In a recent blog I talked about the opportunities presented by the rise in popularity of the staycation. As a holiday let business owner you have no doubt suffered as a result of lockdowns and want to recoup some of that lost income. As a new holiday let business owner you want to maximise your income. You have probably been thinking generally about the opportunities available. In this blog I want to discuss one aspect of this, namely extending the season. Depending on your location, this may be relatively short (if you are coastal for example) or longer (if you are based in a town) So here are my tips
Research
Before making any any changes do your research. If you are an existing holiday let owner you are probably familiar with your local area but perhaps less so if you are new to the business. Consider new opportunities you can take advantage of. People are looking for short breaks so think about events that are being held locally that you could target. New events are springing up all the time such as food festivals. What about occasions such as Mother’s Day, Halloween or Bonfire night as well as obvious ones such as Christmas, New Year and Easter? If your property is rural there maybe activity centres nearby that you make a feature of your marketing. Or simply breaks for those who want to get away for a weekend.
Use Of The Space
With a holiday let it’s very easy to think that your guests are going to spend most of their time away from the property and therefore not pay much attention to how the property works if they are in it all day.
Especially if you want to extend your letting season (beginning earlier in the year and continuing later) then the weather is likely to be a more important consideration. This is also a factor if your property is located in an area which is very much a destination where people go to to enjoy the outdoors, such as the coast or walking territory.
People are using holiday lets much more for short breaks not just weekly holidays and they may not want to be out and about much, they may simply want to have a change of scene and therefore you need to consider the possibility of your guests simply wanting to have a chillout day. This does affect how your property should be presented.
Presentation
Consider the ambience, how does the property make your guests feel? Very often they may want a home from home but a home that is different to their actual home. They want somewhere that is more luxurious so you need to think about things such as the fixtures and fittings, the comfort that your guests will experience, the quality of your furnishings. Consider also the equipment and facilities that you are providing for your guests, for example, they may want to cook a nice meal rather than eat out so have you provided a good range of cookware and utensils (not forgetting the all-important corkscrew of course)?
Imagine what your guests might want to do if they are having a morning or a day relaxing. If it’s family accommodation provide them with games that they can enjoy together but make sure that these are in good condition. Are they going to read? Have a selection of books not just a range of different genres of fiction but non-fiction books that provide information about the history of the area. In the case of fiction are there books that are set in the location of the accommodation?
These days a good wi fi connection is crucial and maybe a streaming service such as Sky or Netflix.
It’s those little touches that make the difference and demonstrate to your guests that you have really thought about them and make them feel special. The key is to really consider how your property works at times other than the traditional season.
Are you a holiday home owner looking to make more of your property or a newbie who is keen to create a fantastic business? Call me on 07745 876182 or e mail me at judith@homestyle4u.com. I cover the Wirral, Cheshire, North Wales and the North West .
