The best of both worlds: how you can market your holiday let nationally and locally

When it comes to increasing the bookings on your holiday let, are you better off selecting a local lettings company who knows the property and area better, or a national company with a wider reach?

We sit down with Abi Charter from the award-winning holiday cottage letting agency Best of Suffolk, who explains how you can have the benefits of both when letting your property.

Q: Would a local or national agency work best for my holiday let?

A: There are benefits to both, but who says you have to choose? Since Best of Suffolk became part of the Sykes Cottages family, our clients have enjoyed the same great service from the team, as well as a 42 per cent average increase in bookings. Being part of the Sykes Cottages family means incredible benefits for our holiday homeowners – we still offer the same local team of experts managing your holiday home, but now with the added luxury of wider marketing for your property to increase its online reach.

Working with an expert local property agent like Best of Suffolk means they know the real value of the property and can secure higher value bookings accordingly. (Image: Best of Suffolk)

Best of Suffolk and Sykes work together to put properties in front of the right audience, thanks to our combined marketing knowledge. With over 500 partners and counting, our properties are now visible on big names and trusted brands thanks to our market-leading systems driving traffic and bookings for all our holiday homes. This is integrated with property-pricing systems which can automatically adjust the pricing of the property in line with demand, removing the stress from the homeowner about over or undervaluing their home throughout the year.

Best of Suffolk are local experts who know the area and the most effective selling points for marketing your property. (Image: Best of Suffolk)

Q: How can a local agency use their expertise to make my holiday let more profitable?

A: With larger national marketing companies and online travel agents, you’ll generally receive low-value, high-turnover bookings, and tend not to receive the price that the property is worth. Working with an expert local property agent ensures they know the real value of the property and can secure higher value bookings accordingly.

The Best of Suffolk team know and love their local area, which is crucial to marketing your holiday let effectively. (Image: Best of Suffolk)

At Best of Suffolk, along with our friendly and approachable team, we also use our years of expertise and provide professional, high-quality photographs to market the property in its finest form. Our team love Suffolk and are passionate about where they live – we know the area and the most effective selling points for marketing your property.

Q: Wouldn’t I be better-off letting with an online travel agency (OTA) that charges less commission and have bigger marketing budgets?

A: You can, but you’ll get the service you pay for. If you’re happy to handle guest liaison pre, during and post-stay, are available 24 hours a day to handle emergencies and can ensure your property is fully compliant as a holiday let landlord, an OTA would be an option. But you need to think realistically about the amount of time you have available that you can dedicate to successfully running your holiday home. Our team is passionate about providing the best service and we pride ourselves on being easy to contact along with our 24-hour customer support.

Best of Suffolk provide professional, high-quality photographs to market your property in its finest form. (Image: Best of Suffolk)

We’ll guide you through every aspect of holiday letting, including handling complaints on rare occasions when things don’t go to plan. Our network or local suppliers can help with anything from emergency boiler repairs and broken glass to routine gardening and window cleaning, so you don’t have to. If you’re looking for more than just a marketing platform for your holiday let, a local agency with national reach is the right choice for you.

Q: Why should I ‘shop local’ for my holiday letting agency?

A: Now, more than ever since the pandemic, we’ve realised the importance of stability, community and togetherness. Best of Suffolk ensure all their properties are serviced and maintained by self-employed businesses or local workers. This ensures the money that’s brought into the area will stay there, helping the community’s employment to thrive.

Best of Suffolk are a team of local property experts offering all the guidance and support you need to make the most of your holiday let. (Image: Best of Suffolk)

We also support several charities with the work that we do, where we can give back to those in the local area in need. Our Charity of the Year is the Suffolk Community Foundation, which organise Suffolk Dog Day each year, of which Best of Suffolk is one of the sponsors. In November, we have ‘Pink’ Friday instead of Black Friday, where each booking made on the day donates £10 to the Cancer Campaign in Suffolk, which supports people before, during and after a cancer diagnosis.

By letting your property with us, you can help Best of Suffolk to continue supporting our local community and raise funds for those in need.

For more information on letting your holiday home through Best of Suffolk, visit www.bestofsuffolk.co.uk/letyourcottage. To speak to our team of local experts, please call 01728 638962 or email pno@bestofsuffolk.co.uk.