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One of the most valuable marketing tools in your holiday letting arsenal is great feedback from guests.
When it comes to hitting that ‘book’ button, nothing will sway them towards choosing your cottage more than rave reviews.
“Such an amazing break”, “the best cottage we have ever stayed in by a long way”, “even more special than I had hoped” – how can you get such glowing feedback flooding in with each guest who holidays in your property?
The answer is: give them something to shout about in their customer testimonials.
Cleanliness
Guests have very high standards when it comes to cleanliness. Anyone who has had a bad experience upon entering a hotel or holiday let will know that if things aren’t spick and span, it puts an immediate damper on the holiday.
Don’t leave room for complaints. If everything is spotless, guests will concentrate on the many positives of your property in their reviews.
When you or your cleaner has finished the house-keeping, be sure to do a quick walk around the property to check everything is ship shape and sparkling.
A warm welcome
Even if you’re not around to greet your guests personally, a phone call prior to their arrival will let them know that you’re available and on hand to help.
If you can be there to meet them, it’s the perfect opportunity to share some local knowledge and tips for their stay and to make sure they know how to get in touch with you if they have any questions.
If your property is on a farm for example, or has particular historical interest, you may like to offer to show your guests around, or allow children to come and help feed the animals. This helps make their holiday more memorable, and gives them something specific to mention in their review.
The welcome pack
An often over-looked item, the humble welcome pack can work wonders for improving your guest reviews.
Nowadays guests expect to be provided with staple supplies such as tea, coffee and a starter pint of milk, but consider supplementing the simple things with a few nice-to-have extras. Biscuits, local produce or chocolates are sure to go down well, as are little treats for children in the party, and even dog biscuits for the four-legged guests!
Put yourself in their shoes
“They’d thought of everything” is a phrase which is regularly cited in positive reviews. It’s relatively easy to inspire your guests to leave such a comment, by simply putting yourself in their shoes.
Walk through your property, simulating your day from start to finish and it’ll help you to identify anything which is missing or which could be improved.
From the simplest of things such as a towel rail by the bath to more specific items such as a space to dry wetsuits after surfing, every little thing you can do to make your guests' stay more comfortable will stand you in good stead for a positive review.
A focus on quality
Quality furnishings and décor speak for themselves and are so much more appealing than value options which are likely to be less durable and show more wear and tear.
The feeling of quality will make guests feel positive about their stay and will hopefully inspire a great customer testimonial.
Encourage people to leave reviews
Sometimes, even when they are more than happy with their stay in your property, people need a little nudge to give their feedback.
Here at holidaycottages.co.uk, we email guests shortly after their stay to encourage them to leave a review. Having recently returned from their holiday it’ll be fresh in their memory and they can quickly and easily leave their comments using our online review service.
Make the reviews work for you
Consistently receiving fantastic reviews is only of value if you can ‘show them off’ to potential guests.
Our Property Managers read each review for the owners they work with and they are displayed on your property page on our website, which is used by over 12 million searchers every year.
We offer unparalleled marketing for your holiday property, delivering you the best possible booking levels. For a free appraisal, please get in touch with our friendly Property Advisers today.
Posted by Clare on 5 September 2017.