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Need help from the mind hive! Please keep in mind we are Glamping<><> and most guests, at least 85% are into each-other, not tv.
Tiny Tik Retro Hideaway
We do not have a land telephone line ie no cable. We offer a Mifi connection but it runs out quickly if you stream on Netflix, which we offer with local channels; it is 25.00% (+10.00$ for netflix) per month for 15g on the 24" smart Tv. We can boost if needed, 5g per boost @ 35.00$usd. Seems steep, but may not often be needed.
We could get an unlimited wireless connection for streaming, @ 89.00$ per month. We are considering raising our prices anyway:)
Do we really need to have a TV with Netflix at all???
Who is your provider in your regular home?
Edit that: Who is your TV service through is what I mean. Do you have Satellite TV?
Why donât you set them up with a RV package? Thatâs essentially what we have. DirecTV at home and another receiver that we can carry around with us anywhere but it stays put in the VR. Itâs a package made for people who have a main home and RV around, or main home plus a cabin. So you donât have to have 2 accounts.
Our cell lines provider is Verizon. But the other service ( which would involve dish installation) we might get for the trailer only is Creative, I think. We do not need streaming as we do not watch much and only local channels, Great Reception Btw
Our listing has no cell service outside of one carrier, and no internet. But we provide 200 satellite stations on that cabin plan we have. The only deal with it is we canât have more than one service address. So we make it the VR address and get all the Texas channels here in AZ where Iâm exiled; and my program guide is in Central Time. It makes me feel closer to home when I see commercials for businesses in my small TX town.
Why bother? Why not make your No TV/No Internet Getaway a Feature of your listing. For our first 1-1/2 years of hosting on the Gulf Coast of Florida, we had no television and people still lined up to come stay at the Poolside Cabana.
I have to agree with Ken or go full-on and provide reliable WiFi via a cable provider. (You donât need to have the VoIP phone service or TV. Just sign up for the internet.) There is no in-between.
Although we have apartments, not glamping, I imagine we have the same sort of guests, vacationers who are there to relax, enjoy each other and their surroundings. We also have mainly young couples who donât seem to be that much into tv and if they want to watch something do it on their tablet/phone/laptop. We have tv in our part of the house but tend to watch it only in Winter. We do have good Wifi though.
Only one guest has ever asked about tv and that was a German football fan when there was a big match ⌠I directed him to the local Irish Bar where it was much more fun for him to watch it!
I agree totally with @Malagachica. These days people have better things to do than watch TV. If they havenât then they need to go to some resort with round the clock entertainment.
In our two apartments we have basic cable . When I do a turnover, I set the TV to play music thatâs on when the guests arrive. Firstly, it sort of sets an atmosphere and b) it âprovesâ to the arriving guests that the TV works (so no nonsense later about the TV not working or any of that malarkey).
However, when I go into the apartment just after the guests have left, in about 75% of cases, the TV is still set to the same channel. It simply hasnât been used.
In fact, although I point out the TV remote when Iâm doing the house tour, I start by saying ânow I know that you havenât come all the way to Florida to watch TV but the remote is hereâŚâ
And itâs true. If theyâre on a break and a trip away from home and they want to watch TVâŚ
I do the music too. Pandora on the (basic) SmartTV. If theyâve mentioned they are going to a concert, I make them a Pandora station from the artist they are going to see. In the winter, I often leave on a âcrackling fireplaceâ and some people leave it on the whole time (you can tell from the glow from the windows). Itâs fun and youâre right, the TV definitely works!
Most of my guests donât use the TV either. When I greet them and show them around, I try to show them how the TV works and, about 3/4 of the time, they say, âoh we wonât use it anywaysâ.
I do live where there is a part of the year that the weather is harsh (e.g. seasons for those of you in Florida ,) but I have a lot of books and some board and card games and they seem to use those when they stay in.
The great room has a 55" smart TV with a FireStick and basic cable channels. Very few people have watched TV and only 1 person in 3 years has asked about a TV in the bedroom (hubby âneededâ it to sleep) and they booked elsewhere. Iâm on the fence about putting one in the guest room and probably wonât.
TVs are cheap and it might pay to have one. I donât need it and donât like it on, especially when trying to sleep but Iâve travelled with people for whom itâs a seeming must have.
It sounds like you are renting a room in your house. I think for the people who do want TV, they would probably want one in their room. The dynamic is kind of changed if that is their only private space - not everyone wants to use a shared space I think. I donât know but I think in that situation, if thereâs room in the guest room, a TV would be a value-add. It sounds like itâs not coming up for you so maybe it doesnât matter. But are people eliminating your listing during their search because of it? Maybe that doesnât matter either, if youâre booked as much as youâd like to be. If you have room, it could be a basic smart TV so they had access to Netflix, etc (the newer ones donât even require the firestick and stuff). We also do a Sling TV package but it wouldnât be necessary either.
Thank you for all of your replies.
We had gotten a message from Verizon that the high speed data had been used up, but the guest did not notice a slow down because Verizon might not slow us down even if its âall used upâ if we are not in a high use area or time. ConfusingâŚ
It looks like we might take the advice and change the wording, drop Netflix, and drop the dedicated cell line. âUnpluggedâ So guests would just have tv with local channels, and all we need is an antenna.
I still feel like the guests we have coming that are paid should get what was promised, and that might entail one or more 35.00$ boosts.
Youâre correct, I am renting a private room and bath in my home. Iâve been thinking of getting a 43" Smart TV (there are several good ones for under $200) and mounting it on the wall, downloading the relevant apps, and letting people log in to their own Neflix, Amazon, etc. accounts.
I have to agree with what others have said here. A getaway is a getaway. But letâs get real for a moment, this is about guest comfort, and it seems like guests are using the service to the point where you need to upgrade it. Itâs not our job as hosts to police the guests. If they want to waste their camping vacation, thatâs up to them. Iâd leave the service as is and just list it as a limitation of being outdoors.
Iâve found that the older guests Iâve had (60+ - my generation and older are a PITA) expect a TV or ask about it. The 26 -32 year olds have their laptops or tablets or have played with the board games. Dear listing gods - send me more of the 26 -32 year olds. Theyâve been so easy!!
The guests who have used this amenity (smart tv) here @ Tiny Tiki is 3 out of 50 couples. One of them brought a âRoku stickâ so they could have full service. One person used the Mifi for her laptop.
Someone also mentioned that I may be losing bookings from the folks browsing because I donât offer the option of a TV. So once I pay off the AC motor and module replacement that I just got hit with, Iâll add a TV. Probably under 40". TCL has some good ones. Not feeling the need to put 4K in there.
