How to Attract Popular Types of Holiday Cottage Guests

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The key to running a lucrative holiday let is to secure as many bookings as possible. Although it’s likely your typical guests will generally have similar requirements, it’s possible that with a little creativity a versatile holiday home can appeal to a range of holidaymakers. This means more bookings and more revenue.

Firstly, you need to decide who your ideal guests are. This will guide your marketing efforts and help determine the amenities you’ll need to provide.

Here is how to attract different types of travellers.

Families

Self-catering holiday cottages are a popular choice for families as they offer a relaxed environment where families can get together and enjoy some downtime. Whether it’s a family with young preschool children, those who are tied to the school holidays or a multi-generational holiday, families are a lucrative market to target.

When it comes to hosting a family, make parents lives easier by providing a safe, comfortable and stress-free holiday home with plenty of amenities to keep everyone entertained. Your aim is to give your property a competitive edge and persuade families to book.

How to attract families

• Families want a holiday let where there’s plenty of space to spread out with multiple bathrooms, en-suite bedrooms, a large kitchen diner for everybody to come together and spaces such as a snug where multi-generation families can relax separately.
• Very often, travellers choose holiday cottages instead of hotels so they can cook and enjoy meals together so ensure you provide a fully stocked kitchen.
• A ground-floor bedroom & bathroom is ideal for elderly family members who prefer to avoid climbing stairs.
• Zip and link beds offer flexible sleeping arrangements and bunk beds are ideal for young children.
• Provide a floor plan of your holiday rental so guests know the proximity of rooms from each other and can plan who’s staying where.
• Super-fast Wi-Fi and Smart TV’s so guests can stream their own Netflix or Amazon Prime shows is essential.
• A swimming pool, hot tub, games room or outside spaces where guests can gather and enjoy each other’s company are also great additions to attract families. Travellers book holiday homes seeking amenities and unique features they don’t have at home.
• Ensure your holiday cottage is child-proofed, such as baby gates for the stairs and child locks for cabinets.
• Provide essential equipment so parents don’t have to find space in the boot of their car, e.g. a highchair and travel cot.
• Provide a selection of items that will keep everyone entertained and make their stay memorable.

When it comes to catering to families you’ll want to ensure you recommend a variety of family-friendly restaurants and fun activities they can participate in together. Not forgetting a list of ideas and equipment to keep them entertained when they’re stuck inside on a rainy day.

Couples

Romantic getaways are a huge market to tap into. Couples are always looking to get away from it all for a few days to enjoy themselves or to celebrate a birthday, wedding, mini-moon or anniversary.

Such events allow you to grab their attention and market the romantic benefits of your holiday home.

How to attract couples

Start by showcasing your cosy and romantic holiday home. Invest in a professional photographer and stager to emphasise your romantic features.

You might consider buying a hot tub as these are high in demand for many couples. Likewise, so is a king-size bed as it makes for a more romantic setting. Log-burning fires are romantic because couples can visualise themselves cuddled up together all cosy.

Think about offering a honeymoon or anniversary package. This might include:

• A reservation or discount at a local restaurant.
• A romantic welcome basket (with chocolates, bath oils, flowers, etc.) You could add this as a chargeable option when booking.
• Offer a later check-out so that they depart feeling relaxed instead of rushed.
• Also, recommend activities for couples such as a spa day, wine tasting or a boat trip.

Remember to promote reviews from previous couples on your social media and your website. Ask happy couples to share photos of their stay on your social media. For example, opening your welcome hamper or in your hot tub with a glass of fizz. Social proof and testimonials of how much other couples have enjoyed your holiday rental encourage others to book.

Solo travellers

If you have a small property that typically attracts couples or small families, then it’s easy to adapt it to attract solo travellers.

How to attract solo travellers

It’s important to identify what solo guests expect from their trip and recommend places and activities accordingly. Do they prefer to explore places on their own or are they looking for social activities with other travellers.

More solo travellers are female than ever before in history so tailor your experiences and offers to women’s interests. Also, tailor your welcome basket specifically aimed at women – it could include coupons to woman-focussed businesses, cosmetics, chocolates and more.

People travelling with their dog

The demand for dog-friendly holiday cottages is on the increase as travellers choose to take their four-legged friends on holiday with them. Pet-friendly holiday rentals can also make 10–20% more rental income, it’s a lucrative market to tap into.

How to attract people travelling with their dog

Make your guests lives easier by providing useful items, for example:

• A warm outside tap, hosepipe and towels to rinse down and dry muddy dogs.
• Food and water bowls
• Crate/basket/bed
• Toys/ball
• Poo bags
• Spare lead
• An enclosed outdoor space

Provide useful information such as local dog-friendly visitor attractions, pubs, walks, parks, beaches, pet shops, taxis that accept pets and provide details of local vets in case of an emergency.

Business travellers

There is a growing proportion of the working population who can perform their work from anywhere. “Workationers” are likely to book holiday lets for several weeks as they can unwind during their non-work time and not be confined to a cramped hotel room.

How to attract business travellers and ‘workationers’

For digital nomads, a quiet, private space in your holiday home where guests can comfortably work with super-fast Wi-Fi is essential. You could even create an outdoor living area so guests have the option to work in the fresh air.

Think about providing amenities that give your property an edge over what hotels offer. For example, a desk with a comfortable chair, good lighting, stationary (pens, paper, post-it notes & a stapler), a wireless printer/scanner, extension leads and universal chargers.

Remote workers will want to ensure they look smart for remote meetings so make sure your property has a suit press and suit hanger. Throw in a few extras, such as luxury toiletries, an espresso machine, a juicer/blender to make a quick healthy smoothie, a set of kettlebells and a yoga mat so they can work out.

Also, leave a list of the best places to grab a quick breakfast, happy hour drink or solo dining. Leave a variety of take-out menus for those who would rather stay in.

Finally, and most importantly, invest in a great mattress, black-out blinds, eye masks and earplugs so that your guests can enjoy a comfortable and restful sleep and be as productive as possible each day.

Large groups

From a girl’s getaway to family reunions, groups often choose large holiday homes to catch up and spend time together. It’s a lucrative way of securing yearly bookings if it’s an annual event.

Naturally, the size of your holiday home is important but so are the amenities and activities available, both in the local area and at your property.

Before letting your property think about which type of groups you want to stay in your holiday home. You may decide that stag and hen dos are a no go, so make sure you make this clear when advertising your property and in your house rules.

How to attract large groups

Firstly, you’ll want to have various sleeping arrangements i.e. double beds, single bed, twin-rooms, cots, bunk beds. This way you can accommodate all types of groups.

Alongside this you’ll want to ensure there’s:

• A large kitchen with enough seating for everyone.
• Multiple bathrooms so there isn’t a queue for the shower in the morning.
• Enough parking spaces for several cars.
• Multi-socket chargers in each bedroom for multiple gadgets.

Holiday lets with outdoor amenities such as an outdoor kitchen, swimming pool or hot tub are in high demand.

Try to secure some discounts for activities such as paintball, climbing, spa days or private dining, by building relationships with local business owners. Typically, businesses are willing to give discounts for large groups. These discounts could be a huge incentive for groups to stay at your property.

Maybe leave a small gesture such as a photo booth for added entertainment. And don’t forget to include the classic board games like monopoly, Jenga and twister. These are huge crowd pleasers that provide great entertainment.

Finally, there aren’t many places that are big enough to host large groups so make sure you advertise on niche listing sites that target groups.

Seniors

Seniors or retirees enjoy travelling and seeing new places. They are looking for holiday homes that provide home from home comforts. With disposable income and an urge to travel in their free time, they’re an ideal holidaymaker to target.

How to attract seniors

Think about providing a comforting welcome basket with slippers and toiletries that guests can use around your holiday property. For extra comfort have a cosy log burning fire, during winter months this could be highly appealing. Have the option of separate sleeping arrangements and a ground-floor bedroom with an en-suite, as some seniors might struggle with stairs.

Include information on local National Trust sites, an overview of the local history and landmarks, parks, museums, boat rides, coach trips and a range of restaurants from fine dining to afternoon tea.

It’s worth finding out about guests’ hobbies so that you can provide information on their specific interests. If they’re into golf, then direct them to the nearest golf course etc. Also, try to include attractions that are discounted for seniors so that they can save some money.

Are there any guided tours in the area? If so, see if you can get a discount for your guests. Keep up to date on unique village fairs and local events so that you can share these with guests.

Also, provide clear instructions on how seniors who don’t drive can get to and use public transport whilst staying at your property.

People with disabilities

Many travellers with a disability struggle to find suitable holiday accommodation that caters to their needs. Creating a holiday rental that is adapted for people with a disability could solve this.

How to attract people with disabilities

Essentially, you want to ensure that everything that guests need is accessible and on the ground level so that there isn’t any need to climb stairs.

• Provide a wheelchair ramp.
• Make your bathroom accessible by adding a wet room, a sit-down shower and rails.
• Widen doorcases and put light switches lower down.
• Install smart devices that can be controlled from the comfort of a chair.

Create a series of guidebooks for those with mobility issues, listing attractions that cater to those with disabilities.

You could also try approaching charities to create a partnership to promote your accessible holiday rental that caters for those with mobility issues.

Longer term lets

Typically, when owning a holiday home, you let your property for one to two weeks at a time. However, some guests are looking to stay longer which can last from several weeks, up to a month. For holiday homes, avoid anything longer as you’ll have to look into a tenancy agreement and the taxation implications.

A longer let has many benefits, especially in the quieter months. You have peace of mind of a steady income, plus you don’t have the hassle of changeovers, worrying about where the next booking will come from or your property being unoccupied.

How to attract longer term lets

If people are staying longer they’ll want to feel comfortable and are likely to be more interested in the amenities than short-term holidaymakers.

For instance, you’ll want to:

• Provide cleaning products and a washing machine/dryer so guests can manage their own cleaning.
• Include plenty of storage space as guests will be bringing more if they’re staying longer, plus somewhere to secure their valuables.
• Provide safe parking.
• Offer a discount if it’s viable, maybe 10-15% including all utilities, as extra bills could be off-putting to some.

Before allowing long-term lets you need to vet them carefully and take a large security deposit. A lot of damage can be done in a month if you let to the wrong person.

Finally, long-term lets can be a brilliant way to ensure that your property is occupied for a set number of weeks. Just remember to check-in occasionally in a while to make sure they’re happy and everything is ok with your holiday home.

To Summarise

It doesn’t have to be difficult or expensive to market your holiday cottage to different groups. If you understand the specific needs of your target audience, you can easily adapt your property and marketing to attract them.

Ideally, your listing site ads, social media marketing and website should focus on the key selling points that address the needs and travel goals of your target guest. Families won’t want to see photos of couples with prosecco in the hot tub, nor would seniors want to see photos of digital nomads on their laptop at your workstation. Your marketing should enable each type of guest to imagine themselves staying at your holiday home.

Your property is unlikely to appeal to everyone, but the more people your holiday let appeals to, the more bookings you can secure to boost your bookings and income.