Do you really want fluffy towels and new linens? What are your limits with country holiday lets?

[cottageinthecountry]

I'm about to renovate a cottage for letting out for holidays. It's in a very rural position and can withstand a lot of wear and tear regarding mud and wildlife. I'm letting it out on Airbnb which has been great but I'm quickly getting drawn into the competitive linen game.

It's a great place for children and pets to charge about in the mud and I'm almost certain this will be brought into the house on a regular basis - it's rural position is its charm. But how do I market something so that people don't expect it to be spotless as a spa resort and give me bad ratings and disgruntled reviews?

I would be grateful if you could tell me what you prefer - a bit of mud and insect life or a spotless haven? What are your boundaries?

[cottageinthecountry]

We're getting the electrics re-done as the sockets are stiff. Again it's tricky getting everything the way you want as you need planning permission for everything as it's listed. I see the building as an incredibly old piece of furniture of which I am custodian. You can't just stick nails into it and gouge bits out or paint it. All you can do is restore it and work your way round it. I'm hoping that people understand that. Even the extension is 200 years old so I have to take care of that too.

[CuttedUpPear]

We have just been away and stayed in 2 airbnb places.
They were pretty immaculate but that isn't high on my list.
I am more into interest and comfort.

Warmth matters more! I was a bit cold in both of them at bedtime. I would have preferred a big blanket to pop over the duvet than any fancy high thread count sheets.

[MarshaBrady]

If I booked a Georgian cottage I would want some luxury. Definitely not grotty but not run of the mill either. Rustic and with warmth and comfort.

[cottageinthecountry]

K8 I can't give people the amount of bathrooms they require because it's simply not possible. It's 500 years old, people crapped in the garden in those days, so 1.5 bathrooms is luxury compared to that. When my parents bought it it had a chemical toilet in the shed and one cold water tap in the kitchen. No bath at all.

I'm not clueless, I've just not had to think of it in terms of money/profit yet as I have only just inherited it. My ballpark figure is around £500 income on average per week maximum. I'm just glad to have two bookings so far. Is that too low do you think?

I think I started this thread to work out in my head how much I want to invest in the details. It is clear from most people's comments that the details are the most important aspects. And my experience of other people's lets is also that small things niggle. I'd rather go camping than have stuff that doesn't work or is uncomfortable / awkward / ugly.

[K8Middleton]

We have a listed Georgian cottage so I totally understand the restrictions (we need permission to replace a Homebase front door with a reclaimed period one ) and there are things you can do that make sense when it is your home but just won't cut it for a holiday let.

Holiday lets need to be clean, well equipped and cosy. Things like wool blankets, electric blankets and good lighting can make a huge difference but you cannot have 10 people sharing one loo. Especially not two families as suggested on the website!

And wtf is that on the amenities page about "handicapped access". Have we gone back in time 50 years?

[cottageinthecountry]

Here's what I'm hoping the finished product will look like:

www.airbnb.co.uk/rooms/1419489?guests=8&s=xl3o

[cottageinthecountry]

K8 it's American. Handicapped is their disabled.

I'm now worried about the loo. Perhaps that can come in phase II?

[MarshaBrady]

Yes that's it. Idyllic and pretty.

[K8Middleton]

Maybe think about reducing the number of bedrooms? Go for quality over quantity. It will also mean less washing for you.

If you said "sleeps 6 comfortably due to only one bathroom" and then referred to the spacious playroom/study/library/den or whatever that might be better for managing expectations??

The issues you refer to about the chemi loo in the shed and tap are of no importance to your guests. They won't care if you built the whole thing single handedly while blindfold. They will just want to be able to have a poo in peace without worrying about a queue forming outside the door!

Btw, what is 1.5 bathrooms?

[K8Middleton]

Yes that is a lovely place. Looks like a very expensive bath!

I bet she has fluffy towels and naice bed linen

[cottageinthecountry]

Gorgeous isn't it Marsha. Same kind of building. It is a huge space.

K8 initially I was going to let just two of the rooms and keep the others for ourselves as they are going to take a lot of renovation. There is a lot of old family stuff that needs to be stored because nobody wants to get rid of it etc etc. Perhaps that's what I should do for the first year. That way the first year I can focus on getting some good reviews and getting details right such as new sofas and some new beds. One of my bookings is a day booking for a garden party.

[cottageinthecountry]

She's an interior designer. She has an unfair advantage. I am a garden designer so I should be able to use that to my advantage. :)

[K8Middleton]

Good idea to use your talents.

I think you might be right to shut up some of the bedrooms for your own use and focus on creating two or three beautiful bedrooms, a good quality bathroom and nice living areas. There's obviously a lot of personal history for your family so it might help to separate out the "business" bits from the "family" bits.

I have been browsing holiday cottages this week and I think we're going to pay the extra (about 40%) for the lovely looking one in the country with the garden instead of the less lovely looking one by the beach.

[MarshaBrady]

Yes it will be lovely. I'd stay. But do get the nice towels

Those pale sofas look clean, that would be more of a worry with grubby toddlers and/or mud than linen.

I'd do that pic of croissants and coffee on a tray (a must it seems) fresh garden flowers - all that stuff.

Obviously the space / cleanliness is important, but after all that is done the pretty details will delight people. That will get good reviews.

[Graciescotland]

Meh hate to be accused of chasing free advertising but if you like I'll pm you a link? I think you're idea of doing one bedroom is a good one. In the summer people will pay 100+ to stay in a lovely bedroom and that's my nightly rate for a whole house.

[Graciescotland]

K8 that bath is nearly three grand from cast iron bath company!

[Grennie]

The linked cottage looks lovely. But it says it sleeps 8 and I can't see how you would fit 8 people round that dining table. I have organised a number of holidays for bigger groups and that is not uncommon. But I would never book them. If you want your cottage to be for 10 people, you need a dining table that fits 10 people. But I agree with 1 bathroom it is unlikely large groups will be interested.

[KristinaM]

Cottage -I see you have a small down stairs bedroom -can't you make that into another bathroom?

I know you think we are all banging on about the bathrooms, but it's really important. We have stayed in cottages with just one bathroom and that was just about ok when it was only 5 of us . And that with 2/3 kids who are small enough to use the bathroom at the same time IYSWIM

I also think you need to be realistic about who is going to be onsite to manage any problems when you are two hours away.are you going to drive there on changeover day,spent 4 hours cleaning, 2 hours on the garden, welcome the next guests then drive2 hours home?

If I were you I would get your interior designer friend to give you a couple of hours free consultancy in exchange for the same in her garden .

[KristinaM]

Oh and I forgot, that's not including the time you will spend doing the laundry at home. Or the cost of sending it out

[Grennie]

And there actually being enough chairs etc for everyone, is much more important than an expensive cast iron bath.

[TheDoctrineOfSnatch]

I think it is a good idea to let a smaller amount of the space to start with.

£500 per week is pretty good value though - are there 10 people in each of those bookings?

[Grennie]

£500 per week is not good value for 10 people expected to share one bathroom.