How to maximise your holiday cottage revenue
Our tips to make sure you're getting the ROI you want
With more and more properties available to let every year and letting standards taking a similar trajectory; the battle for maximising revenue is certainly heating up.
Happy customers are repeat customers – so the customer experience is starting to become the new battle ground.
As we move out of the summer months of back to back bookings, now could be a good time to take stock and review what it is you are offering and see if this can be improved. So where to start?
1) Call your Coastal Cottages contact and they will happily arrange a time to chat through what others are doing and what is now popular with guests or if there are any new trends we are starting to see. Being the largest operator in the country has the benefits of being able to see trends a long time before others!
2) Pull out the “Guest Book” and see what previous guests have been saying. Any recommendations or themes people are unsure of or simply don’t like? Don’t take it personally, it’s a business after all. You can then thank them for their feedback and inform them of the changes you have made. Repeat business is key!
Here are a few hints and tips for renting your holiday cottage in 2021.
BUILD ON THE BASICS
Now more than ever, the presentation of the cottage on arrival needs to be squeaky clean! This can be tough to stay on top of with tight turnovers of properties and long periods of back to back bookings. But it’s the foundation of everything you will build on. If you get a break in bookings – sometimes it's worth the investment to take a day or two out of the marketing calendar and deep clean, replace all batteries and check all light bulbs. If anything is going to break; you can guarantee it’s in the peak weeks. So, go into these weeks prepared.
GET ON THE TECHNOLOGY WAVE
Guests now expect Wifi and not having it, will deter a lot of guests. Yes, there is the argument “they should be on holiday”. Now more than ever people are remote working and could be visiting off season and working at the same time. Making the winter months attractive is key. Also how are they going to promote pics of your cottage to Instagram accounts without WIFI?
FIRST IMPRESSIONS
Food has never been as front line as it is today, Provenance takes it to another level. Local bread, milk, honey, bacon; even beers, not only shows you care, but really brings home the Pembrokeshire feel. With so many microbreweries, local butchers that now deliver local produce; it really is easy to set up. Coastal Cottages have their own concierge team that can also arrange bespoke hampers on the guest’s behalf.
QUALITY
There is no longer room in the cottage holiday market for poor products. To be honest there is also little excuse too. Smart TV’s, good quality furniture, smart linen – this is now standard. In the kitchen, invest in a juicer and some good quality knives. Then you can add the icing on the cake, such as pool tables or hot tubs! People love the extras, especially in the winter months; these will always be chosen first.
ACCEPT PETS
Unless you personally have allergies and use the cottage a great deal; pets are a no brainer. Coastal Cottages “Woof Guide” burst onto the scene over 10 years ago and saw an overnight uplift of 20% in bookings. Those properties we see move from non-pets to accepting pets will on average get an additional 3 weeks bookings. What’s more the owners are very loyal, tend to travel in the off-season and once they find a property they know works for them and their loved one; they often book every year.
SHORT BREAKS
The Cottage holiday market is moving faster than ever into the short break market. It offers a lot more space and generally better quality than serviced accommodation at far more value, so it’s an attractive proposition. Often a couple of short breaks a week will result in more revenue than a week booking, plus there is always the fact that more people are experiencing your property. If they rebook, they may do for a week or two in high season. With an abundance of sporting events now in Pembrokeshire, athletes from all over the world are travelling for Long Course Weekend, Ironman and The Wales Swim Run. It’s worth having the conversation about short breaks with Coastal Cottages of Pembrokeshire.
Looking for a holiday property letting agency in Pembrokeshire?
If you would like to discuss letting your holiday Cottage with Coastal Cottages of Pembrokeshire, please feel free to call us on 01437 765765. Remember we all live and work in the heart of Pembrokeshire. If you are passing, feel free to drop in for a coffee.
