TripAdvisor Certificate of Excellence

It’s not often I openly refer to my business on this blog but occasionally something warrants a bit of publicity and this is one of those times.  In case you haven’t noticed (where are you looking??) I run a little holiday rental, vacation apartment, gîte, call it what you will – call it (not me, more on that below) Lou Messugo.  So a couple of months ago I got notified that it had been awarded a TripAdvisor Certificate of Excellence for 2014.  Yes, a couple of months ago!  But the actual physical certificate has only just arrived in the mail.  No rush then!

This is the first year holiday rentals have been eligible for this award and I am delighted to be part of the first-ever recipients.  It’s based on consistently high ratings from reviewers and I’m honoured to have received almost 50 five star reviews from past guests.  It’s thanks to them that I can now proudly display this award.

The only question is, where?  It’s quite big (A4 to be exact) and it doesn’t really go with the decor of the gîte.  It’s the sort of thing I’d normally put in the “downstairs” loo, but the gîte doesn’t have a separate loo. Should it go in the bathroom all the same?  What do you think?  Ideas on a postcard please, or alternatively leave a comment!

And by the way, for those of you who still address me as “Lou”, my name is Phoebe, the house is Lou Messugo but you’re still very welcome to book a holiday here!  We offer couples or small families a perfect location from which to explore the Côte d’Azur at any time of year.  But don’t just take my word for it, check out all those great reviews on TripAdvisor and get in touch (remember to come back to our website to book, DON’T book through TripAdvisor as you’ll be hit with hefty commission charges, just use it to read reviews and check the calendar).

Just a little word to say that good TripAdvisor reviews really help us (and other small independent businesses) to get seen by Google and therefore more potential guests/clients so please consider sharing your experiences with the wider world after your holiday/meal etc.  We really appreciate it, thank you!

***UPDATE JANUARY 2016*** We didn’t get another certificate in 2015, not because we didn’t deserve it, but because TripAdvisor, in all its wisdom, decided to change the way it functions yet again and after only one year of holiday rentals being eligible, they scrapped the system!  I have no idea why they changed their minds but the upshot is that NO gîtes/vacation rentals/holiday apartments got a certificate in 2015.  I wonder what will happen in 2016?

***UPDATE AGAIN**** And then they reintroduced certificates but to be eligible now it is only from 5 star reviews booked through TripAdvisor, and seeing as we never get bookings through this channel (though we continue to get 5 star reviews) we are unlikely to ever receive a certificate of excellence again! The vast majority of our guests BOOK DIRECT, thereby avoiding the hefty fees OTAs (online travel agents) like TripAdvisor add to our prices.

Your thoughts and comments are always welcome.