Anyone here do holiday lets / B&B? Any tips for first timers?

[MrsJorahMormont]

We have a large house (HMO) which is a student let during the year and a holiday let in the summer. We're new to this kind of rental and learning as we go. Does anyone have any top tips? E.g. good places to get bed linen, ways of bringing it up like new, ways to minimise cleaning etc.?

Thanks in advance!

Hi mrsjorah we are also starting self catering next year we are renovating a cottage snd also looking for tips! Appparently a brand called musbury fabrics is best for bedlinen and alot of hotels use this make they have their own website

Not really to do with ' furnishing' it but if I were you I'd try spending a few days living in it.We once stayed in a beautiful converted barn(the first holidaymakers in) but the owner clearly hadn't a clue about what basic things to provide-e.g a toaster an oven glove ,egg cups .No hooks behind bathroom door for your dresing gown .Really simple stuff ..And the ground floor wet room was leaking by the end of our two weeks.
There is a company in the West Country (Tregonning Mills?) which must supply crockery etc to
most holiday homes down there as we've stayed in several with the same things .Easy to replace if you break something though

Sorry just saw these replies thank you! Great tip about the shower hooks, that is exactly the kind of thing that would drive me mad! I bought a lot of crockery etc in Argos and Asda so will pick up some egg cups too - hadn't thought of those!

We often buy farm eggs on holiday and the kids used to love boiled eggs with bright yellow yokes and soldiers(toasting bread unde a grill is a faff and uses a lot of electricuty

Bedside lights are nice too
Decent sharp knives in kitchen
A grater
Decent mirror in bathroom
Lots of coat hangers (the yellow ones dry cleaners give you are fine )
A boot scraper outside back door if it's in the country
i'd love to have a holiday cottage-I've stayed in so many !

Posted too soon
Lasagne type and casserole dishes big enough for the number of people staying there -I can't be the only person who cooks some meals on holiday? We stayed in a cottage for 5 recently . The cookware was too small .

You might want to consider 2 separate sets of stuff depending on how well students round your way care for stuff

Make sure there is a sieve and a colander. I had to drain pasta using a slotted spoon in a self catering apt last week.

Oh yes to the sieve . I've risked scalding trying to drain stuff
(childrens')DVDS /CDs and books are nice .Including guide books to the area. I have no idea if people pinch them though . I've left loads of paperbacks in holiday cottages . It's a bit dire when you are reduced to old Readers Digests on a rainy day . Though they do have a certain something ...

Thanks all Most of these we have although I might get another big Pyrex roaster / lasagne type dish. Yes definitely a colander primal and I feel your pain, we had to do the same in a holiday apartment recently and the air was blue!

Cats definitely - although they will be mature students in the main, lots of overseas PhD people.

We've stayed in lots of holiday cottages and these are some of my must haves. A decent place to sit and put makeup on and dry hair so a plug socket must be near. Decent blackout curtains in the bedrooms,quality beds and linen,bath mats and a well stocked kitchen and cleaning cupboard.