Hard times for the holiday let industry in the UK?

[user1477391263]

Seems like the post-COVID recovery, crappy weather, COL and other factors have dampened the situation for people owning holiday lets in places like Cornwall. On the other hand, perhaps (as the article hints towards the end) there will be an increase in long term rental properties coming on to the market.

https://www.theguardian.com/money/2024/apr/07/britains-staycation-boom-may-be-over-as-bookings-dry-up?utm_term=Autofeed&CMP=twt_gu&utm_medium&utm_source=Twitter#Echobox=1712464698

Anecdata from talking to friends tells me that many people are fed up with the rising cost of holiday lets in these places, more and more demands being placed on guest re cleaning etc., and the fact that so many local places like restaurants are understaffed; of course, part of the issue may be that locals have to an extent been priced out of the local housing market, meaning there are fewer people available to clean, mow lawns or wait on tables. It may be a good thing if the local housing market self-corrects in this manner.

It is different to hotels though @Greenwa12

It is standard in hotels for check in to be at 3pm (not 4pm or 5pm as is common in many holiday lets) and it is standard for check out to be at 11am not 10am.

You say you have not had one guest complain but I have never complained about check in and out times at holiday lets because I know those in advance so why complain? But things like that do make me prefer hotels/b&bs/pubs with rooms. Maybe you run a great business but I think you can see from the large number of comments on this thread that many holiday lets are not so good as yours and this helps to explain people are criticising them. Plus they can be ridiculously expensive in tourist hot spots, for what you get.

i think holidays are important. Why should people not feel ‘entitled’ to them? I agree that they don’t have to be super-expensive, and that’s really the problem now that there is very little between basic camping and luxury holiday cottage/holiday park/hotel. If people cannot afford a holiday, that’s the fault of the government for facilitating low and inconsistent pay and ridiculously high housing and other subsistence costs. But you shouldn’t blame people for thinking they ought to be able to afford a holiday.

I don't about it being an entitlement but I do often get to a point with my mental health where I need a change of scene. Don't know if this is common.

Doesn't even need to be anywhere nice or fancy, just different.

People need to cut their cloth accordingly @NewFriendlyLadybird

People have agency & free will & it's not the government's responsibility to ensure people have holidays.

I used to clean in a hotel. The difference is that you can get started early, by about 8am, as some rooms the occupants will have left early to catch flights or because it was a business trip rather than holiday. Then you move onto cleaning the next set as people go out for the day or vacate. Finally the last set of people who vacate right to the deadline. Those get cleaned around lunchtime-early afternoon.

That means there will be some rooms ready before 9am if someone wants to check in early.

It's very different to a holiday cottage where you might need 3-4 hours to give the whole place a thorough clean, have a load of crockery from a dishwasher to put away, maybe a garden to maintain and have to wait for the holiday-makers to leave first.

It’s the government’s responsibility to create an economic environment in which people are paid enough that they can afford discretionary spending, which can include a holiday. Not necessarily a month in a five star resort, but a week in a caravan or a holiday cottage. We’re a rich country: there should be enough cloth to go round. I really don’t like this poor people (or those on average incomes) should just stop being poor attitude.

We do a lot of staycations and a big draw for us is dog friendly. I have found though recently prices have really jumped up. Plus all the extra rules are off putting.

We initially liked the idea of a holiday cottage but with more hotels snd b&bs being pet friendly we are using these more.

We'll have to agree to disagree @NewFriendlyLadybird as I very much believe in individual responsibility and no one being entitled to anything they haven't earned.

We use holiday cottages instead of hotels because we have a dog. What I've noticed over the years is that generally the places that look like they've had the least amount spent on them seem to have the most rules.

One place we stayed in the Lake District had little laminated signs in every room, "Empty the bin" and "Do not shower long than 7 minutes" kind of thing.
I recognised one of the duvet covers as being from the 1980s. It looked like perhaps a relative had owned the property, died, and rather than buy anything new the inheritor had just decided to use all their existing stuff for holiday guests.

Another one in the Lakes actually had a prominent sign in the kitchen insisting that anyone who used the oven must clean it afterwards, because the owners don't have an oven-cleaning fairy.
That's exactly what I want to be doing on holiday, how relaxing!

I don’t do it anymore but I used to own a holiday cottage and have a business cleaning / caretaking them for other people. No laminated signs but a dirty oven was an utter pita. I used to absolutely insist people had a spare set of racks and grill pan for the oven. (£25-50 per item) so I could take them home and oven pride them in bags. Even at that a properly dirty oven can still an hour of time to your changeover.

I may be an exception by the sounds of it. No bed-stripping/rubbish or cleaning requests - beautiful toiletries & linens/very comfortable beds & sofas with a fully-equipped kitchen
Check-in/Check-out 4pm/10am are determined by my housekeeper who manages dozens of properties.
It's not an "airbnb" - it's a short-term rental property. Airbnb/booking.com are just some of the platforms we use to market our small business & we contribute to other local small businesses, as do our guests (and we stay often ourselves as we have family & work in the area)

The laminated signs
This all rings true with me. It's the "accidental" holiday let owners who haven't researched the market and expect Auntie Mabel's 1980s decor, ornaments and saggy beds to be treated like a National Trust place.

I know this is an old thread but I hope this is the case. It's a living hell for the neighbours. Most people don't put on their home buying must haves "neighbouring a small, poorly managed hotel with trashy neighbours".

https://www.thesun.co.uk/money/29521887/second-home-owners-seaside-town-council/ Sorry for the Sun link, but this piece about Tenby illustrates some of the difficulties in moving away from the AirBNB or holiday home option. It seems that when taxing second homes, there are a lot of loopholes, and some local people who are married but live separately from their spouse can wind up being hit by the tax as well. Plus, some of the former second homes have been bought up by other out-of-Towners who are elderly and retired. They are there in Tenby year round, but spend less than the holiday makers, and of course will consume a lot of public services in the form of GP visits, medical care, wanting bus services and so on.

Can’t help feeling that the best solution to all this would just be to adopt a supply side solution and just build more houses in these areas, and accept that some of them will stand empty part of the year. Or encourage a shift towards hotel tourism and build hotels with facilities that would encourage more year-round visitors, like facilities that would encourage visitors who want to do conferences and conventions, spa type stuff that could be enjoyed for a holiday at any time of year…