The UK holiday rental market is more crowded than ever. With approximately 500,000 short-term properties available across the UK, renters have a range of options to select from. The success of a rental property usually comes down to strategy, not luck in this crowded market.
Many owners spend a lot on fancy interiors and professional photos. Still, they usually overlook the key features that guests really want. Knowing what matters to guests and acting on that knowledge is essential to making your property stand out.
This guide is for all hosts, whether you are experienced or setting up your first guest welcome pack. If you want to charge higher nightly rates, attract more bookings, or even compete better with nearby rentals, these four tips will help you succeed.
At Cottages To Let, we provide personalised assistance and help you discover charming rentals in Dorset and across the UK that fit your lifestyle and budget.
Essential Tips to Make a Cottage Rental Stand Out
Here are the four essential tips to make a cottage rental stand out:
Turn Your Outdoor Space Into a Selling Point
Outdoor space is a popular feature that many people look for when booking in the UK. However, most listings don’t highlight it well. Guests often filter listings by outdoor space before reading the description. If you don’t clearly show your outdoor area, you might miss out on potential customers.
Many cottage listings treat their gardens as an afterthought. They often show just one photo of a lawn or briefly mention a patio. That’s not enough to turn a browser into a booker.
You can attract more bookings by showing your outdoor space as a welcoming setting. A defined seating area with a fire pit, a covered pergola, or a well-maintained, well-lit gravel terrace tells guests they can enjoy their time outside.
If your outdoor space is enclosed or covered, be sure to note that. Properties with these features mostly attract more bookings in autumn and winter, when occupancy rates fall. A covered outdoor dining area or a sheltered seating spot with good lighting can really encourage year-round bookings, unlike an open lawn.
Look at how top Airbnb listings in rural areas show their outdoor spaces. For example, a two-bedroom cottage in East London highlights a large garden office as a key feature. A Herefordshire listing promotes a beautiful oak-framed studio set on a private family property as its main attraction. These features matter; they draw guests in and lead to more clicks.
Add a Garden Room and Watch the Numbers Move
If you are adding a structure to your outdoor space, it can be a great investment. A garden room can help you earn up to £7,500 a year tax-free under the UK government’s Rent a Room scheme, depending on how you set up your property. For many cottage owners, this income can justify the cost.
Adding a structure also changes how guests view your property. It offers more space, privacy, and flexibility. Couples looking for a creative retreat or remote workers needing a dedicated workspace will pay more and stay longer at a property with these features.
Elfords, experts in building sheds, summer houses, and other timber structures, offer a wider range of options than many owners expect for a small outdoor area.
Source: https://elfords.co.uk/
The key is to choose a structure that fits your guests’ needs. A home office pod attracts one guest type, while a well-insulated summer house appeals to another. Both options are better for bookings than leaving an empty spot in your garden.
If you are adding a garden room to your holiday let, explore our useful guide on turning a garden room into a profitable Airbnb space.
Answer the Questions Guests Ask Before They Book
Guests do not just look at photographs; they filter them. They use dropdown menus and checkboxes to narrow down outcomes by specific features before seeing your listing. If your listing doesn’t include these features, it won’t appear in their search results.
Review your listing and check it against the common filters on popular booking sites. Features like a hot tub, dog-friendly options, enclosed gardens, parking, fast Wi-Fi, and wood burners matter. If your property has any of these, but they are not mentioned and shown in photos clearly, you are losing visibility.
Think about the questions guests have when they view your listing:
- Is there enough space for kids to play?
- Can they bring their dog?
- Will it be warm enough in October?
- Can they get a phone signal or work remotely?
Answer these questions in your listing. Address the specific circumstance the guest is planning for, rather than providing a generic description of the cottage.
Reports show that well-styled rural cottages with specific, benefit-focused descriptions earn 15-20% more per night than similar properties with generic text. Good photography is important, but so is the description that accompanies it.
Price for the Season, Not Just Summer
Many cottage owners set their prices and leave them unchanged. This can be a costly mistake in the holiday rental market.
Using dynamic pricing can boost income by adjusting prices in response to local events, school holidays, and seasonal demand. Tools like PriceLabs and Beyond Pricing can automate this process. They collect data from similar listings in your area and adjust your rates in real time.
Rural cottages with outdoor features can attract longer bookings during off-peak times. For example, an October half-term booking may be possible if the property has covered the following:
- Outdoor space
- A hot tub
- A wood burner
Make sure you price these features accordingly. The off-peak season can be a valuable time. For the right property, it offers great opportunities at lower prices.
For a clearer picture of how to apply data-driven rates across the year, take a look at this dynamic pricing guide that walks holiday let owners through adjusting rates based on demand, local events, and seasonality.
Conclusion: The Details You Control Make the Difference
Success in the UK holiday market depends on being intentional. A fully booked calendar shows that an owner understands what guests want, from attractive spots in the home for photos to a competitive year-round pricing strategy.
You don’t need a large budget or a full renovation to see improvements. Often, small changes in how you present your property or how you use outdoor spaces can make a big difference. These focused investments can lead to increased interest and higher occupancy rates.
Take a moment to look at your listing from a guest’s perspective. Check if your features match what travellers typically search for, and view your garden or patio with the same level of importance as your interior spaces.
The guests you’ve missed are not choosing other properties by accident; they are opting for owners who understand their needs. By following these steps, you can ensure your cottage is the one they are eager to book next time.
