- Zoom Risks and How to Protect Yourself
- Covid-19 Stuff
- Seriously Good Cleaning Guidelines
- Revealing Market Research Results
- Free Stuff To Boost Your Advert
- Advert Management Tips
- Assist owners in ensuring their properties are adequately cleaned to virus-free standards
- Reassure potential bookers that the cottage is very likely to offer Coronavirus-Free accommodation.
- Protective Personal Equipment (PPE
- Cleaning, Disinfecting and Sanitising
- Bedding, Linen and Laundry
- Disposal of Waste
- Key Collection
- Taking Time
- Reassuring Guests During Their Stay
- Hot Tubs, Pools or Spas
- Legionella
- Useful References
Winter Breaks in The Lake District
The Lake District in Winter. The Lake District is one of the UK's most popular holiday destinations amongst those who want to spend time in the great outdoors. With so many people considering a holiday later this year or early next, give some thought to the stark beauty of this outstanding National Park - whether on a sunny frost-bound day or with its grey stone cottages snuggling beneath marshmallow-like snow-laden roofs. The Lakes may be busy in summer, but in winter, the lakes and fells take on a whole new and equalling appealing appearance - One to be experienced without the crowds.
From Bassenthwaite Lake at the northern end of the Lakes to Windermere in the south, there are plenty of charmingly cosy winter cottages, many with blazing open log fires and wood burners waiting to give a warm welcome to winter walkers - or those just wanting to hole up with a good book or two in a home with a view.
The friendly team supplied these enticing Lake District photos at Coley Cottages, whose two Lake District cottages, one in Ambleside and the other above Coniston, are perfect Cumbrian rural retreats for a winter break.
Click on the cottage name to view more information and photos.
Pepper Cottage Ambleside
For information on other Lake District Cottages, Click here.
The Holiday Homefront June 2020
Holiday Homefront
June 2020
This issue of The Holiday Homefront contains useful COVID-19-related information. Still, at least this time, the news is looking towards the hoped-for resumption of the holiday-letting business in the UK.
CONTENTS
ZOOM RISKS AND HOW TO PROTECT YOURSELF
Zoom has been one of the big success stories during the lockdown. It’s pretty easy to master, but there have been incidences of hacking when in use. The brains at Streetfight Mag have sought to mitigate this and produced a handy guide to protect your data and privacy when using Zoom. If you’re a Zoomer, Click here to view the advice.
COVID 19 ESSENTIALS
We’re just about over our heads with COVID News. But we can still learn a lot about best practices and market trends to help self-catering businesses flourish. So, here’s a special COVID-19 News Section for those who want to position their holiday properties as risk-free choices…
1. Upload a statement on your website and, where possible, on your adverts (you can do with on My Favourite Holiday Cottages) that explains what you are doing in your cottage to protect guests. E.g. cleaning, provision of sanitisers, etc. Please provide a link to it from your home page.
USEFUL CLEANING GUIDELINES
Breezeway, a US cleaning company across the pond, has published a comprehensive cleaning guide worth scanning for valuable tips and perspectives. Click here to view the Breezeway Guidelines.
Sykes Cottages have published a comprehensive list of UK cleaning guidelines. If you’d like a copy of these, you can either register your cottage with Sykes or click here to email me and request a copy.
The Air BnB Cleaning guide from Feedspot” Do you advertise with Airbnb? Whether or not you downloaded Airbnb’s ‘Enhanced Cleaning initiative in April to get some tips on cleaning holiday cottages – as well as secure compliance with Airbnb’s criteria, as of June 7th, you will need to comply with its Enhanced Cleaning Initiative. This is designed to be an educational programme and a set of cleaning criteria. Pass it, and you can be seen to be committing to Airbnb’s Cleaning Protocol – which is intended to reassure guests that you are offering safe and virus-free accommodation.
Feedspot has offered a helpful explanation as to how this process works. Even if you’re not on Airbnb, you should find its content helpful in raising the standard of your own property cleaning regime. Click Here to view Airbnb’s Cleaning Commitment 5-Step Protocol.
ADVERTISING DURING THE LOCKDOWN. Understand why now is the wrong time to reduce your marketing budget. Avoid the ‘Averechts’ Trap! The Dutch word “averechts” refers to when someone does something to avoid a problem, but that action backfires—causing the very problem they were trying to avoid. That is precisely what happens to most large and small businesses when they cut back on advertising during the COVID-19 pandemic. Click here to learn why this happens.
HELPFUL MARKET RESEARCH
Visit England Public Sentiment Survey.
This survey by Visit England is updated at routine intervals. It explores how, why and what the public feels about planning and booking a holiday in the UK. Considering this when positioning your holiday cottage marketing to gain maximum appeal to bookers will be helpful. Click here to view the latest results.
Visit Cornwall: Consumer Insights Research Results
View the webinar considering the results of Visit Cornwall’s survey amongst travellers. It illuminates the way they think when making post-COVID holiday plans. Click here to view the Visit Cornwall webinar for complete details.
FREE STUFF
Get a Link on a Banner Image
Have you got a superb photo that reflects the beauty and appeal of the town, county or location of your holiday property? For example, Buxton, Derbyshire or The Peak District.
Every search page on our site has what’s called a ‘Banner Image’ This is the photo that stretches across the top of every page. As well as being appealing, it can also feature a title and a link to a single property advert. It’s a great way to attract more viewings if it’s linked to your cottage.
If you’ve got one or more images that you think have sufficient wow-factor appeal to be used as a banner image, then email it/them to us. We may also use images on our social media platforms. When we do, we’ll always credit you with a link back to your advert. There’s no charge for this additional advertising bonus.
Photo Criteria:
* You must assure us that you have the right to grant My Favourite Holiday Cottages permission to use the image.
* The image must be:
1. at least 900kb in size - but there’s no upper size limit
2. Landscape (not portrait). You can send one or two images (the largest size possible). For more images, send them via a free file transfer app such as www.wetransfer.com.
ADVERT MANAGEMENT HELP
Testimonial Tip
If you are fortunate to have had guests staying at your property in 2020 before the lockdown and who gave you a glowing testimonial, add it to your advert.
A special section in your Admin area allows you to upload guest testimonials. Current research indicates that positive reviews (especially those that mention cleanliness) from guests who holidayed in your cottage in 2020 will knock the socks off older reviews. If you’ve got one or more of these – upload them to your advert as soon as possible! They will be very influential.
Guest Blogs Do Business
We are always happy to welcome guest blogs on themes that will attract attention to the area in which your property is located. Here’s a recent article from Coley Cottages in Cumbria about Eco Cottages, which has been read over 300 times in the past month. Click here to view The Cumbria Cottage Blog:
If you’d like to write a blog article for our pages, we’ll be happy to discuss suitable themes, provide guidelines and help with proofing. Click here to request further information.
NB: If you’re a cottage owner, you must have an advert on My Favourite Holiday Cottages if you want your property to be included in the article.
Are Your Images Large Enough?
Bid pictures sell best! If your thumbnail images only double in size when clicked on - and you’d like them to expand to a much larger scale to wow potential bookers - let me know, and we’ll offer our usual help and advice. Click here to request advice.
WE ARE HERE FOR YOU
If you’ve been in touch with us already, you probably know by now that we pride ourselves on our ability to respond to and help all our advertisers. If you need any help or advice or want to suggest how we can improve the site, all you have to do is get in touch.
Click to Email Rick Bond here.
Thanks for reading The Homefront. Until next month...
Best wishes.
Rick Bond
Director
My Favourite Holiday Cottages
Holiday Cottage Cleaning Guidelines Post Covid
Keeping it Clean: How to Meet Your Guest’s Expectations in 2020
Worried that your cleaning regime might not be ticking all the boxes necessary to ensure your holiday cottage is cleaned to Post-COVID standards?
Sykes Cottages have published a very comprehensive set of cleaning guidelines to:
If you would like a copy, I’m not sure where it is on the Sykes Cottages website but email me here, and I’ll send you the pdf version.
Summary of Contents
Add Your Own Reassurance
Location! Location! Location! may still be a vital factor when it comes to attracting guests but so now is Clean! Clean! Clean! Include a reference within your website and adverts about your cleaning standards describing the care taken to prepare the property before a guest’s arrival.