Well, here it is – possibly one of the most unusual Christmas’s many of us have ever experienced in an equally unique topsy-turvy year. So, for your more than casual interest, here is a compilation of the most interesting articles we have encountered in the past few weeks. This is also slightly longer than usual Homefront because it includes helpful ‘‘ow To’’tips.

We’ve broken with tradition and moved a couple of articles aimed at My Favourite Holiday Cottage subscribers because they are very important to know. If you’re not a subscriber, you might still find them of interest – especially the one about photo copyright. But if not, scroll down to the ‘‘Naughty or Nice’’article and continue from there. As ever – Where an item refers to another article, click on the title to upload it. Titles with links are in a brighter blue.

 

Read on!

 

Advert Management

IMPORTANT! BROKEN WEB LINKS WILL SUSPEND YOUR ADVERT

Nobody likes a broken link, be it a potential booker or Google. 

If you are building a new or re-designed website, please note that if the URL addresses (https://www.etc.) for all or any of the pages have changed, you must log in and update your home page and booking page with the new website addresses. Our Broken-link Checker will detect and automatically stop the old link from working. As our site focuses on driving people to your website, if your website address is missing or doesn’t work, it prevents your advert from appearing. A helping hand:  if you cannot remember how to log in, send me the new page addresses for your home main property page and the booking/availability pages. We’ll upload them for you.

 

IF ONE PICTURE IS WORTH A THOUSAND WORDS – THEN FILL YOUR PHOTO GALLERY WITH TWENTY-THOUSAND WORDS.

Not everybody uploads their full allowance of 20 images to show off their cottage, presumably because they don’t need twenty opportunities to show off their entire property. However, if you still have space to upload more images, upload some location photos of places to go, see, visit, etc. Compelling portraits of nearby landscapes and attractions significantly influence visitors. 

Upload these to your photo holder to enhance the appeal of your property. For images to expand to large size, they must be at least 1920x1080 pixels in size – preferably landscape.

If you’re not sure how to re-size an image – follow this:

• Open the photo to be re-sized.
• Select the Tools drop-down menu from the top menu bar
• Select ‘‘adjust Size’’ This will open the Image Dimensions box, which should look something like this:

For a landscape image: Fit into. Select Custom. (This should say pixels on the right – if not, select that option) 

Leave the ‘‘scale proportionately’’ box ticked. Enter 1920 into the Width box. 

The Height box below should adjust itself, and as long as this is 1080 or above, you can hit the OK button and close the image.

If the height is shown as less than 1080, enter 1080 in the height box. This will automatically increase the Width size to keep the size change proportionate. If the height is above 1080, that’s fine.

Leave it at that.

Need to re-size more than one image? Then, you can batch-resize them in one go.

• Select (but don’t open) all the images you want to re-size. When all have been selected, click on Cmd and ‘‘O’ to open all the images in one frame.

 When the frame opens, click on the top image. This will highlight the thumbnail.

The top image in the example below is highlighted.

• Click Cmd + ‘‘’ to select (highlight) all the thumbnail images.

 Then complete the re-size process as described above for re-sizing a single image.

And that’s it. Your images will be re-sized and ready to upload.

NB If your original images are below around 640x300 pixels when you open the Re-size box, they will be too poor in quality to enlarge. You can try it, but you probably won’t be happy with the result. If you haven’t got a larger size, stick to the small one instead. TThere’snothing more off-putting than an over-enlarged blurry-edged photo.

If you really get stuck, contact us for advice.

 

LEGAL & COMPLIANCE

PHOTOGRAPH COPYRIGHT (AND HOW TO FIND OUT IF PEOPLE ARE USING YOUR PHOTOS).

Yes, I know we mentioned this last month – but it would appear that not everybody read it! And abiding by it could save you from a hefty fine.

Do you own the rights to all the images displayed in your advert? If the images you upload have not been taken by or owned by you, you must ensure that you have permission to use them.

Many companies now specialise in tracking down illegally used images, making it very easy to identify the person responsible for uploading them. We know this because we tend to get the first letter from the company’s solicitors because it appears on the site. We then have to carry out the unpleasant task of forwarding it to the person who posted the image. An automatic fine is payable even if you immediately remove the photo.

If you doubt whether you should be displaying a photo in your advertising, I’d recommend removing it immediately (and then trying to get the necessary permission).

How do you know if your photos are being used by someone else? In case it is interesting, Here’s one way to find out.

To see who is displaying your photos, open and right-click on the photo you want to check and select ‘'Search Google for Image".

This will reveal image-based search results. Scroll down to be:

• Reassured that nobody is pirating your images for commercial gain.
• Amazed at how many people like your work.
• Convinced that you need an agency to chase some royalties.

 NB: Before you embark upon the latter point, be aware that posting images on some social media sites may mean you give up some of your copyright, e.g. Somebody adding one of your photos to their Pinterest Board or sharing it on Instagram.  

ECO-NEWS AND TIPS

Click to view The Stables, Mornacott Cottages, South Molton, Exmoor.

 

THE NEXT BIG THING: ELECTRIC CAR CHARGING POINTS FOR ELECTRIC VEHICLES

To coin a marketing phrase, it may still be ‘‘early-adopter’’ time for holiday cottages featuring electric vehicle charging points. However, please give it a year or two, and electric vehicle charging points will be as commonplace as Wi-Fi and Smart TVs. 

By then, it will be a taken-for-granted ‘‘must-have’’, but right now, it’ll be an attractive USP for eco-friendly Staycationers. 

Action Tip: If you are looking for a cottage with a charging point or an owner who has installed one, we have already installed a search category for ‘‘cottages with electric car chargers and ‘‘co-cottages.’’ 

We rank at the top of Page One on Google for the latter. Login and tick the boxes to appear in searches for these categories to boost your visitor traffic.

 

AN EXAMPLE ACCESSIBILITY GUIDE FOR SELF-CATERING

Accessibility Guides have published a well-thought-through example of an accessibility guide for holiday cottages. If you are not sure if yours is good enough - or if you have yet to write them (as you should) - you will find this very helpful. When you open the page, click the Download option to read it at leisure.

 

ECO-FRIENDLY CLEANING SOLUTIONS FROM IRON & VELVET FOR YOUR LIVING AREAS, KITCHEN AND BATHROOM

We are not on commission, nor have we accepted any bribes to mention this. As you’ve probably gathered, we strive to be eco-friendly, so this is for those owners who want to use eco-friendly and plastic-free cleaning materials in their properties. More and more people are looking for eco-friendly holidays – and you don’t get many chances to brag about your socially acceptable cleaning regime!

 

PROPERTY MANAGEMENT

HOW TO SUCCESSFULLY MANAGE YOUR HOLIDAY LET REMOTELY

This article from Schofields Insurance reveals the myriad of stress-relieving options that will help you deliver a 5-star guest experience when you live many miles away from your property or are prevented from visiting it in the unlikely event of a pandemic.

 

THE RISE OF RISKY RESERVATIONS IN THE VACATION RENTAL INDUSTRY AND HOW TO AVOID THEM

With owners of large properties desperate to attract bookings in this Rule of Six world, don’t let people planning to use a property for a large illegal party slip through the net. And if they do, have you taken steps to ensure you cannot be held liable? HHere’sa pertinent article from Rentalscaleup. It originated in Canada, but it is still relevant to UK shores. If you don’t want to read it all, scroll down to the essential bits, which begin with "Tips on how to protect your rental property from risky reservations."

 

MINIMUM CLEANLINESS SCORE: BOOKING.COM TO DE-RANK AND DE-LIST DIRTY PROPERTIES

Do you advertise your property on Booking.com? Here’s a real incentive to maintain the highest cleaning standards. All of your properties are now subject to Booking.com’s Minimum Cleanliness Score. You should know that properties that persistently score low points will now get penalised. Click on the title to read what those friendly people at Rental Scale-up have to say on the subject.

 

LEGAL & COMPLIANCE

NAUGHTY OR NICE: YOU CAN STILL HOLIDAY IN THE UK THIS CHRISTMAS

You probably have all the Christmas COVID rules firmly engrained right now, but if you need a refresher, here’s a list covering the rules about the letting period between the 23-27th December when the existing tier restrictions are relaxed.

 

MARKETING ADVICE

23 QUESTIONS GUESTS SHOULD ASK TO ENSURE YOUR SWIMMING POOL IS RIGHT FOR THEIR HOLIDAY

It does what it says on the side of the pool: This blog article is intended to help people find and book a holiday cottage with a swimming pool that meets their needs. If your property has a swimming pool, here are some questions you can now be ready to answer. If, in your experience, we’ve omitted any other frequently asked questions – please send them to us (preferably with a good answer). WWe’lladd them to the list and give credit where it is due!

 

TWELVE COMPELLING REASONS WHY UK STAYCATIONS ROCK!

After last year, most of us need a boost, and it’s looking good for business already.

But don’t just assume that you will get many bookings because more people plan to take a UK Staycation in 2021.

The trick is understanding why people want to stay in the UK - and what they are looking for. Then, they position how you market and present your property to fulfil one or more of these needs. Then shout about it!

Here are twelve good reasons why more people will be booking a holiday in the UK – and some handy tips on how to appeal to the staycation market.

 

WE ARE HERE FOR YOU

As you know by now, we pride ourselves on our ability to respond to and help all our advertisers. So 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.

 

. It’s free to every UK holiday cottage owner or manager and published once a month.

I’d planned to write a blog to indicate the most desired facilities a holiday cottage should have to appeal to guests. Initially, my thoughts were turning to song and dance amenities such as hot tubs, heated swimming pools, remote central heating controls or maybe even the simpler things in life such as fluffy white cotton dressing gowns or smart TVs in all bedrooms. If not those, then some other of life’s little luxuries that temporarily elevate our status when we venture on holiday.

While doing the research, I expected to find any one of the amenities above riding high everywhere I looked. And, for the most part, I did. So, imagine my surprise when I came across a blog article on the Rental Scale-Up site, which listed the Top Ten Amenities in a Vacation Rental according to VRBO. If you’re a holiday homeowner, you’ll know about VRBO. They don’t publish lightly. So, here’s their list:

Shower  and bath at Made-of-Wood, near Attleborough in Norfolk

1. Parking

2. Wi-Fi

3. Air conditioning and heating

4. Shower and bathtub

5. Laundry facilities

6. Toiletries and toilet paper

7. Access and use of disinfectant at the property and waiting period between different stays

8. Linens, and towels, washed at the correct temperatures

9. Safety features such as smoke detectors, carbon monoxide detectors, and fire extinguishers

10. Well-equipped kitchens

The good news is that there’s nothing there that will break the bank when you install it. Air conditioning may be a mite over the top – but this was an American poll, where air conditioning is an absolute necessity in many parts of the country. So, for UK Homeowners, provide good, reliable and easily adjustable heating in all rooms.

It appears that thrilled as people might be by fridges with ice-cube dispensers, essentially, one of the priorities for people booking holiday cottages is the presence of things they expect to be working and well-maintained. This need for good quality amenities is the bedrock of a stress-free, comfortable holiday.

Think about it.

You arrive at your beautiful cottage and find nowhere to park easily. Irritating? I should say so. You won’t complain about it, but it knocked the shine off your holiday the moment you arrived.

 Or: There is no washing machine. Have you ever tried to pack enough clothes for a family of four for a week without doing some laundry? How does that make your property appeal to potential bookers?

These amenities appear to be ‘hygiene factors’. They won’t see you opening the champagne when you discover their presence. They will, however, dampen your guests’ enthusiasm for your holiday property when they are not there to be found or are somewhat shabby.

Simple and Beautiful: Towels and Bed Linen at  Bay House with Harbour Views in Brixham.

When people are researching before deciding, they like to reassure themselves that every amenity they need is not only there but is perhaps of a higher standard than they enjoy at home. If you offer Wi-Fi, it should be free, and at the highest possible speed.

After all, a booker knows they are making a decision for which everyone else in the party will hold them responsible. So, while there’s no doubt a hot tub or an upmarket coffee machine has guest appeal, hygiene factors will always influence the final decision.

This understanding means you may be renewing your sheets and towels a little more often or buying ones of higher quality (which have greater longevity before they show their age).

What isn’t said, but I suspect also holds, is that you have to offer these facilities properly – to the very best standard you can. There’s an influential, psychological difference between low-cost 2-ply loo rolls and something a little thicker and more velvety.

Sharp knives and plenty of utensils make cooking a pleasure at 2 Putsborough, a luxurious holiday apartment in Woolacombe.

The good news for owners is that this list of amenities is not a budget buster. To make your property stand out from the crowd – it’s necessary to do a little more than tick the box.

Up your standards a little.

On the one hand, this list tells us not to go back to basics. It’s also telling us to do the basics brilliantly. If you’re providing a toaster - make it a 4-slice one! What other basis assumptions and expectations do your guests have – and are you doing them well? 

A holiday cottage owner I much admire for her common-sense approach to cottage management once said to me,

“It’s so easy to let little things slip – like mismatching or incomplete sets of wine glasses, blunt kitchen knives or crumbs underneath the sofa cushions. But you let them slip at risk to your reputation.”

Getting the basics right is one surefire way to encourage a first-time guest to become a regular visitor. They will know that they’ve found a place where they feel comfortable and enjoy a lifestyle a little better than home, but not to the extent that it’s daunting.

Finally, now that you know what household amenities your future guests may be looking for, if you’ve got them, make sure they appear:

* In photos

* In your content describing the property.

Want to suggest something? What amenities do you provide that are inexpensive but are a big hit for guests?

 

If you want to advertise your holiday cottage on the My Favourite Holiday Cottages website, click here to view the benefits.