👋 Welcome to this weeks newsletter.

Alongside our usual roundup of news we have a fun one for you - Offering you the opportunity to improve your listing description using a custom ✨ AI prompt I have developed. read on to find out more…

See you next Saturday at 5pm?

Phil

Founder, My Holiday Guide

IN THE NEWS

Airbnb's long-term rental marketplace in the UK is currently being piloted in London with Greystar, a property management company. Renters who participate in the program must share 10-25% of their hosting revenue with their landlord.

In this article Knight Frank warns that without proper verification, the initiative risks landlords being exposed to unauthorised property listings by tenants subletting without approval.

Airbnb designed the long-term rental marketplace to address concerns about the platform's impact on housing shortages and rising prices.

Host & Stay, recently acquired Peak Staycations and Peak Cottage Management, its fifth acquisition of 2024, expanding its portfolio to over 1,500 properties. This acquisition adds 46 properties in the Peak District and strengthens Host & Stay's comprehensive management services. The company's growth is fuelled by the recent £10.5M investment, supporting its strategy of acquiring other short-term rental businesses across the UK.

The Welsh government have announced a tourism tax of £1.25 per night that could begin in 2027. This “visitor levy” would apply to guests staying at hotels, bed and breakfasts, and self-catered accommodations. Hostels and campsites would have a lower rate of 75p.

Councils would be responsible for implementing the tax in their areas. The money would be used to fund tourism promotion, promote the Welsh language, and improve infrastructure and services for visitors. Although not all councils are expected to implement the tax, it is estimated to raise £33m a year.

Accommodation hosts would need to register with the government to collect the tax. They may eventually also need a license to operate.

This article also highlights that other cities such as London are also considering implementing a tourist tax.

Airbnb is calling on authorities in Barcelona and other cities in Spain to reevaluate their strict regulations on short-term rentals. Airbnb argues these regulations, intended to alleviate housing and over-tourism concerns, have proven ineffective and primarily benefit the hotel industry at the expense of local residents and tourists. Airbnb highlights data demonstrating a rise in long-term rents and hotel prices despite a reduction in short-term rental numbers, suggesting that focusing on vacant homes rather than restricting short-term rentals would be a more effective approach to address the housing crisis.

LISTING PERFORMANCE & GROWTH
Tips and strategies to enhance the visibility and attractiveness of your holiday let.

Craft Irresistible Listing Descriptions That Actually Work

If you’re trying to optimise your listing description, and have even tried using Chat GPT but find you are getting generic, bland suggestions that just don’t cut it then here’s an idea.

Just hit reply and send me a link to your listing and within one working day I will send you a PDF with a new description suggestion using a custom ‘prompt’ I have developed. I will also use one of your listing photos to help craft a response that describes the design and aesthetic of your property!

If this works well I might turn it into a self-service tool that you can use to improve existing listing descriptions as-well as generate descriptions for new listings.

FEATURED RESOURCE
Highlighting useful tools and resources for your holiday let.

Quality Welcome Book Folder

A nice practical one this week! A host was recently on the lookout for a new folder to place here A4 printed welcome book pages into that wasn’t a ring binder and had a more premium cover.

There was one option suggested that you also may find useful. Available in different colours:

In this slower season it’s also a great time to refresh your welcome book. You can still create a FREE modern and elegant welcome book PDF using our app. Just sign-up for a 14 day FREE trial.

INTERIOR DESIGN
Interior design inspiration and decor tips.

PROPERTIES OF THE NEWSLETTER
We all love looking at and getting inspiration from other properties so here’s our top pick for this edition.

NO FOMO
Missed last weeks newsletter? Here’s one thing you might like.

Introducing the STR Index

In last weeks newsletter we introduced the concept of the Short-Term Rental Index as a way of providing an easy way of representing the health of the STR Industry.

You can read more by following the link to our LinkedIn article.

SHARE AWAY
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