When do you start to get bookings for next year

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Karen&John
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When do you start to get bookings for next year

Post by Karen&John »

We started our let this year (in July), so are very much learning about how and when our guests book.
We are marketed through an agent, Norfolk Cottages and have had a reasonable number of bookings considering our late start this year, (9 weeks total to the end of oct.).

When (on average) do you start to get bookings for next year?
zebedee
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Post by zebedee »

That may depend upon your local area. What is happening with your local neighbour holiday let’s? Do they show bookings for next year?
KathyG
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Post by KathyG »

It'll also depend very much on how many you sleep. We sleep 12 so bookings started last May - I have 14 weeks for next year so far. But I think most bookings for those that sleep 4-6 happen in January. Best of luck for 2019 :D
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Giraffe
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Post by Giraffe »

My first booking for summer 2019 was in May this year. To date I have 6 bookings for next summer. I know a number of owners have much higher numbers than these.
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AndrewH
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Post by AndrewH »

We tend to receive a lot of returning guests, perhaps as much as 50%. They have their favourite time of year and so get in early, sometimes a year in advance. Honeymooner, with weddings to plan, are even earlier than that, but otherwise we just keep our fingers crossed. We don't get many "last minute" bookings.

I imagine that a guest who takes a holiday in his/her home country can be more relaxed about booking somewhere to stay and might leave it till late, whereas a guest wanting to take a holiday abroad has flights to book, passports to think about, a car to hire, etc. and starts planning earlier.
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greenbarn
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Post by greenbarn »

Everything in this business is influenced by location, type of accommodation and particularly your target market. Advertising by the major players also has a significant effect in convincing guests that the norm is to book their summer holiday TODAY! It’s good for the agencies, and they’ll happily start discounting early in the year to get rid of their remaining weeks - it suits their agenda.

Bucket and spade family holiday locations have a trend of booking early for summer; we're towards the other end of the spectrum and for us the concept of lots of summer bookings in January is a myth. I expect still to be taking some bookings for August in mid July.

All I can suggest is to get a really good feel for your market and typical guest, have a wild guess based on that as to how many early bookings you’re likely to get, and then see how reality pans out without getting hung up on it. It will take a while to establish your own pattern, and the effect of returning guests.
Jenster
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Post by Jenster »

Agree with Greenbarn...we are a ‘bucket and spade’ apartment with sea views and we book over a year in advance for the summer months - we are already fully booked for mid-May to September 2019.

However, I’m aware of other properties which rarely book more than a few months or less in advance.

It’s all about supply and demand, which will vary with type of holiday and particular area. Lots of people want a summer beach holiday so people feel that they have to book well in advance, especially for a family or larger group. However, a couple who are not too fussy, looking in an area with lots on offer, might think that they can leave it later.
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petemcveigh
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Post by petemcveigh »

As has been intimated, I think the booking-staying interval will vary greatly depending on location, type of resort and type of accommodation.
For Florida we would tend to see bookings from UK/ European guests a year or two in advance, with 10 months to a year/ 18 months in advance being most typical.
Because it can be a big expense holiday to 'do' the whole theme parks experience we will often see it as a 'project' that is planned a couple of years in advance by families. At the minute I have a couple of bookings for 2020, my most-in-advance record is three years for a guy planning a big family holiday upon his retirement.
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Giuliano
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Post by Giuliano »

I have a lot of very early bookings, especially with the Germans. I'd say they start to plan for their summer holidays the year before in April-May. To date, I am completey booked for June and July, one week left in May, three weeks left in August.
Last edited by Giuliano on Wed Oct 17, 2018 6:26 am, edited 1 time in total.
ianh100
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Post by ianh100 »

I think our market (rural Dorset) is more like Greenbarn. We have bookings for next Easter but that's it for next year. We got quite a few for this summer starting around December (Bookings taken).

We are finding that bookings come later, particularly true with AirBnB and the like. in late August we had almost no bookings in September and Oct yet as August closed we sold almost all of the dates in these months. We just got our final booking for half term this evening. You just can't predict it one year to the next.

What I would do is use the search functions on the listing sites to give you a feel for rates and bookings looking forward in your region. That should give you a feel for your local market.
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Blanche
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Post by Blanche »

Returning guests often book shortly after their yearly visit but new visitors tend to book in January and February. I think once Christmas is over thoughts turn to summer holidays.
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rosebud
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Post by rosebud »

3 bookings for next year so far.. 2 are repeat bookings. 8 weeks in total.
One is from Australia..overseas bookings tend to come in early.
Last edited by rosebud on Thu Nov 01, 2018 9:04 am, edited 1 time in total.
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AngloDutch
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Post by AngloDutch »

10 bookings already for 2019, including 3 weeks in July and the whole of August. Our first booking for 2019 came in on 12th June. We are a fairly large accommodation, sleeping up to 12.

Our booking pattern for 2019 is though different to 2018, as we had quite a few weeks in July this year that we had to push via last minute discounts.
sparkJS
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Post by sparkJS »

Although I'm relatively new to this. The booking patterns and hits to the website are being quite consistent.

Each January we get the biggest spike in views and bookings - but my agency does promote a January sale. These bookings tend to be for the summer months (May - Aug)

March is also very busy - tend to get last minute March/April bookings.

The beginning of July is also very busy and fills up the last remaining spots in the summer.
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aasta
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Post by aasta »

Our returning guests usually booked the day they leave...so currently we already have several bookings for 2019 ....most of our bookings come in January....but every year the number of last minute booking attempts seems to increase
aasta
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