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  1. #101
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    katie23's Avatar
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    ^thanks for the updates, BIP. Very interesting to hear about your startup homestay/inn. Happy new year to you & yours!

  2. #102
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    Been a while so will give a quick update. We are going gangbusters. We got a booking per day during the first half of January mostly for January and it ended up being a bigger month for us than October and November. Even February is starting to creep up and right now we have future bookings worth almost 40,000 baht.

    When we opened in August we decided we would do 6 months on (Aug-Jan), 6 off (Feb-Jul). Then we decided we would trade continuously for the first 18 months. As you may have seen we set 60 revenue room nights and total revenue of 60,000 baht for our first six months objectives. Well we did somewhat better than that...148 revenue room nights and 136,000 baht revenue. We completed 88 booked stays and 279 pax stayed with us. Our key performance measure was 412 baht per pax per night which we want to push up to closer to 500 next high season.

    We are now in our first off-season and things in February are looking really good. We also have several including multi-day bookings in March, April and several in October. In fact there is a weekend in October we will gross more than 12,000 baht over two nights (mountain trail run).

    We have dropped Expedia, staying with direct, Booking and Agoda. We simplified our offer on Booking by removing the non-refundable and early booker discounts. We also added the temporary futon beds to the rooms on Booking so we can now be booked for ten pax on any channel. Agoda is slightly cheaper but we only offer an Asian breakfast through that channel.

    We've also modified our food. During the off-season we'll offer homemade cookies with cream and tea/coffee on arrival, brownies and ice cream will likely be confined to the high-season. We have got into the habit of where a guest doesn't want an afternoon tea, we offer for dessert or failing that, we pack them to take when they check-out. We've dropped yogurt from the Asian breakfast. The cut fresh fruit included in all breakfast now has a minimum of three and often four different fruits. We also add passionfruit from our own garden when we have them. Our papaya trees are now giving us fruit but not a steady stream yet but when we have them available we use them. We've added grilled tomato to the hot English style breakfast, sometimes our own grown tomatoes. Due to a supply issue at Makro we've had to switch to a Cumberland pork sausage in lieu of a paprika spiced sausage (not happy). We've also switched to Nan province produced honey and honeycomb.

    Next week we are installing fibreglass based insulation above the level 2 ceiling to cut down on hot season heat transmission. And we'll have two good quality bicycles for guest use by the end of this week.

    We've gained admin control of a TripAdvisor profile set up without our knowledge. Have added some photos but not yet managed to get a description accepted by TA. Keep getting responses that is breeches guidelines so we reread them (the guidelines) and look at others descriptions, cannot see where the issue lies. We keep cutting and simplifying, so far without success. We've also now got admin control of a Google My Business profile and added some photos. But we are still waiting on Google to transfer the six guest reviews and photos to it from another profile that apparently existed for a time. We are in the middle of a two week period for that to occur following the delisting of the profile with the reviews. What is puzzling is that neither of the profiles were set up by us. Somehow the one with the guest reviews and photos became associated with my personal Gmail account even though we didn't know it existed. The more bizarre aspect though was that notification of the guest reviews was being sent to the business Gmail account. Between TA and Google we are having to have the patience of a saint.

    On both Booking and Agoda we are rated at 9.7. Twelve or thirteen of the sixteen Booking reviews are 10s. In fact we genuinely get upset when we don't get a 10. Even a 9 depresses us. Surprisingly the largest number of points we have lost comes from location. We've had a number of instances where Bangkok based folks comment how quiet and dark it is at night. We view that as part of our attraction as do many others, and we are only six kilometers from the centre of Pua. I think they need to be able to see a 7 Eleven sign.

    And lastly...one of our guest couples in January were late middle aged Americans who are into insects, specifically moths. They set up a white sheet and light two nights running on our property and logged 150 different species. The wife posts that to iNaturalist. She emailed us to say four of them have never previously been reported in Thailand. But the explanation is likely more about Thai researchers not posting to international sites than our place being a biological hotspot. Surprisingly moth watching is not an activity we can log easily in Booking or Agoda.
    Last edited by BoganInParasite; 04-02-2020 at 10:52 AM.

  3. #103
    Hangin' Around cyrille's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by BoganInParasite View Post
    Surprisingly moth watching is not an activity we can log easily in Booking or Agoda.
    I know a bloke in CM who heads off to Lao to do exactly that.

    He's a West Brom fan, so obviously just has a taste for the obscure.

  4. #104
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    BoganInParasite's Avatar
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    I wouldn't be too judging if he wanted to set up his light here, so long as he's drinking our beer and on a high room rate.
    Quote Originally Posted by cyrille View Post
    I know a bloke in CM who heads off to Lao to do exactly that.

    He's a West Brom fan, so obviously just has a taste for the obscure.

  5. #105
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    BoganInParasite's Avatar
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    Invested 18,000 baht in two good quality mountain bikes for guest and our use. We got some quality helmets from when we had bike a few years back. The guy told the wife that the black one could support someone up to 200 kilograms. Really didn't like the way he was looking at me when he said it.

    Starting a Business in Nan Province-img_6759-jpg





























    Starting a Business in Nan Province-img_6760-jpg
    Starting a Business in Nan Province-img_6761-jpg

  6. #106
    RIP
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    Thanks for the updates BIP.

    Just had a browse of the pics,looks beautiful up there.

    Those two Labradors make the place very homely.

    Will try and get up there on my next visit.

    Looks like a great place for cycling, maybe another potential customer base.

    All the best .

    CCC

  7. #107
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    The deal for TD members remains open CCC. Refer post #1. Only had one taker so far and he and his wife stayed three days and loved it. Getting smokey now, remaining dry and will start to get hot soon so my recommendation for TD folks would be come during the wet season. Thinking we are unlikely to be offering discount rates to anyone during the next Sep-Jan/Feb high season.
    Quote Originally Posted by Chittychangchang View Post
    Thanks for the updates BIP.

    Just had a browse of the pics,looks beautiful up there.

    Those two Labradors make the place very homely.

    Will try and get up there on my next visit.

    Looks like a great place for cycling, maybe another potential customer base.

    All the best .

    CCC

  8. #108
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    BoganInParasite's Avatar
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    Going to be a busy night. The bike group organizer just arrived...there will be 17, not 15 as booked. We got an extra two futon beds yesterday and can provide beds for 12. So they are doing 5 beds. He said they are going to party. Looked at our showcase refrigerator where I've got twenty large bottles of beer cold and said we'd need more. I've got another twenty cold in the refrigerator in the kitchen. Went out this morning and got a new sign printed with increased beer prices...just had a feeling...might well pay off. We've made steady beer sales to date but never managed to host a truly thirsty group.

  9. #109
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    ^ Don't forget the (really salty) complimentary peanuts to get the buggers to drink more.

  10. #110
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    Bugga, but they do seem to be focused on having a good night. I got a dozen large Chang yesterday and went and got another dozen this afternoon. All eight Leos are gone, at least ten Singha to date and I'm thinking they've got through about a dozen Chang. They are out in the carport partying on. Nice bunch of guys, all ages. One is 63, rode 65 kilometers from Nan today and dead set will be crossing the mountains to Bo Kluea tomorrow. That is 1,600 meters of climbing from here. They loved the complimentary cookies we provided and have purchased two batches and a batch of brownies to go tomorrow.

    Quote Originally Posted by Bogon View Post
    ^ Don't forget the (really salty) complimentary peanuts to get the buggers to drink more.

  11. #111
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    That’s great glad to hear it’s been such a success.

  12. #112
    R.I.P. Luigi's Avatar
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    Yeah, very interesting. Cheers BiP.


    Will hopefully get up there this year.

    Should really, Miss Teetotaler isn't from too far away.

  13. #113
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    Well folks, a beer drinking record has been set at the homestay. 17 guests (but one of them female) drank 44 large bottles of beer. We will need to restock Leo and Singha today before the next 9 pax arrive. Only slight downer was the group leader bargained the per bottle price down to 60 baht. The wife's pleading that she was married to a poor farang fell on deaf eyes.

    Despite some of them sleeping on thin mattresses on tiles, they are in good spirits this morning.

  14. #114
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    Look forward to it Luigi, you can stay incognito if you wish. To take advantage of the TD offer in post #1 all we need is someone to tell me is that they are a user on the forum. We don't need proof or the username.
    Quote Originally Posted by Luigi View Post
    Yeah, very interesting. Cheers BiP.


    Will hopefully get up there this year.

    Should really, Miss Teetotaler isn't from too far away.

  15. #115
    R.I.P. Luigi's Avatar
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    When the towels and a few bathroom fittings have disappeared, you'll know it who it was.

  16. #116
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    Lol...but to be serious for a moment...in six+ months and almost 300 pax...no breakages, no pilfering, no hoarding, no incidents or messes of an unspeakable nature in the bathroom. Had a few of folks smoke on the balcony but we only detected it next morning when we found coke cans or a plastic bottle with the ashes and butts.

    Quote Originally Posted by Luigi View Post
    When the towels and a few bathroom fittings have disappeared, you'll know it who it was.

  17. #117
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    BoganInParasite's Avatar
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    Our 17 cyclists (well 16 of them plus the wife) from Nan. Heading to Bo Kluea today over the Luang Prabang mountains and through the Doi Phu Kha NP...madness. They'll be back, were really quite impressed and happy.

    Starting a Business in Nan Province-img_6778-jpg

  18. #118
    RIP
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    Cool Pic BIP!

    Word will spread in Cycling circles now about your homestay being cyclist friendly.

    Looks like a great base to explore the province on bike.

  19. #119
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    Thainess...sigh!

    1. No showing, then contacting the third party booking site to request a free cancellation at 11:19pm on the day of check-in...the wife declined the request.

    2. Ordering English style breakfast for Thai children aged 9 and 7 years old despite my wife suggesting otherwise. We knew what would happen and over-catered the Asian style breakfast the parents chose and sure enough, very little of the English breakfasts were eaten. Our labs were high-fiving re the leftovers.

    3. Twice stopping at our front gate then driving away after the in-car GPS correctly navigated them to our location. The reason (and despite seeing the sign hanging on the front fence)...didn't think the property looked like a homestay. Apparently they had in mind we were supposed to look like one of those resorts with mini-cabins dotted around the place. Then to rub it in marked us down on location in a review because we were hard to find.

    BTW...three separate groups...not the one.

    I should add I've described the above way more politely then what my Thai wife has muttered about these instances this week.

  20. #120
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    ^ 1 and 2 I can't help you with.

    Number 3, you can tastefully print (and laminate) and frame your excellent Agoda/Tripadvisor score next to your signage at the entrance.

    Examples below...


    Starting a Business in Nan Province-sertifikat-agoda-jpg

  21. #121
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    Good idea!

    Starting a Business in Nan Province-5-stars-1-png

    Is there a Thai version ?

  22. #122
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    ^^ No idea how a picture of Mendip's car showed up???

  23. #123
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    ^ Showing you his new tinted windows was he?


    Quote Originally Posted by Luigi View Post
    When the towels and a few bathroom fittings have disappeared, you'll know it who it was.

    Quote Originally Posted by BoganInParasite View Post
    Lol...but to be serious for a moment
    Oh he was being serious alright, watch out for Mendip and your cutlery too.

    Nice to see you doing well.

  24. #124
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    Thanks Dill. Reckon I'll recognize Mendip easily enough should he turn up. Luigi will be a little more difficult, but not necessarily impossible, I'm sure he's posted pictures of his knees and lower legs. And of course there is his character which I'm sure he would be unable to fully suppress for a full stay.

    Rather disappointed a posse of TDers hasn't been convened to descend on our place and defend the reputation of falangs by beating the newly established beer drinking record.
    Quote Originally Posted by Dillinger View Post
    ^ Showing you his new tinted windows was he?







    Oh he was being serious alright, watch out for Mendip and your cutlery too.

    Nice to see you doing well.

  25. #125
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    ^^^ I think JPPR2 will be most upset to have his immaculate interior confused with my old, dirty, stinking of soi dog (Dill's words) with a tangle of spaghetti wires (JPPR2's words) Vigo's set-up.

    And I only collect airline cutlery, so no problem there!

    Although I have been forced to branch out into airline blankets recently...

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