to normal quickly. Certainly, by the start of the season I would hope that we will see minimal impact on bookings and/or cancellations. We will be putting a message out via all our channels to reassure people that it’s ‘business as usual’ for Cornwall this year. An email will also be sent to all existing and new bookings to reassure them that their bookings are safe and that they can look forward to their holiday.

Peter Collins
Managing Director