Wondering how to bring guests flocking to your holiday home in the stunning Norfolk coast or countryside?
Here to share the five tried and tested ways of securing more bookings for your rental, we speak to property expert Abi Charter from Best Escapes, a leading holiday let agency on the east coast.
Below, Abi reveals the secrets that all holiday home landlords need to know.
1. Ensure your property’s pricing matches Norfolk’s market conditions
“It’s challenging to make sure that you’re not charging too high a premium for your let, so you don’t deter potential guests,” Abi says, “but it’s important that you’re also offering a price which will cover the maintenance costs of running the property, all whilst leaving room for profit too.”
Which leads us to the question - how do I know if I’m charging the right price for my property? Abi explains how tricky it can be for landlords to stay ahead of market trends. “But there’s no need to worry,” she assures us.
“We recently became part of the Sykes Cottages family (a national marketing agency for holiday lets), so Best Escapes now offers a bespoke pricing system, which continually adjusts the pricing of our clients’ properties. The Sykes Cottages Family have bespoke dynamic pricing software which we use to accurately price properties in line with market conditions, whilst maintaining their premium value.
Abi explains how this ensures higher rates for more popular dates and automatically lower pricing for periods with lower demand. “This takes the pressure off the owners’ shoulders,” she says. “It’s difficult to know the ideal range for the pricing of your property, and this makes it efficient and hassle-free for landlords.
2. Understand the Norfolk holiday market
“The Norfolk holiday accommodation market has some emerging trends which are important to tap into when letting your holiday home,” says Abi.
She highlights the importance of catering to dogs in your property: “Norfolk is such a dog-friendly county, and our bookings for properties who accommodate furry friends greatly outweigh the ones that don’t. You want to broaden your holiday let to the largest market possible, and this is the easiest place to start.”
"Landlords need to ask themselves – who is my property for? Are you designing it for couples on a quick break, or for families looking to get some quality time together? This is crucial to consider,” she says, “as this will affect when your property will be in its highest demand.”
Abi advises kitting out your property to appeal to the audience you have in mind. “For families, be sure to include toys, TVs, beach equipment and maybe even a games room. For couples, creating cosy spots throughout the property will allow them to get some quality time together on their break.”
3. Choose the most effective marketing method
“Aside from having your property advertised online, landlords should be asking what else is being done to improve the visibility of my holiday let? Most affiliate sites will simply add your property to their site and take a commission.
“But Best Escapes do far more than that – being part of the Sykes Cottages Family means our clients can benefit from a marketing budget of over 30 million pounds a year,” Abi reveals. “This means we can push your property out to more customers, get more bookings and more income from your holiday let.”
4. Be aware of ‘lead time’ and how it will affect your property
“This is the elapsed time between the date of booking and the time of travel,” Abi reveals. “We have seen a greatly reduced lead time over the last couple of years amongst customers booking holidays in the UK. The last-minute getaway is back with a bang!”
“Bookings are not just Monday to Friday now,” she explains. “Split weeks (where a booking may consist of a Tuesday to a Saturday, for example) are becoming far more common.”
So, what does this mean for holiday let owners? “Well, landlords need to consider whether they have the time to manage these flexible dates, as they’d need to be readily available to cope with the demand for last-minute bookings,” she tells us. “An agency like Best Escapes can remove that stress and handle everything.”
This is where their bespoke pricing model becomes integral to the booking process. “We’ll adjust the figures, ensuring their property is always available for a price that suits them and their guests, with no extra hassle,” Abi explains.
5. Accommodate for the ‘working from holiday home’ market
“This is the new and upcoming niche for the holiday let market now,” Abi tells us. “Since the pandemic, there has been a marked increase in those who can work remotely from anywhere with their laptop, headset and WiFi. They are often looking to come away for a week whilst continuing to work but exploring in the evening,” she explains.
This has now created a new demand for holiday homes with faster and better internet speeds to meet their needs. “In rural parts of Norfolk where internet speeds can be temperamental, where possible I’d advise landlords to install full fibre broadband and complete a speed test, so they can guarantee fast internet for work-related calls,” Abi says. “It provides fantastic reassurance and opens your property up to working from holiday home bookings. Your fibre will pay for itself within one booking.”
For more information on improving your holiday let and increasing your bookings, visit best-escapes.com/letyourcottage/. You can contact the team on 01263 802299 or newowners@best-escapes.co.uk.
