Changeover day: what a proper turnaround between guests involves

Between one guest leaving and the next arriving there is often a four-hour window. Inside that window sits the entire impression your next guest will take away, and there is very little room for a job to be discovered halfway through.

The sequence

• Guest out — keys returned and the property checked while the car is still in the drive.
• Strip and reset linen and towels, counted in and counted out.
• Clean, with bathrooms and kitchen done last so nothing is walked back through.
• Inspection: damage, missing items, anything the previous guests moved or broke.
• Restock consumables and welcome items.
• Set the property for arrival — air conditioning, shutters, pool lights, terrace.
• Guest in, with a handover that answers questions before they're asked.

The step owners skip

It's the check at the very start, while the previous guests are still loading the car. Damage found then is a conversation; damage found after the next guests arrive is a dispute, and often a review.

Why same-day matters

A cleaner who arrives "sometime on Saturday" and a pool service booked "for the Saturday morning" are two jobs sharing one small window, a washing machine, a hot water tank and a road. Sequencing them is most of the work.

Reviews aren't written during the stay. They're written in the ten minutes after the guest opens the front door.