Lay My Hat Forum

DaveN · Joined: 30 Sep 2010 Posts: 282 Location: Norfolk

Hi Folks,
A bit of a booking dilema for me - could I get your thought please?

This is our first year running a holiday let, and through the summer season (well Easter to end September) we decided to make Saturday our changeover day, then switch to Fri & Mon for the low season to allow flexibility for short breaks.

We have already moved the start of our Friday changeovers out to the end of October, as we had two booking requests for Saturdays in October, so it made sense to be flexible.

I've now had a request for a Saturday week in February - the week after half term. My thoughts are to accept, on the basis that it better to have a week booked, and potentially lose a short break, than to turn it down and have the week empty. I'd have thought the preceding half-term week would be an easier let from a Saturday too, so could hopefully run at least 2 weeks for Saturdays.

Or am I just being too negative about the prospect of filling Feb?

Cheers
Dave
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Nemo · Joined: 14 Aug 2008 Posts: 3152 Location: Norfolk

No I think you could be reasonably hopeful for bookings. I filled all bar 4 days in Feb this year.

Two approaches:

I stay in my property myself during half terms and therefore always create an odd changeover day - quite often Wednesday. I then create a booking around this that fills the time to my standard changeover day (Mon or Fri at that time of year) and sell it as a special deal. It's worked for me so far.

The guest probably hasn't worked out that Saturday isn't your changeover day at that time of year. It's often in the small print that people don't read! Go back and explain that your normal day is a Friday and would it be possible to work with that? Word it so that they understand you can be flexible if need be.

A Feb booking now - that's what I call planning ahead! You wouldn't believe how many short breaks I sell with less than a month to go in the "off season". Nail biting stuff and a lot more work, but can be done!
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DaveN · Joined: 30 Sep 2010 Posts: 282 Location: Norfolk

Hi Nemo,
I'm impressed with only 4 days empty in Feb! We only started advertising in Feb last year, so don't really have a feel for demand yet.

I have said I'll offer Saturdays for the week on the basis that half-term will also be easier to let Sat to Sat, and will then offer the odd days as specials as you suggest.

Cheers
Dave
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annafern · Posted: Thu Jul 21, 2011 9:43 am Post subject:

The subject of start days is an interesting one.

My Cottages at Seaside resorts have always historically been Saturday start dates with some flexibility in the winter months.

The Cotswolds has always been very flexible booking periods and because of this in the past we have increased our weekly turnover by booking in Friday-Monday and Monday-Friday, although that has been less popular in the last year.

A new small Cottage which sleeps 2+ 2 in the Seaside resort i decided to be totally flexible - bookings can be taken any day and a minimum of 3 nights.

Its proved highly successful and although i have no intention of changing the Saturday change overs for the large houses, its been an interesting learning curb.

Spoke to an owner the other day who did Monday - Monday bookings. Interesting and apparently National Trust do that.

Anna
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charles cawley · Posted: Thu Jul 21, 2011 11:58 am Post subject:

Changeover days partly depend on how far away your market is as well as the nature of your area and the niche markets you cater for.

In the Welsh border counties we find Fridays and Mondays the best for changeover. This permits full use of the popular weekend short break, the popular Monday - Friday midweek break as well as seven night stays.

If you choose other changeover days, you lose bookings for short breaks which are usually priced significantly higher per day than for a seven day break. This can have a particularly strong impact in the shoulder months.

In our area we always advise Fridays and Mondays. For new lets we suggest any days until demand picks up.

Around 50% of all bookings we take for several cottage owners are short breaks; the short break market can be very significant and the loss in annual income can be substantial if you misjudge the best changeover days for the niche markets you serve and your area.
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Starstruck3000 · Joined: 19 Jul 2011 Posts: 19 Location: Pembrokeshire

Changoever days are a funny concept in my opinion. In letting my property I don't really have a changeover day - I'm more like I'll take what I can get whenever the holidaymaker wants to come! Obviously I don't want to trash the prospect of getting a full week in August with short breaks leaving 'gaps' in my August calendar. So I just eiether try to upsell to prevent broken weeks or charge short break prices that help me to maximise my rent per day that Charles alludes to.

Do people not think that holiday rentals should be following the examples of hotels / b&bs and just accepting bookings for whenever the holidaymaker wants? What's acting to prevent this other than "that's the way it's always been"?

Perhaps I'm just too keen and love to make life difficult for myself in my first year of letting but so far I think that's my only option!

Nemo · Joined: 14 Aug 2008 Posts: 3152 Location: Norfolk

charles cawley · Posted: Wed Jul 27, 2011 11:43 am Post subject:

It is a difficult thing to judge. Factors include:

The level of demand for your let; if you are busy, set changeover days may be a good plan. If priced at 80% of the weekly rate, and this is a common formula, they can end up being quite profitable.

How long you have been letting the cottage; starting out, it is usually a good plan to 'feel the market' and learn as you go along making set changeover days less attractive.

Your labour supply; if you're doing the hard work and are available on random days this is more practical than calling in paid people 'as and when'

The time of year; busy periods may be made more practical and easier to manage with set changeover days where late shoulder season and very short notice booking periods could well benefit from taking whatever is requested.

The demand pattern in your area; lets close to large cities may have a different short break letting pattern than those far from centres of population. The former could be a let in the Cleobury Mortimer area, (close to Birmingham, UK) and the latter could be in St David's in far West Wales.

These and other factors come into the equation making the decision difficult. Of course we all want to give the guests what they want, but the main aim is to maximise income and minimise costs and to avoid getting frazzled in the process
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HoneypotCottages · Posted: Fri Jan 20, 2012 12:53 am Post subject: Re: Flexible in February?

charles cawley · Posted: Fri Jan 20, 2012 9:09 am Post subject:

I don't know if this will help but it appears monthly demand is shifting this year.

June looks to be busy where it was increasingly flat over the last few years. April is flat ditto. But August is booking early. September is showing signs of life already, March looks okay, January is good but February looks to be flatter than usual.

It is shaping into an odd year. Overall demand is holding well with a slight increase on expected but the patterns are all over the place.
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DaveN · Joined: 30 Sep 2010 Posts: 282 Location: Norfolk

charles cawley · Posted: Fri Jan 20, 2012 3:35 pm Post subject:

There has also been a distinct trend towards high quality family bookings.

The market has shifted here. Until recently, the need for ensuites in family style lets was not that great. One of our homeowners has transformed their bookings by making a large family let all ensuite with four bedrooms sleep 8.

This was a lesson to me as I, still, half believed that this sort of expenditure might not bring in much of a return. In their case, I think it will increase annual revenue by at least a third.

The budgets available to some families who may have otherwise gone abroad appear to be being spent, albeit reduced in size, on UK self catering. Even so, the money available appears to be more than the average spend by families in previous years so boosting one niche of the market in our area of the UK.

Advance bookings for occupy two are as usual, where the family bookings are up.

Times are changing.
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Nemo · Joined: 14 Aug 2008 Posts: 3152 Location: Norfolk

My original property is looking healthy, with 18 days booked, plus a few extra taken out of the system for maintenance in February. Second one has a three breaks booked, but is generally quieter across the year as it needs more marketing in its own right.

March & May have nothing at present, but Easter, June, July & Aug are starting to fill up. Generally up on bookings compared to this time last year, so looking ok at present.
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DaveN · Joined: 30 Sep 2010 Posts: 282 Location: Norfolk

To complete the thread...
We ended up, surprisingly for me, letting 23 nights in Feb!

The orignal question was whether I should vary my changeover day (normally Fri or Mon inlow season) based on an early booking request, and this year I think the answer was fairly inconclusive...

I was happy to take weeks either side of half-term as Sat to Sat on the basis that half-term is a premium week, and would be easier to let with Saturday changeovers. Both weeks before & after were booked.
So having planned around half-term being in demand, I was surprised was that half-term didn't book - I ended up taking a M-F break at short notice. I only asked for an 11% premium for half term...

Other than that, they have all been week-long bookings for Feb, apart from an odd six-day-special next week to get me back onto Friday changeovers until Easter.

Next year - I guess I'd do the same again around half-term, but will try to keep to Fri/Mon changeovers otherwise.

Is the Feb half term normally a hard one to let, or was I unlucky?
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Nemo · Joined: 14 Aug 2008 Posts: 3152 Location: Norfolk

Unlucky or maybe price sensitive I suppose? I could have booked half term several times over, but ended with a full week from Friday plus a long weekend tagged on in one; the other I stayed in and took a 4 night booking to fill the remaining time. I took 24 nights in total for my original property, although my second one is lagging, but it generally needs more marketing. They were all short breaks across both properties apart from the one half term week.

March now looks deadly..... Sad

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