Holiday lets tips and advise

[Dairyfarmerswife]

human touch is almost priceless in my view.

Speaking as a guest here, not a host, I can't emphasize enough that there has been a human touch with every single one of our Airbnb stays. The best, probably, was the guy in Spain who arranged to meet us at a petrol station to guide us in, showed us around the whole property as well as our accomodation, allowed us to used veg from the kitchen garden, and checked via WhatsApp that we were getting on ok a few times during the holiday. He was staff rather than the host at that place but I exchanged emails with the host after our stay about the plantation and organic farming, which we both had an interest in, which went far beyond reviewing! It might seem odd but there really is a personal touch to Airbnb that I don't think you get with the anonymity of a holiday let agency. It is particularly useful where there is a language barrier too.

No doubt some use Airbnb as a travel lodge but if, as in the case of one family holiday let, that means guests are exposed to a little bit of farming and countryside during their stay surely that is only to the good? It's also a valuable income stream with much lower commission than some.

 

[ollie989898]

Christ alive, you cant charge for bed linen and a wifi password!!!

At the very least you should provide tea bags, coffee milk and sugar I agree.

Some evenings we would get walk in guests late at night or blokes who had been working late on some project or similar. The old man and I would rush up to house keeping, service a room if needed and then whip in the kitchen to cook em ham egg and chips.

You try finding a big posh hotel that would do that. Or a travel lodge??

 

[foxbox]

Christ alive, you cant charge for bed linen and a wifi password!!!

You can't but some can!! Wouldn't dream of trying it myself but it takes all sorts I guess

 

[suffolksmallholder]

I suppose as I'm into out-door living I see no point in offering contact with the outside. I've been working on my wild area for nearly a decade now & I'm still not satisfied that I could let it but I'm taking the risk for one week this summer. Starting from scratch is an interesting concept because things have to be grown, they don't simply arrive fully finished!

Some enquiries do tell me that not having TV, wo-fi is the deal breaker. I explain that perhaps they'd be happier in a Travel Lodge @ollie989898 & they don't book. This is great for me as I'm not really into hosting dissatisfied people. Best scenario was turning down demands for all the electronics & within half an hour having confirmation of a booking for someone who is completely satisfied with the peace & lack of said gizmos.
SS

 

[Muddyroads]

That is fine, but with air bnb you don't have any control over who turns up.

We use AirBnB and can't fault it. Put a cleaning charge on each booking and it takes the sting out of the shorter stays.

 

[Still Farming]

Pre pay electric meter are good idea too as some guests leave all heating and electric ,lights on -windows open and go out all day !
But if they got to pay for electric on top puts lot off !

 

[suffolksmallholder]

If I wasn't using the internet platform I'd have pre-pay electricity or it would be inclusive in the rental price. Keeping things all electric is easier & safer than having gas & the anual LL certification that goes with it.
Re leaving the windows open. The main fire exit wondows can be left but there are lockable window restrictors available so they can't be opened any more than for ventilation purposes.
http://www.easylocks.co.uk/penkid-w...MIsbCMj6P12AIVa7XtCh0vYwYCEAYYAiABEgIkOfD_BwE
SS

 

[Alex-w]

Exciting farm diversification idea I've just written a post about it http://agrismart.co.uk/agricultural-land-farm-diversification-options/ If you need any help with a website that's optimised for Google traffic and with complete booking facilities and anything else you need drop me an email [email protected]

 

[Still Farming]

What's basic Price ?

 

[ollie989898]

You are worrying too much about pre-pay electric and gas or whatever, just make sure the property(ties) are comfortable and up together. Ask yourself, would you pay to stay there?

You are approaching the job from the wrong angle with a farmer hat on. Don't be a skin flint or someone trying to sweat every last penny out of people.

What you want are a core collection of really nice clients you would prefer to see again and again. Families and groups who are no bother whatsoever. Tell them you will do them a discount for the out of season times or something.

I like the idea of a welcome hamper, that is a really individual thing.

I used to do a bit of work for a chap who did farm house B and B for years, he used to sit with his guests in the guest lounge of an evening and hand them a few sherries out of his own drinks cabinet, sit by the fire and talking about farming etc. I think he had begun to enjoy the hospitality side of his business more than the farming.

You can and probably will all make serious money from this kind of enterprise, how you approach the job will determine the outcome, it is exactly the same as with meeting new people or dealing with the public.

We used to have a deputy manager who was a total expert at turning virtually any complaint, problem or disaster into a stunning public relations coup by doing something that went beyond the extra mile for customers. He would have them eating out of his hand and feeling utterly in his debt. He was a genius. The aim of the game is to ensure every punter spends the most he can and offers up lots of repeat business.

Eventually you probably won't even need to advertise.

 

[suffolksmallholder]

Looks like a good set of ideas @Alex-w. This will help a lot of the farming community who may find the planning process daunting.
A good idea will always stand on its own two feet irrespective of how the planners first react. The time taken to do the to-and-froing is often the most frustrating & can take more than a year to obtain a positive result. There are always the often overlooked Bat checks which are also another hidden surprise, particularly relating to older buildings.
SS

 

[ollie989898]

Anyone want me and the wife to visit and give unbiased and subjective reviews of your enterprise?

You can ring the old man actually and he will offer consultancy for a small fee.

 

[suffolksmallholder]

@ewebarn.
I was the young journeyman mason on a barn conversion in Leafield http://www.leafieldvillage.co.uk/ in the early 80's. That lovely Oxfordshire stone, warm in the sunlight. I wonder if you're in the stone area or the brick area nearer to Oxford itself? Stone roofs starting with almost flag sizes & going down to tiny little 3" pieces at the ridge.
If you've a barn(s) like that you will have a lovely but fairly expensive time doing the renovations. All those picturesque Cotswold villages, Moreton-in-the-Marsh, The Rollrights & the Rollright stone Upper & Lower Brailles to name but a few. Probably one of the best tourist spots in England so worth every effort to get-it-right-first-time.
SS

 

[Rowland]

I'd never return to somewhere that did pre paid electricity and gas meters!
If I knew before this was the case I'd never book it .
I pay for all gas & electricity all year round , winter bookings who pay the least use the most ! I supply logs at virtually cost . Honestly box .
Right or wrong not sure . I often think about closing the houses down from end of Nov to end of Feb excluding Christmas and new year .
Edit- what I do find is the f-ers who go in the off seasons and pay less are the most critical.

 

[ollie989898]

I'd never return to somewhere that did pre paid electricity and gas meters!
If I knew before this was the case I'd never book it .
I pay for all gas & electricity all year round , winter bookings who pay the least use the most ! I supply logs at virtually cost . Honestly box .
Right or wrong not sure . I often think about closing the houses down from end of Nov to end of Feb excluding Christmas and new year .

Fair play on the logs. Centre parc charge an arm and a leg!

I would not fear shutting for Christmas or New year, family is more important than business. We used to shut the hotel down on Christmas day, the staff had worked like trojans for 6 weeks prior and deserved a break.

 

[Rowland]

Fair play on the logs. Centre parc charge an arm and a leg!

I would not fear shutting for Christmas or New year, family is more important than business. We used to shut the hotel down on Christmas day, the staff had worked like trojans for 6 weeks prior and deserved a break.

New year ! Most expensive week of the year! Followed closely by xmas .
Edit- that what commission is pay for !

 

[Rowland]

Anyone want me and the wife to visit and give unbiased and subjective reviews of your enterprise?

You can ring the old man actually and he will offer consultancy for a small fee.

You been exposed
https://www.google.co.uk/amp/www.in...-trolling-bullying-snobbery-a8172181.html?amp

 

[foxbox]

I'd never return to somewhere that did pre paid electricity and gas meters!
If I knew before this was the case I'd never book it .
I pay for all gas & electricity all year round , winter bookings who pay the least use the most ! I supply logs at virtually cost . Honestly box .
Right or wrong not sure . I often think about closing the houses down from end of Nov to end of Feb excluding Christmas and new year .
Edit- what I do find is the f-ers who go in the off seasons and pay less are the most critical.

Pre-pay electricity meters are a big no to me too; add an extra £30 on the weekly rental instead if it causes a lot of concern. There will be guests that leave everything on but there will be others that are out for the entire time and cost you virtually nothing. If someone is paying you £700 a week to stay in your cottage they don't want to be sticking coins in a meter every day or so and frankly they shouldn't have to. It'll appear in a review online somewhere very quickly too.

We intended to shut for the winter months (Christmas and New Year excluded) but have found a local park home site has planning restrictions meaning they can only occupy the site 10 months of the year. We have repeat long stay bookings from this every year so there are ways beyond tourists to fill the cottages up. But as Ollie and Rowland have said, customer experience and repeat bookings are the most important things you can get so don't put anyone off with small cost items that will cause resentment.

 

[Northernlights]

In my experience its the vast increase in new self catering units which is diluting the market in our area. I think that this is down to the fact that low interest rates make cash on deposit very low return so many now buy a property to let out with this money .We have gone from about 5 within 10 miles when we started 30 years ago to 60 plus today.
As above the personal touch usually reaps rewards and we ourselves do all the cleaning. You also have to be up to speed with social media using Facebook etc.

 

[suffolksmallholder]

In my experience its the vast increase in new self catering units which is diluting the market in our area. I think that this is down to the fact that low interest rates make cash on deposit very low return so many now buy a property to let out with this money .We have gone from about 5 within 10 miles when we started 30 years ago to 60 plus today.
As above the personal touch usually reaps rewards and we ourselves do all the cleaning. You also have to be up to speed with social media using Facebook etc.

I never planned to do what I'm doing at all it just fell into place with friends & family expressing delight with my creation.

I agree I've watched a good number of derelict/redundant farm buildings that have been rebuilt/refurbished locally over the last decade. I think this is a positive thing because I'm just fortunate to live in a beautiful area AND it brings beneficial business to the farming community & locality. I'm not in an AONB, just traditional farmland.
I can't do all the figures at once but consider the official figure here for just MID-SUFFOLK; £167,450 000 as a total tourist spend in 2016 & it is increasing! Bring it on for farm diversification
SS