You have decided to rent out your property as a short term let holiday home. Firstly, congratulations are in order. Short term holiday lets are proven to bring you up to three times more income than a long term let! Secondly, before you pop open the bubbly, you now need to market your property and get holidaymakers booking their stay. And if you make your property appealing enough, you should expect to enjoy repeat visits and referrals.
Here are our top 5 tips to optimise your property to make it attractive to potential holiday renters:
This might sound basic, but any self-catering veteran will tell you that when they arrive at their holiday home, often late after a day of travelling, the last thing they want to do is head straight out to find a local shop. Make your guests’ lives easier and keep a stock of the essentials: toilet roll, soap, washing up liquid, tea bags and coffee. If you are feeling particularly amiable, a welcome basket with fresh bread, fruit, milk, cheese, beer and wine will, no doubt, also be very gratefully accepted by your weary travellers. First impressions count, and this is the kind of thing guests will leave in reviews, helping you to stand out from your competitors.
We all want to feel at home when we self-cater in a private property. This is often one of the main reasons why guests book this type of accommodation. A home from home. But, everyone’s idea of “home” varies. To achieve this phenomenon, you need to make your property homely, but in a neutral way. Neutral decor and furnishings, and home comforts such as DVDs, books and games are ideal. A small stock of shampoo and shower gel, and spare chargers, a hair dryer and extra towels are all extras that are not essential but will keep your guests in luxurious comfort, so well worth your effort.
A self-catering holiday usually means your guests want a mixture of home cooking and eating out when it is convenient. For this to be a success, it is crucial that your kitchen is fully equipped. Even if your kitchen occupies a small space, you need to supply all essential paraphernalia. From pots and pans, to cling film and kitchen foil, make sure your guests have access to everything they might need to cook up an amazing meal using local produce and ingredients, in your kitchen. A microwave, kettle and toaster should be available, and if you want to go the extra mile, perhaps a coffee machine with a selection of specialist coffees on offer.
Think about what your guests might want to do while they stay at your property. Are you by the sea? Consider making surf boards, buckets and spades available to your guests. Are you in a rural location? Perhaps local guides, maps and a stock of wellies could be supplied for use. Are you in the city centre? Local transport maps and timetables would be helpful to your visitors, as would leaflets or better still discount vouchers for museums, art galleries, restaurants. Small touches that show you care about your guests’ overall experience while they stay at your property.
If the property you are letting as a holiday home is not your main residence, you may be relying on others to inform you of maintenance issues. If this is your main residence and you are letting it out while you are away, you might know about those light bulbs that need replacing, the batteries in the remote control that no longer work. Make sure you address all these issues. Whilst you might sort out a broken boiler as a matter of urgency, it can be those little things that niggle your guests and leave the wrong impression.
At Fresh Air, we offer a range of property management services to make your life easier. From listing your property, through to laundry services, and everything between. Get in touch to see what we can do for you.
Back to news