Due to the current cost of living crisis, people are cutting back on non-essential expenses and not booking as many holidays as they have in years gone by. Understandably, if you own a holiday let, this is quite concerning and you may be worried about making a profit in 2023.
Lots of holiday homeowners are looking for ways to make their property stand out from the crowd and catch the eye of holidaymakers, and ultimately, increase their bookings. Thankfully, there are a few simple things you can do that will make a big difference. To help anyone who owns self-catering accommodation, our team at The Holiday Cottage Collection have put together a list of useful tips to help you get a fully-booked diary in 2023.
Advertise on the right platforms
The best piece of advice we could give to anyone who owns a holiday home is that you need to ensure you’re investing in the right type of marketing. Where you advertise your property will have a big impact on the number of bookings you get and it’s so important to use platforms that will help you to fill your diary. Do some research into different advertising platforms and find one that will put your property front and centre, and attract the right kind of guests.
When you’re advertising your holiday let, it’s crucial to use professional pictures and a detailed description too. Creating the perfect listing that shows your holiday home off in the best light can help you to win over holidaymakers. Ideally, you should make the booking process as easy as possible for anyone wanting a break from day-to-day life too.
Renovate your holiday let
If you’ve been letting out your holiday property for a few years now and it’s starting to look a bit run down, it’s beneficial to spend some time and money renovating the interior and exterior. A fresh lick of paint and some new accessories can make a huge difference and help you to attract holidaymakers. It’s useful to find out more about the facilities people are looking for in holiday homes nowadays too and consider investing in things like a log burner or a hot tub.
Whenever you’re renovating your holiday home, remember that the changes you make should be cost-effective. So, make sure you’re spending money on improvements that are likely to have the biggest return on investment in the long run.
Reconsider your booking costs and requirements
The start of a new year is always a good time to reevaluate how much you charge per night for your holiday let. Whilst it can be tempting to increase your prices in line with inflation, if your holiday home is still profitable and you don’t need to charge more, you shouldn’t raise your booking costs. In fact, it might be beneficial to reduce your nightly fee if possible or provide some special offers and discounts to prospective holidaymakers.
It can be useful to change your booking requirements to make your property appeal to a wider audience too. For example, making your holiday let family-friendly and dog-friendly or reducing your minimum night stay can help you to get more bookings in 2023.
Invest in consultancy services
Anyone who is struggling to increase holiday let bookings should consider using a consultancy service. This service can be invaluable and it can help you to achieve your aspirations, no matter what they are. Working collaboratively with an expert will help you to overcome common challenges holiday homeowners face and make your property as appealing as possible. Consulting experts know the who, what, when, where and whys of the holiday let industry, and the advice and guidance they provide will be undeniably beneficial.
Boosting bookings for your holiday let
Hopefully, the tips above will be useful if you’re keen to boost your bookings in 2023 and our team at The Holiday Cottage Collection are here to help if you require any more assistance. If you own a holiday let in Kent, Sussex, Bath, the Cotswolds or any other desirable UK location, we will do all we can to help you maximise your return on investment. We’re always looking out for new holiday lets to add to our exclusive collection and we’d love to hear from you.
Our founder, Sarah, has years of experience supporting holiday homeowners and she will be happy to help your business get where you want it to go. Get in touch with us today for an informal, complimentary chat, there’s no obligation whatsoever.
