Posted by admin on August 20, 2010 under Holiday Home General Items | 
After the relaxation and unwinding during a week or two in Cornwall, the dreaded time comes when everything has got to be packed up, ready to make the long journey back home. In the rush to pack everything up and the stress of contemplating that everything might not now fit back in the car, items inevitably get left behind!
We look after over 100 luxury self catering properties in Cornwall, so we get many items brought back to our offices everyday that people leave behind. These items get logged and then put in our lost property racking (boxes cannot cope with the quantity) ready for them to be reclaimed.
To help provide some sort of guide as to what the main items are that get left behind, we have compiled a ‘top five things left behind on a self catering holiday.’
Top 5 Things Left Behind after a Self Catering Holiday
- Items of clothing – Mainly children’s.
- Charging Leads – iPHONE’s, iPODS, mobile phones, camcorders
- Children’s toys – Cuddly toys, bricks, action figures
- Electrical Appliances – Hairdryers, tongs, cameras
- Books
There has been a few strange things left behind that has raised the odd eyebrow but its all in a day of a Holiday Home Services Specialist company.
Tags: 2010 holiday lettings, Cornwall holiday homes, holiday home management, holiday home services cornwall, holiday lifestyle services, lost property in cornwall, luxury self catering cornwall, property management, property management in Cornwall, Self catering in Cornwall, things people leave behind self catering holidays
Posted by admin on August 6, 2010 under Holiday Home General Items, Holiday Home Owners |
Over the last few days, there has been much speculation in the local media that self catering bookings in Cornwall are down by as much as 20%. There has also been quite a bit made that visitors are staying at camp sites, rather than self catering properties.
As ever, you can only judge things as you see them and our statistics tell a different story!
We are a holiday home services specialist that provide housekeeping, property management and holiday concierge services to over 100 luxury self catering properties in West Cornwall, North Cornwall and Mid Cornwall. The luxury properties that we look after, rent out in the peak weeks from £ 1200 to nearly £ 6000 a week. Throughout July, August and September of this year, we are virtually at 100% occupancy for the three months and the bookings for October are looking like they will be ahead of 2009.
What perhaps can be deduced from our current market overview, and some current research with paying guests is the following:
> Bookings at the luxury end of the self catering industry is buoyant and increasing year on year.
> Quite a number of guests staying in these luxury properties are holidaying at home in the UK for first time or, the first time in a long time.
> The demands of what a potential customer is looking for in a self catering property has changed significantly over the last five years. They are looking for, as standard; Exceptionally clean and well presented properties, very good quality furnishings, Wi-Fi, well equipped kitchens, quality audio visual equipment, iPOD docking stations linked to music systems or standalone systems, use of house telephone (particularly where mobile signal is weak), inclusion of high quality bedding and cotton rich towels, very high standard of property maintenance, 24 hour helpline if they get a problem, amongst other things.
> Our Holiday Concierge business and the lifestyle services that we supply to guests is also on the increase and they can also influence bookings, where the guests can see that these services are available. These services include grocery shopping, housekeeper services and flexible chef services.
> If the property has additional features such as swimming pools, hot tubs, tennis courts or other such items, then these properties normally book better throughout the traditionally quieter periods of the year.
> The properties that we look after obtain their bookings through either letting agents, holiday listing websites or indeed via their own websites.
Bookings and expectations in the luxury end of the self catering market increases every year so it would be worth owners of properties that may need upgrading to consider this in the coming years. We can provide help and guidance to existing holiday home owners on what may be required and also to owners of good quality second home owners that perhaps have never rented before. We also provide all the necessary housekeeping, laundry, property management, property maintenance and guest services that are tried and tested services, to fully look after the property, property owners and the paying guests.
Posted by admin on February 22, 2010 under Holiday Home General Items, Holiday Home Owners |
A very common question we get asked regularly, as we look after 100 luxury self catering properties in Cornwall, with a lettings perspective across a number of letting agents and customer own websites is, ‘how are bookings doing this year?’
As of todays date, we have seen another significant increase in forward booked holidays for luxury self catering properties in Cornwall, compared to this time last year. It is generally known that getting bookings for peak letting periods is quite easy but the skill for any letting agent in Cornwall is generating bookings for low and mid peak times of the year. With this in mind, the summer months is nearly fully booked already and March is already a record month, and we still have bookings flowing in. April and May are looking very healthy and again they are up year on year which is a very encouraging sign.
Whilst we are not letting agents, we do help our customers select the best agent for them as we can draw on the factual results that we see and we have an up to date view on their performance, by town.
Part of the reason for the success of getting good bookings on the luxury properties that we provide our holiday home services to in Cornwall is the guest services that we supply to help enhance the guest stay. These services include Online grocery shopping, so that they arrive with it already packed away, flexible Housekeeper services to keep the property tidy and help the guests really relax and our holiday concierge services which enables us to provide whatever the guests require.
We do ensure the very highest of standards of housekeeping, property services and guest lifestyle services and with so many guests returning to properties that we look after, it is obvious that this has a major effect.
2010 looks like being another record breaking in the luxury self catering market.
Posted by admin on December 21, 2009 under Holiday Home General Items |
As we get ever closer to 2010, I start to review 2009 before we say goodbye to it.
2009 was another exceptional year for Perfect Example. We exceeded most of our self imposed targets, grew the business, employed more staff and generally had a very good time. 2009 will be remembered as, even though the UK was in recession, as an exceptional year for luxury self catering holidays, more visitors to Cornwall and more people enjoying staycations and realising that they don’t have to go abroad to have a great holiday.
We look forward to 2010 and increasing the luxury properties that we look after, welcoming more people to Cornwall and working at mach 10 everyday!!!
Have a merry Christmas and happy new year.
Posted by admin on September 5, 2009 under Holiday Home General Items |
Well August has come and gone ever so quickly and the weather was varied to say the least!! August was a record month with 100% occupancy all month (as you would expect) and even though the weather wasn’t as good as it should have been, guests were generally very upbeat and enjoying themselves in Cornwall. It is really important to equip rental properties with things to do if it rains so that when they are staying in, the whole family can be occupied and enjoying their holiday together.
I have been looking at our arrivals and departures for September across all the holiday properties that we manage and the bookings are also massively up again. This goes to show that effective letting agents or great marketing strategies will always pay dividends. We help most of our customers with their letting agent selection or if they want to do it all themselves, then we can provide the website, the booking systems and of course help with setting effective marketing campaigns.
From the second week in September we normally get great weather so let’s wait and see!
Posted by admin on July 6, 2009 under Holiday Home General Items, Holiday Home Owners |
In today’s competitive tourism market, the challenges of the global economic crisis will create winners and losers in 2009.
It is very likely that the winners will include owners of quality holiday homes in the UK.
With sterling now at a historic low in relation to the Euro and plunging against the dollar and other currencies, the UK is set to prove an attractive option to holidaymakers from overseas in 2009. Indeed, Visit Britain is pinning its hopes on a surge of additional overseas visitors, attracted by how much further their money will go in the UK this year.
But an even more significant market is the British holidaymaker, who is likely to think twice about holidaying in Europe or America this year, now that the weak pound looks like knocking a third off the value of their spending money. So there is every possibility that a greater number will decide to take their holiday in the UK this year.
As the leading tourism destination in the UK, the counties of Devon and Cornwall are set to win the lion’s share of this business.
Certainly, early indications from property management companies are that this prediction is on course to becoming a reality.
According to property management companies, bookings of UK holiday homes in Devon and Cornwall are higher than at the same time last year and holiday home enquiries are also running at a high level.
However, the supply of holiday homes is also increasing as many second home owners, who previously reserved their second homes for use by their own family, try to make additional income by renting their second home out to paying guests for some of the year. This trend will intensify competition in the self catering sector further.
The credit crunch is also likely to have a positive impact on the holiday home market, in comparison to other accommodation sectors. With most, if not all, holidaymakers feeling the pinch, they are likely to look for ways of achieving a high quality holiday experience but also saving money where they can.
Unlike hotel accommodation, holiday homes mean that customers can tailor their expenditure on food and drink to their budget. It is also possible to increase the party size by inviting additional family or friends to larger holiday homes, which usually works out less expensive than the equivalent number staying at a hotel.
With the range of facilities on offer in today’s holiday home, it is also easier to have a high quality experience spending time at the house itself, allowing the option to spend less money on visiting attractions and other secondary spend.
Indeed, the rise of holiday concierge services and other holiday home property management services is leading to an increased range of ‘a la carte’ features being made available to customers according to their specific needs. This allows the holiday home guest to tailor the experience to his wishes and budget, with greater flexibility than can easily be provided by other accommodation sectors.
In an age where the customer is king and flexibility is increasingly valued, this creates a competitive edge for the holiday home sector.
This makes it likely that holiday homes will be in pole position to benefit from the weakness of sterling and the increased demand for holidays in the UK in 2009.
