🏠 What does the solar eclipse tell us about location based marketing?

As England and Wales record their wettest March in 40 years, I’m sure you’re with me in hoping that April will be better!

In this weeks newsletter I have pulled together some interesting facts, studies and news to help you keep informed and grow your holiday let business.

See you next Saturday at 5pm?

Phil

Founder, My Holiday Guide

IN THE NEWS

Booking dot com with Statista have released a report that digs into Europe’s travel and accommodation sector. As Booking dot com has a larger proportion of hotel bookings the report is more focussed on hotels however there are a few interesting facts highlighted:

• The UK is the leading European region when it comes to building new hotels - accounting for 17% of new construction across Europe. London, Liverpool, and Edinburgh being the cities with the largest hotel construction pipeline

• Gen Zs (born between mid-1990s and the mid-2010s) are said to value authenticity and uniqueness over luxury and opulence. To capture Gen Z's attention, travel companies must offer mobile-friendly websites, personalised recommendations, and be present on social media

• 9.9% of GDP is generated by travel & tourism in the UK

According to the latest released data from UK Finance, there was a sharp increase in repossessions of buy-to-let mortgages in the last quarter of 2023, increasing by 56% compared to the same period in 2022.

In our directory we have a number of mortgage advisors listed.

Other news

• The BBC has reported a slower than normal Easter for Wales tourism - Maybe due to weather, maybe due to a general downturn

• Airbnb have updated their cancellation policy (taking effect from 6th of June), to make it easier for reservations to be cancelled and refunded without consequences due to "foreseeable weather events”. You can read their Major Disruptive Events Policy here

• Airbnb is seeing significant growth in Dubai with the volume of listings currently at 25,000, up by more than 11,000 since 2021

• There’s a few holiday let related exhibitions and conferences coming up in the near future:

  • Property Investor Show | 19-20 April | London

  • Scale Green | 23 April | London

  • Short Stay Summit | 24 April | London

The upcoming total solar eclipse on April 8th, visible across a path through the USA, is creating a surge in localised bookings. This map highlights areas where Airbnb rentals are already booked up for the event.

This is a powerful example of how localised events can significantly impact your bookings. By understanding these trends, you can optimise your marketing efforts and pricing strategy to maximise your earnings during these events.

In next weeks newsletter we will be providing ideas for creating social media posts to help you create content around local events to your property and other topics.

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

A holistic strategy for increasing bookings

A couple of weeks ago we highlighted that, based upon an owner survey, 55% of owners are getting less than 5% repeat bookings.

To further dig into how you can increase bookings as a whole we can created the following areas of focus as a holistic strategy.

We all appreciate that there is no golden bullet to increasing bookings, so our aim is to provide you with bite sized chunks of goodness through our newsletter that will help you achieve incremental improvements in all areas of your holiday let hosting journey; whether your a new host or have many years of experience.

Which of these areas are you most interested in hearing more about first? Hit reply and let me know - All inputs welcome!

If you would like a PDF of this chart, just hit reply and say something like ‘please can I have a copy of your fancy diagram’!

FEATURED RESOURCE - PRESENTED BY MY HOLIDAY GUIDE
Highlighting useful tools and resources for your holiday let.

My Holiday Guide digital welcome book.

We may be a bit biased but we are very excited about the new version of our digital guide book that is currently in development.

If you’re looking at providing a digital welcome book, or want to try something more elegant than your existing digital guide book app provider then our new app might be just right.

The app is especially designed for owners or property managers of multiple properties; but it works equally well for just one property.

We will be launching soon, but only to 10 new clients. If you are interested in being one of these ten for a free 14 day trial just hit reply and let me know?

IN THE DIRECTORY
Weighted blankets from Dunelm

Studies have been completed that show the benefit of having a weighted blanket for better sleep.

Upgrade your bed throw to a weighted blanket to provide extra comfort for your guests. Dunelm currently have a good deal on 7Kg weighted blankets*.

* This is an affiliate link. I may earn a small commission from any sales at no cost to you.

SAVINGS
Here's a quick round up of discounts and deals we are aware of from providers to the holiday let industry.

• Dunelm’s sale continues with up to 50% off within their offers page

• The Original Bed Co have £100 off when you purchase a bed and mattress together using the code MATTRESSBED100

• The Ethical Superstore have £10 off when you spend £70 or more

• Hug At Home currently have 15% off using the code HUG354. Valid until April the 12th

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.

FUN FACTS

Iceland is one of few countries in the world that doesn’t have mosquitos.

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

In last weeks newsletter we looked into ways you can make your property more sustainable and eco-friendly.

Check out last weeks newsletter below to catch up if you missed out.

SHARE AWAY
Do you find our newsletter useful? Feel free to forward it to your host friends so they can benefit too.

If a friend sent you our newsletter, you are welcome to subscribe to not miss next weeks edition.