How to Set up a Holiday Let & Marketing Tips to Increase Bookings

If you’re wondering how to rent out a holiday home successfully, the reality is that simply listing your property online is rarely enough on its own.

The holiday letting market has become increasingly competitive, and owners now need to think beyond basic advertising if they want to attract more guests, increase direct bookings and encourage repeat stays.

At Schofields, we’ve worked with holiday let owners for many years and have seen how the most successful businesses take a proactive approach to marketing, guest relationships and long-term growth.

In this guide, I’ll bring together some of the most effective strategies we’ve discussed across our blogs on direct bookings, customer loyalty, special offers, email marketing, partnerships, outsourcing marketing and handling last-minute bookings.

The goal is not to overwhelm you with marketing theory, but to explain practical ways to improve your visibility, strengthen your booking performance and build a more sustainable holiday let business.

Understanding how guests book holiday homes

Before looking at marketing strategies, it’s important to understand how guests search for and choose holiday accommodation.

Many guests begin their search on large booking platforms because they are familiar, convenient and easy to compare.

However, guests often research properties further before making a decision. They may search for your property name directly, visit your website, check reviews or compare prices.

This means that your marketing should not focus solely on attracting first-time guests through listing platforms. It should also focus on:

• Building trust

• Increasing direct bookings

• Encouraging repeat visits

• Strengthening your brand

The owners who perform best over time are usually those who combine multiple marketing methods rather than relying on one single source of bookings.

Why direct bookings matter

One of the most important aspects of learning how to rent out a holiday home successfully is understanding the value of direct bookings.

While booking platforms can provide excellent visibility, relying entirely on third-party websites can leave your business vulnerable to commission fees, changing algorithms and increased competition.

Direct bookings help give you more control over your business.

Benefits of direct bookings include:

• Reduced commission costs

• Improved profit margins

• Greater control over guest communication

• Stronger customer relationships

• Better opportunities for repeat bookings

Many owners find that guests who have previously stayed at their property are far more likely to book directly in future if the process is simple and trustworthy.

This is why your own website, communication strategy and guest experience are so important.

Building trust through your website and branding

If guests are going to book directly, they need confidence in your business.

A professional website plays a major role in this.

Your website should clearly communicate:

• What the property offers

• Why guests should stay there

• How to book

• How to contact you

Strong photography, clear descriptions and visible guest reviews all help create trust.

Brand consistency is also important. Your property name, imagery and tone of voice should feel consistent across your website, listings and social media.

Over time, this helps make your holiday home more memorable and encourages repeat bookings.

Using special offers strategically

Special offers can be a highly effective way to increase bookings when used carefully.

However, discounting should be strategic rather than constant.

If guests begin to expect discounts all the time, it can reduce the perceived value of your accommodation.

Instead, special offers are often most effective when they are:

• Seasonal

• Time-limited

• Targeted at specific gaps in availability

• Designed to encourage repeat stays

Examples might include:

• Midweek offers

• Late availability discounts

• Extra nights free

• Returning guest offers

The key is to use offers to stimulate demand without undermining your overall pricing strategy.

Well-positioned offers can also help create urgency and encourage guests to book sooner.

Managing last-minute bookings

Last-minute bookings are a common part of the holiday let industry.

While many owners prefer bookings well in advance, there are often opportunities to fill remaining availability closer to arrival dates.

Last-minute bookings can help:

• Increase occupancy

• Reduce empty periods

• Improve overall revenue performance

However, managing them effectively requires flexibility and planning.

Pricing strategy often becomes especially important.

Many owners choose to adjust prices closer to arrival dates in order to remain competitive and attract spontaneous bookings.

Visibility is equally important. Guests searching for last-minute accommodation typically want quick answers, clear information and fast booking processes.

That means your listings and website should:

• Be fully up to date

• Clearly display availability

• Make booking straightforward

• Respond quickly to enquiries

Communication speed can make a major difference with last-minute bookings because guests are often comparing multiple options in a short space of time.

Encouraging repeat bookings and customer loyalty

One of the most overlooked aspects of how to rent out a holiday home is customer retention.

Many owners focus heavily on attracting new guests while overlooking the value of repeat visitors.

In reality, repeat guests can become one of the most reliable and profitable parts of your business.

Guests who have already stayed with you:

• Know what to expect

• Require less reassurance

• Are more likely to book directly

• May recommend your property to others

Customer loyalty often comes from consistently delivering a positive experience.

Small details can make a significant difference, including:

• Clear communication

• Personal touches

• Smooth booking processes

• Clean and well-maintained accommodation

Following up after a stay can also help strengthen relationships and keep your property in guests’ minds.

Why email marketing still matters

Email marketing remains one of the most effective tools for maintaining guest relationships.

Unlike social media platforms, email gives you direct access to previous guests and interested enquiries.

Building an email list allows you to stay connected with guests over time and promote:

• Special offers

• Last-minute availability

• Seasonal updates

• New features or improvements

Email marketing can be especially effective for repeat bookings because recipients are already familiar with your property.

However, successful email marketing depends on relevance.

Guests are far more likely to engage with useful and targeted emails than generic sales messages.

For example, sending occasional updates about local events, seasonal availability or returning guest offers may feel more valuable and personal.

Consistency is important, but overcommunication can become counterproductive.

The goal should be to remain visible without overwhelming people.

Building business partnerships

Partnerships can also help increase visibility and strengthen your holiday letting business.

Local partnerships are particularly valuable because they can improve the guest experience while also helping generate referrals.

Examples of useful partnerships may include:

• Local attractions

• Restaurants and pubs

• Activity providers

• Tourism organisations

• Wedding venues

Partnerships can create mutual benefits.

For example, recommending local businesses to guests may strengthen relationships and encourage those businesses to recommend your property in return.

These partnerships can also help differentiate your accommodation by adding extra value to the guest experience.

In competitive markets, offering guests helpful local recommendations can improve satisfaction and encourage repeat stays.

Outsourcing holiday let marketing

As holiday letting businesses grow, marketing can become increasingly time-consuming.

Many owners eventually reach a point where managing:

• Listings

• Social media

• Website updates

• Email campaigns

• Photography

• Advertising

becomes difficult alongside day-to-day property management.

This is where outsourcing marketing can become useful.

Outsourcing allows owners to access specialist skills and free up time for other aspects of the business.

Areas commonly outsourced include:

• Website development

• SEO

• Content writing

• Social media management

• Paid advertising

• Photography

However, outsourcing should still be approached carefully.

Owners should ensure that any external marketing support understands their property, target audience and brand.

Consistency remains important even when marketing tasks are delegated.

Creating a strong guest experience

Marketing may help attract bookings, but guest experience plays a major role in generating reviews, repeat stays and recommendations.

Positive guest experiences often lead to:

• Better reviews

• Increased referrals

• Higher levels of trust

• Greater customer loyalty

Communication is particularly important throughout the guest journey.

Guests generally appreciate:

• Clear booking information

• Fast responses

• Helpful arrival instructions

• Support during their stay

Many owners find that small personal touches help create memorable experiences and strengthen guest relationships.

A positive experience also increases the likelihood of guests booking directly in future.

Balancing occupancy and pricing

When learning how to rent out a holiday home successfully, it’s important to balance occupancy with profitability.

Higher occupancy does not always mean better financial performance if pricing is too low.

At the same time, pricing too aggressively may lead to empty dates.

Many owners regularly review:

• Seasonal demand

• Competitor pricing

• Booking patterns

• Length of stay trends

Special offers and last-minute discounts can help fill gaps, but they should form part of a wider pricing strategy rather than becoming the default approach.

The importance of consistency

One of the biggest differences between occasional success and long-term performance is consistency.

Many owners start enthusiastically but stop updating listings, neglect communication or fail to maintain marketing activity over time.

Successful holiday letting businesses usually maintain consistent standards across:

• Marketing

• Guest communication

• Property presentation

• Pricing strategy

• Reviews and reputation management

Consistency helps build trust with guests and creates a stronger long-term brand.

Monitoring what works

Not every marketing strategy works equally well for every property.

That’s why it’s important to monitor results and focus on the activities that genuinely improve bookings.

This may involve reviewing:

• Booking sources

• Occupancy levels

• Website traffic

• Enquiry rates

• Repeat bookings

Understanding where your bookings come from can help you allocate your time and marketing budget more effectively.

Over time, this allows you to refine your approach and focus on the channels delivering the strongest return.

Combining multiple strategies

One of the biggest lessons we’ve seen at Schofields is that there is rarely one single tactic that transforms a holiday letting business overnight.

Instead, the strongest results usually come from combining several smaller improvements together.

For example:

• A professional website helps support direct bookings

• Email marketing encourages repeat stays

• Special offers help fill quieter periods

• Partnerships increase visibility

• Strong guest experiences generate referrals and reviews

When these elements work together consistently, they can significantly strengthen your overall booking performance.

Final thoughts on how to rent out a holiday home

If you want to understand how to rent out a holiday home successfully, it’s important to think beyond simply listing your property online.

The most successful owners usually focus on:

• Building trust

• Encouraging direct bookings

• Maintaining guest relationships

• Creating strong guest experiences

• Improving marketing consistency

At Schofields, we’ve seen how owners who invest time into these areas often create stronger and more sustainable holiday letting businesses over the long term.

You do not necessarily need complicated marketing strategies or large advertising budgets to improve bookings.

Instead, consistent communication, effective promotion, guest loyalty and a proactive approach to marketing often make the biggest difference.

Ultimately, learning how to rent out a holiday home successfully is about creating a business that guests trust, remember and want to return to again in future.

Specialist Holiday Let Insurance

Find our more about specialist holiday let insurance through Schofields or get a quote online today.