Top Tips for a Successful Holiday Let

[Gwion]

I've been asked to write some 'Top Tips for a Successful Holiday Let'. What do you think? Any others?

• Get a great first image. First impressions count, so make sure that first shot of the outside of your house is as appealing as possible. If your cottage doesn’t take a good picture from the outside, sell it and buy another one that does.
  
  Take dogs. There is a huge demand for pet friendly cottages in the UK. The potential increase in revenue outweighs the increased risk of damage. If you’re still worried about damage, holiday letting might not be the thing for you. “Oh, but some people are allergic” Rubbish! We get thousands of enquiries every year for pet friendly cottages. We get two or three from people asking for no dog properties.
  
  Price your holiday let according to demand. Winter prices should be around half of summer prices. A lot of new cottage owners will have a relatively flat price range across the year sighting increased heating costs during the winter months etc. But a quick look at their availability calendar will show fully booked summer weeks empty winter weeks.
  
  Take short breaks during off peak periods. Demand for short breaks is increasing year on year. And you never know, those weekenders might come back for a week in the summer next year or tell their friends to do so.
  
  Create a unique selling point. It’s a crowded market out there, something a little different like a hot tub or table tennis will help tip the balance in your favour.
  
  Leave a welcome hamper. It’s another opportunity to create a great first impression. It creates a personal connection and guests are much more likely to care for the property. A guest will forgive you for that dripping tap in the bathroom if they enjoyed your homemade cake on arrival.
  
  Get WiFi. Again, the demand for a good reliable internet connection is increasing year on year. We all hope that the holiday will be about enjoying the great outdoors but having the kids entertain themselves on the iPad when it’s raining outside can help avoid that family bust up.
  
  Go for 5 star accommodation. Ensure a high standard of decor, fixtures and fittings etc and charge accordingly. There are people out there with a lot of money but they will expect the best.
  
  Avoid appealing only to niche markets like mountain bikers or rock climbers. It’s a lot easier to get a small piece of a big pie than a big piece of a small pie.

[salmoncottage]

Wouldnt it be cheaper to replace the knackered tap washer (50 pence) than to supply a hamper?

[teapot]

I remember our very first year, homemade cake. "Our daughters are coeliacs".

Then we have had nut allergies, all sad but leaving the "wrong" things seemed to start off the holiday badly so now its a bottle or two of wine and tea/coffee.

[Moliere]

Ignore the nit-pickers, Gwion, dripping taps are quite à-la-môde I believe; I think that's a pretty good guidance for any newcomer to the biz, especially the advice re heading photo and having a usp.
One factor I would add: as far as possible do try to arrange things such that there is personal space there for people, so they can take time out if they want it.

Mols

[AndrewH]

You have a the main points covered there (IMO), Gwion. There is one thing that is possibly a turn-off for many holidaymakers. It is for me anyway. And that is to see the personal possessions of the owner around the place. I mean things like a framed family photo on the wall, or a box of the owner's personal belongings under the bed or in a cupboard for the owner's use when he/she spends time at the property. Even a locked cupboard gets to me.

These are trivial matters, I know, but it comes over as being unprofessional.

[Mouse]

Is that 'successful UK holiday' lets?

Here we have a 20 week letting period, no off season. We're reliant on flights....and to be honest if they're too expensive or not at convenient times then we suffer, all of us.

It would be lovely to market to people who can get to our place when they want, undr their own steam.

Mousie
x

[Annew]

A quick question before I comment, who are the 'top tips' aimed at?

[Ecosse]

Go for 5 star accommodation. Ensure a high standard of decor, fixtures and fittings etc and charge accordingly. There are people out there with a lot of money but they will expect the best.

[/list]

I'm not sure I agree with this one, and wonder whether it would be better to say,' Go for excellent value for money' instead. Albeit in the French Alps, rather than the UK, we're surrounded by chalets that were upgraded from 'ordinary' chalets to 5 star/luxury in the hopes of making more money. However, many of them are struggling to fill their weeks - there are just too many for the market - whereas the more basic (but still nice, clean and well-managed) places are doing much better.

[Jemima Copping]

'Take dogs. There is a huge demand for pet friendly cottages in the UK. The potential increase in revenue outweighs the increased risk of damage. If you’re still worried about damage, holiday letting might not be the thing for you. “Oh, but some people are allergic” Rubbish! We get thousands of enquiries every year for pet friendly cottages. We get two or three from people asking for no dog properties.'
Totally disagree with this one. I haven't had people with dogs asking to book because I state categorically no pets allowed on my website. Can't stand most dogs myself, and can't understand the obsession people have in this country with them.
I still get plenty of bookings without allowing the pesky creatures to cross the threshold and leave their objectionable smell and taste hairs all over the place. Plus the noise they make.
What turns me off in a holiday let is food left in the cupboards by previous occupants, I hate all the half empty packets and bottles that you sometimes find. The place should look as though no-one else has been there.
Also leaving booze is a bit iffy, what if your guest is a recovering alcoholic and is tempted to try the bottle you have left on the table, thereby sparking a week long binge and meanwhile completely trashing the place? We once allowed an acquaintance who we had no idea was an alcoholic to rent our house in Spain for a week. His wife phoned us up and asked if we knew where he was as he hadn't come home. It turned out that he was lying in a pool of bodily fluids on the floor of our living room in Spain, surrounded by empty bottles of vodka, and was found by our friend who went in to clean the place. He had to be escorted home by a posse sent out to get him from Scotland. And when we went there next year we found he had tried to break one of the doors down and made a huge crack in the wall. What is more, we had to pester him to get the key back.
So I just leave the home made scones and jam, plus butter, milk and tea for people which does the trick, plus lots of flowers, from the garden if possible.

[GRL]

So I just leave the home made scones and jam, plus butter, milk and tea for people which does the trick, plus lots of flowers, from the garden if possible.

Which of course is no good for the coeliacs (as already mentioned) or the person who has been fighting their weight problem for years or the hay fever sufferer

Long and short of it, ANYTHING we put in out properties may be no good for any number of people. My back can't tolerate soft beds and thick pillows but that is not something an owner could know about nor whether I am an alcoholic/coeliac or hay fever sufferer etc.

In our gite guests are given a bottle of local cider, something home-baked and some home-made jam as well as tea/coffee etc. Most times they are gone when I come to do change-over, sometimes people ask to buy another cake and a few times they are left untouched. Once I was asked if the cake was nut free as some-one had a nut allergy. However on far more occasions I have been thanked for the gifts as guests have arrived to something that makes them feel just a teeny bit extra special. I'll take the risk that my welcome box may not be ideal for everyone .... although I do understand that others chose not to take the risk.

[Jemima Copping]

Yes, most people appreciate the welcome pack and leave nice comments about it in the visitors book. So far I have only had one couple who left the scones and butter but ate the jam. In fact, some people seem rather astonished that there is anything laid out for them. It's probably because a lot of owners of cottages here are absent that the personal touch makes a difference, and you are right, it is impossible to guess what people may or may not like.

[AndrewH]

Is that 'successful UK holiday' lets?

Here we have a 20 week letting period, no off season. We're reliant on flights....and to be honest if they're too expensive or not at convenient times then we suffer, all of us.

It would be lovely to market to people who can get to our place when they want, undr their own steam.

Mousie
x

I am thinking exactly the same, Mousie. Flight days and flight prices are our big problem. We only let by the week in high season and we must have a set change-over day to get back to back bookings. Our day is a Sunday as it fits well with UK flights.

We have recently gone onto two German sites as additions to OD, but because of our lack of forethought we now discover, too late, that planes from German and Austrian airports only land on Kefalonia on Fridays.

[kevsboredagain]

I've been asked to write some 'Top Tips for a Successful Holiday Let'. What do you think? Any others?

• Get a great first image. First impressions count, so make sure that first shot of the outside of your house is as appealing as possible. If your cottage doesn’t take a good picture from the outside, sell it and buy another one that does.

Really? Not a very practical solution! An inside shot could be just as appealing and even more relevant for many properties.

Take dogs. There is a huge demand for pet friendly cottages in the UK.

There's also an even bigger demand for properties which have not had dogs stay there at all. A market exists for both.

Price your holiday let according to demand. Winter prices should be around half of summer prices. A lot of new cottage owners will have a relatively flat price range across the year sighting increased heating costs during the winter months etc.

That depends a lot on location and type of property. In Spain we have almost zero winter market despite winter prices being 50% of summer ones. I would have to pay people to stay there.

Create a unique selling point.

Which is more than just having 1 item. A well equipt place can itself make you stand out, as most rentals are fairly basic in facilities.

Leave a welcome hamper.

Works for some. I tried it and stopped after too many guests left the contents there all week to rot.

Get WiFi.

+1

Go for 5 star accommodation. Ensure a high standard of decor, fixtures and fittings etc and charge accordingly. There are people out there with a lot of money but they will expect the best.

The market for less than 5* is probably much greater. The majority of travelers DO NOT have lots of money to spend on expensive accommodation, so why target only the top of the market?

Avoid appealing only to niche markets like mountain bikers or rock climbers. It’s a lot easier to get a small piece of a big pie than a big piece of a small pie.[/list]

Again, this works well for some people so not to be knocked. Targeting some niche markets makes you stand out a little from the crowd but you can still appeal to the majority at the same time.

[AndrewH]

Leave a welcome hamper.

Works for some. I tried it and stopped after too many guests left the contents there all week to rot.

That's interesting. Our experience is quite different. Our visitors book is full of "thank you"s for the welcome pack to the point of boredom. We don't make much of a selling point of it, or dress it up as a "hamper". We just put a few essentials in the fridge or food cupboard (new packets etc. - not left-overs). For us it seems like a natural thing to do, like leaving a made up bed.

We don't put fruit, because it's not to everybody's taste and fruit will rot if left, particularly in the heat.

[greenbarn]

How about:

Identify your market
Understand your market
Be sure you want to be in that market
Offer your market what it wants
Manage your guests' expectations, be clear about what you do and don't offer.
Never undersell your property.
Care about giving your guests a good experience whatever your level in the market. If you're not prepared to put your guests' reasonable needs above your own, don't get into the business.

Beyond that:
Aim for niche markets if you can identify them. The general market is controlled by giant American corporations where you'll sink in the vast and faceless competition.

Avoid having a hot tub. Despite the hype, it's a fad. The health risk is very significant and you will be directly responsible. They must be emptied, cleaned and refilled and correctly dosed with chemicals at every changeover, and daily checks are required. They are likely to attract the sort of guest you don't want. Understand your market.

Find the most appealing point about your property and use that as your main image. Far too many people lead with an unappealing outside shot when guests spend more time inside the property than standing looking at it.

The dog friendly market is a sizeable niche but only embrace it if your property is suitable and you understand what are dog owners' reasonable and unreasonable expectations, and if you are comfortable with the idea. Understand your market.

Don't get hung up on "Welcome hampers/packs/trays". Leave a few local products, and ensure there are supplies for making tea or coffee on arrival. Only leave wine if it's of local interest. If you leave a cheap bottle your guests will most likely be insulted, if you leave something more expensive they'll resent the fact that they've paid for it. Avoid leaving anything home made unless you have all the appropriate food hygiene certificates, and can provide the necessary information on ingredients.

And so it goes on. Some of those are diametrically opposed to your suggestions but valid, some may be a bit tongue in cheek - or not. They are aimed primarily at the UK market.

I haven't specifically mentioned wifi. It's part of understanding your market and offering it what it wants. If it's not obvious that it's an essential if remotely possible, go back to "Understand your market".
And to condense everything to one easy to remember tip:
Understand Your Market.

Final thought: what is your definition of a "Successful Holiday Let"?