layers of responsibility
Its been a very busy departure and arrivals day today. The sun is in its heaven and shining on full force on us and its lovely. Coral Bay resort and Peyia village are a hive of activity as locals go about their business, holidaymakers stroll happily through the streets and those of us who support the tourist industry here, run around like headless chickens trying to make as near a perfect science of changeover days as we can.
Oh but its not easy!
Checking out of villas at noon, guests are understandably, very reluctant to leave the “piece of Cyprus “. With the incoming guests already in the air en route to this wonderful island, we’ve to coax the reluctant guests out of the pool and into their clothes/help them pack and sometimes, physically take them from the premises – for lunch or a pamper at The Spa at the Crown Resort Hotel in Coral Bay.
Once the villas are emptied, our cleaning teams rush in and try their utmost to make good all damages/oversights/chaos and challenge with linens, to leave the villas looking squeaky clean for the guests who are arriving……sometimes there are more damages than we first realise eg lamps don’t work but we weren’t advised of this. Sometimes, like recently, guests had intermingled with a neighbouring villa, taking towels and glasses between the two and not replacing them where they were from. With two separate owners of each villa and arrivals at both within 3 hours, the challenge to make good is enormous!
This week has been particularly hard: one of our favourite villa owners is here and, sadly, she’s suffering the frustrations of glasses being lost of broken and linens mixed up – and, whilst we know they are in the next villa, we cannot get them until the guests depart, which is days after the owner departs! The laundry has also chosen this week to mix up colours of towels and returned to Melanie, very bright bath sheets which should have been pristine white……………..Melanie is a great lady and very sensible but I feel very bad that we must seem a little fuddled!
That said, this isn’t an exact science: its a people business needing many layers of support and timescales to come together to make things perfect – or as perfect as they can be. Attitude is everything and, in my book, as long as we TRY to keep things as right as they can be, then we’re doing our best – and we sincerely want everyone to love their holiday and to come back. Thankfully, the vast majority of our clients know that and work with us if, eg a towel is the wrong colour or a sunbed has been borrowed by next door. We’ll put everything right that is in our power and do our best with the rest.
Luckily, the universe has provided the best bits: A beautiful island; warm, friendly people, long sunny days and great food! The lovely villas we represent are the cherry on the cake!
Off to welcome more guests……. hope the flights been on time/taxis turned up/car hire is ready/villa cleaning is finished/welcome pack is in my car/leaflets haven’t been chewed by Jake……..