Villa Plus 2010 price increases

[smg]

Had a great hol with them in 2009.

Got their email re 2010 bookings today.

Whilst their web site boasts 'lower prices', they have actually increased the cost of the villa we had this year by 23% for the corresponding week in 2010.


Given the (ok, slight) recent improvement in the euro rate, and the generally worsening situation in UK ( & PP, by all accounts), is this not taking the mick somewhat?

Whilst I am all for keeping PP a 'premier' destination, it seems to me that it is likely to be priced out of many people's reach for next year.

It's all very well for the restaurants to offer mdd, etc, but when the cost of getting/staying there is increasing by such an extent, is this not going to cause problems for the long-term viability of PP as we know it?

My salary certainly won't increase by that much before next summer.

I would be interested to hear other forumites' views....

[eleanor]

In my view, this may be a try on. Perhaps this company is taking advantage of people returning from a wonderful time and thinking that they really must book quickly for next year as they may loose their desired holiday home. Perhaps some companies put their prices up only to then lower them after the New Year as a 'special discount deal'.
Personally, I would pass these companies by - certainly for the time being anyway.
I would however, suggest that you take a look at the PP site and perhaps deal directly with the villa owners.
Having said that, as a villa owner myself, I am very aware that our costs have increased dramatically this year. The obvious exchange rate has much to do with this but generally costs have increased all round. This has to be taken into consideration as does any other anticipated increases for 2010.
There are many lovely villas and apartments on this site. Take a look as if nothing more it will give you a good 'feel' for prices charged which will help you to make a decision for next year. You never know, perhaps you were lucky and got a good deal this year.

[smg]

thanks for the comment

the family took such a liking to the villa this year that I just paid the brochure rate, notwithstanding that it was still available a relatively short time before departure. I still can't believe that I did not try to negotiate! So we didn't get a 'good deal', although we were very happy with the accommodation.

There seemed to be many villas available 2-3 weeks before departure this year.
Deals were there to be had, but I reckon that many stayed empty.

I suspect that this may be the case for 2010, if VP's model is anything to go by.

No one wants to stop owners making a return, there does seem to be a lack of realism out there at present.

[eleanor]

Hi SMG,
Yes, I agree, I do think this year isn't a typical one. We have been lucky in as much as we have rented well during the early and main season but it has slowed from mid Sept onwards. September and October have always been good for us but so far, this year does seem to be an exception. Others might say that this isn't the case for them.
Perhaps the answer is that if you are prepared to take a risk for a 'last minute' deal you might be lucky. Its just the way things go.
I do agree that there seems to be a contrast with prices. This may well be that some owners have built up a good client base over many years and therefore are able to charge a little more, knowing the price can always come down if necessary. I feel sure though, that they have 'done their homework' and are charging the market value for their property.
As for 2010, we have a couple of bookings to date plus interest in some weeks. I hope this continues and I very much hope the car rental situation sorts out. This has been a major problem for many. In my view, this could very much affect what will happen next year. We have seen evidence of this with various comments on this forum. It is a worry.
Glad you enjoyed your holiday and liked the villa you rented. At the end of the day, this is what is important.
Eleanor

[Joanne]

The trouble with booking through a company is that you are paying more as they put their fee on top, I found that this year cant remember exact figures but know it would have cost a lot more for the 2 weeks than going direct through the owner.

[Belladonna]

Agents seem to be getting a bit of bad press here!
Dont disregard them totally, owners WILL look at prices and lower theirs anyway even to include agents fees, and it is good to know you have agents on hand to go to direct if there are any problems, although I know owners are only a phone call away too!
As always, its worth doing a little bit of searching re apartment renting direct with owners or through agents and seeing what last minute bargains can be had either way.

[eleanor]

We have used a couple of rental companies both when we had an apartment and now our villa. We decided for a few reasons not to use those companies again and we now rent directly.
We, like many others who rent directly have a network of people on call to deal with any problems and to check in our renters. This service we obviously pay for. The people we have are wonderful and also check on the property when it is empty. They act without delay, they are English but speak the local language and they themselves have a good network of service people to call upon should there be a need.
This is good as it means for any work needed they source on our behalf rather than perhaps use own 'inhouse' people. This means they often cut the cost. The people we use have made it their business to have an inside knowledge of our villa and as such treat it with much respect and care.
They report back to us any feedback from renters and of course their own! and I can't rate them highly enough. To get back to the point, to have someone on our side helps to keep our costs down which means that our rental prices are kept competitive too. I very much prefer the one to one with our renters and I feel our renters consider our people in PP an extension of us.

[Belladonna]

Thats fantastic eleanor. Dont get me wrong here please, I have nothing against renting directly and have nothing against renting through agents. It just seemed there wasnt a balance of views as obviously agents wont be putting their side of it themselves!
Both are a great way to actually stay in PP and the surrounding area!!

[eleanor]

Totally agree Belladonna.
It is great that those wishing to visit PP have such a grand and flexible choice of options available to them.
It is also really nice to see through this forum, that people return time and time again to this wonderful place and there are always so many different places to visit and of course eat!

[smg]

Interesting.

I don't have a beef about paying extra for booking through an 'agency'.

Villaplus maintain a large number of villas to a consistently high standard across several countries, have local agents, & a UK base for administration. I am happy to pay a premium over 'direct' rentals for that service & peace of mind.

My comment / complaint about 2010 pricing was how can anyone justify a 23% increase on 2009 prices for the same accommodation / service, in the current economic climate?

[eleanor]

I feel sure that if you were to ask them the question, they would be able to justify the increase. Would be interesting to know their answer!