How to increase the star rating of your holiday home

Last Updated on November 17, 2014 by admin

Quality accommodation is a critical element of any stay in a holiday home.

In a commitment to championing quality, all of Britain’s major tourism organisations (including VisitEngland, VisitScotland and the Wales Tourist Board) work together to agree, support and develop common standards for assessing the quality of self-catering accommodation.

So what are they really looking for when they’re searching for quality?

We’ve taken a look at VisitEngland’s most recent helpful tips and highlighted some of the things you may not have thought of.

Remember that first impressions count

Quality assessors will be looking for signs of quality from the moment they approach your holiday home. Will they be welcomed by well-kept gardens? A parking space free from weeds? Hanging baskets at the front or fresh flowers when they enter the property?

Quality will need to extend to all areas of their stay with you and this begins when they arrive. Ensure the exterior of your holiday home is well kept and that if you live away from your property you have measures in place to ensure these standards are maintained.

Do you provide all the mod cons?

Guests may have a variety of reasons for staying in your holiday home. Some will want to get away from it all, others may want entertainment for their children and access to the internet should the inclement British weather rear its head during a long stay.

Providing WiFi is a key and repeated theme within the VisitEngland helpful hints, along with providing DVD players, stereos, televisions and a range modern appliances in your kitchen.

Those that don’t want to use the technology in your cottage won’t turn it on but it is recommended that your holiday home keep apace with technology.

Quality doesn’t stop you being you

The style and character of your holiday home are what makes it unique. The quality scheme isn’t geared toward making all accommodation the same; it aims to embrace and enhance the diversity of holiday homes across the UK.

If you are being accessed don’t worry about your property having a personality; the tastes and interests of your assessor won’t have an impact on your rating.

Don’t forget the outside areas of your holiday letting property

VisitEngland indicate that the outside of your property is just as important as the inside. If your holiday home includes a garden or outdoor area for your guests to enjoy it’s recommended that this is furnished to the same level of quality as the inside of your holiday home.

Be sure that you have sufficient seating for the number of people your holiday home caters for and that if guests are looking for luxury and quality they’ll not want to be seated on plastic patio furniture.

Following a long summer, barbeques also get an honorable mention, with attention needing to be paid to making them as simple as possible for guests to use and cleaning between changeovers.

Holiday Home Housekeeping

When it’s described as ‘possibly the single most important part of the holiday letting process’ you’ll know that it’s vital you get this right.

There are more complaints made about cleanliness than any other area of holiday home accommodation. Whilst your property should be clean and tidy in anticipation of your guest’s arrival, when looking to achieve a high quality score cleaning isn’t just about cleaning; it’s also a case of presentation.

Is your bed linen crisp and well presented? Are your kitchen cupboards organised?

Be specific when instructing cleaners and housekeepers in order to ensure that the extra touches are carried out to your requirements.

Want to find out more helpful tips on how to increase the star rating of your holiday home?

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