I've recently discovered these forums and am finding them very useful and completely fascinating!
I've a holiday apartment in Lanzarote which I've been renting out for the last six years. I used to advertise (mainly) in Daltons Weekly and would pick up around 35 weeks a year from there. The other 5 or so weeks I'd get from local papers.
Daltons started to tail off a couple of years ago, going from a phone call a day to one a fortnight, so I went onto website advertising instead. Owners Direct brought me about 20 weeks last year, with another seven or eight from returners and local advertising.
So, I'm booking less than I used to. Have any other Hatters any experience in the Canaries. How is for you?
My guess is that my bookings are down because more holiday home owners are renting out and there's more competition now and-certainly in Lanzarote-the dread "all inclusive" package has taken hold. Any thoughts?
Canary Islands bookings
Dr Robert -- welcome!
I don't really have anything constructive to add about Lanzarote, having never been there, but ... just wanted to say welcome.
Are you saying that even previously self-catering places have become all-inclusive?
I'd think all-inclusive would be a completely different price range and attract a completely different set of holiday-goers. But I've never thought about it in depth.
I don't really have anything constructive to add about Lanzarote, having never been there, but ... just wanted to say welcome.
Are you saying that even previously self-catering places have become all-inclusive?
I'd think all-inclusive would be a completely different price range and attract a completely different set of holiday-goers. But I've never thought about it in depth.
Brooke
Hi Dr Bob. I just wanted to say "welcome". Your figures sound good for previous years and maybe what you are experiencing now is what a lot of us get ! I don't know the Canary Island market though, I'm just commenting generally. There is a lot of competition out there and we all need to stay on our toes ( which can get a bit painful !! 
). Hope to read more from you as time goes by. 
). Hope to read more from you as time goes by. 
Hi Dr Robert
we have a place in Fuerteventura but I am new to renting, this is only my second year so you know more about it than I do, but welcome.
We are trying lots of different advertising sites, newspapers etc. to see what is going to work best for us. So far the websites are proving the best. Hope to hear from you again.
Anne
www.fuertevillas.com
we have a place in Fuerteventura but I am new to renting, this is only my second year so you know more about it than I do, but welcome.
We are trying lots of different advertising sites, newspapers etc. to see what is going to work best for us. So far the websites are proving the best. Hope to hear from you again.
Anne
www.fuertevillas.com
Canary Islands Bookings
Firstly, thanks to everybody for the welcome!
Yes, all-inclusive is very popular in Lanzarote. And, if my experience is anything to go by, it has harmed self-catering.
Not only that but it's also harmed a lot of the bars and restaurants. People on a-i often don't bother leaving the hotel or complex!
As far as I'm aware, the prices for a-i packages are very competitive, especially off peak.
Which are the best websites for the Canaries? Owners Direct was OK for me last year but seems to have died down a bit. I went on Holiday Lettings for three months last year and it brought me about a dozen enquiries but no bookings. I'm back with them now for another 3 months, so I'll see what that brings. How does Holiday-Rentals do for the Canaries? Are there any other Lanzarote owners out there?
Yes, all-inclusive is very popular in Lanzarote. And, if my experience is anything to go by, it has harmed self-catering.
Not only that but it's also harmed a lot of the bars and restaurants. People on a-i often don't bother leaving the hotel or complex!
As far as I'm aware, the prices for a-i packages are very competitive, especially off peak.
Which are the best websites for the Canaries? Owners Direct was OK for me last year but seems to have died down a bit. I went on Holiday Lettings for three months last year and it brought me about a dozen enquiries but no bookings. I'm back with them now for another 3 months, so I'll see what that brings. How does Holiday-Rentals do for the Canaries? Are there any other Lanzarote owners out there?
Hi DrRobert,
I do have a place in Lanzarote and advertise on holidaylettings as this was the site most people advised me on. In the 6 weeks so far I have had 6 enquiries with one confirmed booking. 1 of these enquirys was for 2009 though..
I have also been told of holidayrentals and ownersdirect but I choose holidaylettings for 1 year and take it from there.
Many people I talk to in the enquiries tell me that flights to Lanzarote are now expensive so a package holiday works out cheaper. From Ireland, aerlingus do operate flight only but that is only from Nov to Mar
Probably not much help to you.
All the best,
Donieh
I do have a place in Lanzarote and advertise on holidaylettings as this was the site most people advised me on. In the 6 weeks so far I have had 6 enquiries with one confirmed booking. 1 of these enquirys was for 2009 though..
I have also been told of holidayrentals and ownersdirect but I choose holidaylettings for 1 year and take it from there.
Many people I talk to in the enquiries tell me that flights to Lanzarote are now expensive so a package holiday works out cheaper. From Ireland, aerlingus do operate flight only but that is only from Nov to Mar
Probably not much help to you.
All the best,
Donieh
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Re: Canary Islands bookings
That's a pretty good recommendation I'd have thought Donieh. Why not try them too?DrRobert wrote:Owners Direct brought me about 20 weeks last year
I guess it depends on how seriously you want or need to rent your property though.
Nostalgia isn't what it used to be
I rent out in Fuerteventura and have been very pleased with results and have had a lot of repeat bookings. I think you have to be prepared to advertise in more than one place to get the bookings though and I have taken load of free trials and only book after that if I actually get a booking in the free trial period. Best for me is Owners Direct. I managed to get a free double page spread in the Sunday Mail and actually had 182 visits to my website the day of the feature. This definately brought me more bookings than anything else I have done.
Good Luck with your property
Anne
www.fuertevillas.com
Good Luck with your property
Anne
www.fuertevillas.com
A agree...I advertise on loads of sites[most of them paying]I think you have to be prepared to advertise in more than one place to get the bookings though
Very Impressive how did you manage thatI managed to get a free double page spread in the Sunday Mail
....Ive never thought much of newspaper or Magazine advertising[value for money wise....but free
now your talking Well Done 
......]Hi Ros
the feature they do in the magazine every Sunday is called Place in The Sun and they give a phone number that you can call if you want to be featured. I think we were lucky that Fuerteventura had not been featured and was somewhere a bit different. I booked 7 weeks in the week after the feature which was great so it was definately worth it.
Anne
www.fuertevillas.com
the feature they do in the magazine every Sunday is called Place in The Sun and they give a phone number that you can call if you want to be featured. I think we were lucky that Fuerteventura had not been featured and was somewhere a bit different. I booked 7 weeks in the week after the feature which was great so it was definately worth it.
Anne
www.fuertevillas.com
Canary Islands bookings
Just to add, the current trend (at least via Holiday Lettings) is for potential bookers to send me an email asking about one or two week bookings from Saturday or Sunday. This is despite my entry very clearly saying that bookings run from Thursday to Thursday (main Lanzarote changeover day). This is followed by a "although this could be varied for long lets" qualifier. Are people stupid? Could one week possibly qualify for a long let?
Virtually all of these enquries are for July/August. Any non-Thursday booking, of course, cuts into both the previous and following week. I only do if the period covered was very soon (ie this or next week) as I'm unlikely to get a standard booking with only a few days to go. I'm certainly not go to accept a non-Thursday booking for peak period, three months in advance!
Virtually all of these enquries are for July/August. Any non-Thursday booking, of course, cuts into both the previous and following week. I only do if the period covered was very soon (ie this or next week) as I'm unlikely to get a standard booking with only a few days to go. I'm certainly not go to accept a non-Thursday booking for peak period, three months in advance!