Extending your Season with Short Breaks, Work Around your Visits
The short break market is becoming an increasingly appealing concept since it offers far more space and better quality than serviced accommodation at better value.
Why Should I Accept Short Breaks in my Holiday Cottage?
The months of November through to February are traditionally slow for holiday cottage bookings in the UK. Accepting short stays in your property is a pretty effective way to boost your revenue and cover any unwanted gaps in your calendar, especially during the off-season. Short breaks have several advantages, including:
- Helps to get more bookings - Our short breaks are a maximum of 4 nights and a minimum of 1-night. But the price always stays the same. We never usually charge less than 75% of the typical weekly rate for short stays, which helps us to get you more bookings and revenue.
- Allows flexibility for guests - If they are unable to select their chosen arrival date, some guests decide not to make a booking. Short stays provide guests far more freedom to arrive whenever they want, which is perfect for last-minute holiday planning! So if you’re wanting to open your cottage up to short breaks please let our reservation know in plenty of time so that this will appear in our system online.
- Opens your property to a wider audience - The popularity of short holidays has greatly increased recently. Vacationers are looking more and more for short midweek getaways when attractions are frequently more empty or weekend getaways to avoid taking time off from work. You may attract even more visitors to your cottage by enabling guests to arrange short stays.
- Increases potential rebookings - Often a couple of short stays in one week can result in more earnings for you when compared to a typical week booking. There’s also the added benefit of more people choosing your property to stay in. Meaning if they ever choose to rebook, they may do so for a week or two in peak season.
If you’d like to discuss this further and find out more about how short breaks work, please call our reservations team on 01437 765 765.
What are the Disadvantages?
Even with all the advantages, there are a few drawbacks to take into account while allowing short stays at your property:
- Initially, cleaning expenses will rise due to the possibility of up to two or even three changeovers each week. But on the plus side, you can potentially earn 150% of a week's rental.
- You would have to spend more time on changeovers if you managed your property yourself. This may be problematic if you were only available on your typical weekend changeover day. But don’t worry, if you let us know we can work with you on any restrictions and manage the bookings for you.
- Something else to keep in mind is that if you don't have enough linen and towels to cover the extra changeovers, you'll have to pay extra to buy more. We can always order you more supplies on your behalf. And if you’re worried about short breaks cutting across 2 weeks, rest assured this would only ever happen last minute. At Coastal Cottages we pride ourselves on both owner and guest care.
There are some disadvantages but we can manage them. Speak to a member of our team, we will do everything we can to make the whole process as seamless as possible!
Contact our Property Management Team for more information on 01437 765765.
So, Are Short Breaks Right for Me?
As some of you may know The Welsh Government introduced a new occupancy rule for business rated holiday lets which came into place in May 2022. It essentially means that all holiday lets in Wales must be let for 182 nights in order to remain business rated. We’ve noticed that pushing short breaks in the off season helps to increase bookings in order to hit those pesky 182 nights.
Overall, short breaks are a fantastic way to fill your calendar and boost your earnings. An easy way to increase your takings especially during the quieter months and get you on your way to a highly successful holiday let!
How do I Increase my Holiday Cottage Bookings?
Adjust your Prices
Make your off-season pricing appealing and accessible. Low enough to appeal at slow periods of the year, yet high enough to cover your expenditures and earn a profit.
Make Exclusive Deals
Most vacationers will be looking for a bargain during off-peak seasons. Offering an incentive is the best approach to get guests to book at your property. But rather than reducing your prices, an alternate technique for increasing the desirability of your cottage is to provide greater value for the same price. We recommend including one of our concierge packages to entice new bookings. This could include a complimentary champagne hamper, a delicious breakfast hamper, a private dining experience, or even just a gift voucher added on to their stay.
Be Adaptable
Being flexible with arrival/departure days, check-in/out times, and lowering your minimum stay may result in more bookings.
Refresh Your Seasonal Images
Making your cottage seem like a welcoming, warm, and inviting location to visit will be a great draw. One of your most important marketing tools is images. If you’re wanting to update your property images, feel free to contact us to check availability on our in-house photographer who specialises in high quality photos that set the tone for potential guests.
Make Your Cottage Inviting
Even an update in furniture and decorations is also one to consider just to make sure your cottage is still appealing to potential guests. A pop of colour, or a nice picture on the living room wall can make a property feel like a home. Try dressing the room for each season to make your guests feel as welcome as possible!
We always find that the house itself gets all the attention and the garden often gets forgotten about. Choosing good, high quality garden furniture or even adding some plants and features can really sell the dream to potential guests. It’s definitely one to think about to boost bookings!
It’s definitely worth having a conversation with a member of our Property Management Team at Coastal Cottages to discuss whether short breaks are worth pushing at your holiday cottage.
If you would like to discuss letting your holiday Cottage with Coastal Cottages of Pembrokeshire, please feel free to call us on 01437 765765.
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.
