Island Life Magazine Ltd August/September 2012 | Page 160
BUSINESS LIFE
Does quality pay?
There are five top tips to help you maximise returns on your
holiday home, courtesy of James Foice, Quality Team Manager at
Blue Chip Holidays
Research from Island self-catering
specialist Blue Chip Holidays shows
that properties with a star rating
achieve 30 per cent more bookings
than those with none. Achieve a Four
Star rating and this increases to 36
per cent more bookings. Secure a
Five Star rating and you can expect
bookings to be 40 per cent higher than
for properties without a rating.
So how can you optimise the
quality of your self-catering property
and achieve the highest possible
star-rating?
• Quality: Associate your holiday
home with a luxury offering where
furniture is stylish, co-ordinated
and not flat packed. Lighting and
heating in each room should be fully
controllable and responsive. Make
sure chairs are comfortable, practical,
durable and well dressed.
• Co-ordination: Care should be taken
to ensure colours complement, fabrics
coordinate and styling is appropriate
to the property.
• Canny investment: Investment
can often be prioritised in small
affordable chunks that lift your guest’s
experience. High quality saucepans,
cutlery, crockery and utensils can lift
a kitchen without the need for an
entirely new makeover. Sleep is sacred
so crisp Egyptian cotton linen and
pocket sprung / memory foam mattress
are a must. Towels, televisions and
pillows should always be high quality.
Prioritise investment on things the
guest can see and touch. Always try to
wow your customers. A property that
has gone that extra mile will almost
always attract more interest.
• Attention to detail: Ensure the
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property is pristine on arrival. Guests
don’t want to think someone else has
stayed there the day before.
• Go that extra mile: Consider a
welcome pack of wine, chocolates,
local preserves and refreshments; first
impressions are so important and
will be remembered. Think about the
little details; cookery books, reading
material, children’s toys, fishing nets,
buckets and spades, garden games,
gym/ swimming pool membership and
local restaurant discounts. Anything
you can do to make your guest’s
stay more enjoyable will increase the
likelihood of a return booking next
time.
Blue Chip Holidays is an accredited
partner of Visit England, one of only a
select handful of self catering agencies
licensed to carry out the national Star
grading assessments on their behalf.
For more information the Quality
team at Blue Chip Holidays can be
contacted on 01803 881029 or email:
[email protected]
To see the range of Blue Chip
Holidays’ 4 and 5 star properties visit
www.bluechipholidays.co.uk