If you haven't got a business card or need to replenish your stock, this is a 5-minute read with helpful guidelines to share with your designer or use yourself. 

Deciding what to say on your business card for your holiday cottage - and designing its appearance is probably something that didn't take a lot of thought - just slap on the necessary contact details in a readable way, hand them around and bish-bash-bosh in rolls the dosh.

Oh, if only.

Like the best things in life, simplicity is essential but never that simple. This blog from Lodgify outlines the information your card should contain while pointing out the role that 'white space' plays in ensuring people can and will feel encouraged to put your card to good use, i.e. to start a future conversation with you about your property. Read it: WHAT TO INCLUDE ON YOUR VACATION RENTAL BUSINESS CARD.

Remember, business cards aren't a bit of 'vanity ware' - they are a valuable tool in

Love it or hate it - you cannot ignore the increase in the popularity of online booking software. It's been a while since the number of independently-owned holiday cottages booked online exceeded the number booked manually. 

These days, having a website with an enquiry address and phone number is not enough. And one thing we can all be sure about is that there are plenty of choices out there! People want to book straight away and, if they can't, look for another suitable cottage with that all-important online booking option.

My Favourite Holiday Cottages allows owners to display their online booking calendars to get bookings direct from their listing (without any commission charges or booking fees applied, I might add). 

If you are still managing bookings by hand, it's probably a reasonable assumption to say that you are now missing out and losing revenue. One of the benefits is that you get the full contact details of your guests, as

Don't Be a Priceless Holiday Cottage

We have reintroduced the option for cottage owners to include their rental price list. It's always a good day when we can introduce an improvement to the My Favourite Holiday Cottages website, especially when it is in response to a suggestion from a cottage owner or potential booker. So, step forward, chief persuader Penny Thompson who deserves the credit (and we mean credit  - not blame) for its appearance. Penny, by the way, is the owner of the beautifully furnished Little Bothy in Shropshire, where there is an excellent Mistletoe Festival that makes for a perfect winter weekend break).

Anyway... We've been surprised by the number of people who use My Favourite Holiday Cottages (My Favourites), stressing the importance of prices - even if only as a guideline. So many of you looking to book a cottage said you were reluctant to send an enquiry if you weren't sure a property was within your budget.

It appears

What Can You Expect to Find in An Eco Cottage?

From humble, earthy beginnings to luxury chic, in terms of living standards and comfort, eco-cottages have come a long way in recent years. Staying in an environmentally-friendly holiday cottage these days is as much a pleasure as it is gratifyingly satisfying to be kinder to the planet than most kinds of tourism. Try one – it’s a pleasure and an education!

My Favourite Holiday Cottages invited Chris Burton, the owner of two enviously beautiful and award-winning Cotswold eco-cottages, to write about what makes them such a light touch on the environment without compromising on luxury.

Over to you, Chris…

 

How to Have an amazing holiday and tread lightly upon the earth.

When we opened The Chestnuts holiday cottage just over ten years ago, Eco Holidays had a touch of the worthy about them. ‘Eco cottages’ as they become known were often dimly lit - using as few lights as possible,

Here's the thing. According to Rentals.com, 82% of guests are more likely to complete a reservation for your holiday cottage if your listing or website displays evidence of Smart Tech items in your holiday cottage. Even better news, 60% will be happy to pay more for holiday homes using Smart Technology. What's not to like?

Of course, it's necessary to get to grips with what Smart Tech items you can install in your property (start with ones that will encourage better energy efficiency to keep those bills down). And then, of course, your guests will need to know how to use it...

So, read this handy guide from Rentals.com, which covers all you need to know about installing and managing Smart Technology in the home and ways to ensure your guests can use them properly. It's not simply a list of smart items but a perfect plan for managing your inventory without causing problems once in place.

Even (Holiday) Cottage Industries Need Plans to Be Successful

 

To have a successful holiday cottage business, you need more than just a holiday cottage and adverts on My Favourite Holiday Cottages and other leading self-catering directory sites. Your success will heavily influence how you market and manage your holiday rental business. For that, you need a plan.

Like many people, holiday cottage owners can prove amazingly resilient to the idea of setting aside a reasonable amount of time to prepare a business plan. And yet, it's equally amazing to hear people who have committed to designing a plan commenting on the increase in bookings and revenues they have achieved as a result. They also say that having a plan to stick to makes managing the business much easier and simpler.

When working on a task managing or marketing your holiday cottage, ask yourself why I am doing this. What will it achieve that is important to the success of my business

 

You're Welcome! Mouth-Watering Cottage 'Welcome Packs'

That's the title of a forthcoming blog article featuring images of inspiring welcome packs for guests. There's nothing better than arriving at a holiday cottage after a long journey and finding a little basket of snacks and perhaps something grander to get the holiday off to a cracking start. 

  Your Photos Wanted

If you provide a welcome pack that goes beyond tea, biscuits, milk and possibly a loaf of bread, send us an image. We'll display the best of them together with a photo of your cottage and a link to your listing on My Favourite Holiday Cottages. 

Include a list of contents as well as examples of anything else you do to make your guests feel truly welcome on arrival. 

 

Email them to The Holiday Homefront, and we'll do you proud.

 

Image Credit

Thanks to Claire Franklin at The Cottage Gillamoor for supplying an example of the rejuvenating

When summer comes, the UK seems to go festival crazy. Across the country, tents, wellies and sleeping bags are thrust into cars, ruc-sacs and the occasional supermarket trolly for a 2-3 night shindig somewhere in the country with thousands of others.

But don’t think festivals are all about high-decibel music. There’s a growing breed of absolutely wonderful family festivals with events and activities for parents and children of all ages, from the tweenies to teenagers, to run alongside the music.

Most festivals have campsites, but if you don’t fancy sleeping in a sea of mud if it rains, let alone investing in a carload of camping equipment likely only to get one use, then why not combine your days at a festival with nights in a comfortable holiday cottage with clean loos, hot showers, fridges and Wi-Fi.

Here are our Top Ten Favourite Family Festivals with a suggested nearby holiday cottage in which to stay for the weekend.

 

1. Sail

Going Holiday Cottage Shopping?

Imagine that you had a shop in which the sole product on the shelves is your holiday cottage (or cottages). How would you market it?

Vacation Rental Supremo Alan Egan follows this line of thought in creating a very readable article on how you should market your holiday cottage to get more bookings. Simples!

Read More...

 

Links to More Good stuff from the Holiday Homefront - June 2018

 

6 Surprising Stats to Help Advertise Your Vacation Rental

What Holiday Cottage Upgrades Will Your Guests Soon Consider Essential?

Boost Your Holiday Cottage's Website Rankings & Traffic with Google My Business Reviews

Is Google Chrome About to Block Your Holiday Cottage Website?

HomeAway To Stop Charging Guest Fees And Start Charging Owners 

You're Welcome! Mouth-Watering Cottage 'Welcome Packs'

Homeway News: Hotels and Booking Fees

 

Holiday Inspirations Featuring