Rental Cottages are one of the UK's best modes of holiday self catering accommodation.



They offer fantastic value for money and the freedom to do as you please, that you don't get elsewhere. They also offer character, which is something that hotels never have, no matter how hard they try.

Booking has always tended to be via either large holiday property companies with mailing lists and holiday brochures, or through the local tourist information. The property owner normally pays at least 20 percent of the rental value in charges, with more if this includes property management, cleaning, up-keep and key handover.

More recently, since the advent of the internet, things are starting to change into a completely different shape. The bigger holiday companies have started to suffer, with the early internet advertisers taking off. Individuals with their own cottage website have done well if they are well organised.

It is quite easy, now, to have your own website and an automatic online booking calendar, which new customers can click on to pencil in a booking. This then sends you an email and an SMS text immediately. You can then call them back in seconds to confirm and take the deposit by credit card!

Isn't it great?

In the modern-age, owners must make it easy and slick for customers to get the information they need to make a decision. This means plenty of advertisement and Quick way to check availability. Speed is essential, otherwise they will quickly move on to the next option. It is not good enough to reply to an enquiry 3 days later, when the next property's website gives you all of this information.