Let us guide you through everything there is to know about holiday home renovations.
Staycations are quickly becoming a popular alternative to flying when it comes to holidays. For the moment, the cost and admin that comes with booking a holiday abroad isn’t feasible for most. Many people are therefore choosing to book a stay closer to home.
Just like the sales and lettings markets, short-term holiday lets has seen a huge surge in recent months. For the first six months of 2021 it was reported that 1,401 holiday let companies incorporate, ‘up 83 per cent from the same period in 2020 and 119 per cent on 2019‘.
There’s, therefore, a huge demand for both affordable and luxury UK holiday homes, and could be the perfect business venture. Read on to find out more about what to consider for a holiday home renovation.
Why is interior design so important for holiday lets?
Holiday lets can be challenging projects, because they find themselves crossing both into the residential and commercial sectors. Although guests will only be staying on a short-term basis, they nevertheless need to experience a property which is as homely and comfortable. In the same breath, a holiday let is a commercial venture for the property owner. They need to make a return on their initial investment in order to make their business viable.
It is important to specify a style that you want to achieve throughout a property before starting a holiday home renovation. This is where we can help. The style should be sympathetic to the location of the holiday home. Don’t forget though that you will need the interior design to catch the eye of a potential guest when they are browsing to book, so you can push the design boundaries more with a holiday home.
The continuity of a style throughout the home is very important. It is true that the more ‘put together’ and high-end holiday home looks, the more you can charge per stay. This therefore increases your return on investment. Remember that as well as attracting potential guests, you should also rely on positive reviews and repeat bookings.
What are some key things to remember when renovating and furnishing a holiday let?
The type of holiday home you’re renovating
The type of property that you have, whether that’s a two-up two-down beachfront cottage perfect for a small family, or a luxurious Georgian townhouse which can sleep up to twelve people, will determine the renovation choices that you make.
We are able to assist with the space planning as well as lighting and electrical plans to make sure that the property will work well for your guests.
The scale of the renovation
For a larger scale holiday home renovation, you may need to consider extending the property or renovating the outdoor space too. For instance, if the home is close to the beach, could the property benefit from the installation of an outdoor shower, for example? Perhaps you could charge significantly more per week by installing a fire pit, or even a pool? These extra features should be fully costed up and integrated into your budget as well as the nightly/weekly cost per stay.
We work with our trusted partners to bring your holiday home renovation needs to life. Whether its bespoke storage solutions, kitchen design, or specialist lighting, we can make it happen.
Customer Enjoyment
If you’re venturing into the staycation business, we would always recommend putting yourself into your customer’s shoes before you start renovating. Sometimes thinking about what your requirements would be when staying away from home is the perfect place to start. This is where a focus on small details can really come in handy. The little extras are often the aspects which your guests will remember most fondly about their visit.
On the whole though, when guests are going on holiday they are trying to leave the mundane tasks of cleaning and tidying behind for a while. By choosing durable materials for the kitchen work surfaces, floors and bathrooms this will alleviate pressure and will be equally long-lasting.
Comfortable furnishings are also essential to guarantee that your guests are able to relax on their break. Make sure that there are plenty of ‘hygge-style’ throws and blankets for maximum comfort.
Wellbeing
Wellbeing will always be at the top of our list of considerations to make. It’s worth remembering that your guests or prospective customers are planning to stay with you for a holiday. Holidays are essential breaks from everyday tasks and responsibilities; a chance to relax. The last thing either of you want is for their holiday let to be a cause of undue stress.
One of the key ways to maintain or improve wellbeing is through good quality sleep. Quality sleep can be achieved through quality bedroom furniture and furnishings, so make sure to invest in a mattress, bed frame and bedding sets.
Sustainability
Linked with wellbeing is an increasing scrutiny from guests to make sure that their holiday is as sustainable as possible. The motivation for a lot of people behind remaining in the country and choosing not to fly abroad for a holiday is sustainability. When renovating a holiday home, pay close attention to the sustainable credibilities of suppliers, and choose local suppliers where possible.
Be bold
We’ve already mentioned this, but a holiday home can afford to be more bold in its interior design than standard residential projects. Not only does the property need to stand out from the crowd, but the fact that guests are only staying for a short time means that they will want to stay somewhere that looks completely different to what they see every day.
When renovating a holiday home, choose some bolder soft furnishing pieces. We would make recommendations for more daring accessories, such as mirrors, artwork and lighting to bring a sense of style into your property.
We will work with you to choose an appropriate colour palette and specify all of the relevant furniture, fixtures, fittings and accessories. The only thing left for you to do is to welcome in your first guests!
The final touches
Advertising your property online or on social media is a must. Therefore having high quality photographs taken of your renovated holiday home is imperative. You need to make sure that your property stands out on the increasingly crowded holiday home lettings market, as well as reaching new potential guests through social media or travel publications.
If you’re interested in finding out how we could help with your holiday home renovation, get in touch with us here to book your free consultation. Our packages are tailor-made to fit with your requirements and budget. To find out more about our services click here.
Don’t forget that you can also keep up to date with our ongoing projects, and what’s going on behind the scenes by following us over on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.