Lay My Hat

Hi all,

By when would you start to get worried that your prices or something else is wrong if your summer holiday weeks aren't all booked up yet?

Depends on your market.

In our rural area and not attracting the bucket and spade and young family markets, the fairly consistent pattern over ten years has been to have some peak summer weeks across our three cottages still available 3 or 4 weeks beforehand. I’m used to it, they'll sell at full price although it’s still difficult not to fret about it!

greenbarn wrote:Depends on your market.

In our rural area and not attracting the bucket and spade and young family markets, the fairly consistent pattern over ten years has been to have some peak summer weeks across our three cottages still available 3 or 4 weeks beforehand. I’m used to it, they'll sell at full price although it’s still difficult not to fret about it!

Same here.

I really enjoyed telling a bargain hunter last year that the week he wanted had gone. He contacted me and asked for my "best price" for the last week in August ( this was end of July). I quoted full price and he tried to deal. I wasn't having any of it and as it happened the week sold at full price the day before he agreed my original price!

In general this year is a lot slower for many regardless of area, but Norfolk specifically is really taking a hit. I don't need to tell you the bad press it's had over the last few months; Storm Eleanor bringing in toxic starfish and dumping on many of the beaches, then we had palm oil plus general coastal erosion at Happisburgh taking away the beach access until this week and also Hemsby. Social media carried a great deal of misinformation as usual. Add in a lot more properties new on the market, new owners doing Airbnb and you can see why many of us are having to work harder and hold our nerves. I still have summer gaps but believe they'll fill eventually.

If we had not offered short breaks and flexible start days except July and August we would be in trouble.

Yes same here, respond to the market. Flexible start and finish, short breaks, keep ahead of competition. Bookings get later every year.

Late July and last 2 weeks of Aug have been slower to book this year..
I reduced my peak short break rates a few weeks ago and had 3 shorter break bookings in the last few days.
Always hard to know what to do.. probably should have held on a bit longer..