5 Ways to Make Your Holiday Cottage Stand Out

One of the most important things to consider when you own a holiday cottage is how to make yours stand out from the crowd.

In this post, you’ll discover five tried-and-tested ways to make the most of your property and ensure you have a consistent stream of bookings, year-round.

1. Provide a welcome pack

Making your guests feel comfortable when they arrive at your holiday let is a crucial step to giving them an amazing experience.

The best way to achieve this is to create a welcome pack which explains everything they need to know about your holiday cottage and the surrounding area. Appliances will likely be unfamiliar to your guests - induction hobs, for example, can be confusing to someone who hasn't used one before!

Leaving tea, coffee, milk, sugar and biscuits are a fantastic idea – your guests may have traveled quite a distance to reach your cottage and this sort of thoughtfulness can go a long way and will help ensure that your property’s reviews stand out!

For more information, read our post on welcome pack ideas for a holiday let.

2. Know your market

One of the best ways to make your holiday rental stand out is to understand what type of guests stay in your property. Providing your guests with everything they need, whether it be dog bowls or local walking books, will help your guests enjoy their stay and will increase the chances of your property receiving positive feedback (a great way for your holiday cottage to stand out).

For example, if your property is:

• Dog-friendly: Ensure you include information on the best walks, pet-friendly attractions or beaches, and what pubs/eateries in the area are dog-friendly.

• Child-friendly: Why not provide cots, stairgates, and high-chairs to give frazzled parents a helping hand? You could also include leaflets on days out for children in the area.

• A romantic retreat: Consider making a list of nearby restaurants or leave a supply of cosy blankets in your property.

3. Invest in popular features

One of the easiest ways to make your holiday cottage stand out is to invest in features that are high on customers’ wish-lists. It can be something as simple as adding WiFi or a dishwasher, which are always appreciated,or facilities that are frequently requested by customers.

More expensive features such as log fires, hot tubs and swimming pools will certainly guarantee that your property has an edge over the competition.

Cottages with hot tubs, for example, are certainly one of our more popular cottage types and often receive an increase in bookings and fetch a higher booking value - meaning, not only can such features pay for themselves, they often result in you profiting in the long run.

Use our Holiday Let Income Calculator to estimate how much impact features such as these can have on your earnings.

4. Keep things up-to-date

Holiday cottage owners who consistently make improvements to their property often receive more positive feedback. Simply updating furnishings, such as curtains or bed throws, can go a long way to making your property look up to date, modern and fresh.

Listening to feedback from your guests is essential to understand what is making them have a good or bad experience. If there are consistent things that are coming up, you ought to address them - and if they're positive things, can you do more of it? Take a look at our guide on how to furnish your holiday let for further advice.

5. Do not forget about the little things

Sometimes, it's the little things that can make the most difference, but they can often be the easiest to forget. Here are a few things you can do to avoid this:

• Get the basics right. Make sure that you provide a generous amount of toilet roll and cleaning equipment.

• Have plenty of crockery and provide washing up liquid or dishwasher tablets.

• Providing a guest book is a great way to hear what your guests thought about their holiday cottage, what they loved and any feedback that they have. They can also leave recommendations on places to visit for future guests, something which is always appreciated.