Forget driving home for Christmas, thousands of families are taking to the skies to spend the festive season abroad.
Is your holiday rental ready for them?
Do People Really Go Abroad for Christmas?
In 2018, official statistics from travel giants ABTA found that over 4.7 million passengers headed abroad over the Christmas and New Year period.
This festive period, around 18 December – 2 January, coincides with the school holidays and many companies closing for the Christmas break, making it the perfect time to travel.
It also allows for unique benefits associated with travelling in the winter, such as lower temperatures in countries considered too hot to visit in the height of summer- providing much-needed winter sun opportunities.
Popular locations to find winter sun include:
- The Canary Islands
- Alicante
- Egypt
- Dubai
- India
Festive joys, such as Christmas markets, visiting Father Christmas in his grotto and guaranteed snow in countries in the Northern Hemisphere also entice travellers away from home.
Popular locations for these Christmas activities include:
- Tromso
- Lapland
- Munich
- Frankfurt
What Do People Want From Their Holiday Lets?
More adventurous travellers might prefer private holiday lets, including apartments, flats, and villas which offer the perfect base from which to explore the local area.
Unlike families who stay in hotels, those who hire self-service holiday lets are happy to cook and clean up during their time away. They also need less in terms of onsite facilities- they are probably not expecting a pool and a kids club!
They will expect, however, a home-from-home to spend their Christmas holiday in, filled with everything they might need to make their stay comfortable and stress-free.
This is likely to include:
- Good quality furniture
- A well-equipped kitchen
- Extras and personal touches
Good Quality Furniture
The furniture and décor style of your holiday let will likely be the second most important reason your property is chosen, after its location.
Timeless and Sturdy
Although you want it to be homely and welcoming, furniture needs to be able to stand up to heavy, varied use, be easy to keep clean and comply with fire regulations.
Simple and timeless is best, with a real focus on functionality and durability.
Beds and sofas will experience high levels of use and are more likely to experience wear and tear, so these will need replacing often unless you choose high-quality pieces initially.
Similarly, timeless furniture will need to be replaced less often- lest your property develops an old-fashioned feel that will not be popular with renters.
Visually Appealing
Furniture and decor also need to be visually appealing.
Your best bet would be to choose a décor style that matches up with your location. For example, a beachside villa could easily host a coastal or Hamptons style, featuring seaside touches and natural materials, while keeping things relatively neutral.
Very busy décor, overly loud colours, and very niche décor could put people off and stop them from choosing your property.
To add personality, smaller knick-knacks and accessories are easy to choose, replace, and pack away and can help your advertising photographs to really pop in listings.
Well-equipped Kitchens
When staying in a private let, holidaymakers will be cooking and eating their own meals.
As such, they will need all the basics they would expect to find in their own home kitchens, including:
- Crockery and cutlery, e.g., plates, bowls, knives, and forks.
- Cooking utensils and cookware, e.g., spatulas, whisks, pots, and frying pans.
- Countertop appliances, e.g., kettles, toasters, and microwaves.
- White goods and cookers, e.g., fridges, freezers, dishwashers, and an electric or gas oven and hob.
They would also benefit from dining spaces with seating, including breakfast bars or dining tables.
Not everyone wants to eat off their laps!
If coming abroad, holidaymakers are unlikely to choose properties that are not fully furnished-. They don’t want to use their baggage allowance to bring a kettle, especially if their suitcase is full of presents!
Festive travellers may also want to cook their own Christmas or New Year celebration meals and eat around a table together, which they would find difficult without their usual mod-cons and a dining suite.
Extras and Personal Touches
These touches can range widely, depending on the property and the country but could include luxury items such as wine fridges, coffee machines, log burners, and outdoor furniture.
These items will make your property feel more opulent and impress guests, which could lead to better reviews and more frequent bookings.
Luxurious items can also elevate the appearance of your property, enhancing the staging for letting pictures. Great letting pictures entice your customers in, so it’s important to ensure that they look as appealing as possible while accurately reflecting what your guests will find when they arrive.
Extras can also be helpful accessories rather than extravagant furnishings, but these can often be just as impressive for guests.
Small things like bottle warmers, highchairs, and cots will be very popular with family properties, while romantic getaways in Europe might boast drinks coolers and mood lighting from adjustable lamps to help couples relax.
Fabulous Furniture for Your Holiday Let
However you choose to furnish your holiday rental, your furniture creates the first impression for potential visitors.
It is therefore key to source the best furniture you can, to create an inviting home-from-home that people want to stay in.
If you need to fully refurnish, finding a furniture company that can fill your home with complete furniture packs might be the easiest way.
This method of furnishing is easy, fast, and stress-free, ensuring that all your furniture will match- creating theall-important cohesion throughout your property, that helps it to look its best.
Leaving you with more time to choose the perfect Christmas tree and baubles to attract festive travellers.
