Sykes Holiday Cottages Podcast: Inside Holiday Letting

Welcome to a brand-new podcast series from Sykes Holiday Cottages – Inside Holiday Letting.

With the help of a panel of experts from across the industry, in each episode we will discuss a different element of holiday letting in the UK. Topics range from tips on how to set up your holiday let business, to advice on where to buy holiday homes in the UK for the best returns. We’ll also talk about how to maximise your holiday let income, with guidance from specialists in holiday letting and interior design.

Use our encyclopedia of information to join the ever-growing holiday letting market, allowing you to earn an income while also being able to enjoy the delights of a second home yourself.

Episode 1: What is holiday letting?

In the first episode of the Inside Holiday Letting podcast, our industry experts offer a wealth of advice and share the tools that you need to start your holiday let business. Learn about all everything that you need to know when buying a holiday let, the research that must be done, and what the advantages of using a holiday letting agent are.

Also discussed is: How the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted UK holidays, the staycation boom and why this is the perfect time to invest in a holiday let.

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Episode 2: The practical steps to getting a holiday let business up and running

This episode outlines the things you need to do to start a holiday let business. Discover the importance of research, and why carefully planning the set-up of your holiday let will help prepare you for success.

The panel go into detail about holiday let rules and regulations, the best way to set your property up and maintain it as you go, and the costs that will be included along the way. Also find out just how much you can earn from a holiday let if it’s done right.

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Episode 3: How to maximise your holiday let income

So, you’ve bought your holiday let, set it up, and are ready to take bookings – but how do you get the most out of this potentially lucrative investment?

Our panel of experienced industry experts give out their best tips on how to maximise your holiday let income. From the style of your décor and your room layout, to the quality of your fixtures and those extra touches that will be a certain winner with your guests.

You will also find out more about how using a holiday letting agent can help attract more bookings and uplift your revenue, and discover other benefits that using a third party to list your property can have.

Listen here:

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Episode 4: Location, location, location

Choosing your location is one of the most important decisions in your holiday let journey. Listen to this episode of Inside Holiday Letting to learn how to choose your location, where the best places to buy a holiday home in the UK are, and how to identify the next holiday let hotspot.

Our panelists also tell us where they would buy a holiday home in the UK, if they were to set up a holiday let business right now.

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Meet the Inside Holiday Letting Podcast panel

Holiday letting experts

Rachel Brennan – Sales & Operations Manager at Sykes Holiday Cottages

Rachel heads up a team at Sykes Holiday Cottages who deal with people looking to list their properties or are thinking about getting into the holiday let industry. She has 7 years of experience in this market and is a regular speaker at property and farm shows across the UK. She has a deep knowledge of holiday letting across the UK.

Bob Atkinson – Independent Travel Expert 

With over 30 years of experience in the UK travel industry, having worked for Thomas Cook, British Airways, Monarch Travel Group, Co-Operative Travel Group and MoneySuperMarket Group, he now freelances within the industry. He has appeared many times on BBC Rip Off Britain, BBC Watchdog, BBC Radio 4 shows such as You & Yours, as well as ITV This Morning and in many online and print media focusing on consumer rights and making the most of your holiday spend.

He is passionate about leisure travel and enjoying experiences around the globe. Having visited over 100 countries around the world, he also has in depth travel experience around the United Kingdom.

Vanessa Warwick – Landlord & Co-Founder of Property Tribes

Having started out in the music industry as a presenter with MTV, Vanessa started investing in property in 2004. Since then, she has become a well-known property commentator and speaker in the property investment industry, having built up a portfolio of properties for both residential and holiday letting.

In 2009, Vanessa and her husband Nick founded Property Tribes, one of the United Kingdom’s largest and most recognisable landlord communication and property communities, with over 70,000 members, and very busy and engaged forums. With Property Tribes, the husband and wife duo sought to provide a platform which encouraged the sharing of knowledge and experiences between landlords in all forms of residential and holiday letting in order to; avoid pitfalls, solve problems, mitigate risk, and thereby enhance portfolio growth and performance.

Special guests

Helen Winter – Interior Designer – Coral Interiors 

Founded in 2014, Coral Interiors offer bespoke services to owners of holiday lets to help them design and execute interiors which ensure they wow guests.

They focus on getting the interior investment right for the property and its owner. They have the expertise to know what works and what does not – what owners are competing with from the world of boutique hotels and spas resorts, and how to balance the investment of having the right furniture and décor with profitability.

They also offer a vegan design service – a growing and exciting trend in the UK.

Elaine Watt – founder of Holiday Let Success Podcast 

As the founder of Holiday Let Success, Elaine has created and developed a series of easily accessible online courses, resources and templates for proactive, forward thinking short-term rental professionals and hosts. The purpose of these is to help them identify & improve processes within their business to increase bookings, reduce costs and save time.

Elaine Watt is also the host and producer of the top ranked business and marketing podcast Holiday Let Success.

Presenter

John Foster – Media broadcaster

John has over 30 years of experience in broadcasting, having worked as the presenter on leading regional and national BBC radio shows, as well as the commercial market. He has also worked as the host for many live events, big and small, including as the announcer for the Great North Run, the world’s largest mass running event, for 10 years.

As an accomplished broadcaster, he is a perfect choice as the host for Sykes Holiday Cottages podcast ‘Inside Holiday letting’.