Kate Stinchcombe-Gillies
Thinking about welcoming guests into your holiday home? Kate Stinchcombe-Gillies of holidaylettings.co.uk shares her top tips on how to get your home ready for a vacation rental.
With self-catering holidays gaining in popularity both in the UK and abroad plus the increasing ability to book this type of accommodation securely online, while still maintaining a direct booking and transaction between owner and guest – it’s never been a better time to let your holiday home.
A growing hunger for the ‘home from home’ experience and with sites like holidaylettings.co.uk putting a holidaymaking world at your fingertips, you can enjoy making money while keeping control of who comes to stay.
However, with increased accessibility comes increased choice so presenting and promoting your property well is vital to attracting and maintaining attention. A little preparation can offer a lot of reward.
When thinking about how to put your holiday home’s best foot forward, always put yourself in the shoes of the guest. An amazing view, balcony or swimming pool can be winning features from the outside but it’s important that the inside experience always lives up to expectation. Clean and welcoming are watchwords of any rental but extra little touches can add to a home’s appeal and help ensure repeat visits and recommendations.
Here are some key pointers to bear in mind when looking to perfect your property:
A lick of paint and touch of colour
You may be keen to keep your decorative mark on the property but when choosing colours it’s advisable to think neutral for walls and colour for fabrics. A neutral paint palette for walls and woodwork will ensure universal appeal. Light shades are also easier to wash down and clean and add to the feeling of space and freshness in a home.
Top tip - painting the ceiling lighter than the walls makes the room feel airy and look larger. Choose paint a shade or two lighter than your main wall colour.
Keep bold colours for fabrics in curtains, throws, bed covers and cushions. Shades of reds, yellows and oranges are good for creating warmth in living areas, splashes of blue are perfect for a beach property and bathrooms, while a touch of green reflects nature in a rural property and grey and black accessories bring a modern look to a city let. It is also best to choose washable paint and fabrics, especially for sofa throws and seat cushions as it makes cleaning easier and quicker.
Finally, make sure your decorating is up to standard. Perfect paintwork shows the holidaymakers you care about your home and hopefully makes them care too.
Lasting appeal
The initial outlay involved in furnishing and equipping your home is one of the most expensive parts of a holiday let but choosing quality furniture and appliances over cheaper alternatives will pay dividends by adding to your property’s appeal and lasting longer. Quality furnishings are worth investing in as they will cope with wear and tear better. You don’t have to blow your budget but it’s worth stretching it as far as you can on this exercise.
The following is a room by room guide to furniture and furnishings. As well as the basics, there are some simple and creative ideas to ensure your home stands out as a great place to stay.
Living area
Make sure there are enough seats for dining and sitting for the number of guests and test the furniture yourself for comfort. A DVD player, decent size TV and Wi-Fi connection are musts for most guests while it’s good to offer a selection of DVDs, CDs, games and books (but don’t forget to cater for all ages). In rural locations, provide blanket-throws for snuggling up by the fire. It may also be worth considering a game console, especially if your home is fit for families and an MP3 docking station.
Kitchen
Preparing and cooking food is much less of a chore with the right equipment. Provide pots and pans in a range of sizes and if your property caters for groups, include big casserole dishes. Kitchens with a bit of a wow factor come with a coffee machine, set of (sharp) quality chef knives, serving dishes, baking trays and other basics. Absolute basics include a supply of pantry items like tea and coffee, cooking oil, salt and herbs.
Bedrooms
Choose comfortable mattresses and quality linen with at least one spare set per bed. For families, consider black-out blinds and themed bed linen for children. Must-haves are bedside lamps with strong enough bulbs to read by and plenty of clothes storage and hangers. Nice touches include an alarm clock and hairdryer – and if you can go the extra mile, consider memory foam mattresses and a choice of pillows.
Bathroom
Buy two sets of quality towels for each guest – white towels look nice but are difficult to keep clean over time so remember to replace them regularly. Check lighting and mirrors are adequate and provide non-slip bath/shower mats. Put a fully-stocked first aid kit (don’t include medicines) in a secure cupboard. Guests also appreciate a supply of soap, shower gel and shampoo in case they’ve forgotten – go for local products for extra appeal. To make them feel a bit special, supply bathrobes and slippers or a welcome pack of miniature toiletries per guest. The most important basic: loo roll.