Investment: Holiday homes season after season - Ross Elder, HolidayLettings.co.uk

Holiday homes season after season

I think I may have made up a word this week – seasonalise. The spell check certainly doesn’t like it, but it seems to encapsulate everything I want to say about making a holiday home work hard for you all year round.

Letting and managing a holiday home is by no means a mighty feat; I probably spend no more than a few hours a week during peak booking periods responding to enquiries, processing bookings and sharing information on the local area with future guests. It’s a small donation of time to ensure that my guests have the best possible start to their stay with no questions unanswered. But the conversations do vary from season to season, just as the way you market your home should.

The fantastic thing about my apartment in Ibiza is that thanks to Ryanair people can now fly to the island three times a week during the winter months, something that other airlines choose not to because demand is generally lower. Although on the quieter side of the island with less to entice people during the cooler months, it’s great just to have that option to fly direct and it does make me think about pitching my home as a place to go for some warmth and respite from the grey skies of the UK.

For those with true winter sun homes, pitching a sunshine holiday at this time of year is all about latching on to the reasons people will want or need that kind of holiday now. It could be to escape the British weather, to use up holiday allowance, to escape with toddlers out of school holiday periods or it could be people planning a post Christmas treat.

Those with ski chalets have the same issue when pitching their mountain retreat during the summer months. At that time they still appeal to the adrenalin junkies out there, just those more inclined to mountain bike, or hike or climb. They also appeal to those seeking fresh Alpine air, lush countryside and lakeside breaks as an alternative to the beach.

If your holiday home works perfectly for Christmas and New Year breaks you have to think about switching your marketing around a little too. There’s a narrow window when it works to have wintery scenes and festive decorations in the photos most prominent in your marketing. The rest of the year these photos sit towards the end of your photo gallery providing the captions that go with them sufficiently explain what you are trying to express.

Homes of all sizes in the UK are hugely popular during this period with enquiries from families large and small as well as groups of friends and families holidaying together during this celebratory period.

There is further opportunity, however, in the periods lying either side of this time where seasonalising your home still matters. Autumn and winter breaks often take the form of short midweek breaks or long weekends. They often appeal most to those of retirement age or those with pre school age children. Prices generally reflect lower demand during these times and savvy home owners will promote special offers to entice people.

Wherever your holiday home is, there will invariably be some seasonal fluctuations which impact upon the reason someone is looking to visit your location and stay in your home at that time of year. The key is to acknowledge these subtle changes and to understand what holidaymakers are looking for and when.

Ross Elder

A buy-to-let investor and holiday home owner, Ross is passionate about doing holiday home letting effectively and efficiently with oodles of customer care. He is a keynote speaker on successfully marketing and managing holiday home lettings and instils much of his drive into the team at Holiday Lettings. Founded by Ross and his business partner Andy Firth in 1999, the company is now the busiest holiday home website in the UK