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Touching Base in 2023

Well, 2022 wasn’t what we were expecting! Chris’ health caused us to close the B&B, and to concentrate on real life issues. We hosted a few known guests, and took each day as it came along.

2023 however, has been much brighter for us and while we haven’t re-opened on Booking.com and AirBnB, we have been able to welcome some guests back. It has been wonderful to see familiar faces again, coming to enjoy what we offer by the beautiful Waterloo Bay.

Lovely comments in the guestbook have shown their appreciation, and boosted our spirits. There are so many wonderful people in the world, aren’t there?

Below are three lots of guests who have spent time at The Friendly Chat, and it has been a pleasure to meet up with them again.

 

January 2023

As we said in August 2022…We are back again.

R&C, NZ

*who by the way, are arriving tomorrow from NZ for nearly a 3 week stay!

 

5th June 2023

Thank you Trish and Chris for again making our stay in your lovely B&B a very pleasant time. As always you made us very welcomed and we look forward to the next time, number “5”…

P&H, Port Macquarie NSW

 

June 2023

Absolutely perfect as per usual.. Chris your baked goodies are as amazing as always.. See you again very soon.

S, NSI Qld

 

May the rest of 2023 be a positive and peaceful one for us all.

Kind regards, Trish and Chris

 

 

Welcome to 2022!

Well, here we are into another year, and we are still left wondering what 2022 will bring!

We know how it has begun for us – extremely busy!

Who? Our guests have all been interstate, appearing after the borders were opened to Qld.

Why? We think people are more than ready to start travelling again – to reunite with family and friends, to participate in sporting events and to explore and enjoy a new destination together.

How long? Guests appear to be wanting to stay longer once they are at their destination. They have waited for some time to come, and are deciding to choose a safe destination and stay there for a longer break.

What type of stay? Guests are choosing a self-contained break, probably because they can work around their own times and costs are kept to a minimum.

Where to go? Guests appear to be seeing Brisbane more as a destination to explore now, and are using this accommodation as a base during a longer stay. They are making the most of local eateries and tourist spots and learning more about what Brisbane and the Redlands have to offer.

What we think has encouraged guests to stay with us is that they have the ability to cancel or reschedule free of charge if the need arises for the trip to be cancelled. We take the view that people are more likely to take a chance and book if there is not the fear that they will lose their money if cancellation becomes a necessity. Also the thought of being “stuck” somewhere in the case of border closure understandably suddenly adds an extra cost to a planned break.

We have heard of guests being required to pay the full amount up to a month before, and if they have needed to cancel closer to the time, they do not get their money back. We feel this is a business model we don’t aspire to – for us, we want guests to book in the knowledge that they can change plans if necessary, and with the ever-evolving Covid situation this is a constant possibility. If we need to live with the situation, then we need to adapt to the situation and make it as fair as possible for everyone.

Here’s to a brighter, more positive 2022!

Reality Check June 2021

Well you certainly can’t take your eyes off the road ahead – looking in the rear vision mirror can be helpful for some of the time, but to progress you need to go forward.

2020 taught us a lot – people miss travel, people want to feel safe when they do travel and people don’t want to incur additional expense in quarantine so they err on the side of caution. And we fully agree!

As a result we saw many bookings being cancelled or postponed with no penalty. We felt this was the only fair way to encourage future guests to book.

Now in June 2021, we are finding guests returning to The Friendly Chat B&B and SC Accommodation. We have a consistent approach for welcoming guests :

  • We have continued the flexible policy that any monies paid will be refunded in the case of a cancellation due to Covid circumstances;
  • The apartment is thoroughly cleaned, disinfected and sanitised before and after every visit;
  • We block off a day before and after a visit as a safety precaution;
  • A basket of cleaning/sanitising products is left in the apartment for your use during your stay;
  • You have your own private entrance to the apartment along a well-lit path from the carport making your visit contactless through our section of the house.

If you are considering staying at The Friendly Chat, know that we are doing our part to maintain a safe and healthy environment for you to enjoy.

Looking forward to seeing you soon, to welcome a new day across the Bay!

Trish and Chris

Do you, or don’t you?

With Covid a constant threat to any travel plans we may be trying to organise, it’s difficult to gain the confidence to say “Let’s just do it!” Because travel plans can change at a moment’s notice, flexibility certainly becomes a feature of our thinking.

We have had several bookings cancelled and have found people have been relieved when we haven’t charged a cancellation fee. The good thing is people have let us know before the due date for their arrival, so that we have known in advance. This helps us because we are then not rushing around doing last minute checks etc to make sure everything is in order, and it helps us better plan our own time.

We want potential guests to be able to book with confidence, knowing that if the Covid situation rears its head and a stay becomes unlikely, that they have not thrown money away by taking a risk to travel.

Until further notice, we are not charging a cancellation fee and want you to know that you are welcome to give us a call or email us, and chat to us about your concerns. Communication and honesty are central to our thinking.

 

So…..why don’t you!