The media is talking a lot about it: the crisis. Many people all over the world are fired or are afraid to lose their job in a near future. Not an easy time to go on holidays and to spend a lot of money. A collegue wrote on a discussion forum that we, as owners of guesthouses and B&Bs, should adapt us to the situation of the clients. Clients have less money to spend, how to help them... We really liked this way of thinking. How could we do?

Cancelling the price hikes

First of all, price hikes made for this year (especially for the terrace and the nepal rooms, plus the price of half board; all of them did not change since the beginning of the guesthouse) were cancelled on the 25th of March 2009 (retro active).

Reducing your costs ?

When one is lodged in a guesthouse or a B&B, one eats regularly at a restaurant. This is adding quite some extras to your bill. We do not want you to 'boycot' the restaurants (we are one ourselves). But we believe it's better to spend your money well, but maybe less often, in a good restaurant, than in cheaper restaurants where there is no quality. What's the alternative? Picknick and barbecue!
So, we are going to put a fridge somewhere where all clients can use it to keep their 'picknick' (we volonteered already to keep products in our fridges, but now it will be more accessible). NB we are not going to put a fridge in all rooms, this wouldn't be ecological at all! So, think of putting your name on your parcels!
Furthermore, we are going to try (if we have enough time) to build a barbecue with a picknick table somewhere on our land, to be used by our clients. So, you will have the possibility to 'cook' outside. Of course, we know that it would be nice to have a kitchen that can be used by clients as well. This is not possible yet (we first have to renovate the building...)., but it will come.
We will continue to show you the best adresses where one can buy local products. We are convinced that a good way to beat a crisis is to consume as locally as possible.

A short holiday ? Our offer.

A short holiday or a (long) week-end is getting to expensive for a lot of people. So we decided to extend our specific offers to everybody. So you can come and stay with us for three nights half board for 225 euros in a standard room (blue and zebra - reduction of 18-42 euros) and 275 euro in an ecological room (terrace and nepal - reduction of 48 euro) (price for two persons sharing one room). This offer is to be used in May, June, September or October. Please mention this offer when you book.

And the guesthouse ?
It's still too early for us to say whether the guesthouse is affected by the crisis. The reservations are ok, maybe a bit less for the spring period. In any way, bookings are being done more and more late during the last years.
We have prepared ourselves: we continue with our practice to work as local as possible, to do as much as possible by ourselves, to limit the wasting of money, water, electricity. First the reason for this was purely ecological. But now, we think that by doing this way, by reducing our expenses, we can survive several years of crisis without too much pain. And by doing as much locally as possible, we help (a bit) the local economy to survive as well.
Anyway, be assured, the crisis does not give us in any case a reason to reduce our services or our quality!