Why Quality Matters : The Real Cost of Running a Holiday Let

It's not only the views that are top quality at Camden House

When you book a holiday cottage, it is easy to see the price of a few nights away and imagine that most of that money goes directly to the owner. In reality, running a good-quality holiday let is a surprisingly expensive business.

We certainly don’t say that to make guests feel guilty about enjoying their holiday — quite the opposite. A holiday should feel effortless. The heating should work, the beds should be comfortable, everything should be spotlessly clean and the little things you need should simply be there.

But behind that apparently effortless stay is a considerable amount of work and expense.

A house has to work much harder as a holiday home

Beds may be made hundreds of times each year. Towels are constantly washed. Showers, appliances, carpets, furniture and kitchen equipment receive far more intensive use than they might in a family home.

Even good-quality items eventually wear out.

Mattresses need replacing. Sofas become tired. Bedding, towels, glasses and crockery need renewing Paintwork gets marked. Carpets need professional cleaning and eventually replacement. Appliances break. A washing machine was broken recently due to being overloaded by a guest. The part took 2 weeks to arrive. I notified the next 5 guests that this facility would not be available. Cost: 1 cancelled booking at very short notice, unable to re-fill, repair to appliance and a complaint from a guest who was 'disappointed'. All beyond our control, yet something we have to factor in.

And because guests quite reasonably expect a holiday property to look fresh and welcoming, things often need replacing before they are actually unusable.

There is a big difference between something being “good enough” in your own home and something being of the standard you would expect when paying for a holiday.

Cleaning is one of the biggest costs

A proper changeover involves much more than a quick clean.

Bathrooms and kitchens have to be thoroughly cleaned and sanitised, beds stripped and remade, floors vacuumed and washed, surfaces dusted and checked, appliances inspected , the hot tub needs to be cleaned, and the entire property prepared for the next guests.

Then there is the laundry.

Bed linen, bath towels, hand towels, bath mats and kitchen linen all have to be washed, dried, ironed or pressed, folded and returned ready for the next stay.

For larger holiday homes like Camden House, this means an enormous amount of laundry over the course of a year.

Then there are all the things guests rarely see

Some of the greatest expenses involved in running a holiday property happen quietly in the background.

There is insurance specifically designed for holiday accommodation, maintenance and repairs, heating and electricity, water, broadband, waste disposal, gardening, window cleaning , septic tank emptying and servicing of heating systems and appliances.

There are licensing costs, safety inspections, electrical testing, fire safety equipment renewal, chimney sweeping, professional servicing and compliance with an ever-growing range of regulations.

And of course there are the booking platforms.

Major holiday booking websites charge significant commissions and fees for bringing guests and hosts together. Depending on how a booking is made, a surprisingly large proportion of the amount paid by the guest may never reach the property owner at all.

Why not simply cut costs?

It would certainly be possible.

We could buy cheaper bedding, thinner towels and budget mattresses.

We could postpone decorating for another year.

We could replace something only when it finally broke rather than when it began to look tired.

We could remove some of the complimentary extras.

We could charge extra for logs and the hot tub.

But we don't think that is what a good holiday should feel like so we are very reluctant to do it.

When someone chooses to spend their precious annual leave — and their hard-earned money — staying somewhere, we believe the property should feel cared for.

That means comfortable beds, good linen, plenty of towels, reliable heating, well-maintained facilities and a home that feels as though somebody has taken pride in preparing it for your arrival.

How we try to keep costs down for our guests

Maintaining high standards does not mean that we simply accept every cost and pass it on to our guests.

We work hard behind the scenes to keep the property as affordable as we reasonably can, while making sure that the things that genuinely affect the quality of your stay are never compromised.

One of the most important ways we do this is through preventative maintenance. Looking after equipment properly, servicing things regularly and dealing with small problems before they become large ones is usually far less expensive than waiting for something to fail completely.

We also try to buy well rather than simply buy cheaply. Good-quality bedding, towels, furniture and equipment may cost more initially, but if they last longer and continue to look good, they can represent much better value in the long run.

Where possible, we buy frequently used items in sensible quantities, or in large refill containers, compare suppliers and shop around for everything from cleaning products to household essentials, whilst ensuring they are all eco products.

We also carry out many of the smaller jobs ourselves rather than calling in a contractor every time something needs attention. Like many independent holiday-let owners, there is a surprising amount of painting, gardening, checking, repairing, organising and general maintenance that goes on between guests.

Energy efficiency is important too. Efficient heating, LED lighting and sensible energy management can help keep running costs under control without asking guests to sacrifice comfort.

We also try to avoid unnecessary waste. That means carefully managing laundry, replacing individual pieces of crockery rather than an entire set, maintaining equipment so that it lasts longer and choosing products that can cope with the demands of a busy holiday home.

And wherever possible, encouraging guests to book directly via our website www.camdenhouseholidays.com, this really helps. The more direct bookings we get, the less we have to pay on commission, which enables us to not have to keep increasing our prices every year. Booking platforms provide a valuable service, but their commissions are considerable and are rising regularly.

What we don't want to do is save money in ways that guests can immediately feel.

We don't want cheaper mattresses at the expense of a good night's sleep, poor-quality towels, inadequate cleaning, reduced maintenance or a house that gradually starts to feel tired.

For us, keeping costs down is about being efficient rather than cutting corners.

The little things matter too

Sometimes it is the relatively small details that guests remember.

A welcome pack waiting after a long journey.

Good toiletries rather than an empty bathroom.

Enough crockery and glasses that you aren't constantly washing up.

A properly equipped kitchen.

Comfortable furniture.

Books, games and information about the local area.

And, for your pet dogs, practical touches that make travelling with a pet easier.

None of these things individually transforms a holiday. Together, however, they can make the difference between somewhere that simply provides accommodation and somewhere that genuinely feels like a home from home.

Maintaining standards protects everyone's holiday

Unfortunately, accidents and damage occasionally happen in every holiday property. Most are completely understandable.

A broken glass is just a broken glass.

But repeated avoidable damage can become expensive very quickly — particularly where furniture, carpets, mattresses, hot tubs or other major items are involved.

That is why holiday-home rules sometimes appear rather specific.

Rules about , pets, furniture, hot tubs or looking after particular features of a property are rarely there simply for the sake of having rules. They are designed to protect the house so that it remains in excellent condition for the guests staying next week, next month and next year.

Ultimately, looking after a holiday home is a partnership between hosts and guests.

We would always rather maintain the standard than lower it

Like most businesses, holiday accommodation has faced sharply rising costs over recent years. In the case of Scotland this has been exacerbated by the licensing requirements however alongside this there is reassurance for guests that properties are of a safe standard. This is going to get worse with the introduction of Visitor Levies as hosts are going to have to collect it and some of the cost might need to be absorbed by lowering base prices to ensure Scotland remains competitive. This will reduce our earnings further. 

There will always be cheaper ways of doing things.

But when it comes to someone's holiday, we would rather concentrate on maintaining the standard of the property than gradually allowing those standards to slip.

Nobody wants to arrive for a much-anticipated break and find tired furnishings, worn-out towels, uncomfortable beds or facilities that have seen better days.

So although much of the money spent running a holiday let is invisible to guests, it serves an important purpose.

It keeps the house safe, comfortable, attractive and welcoming — while careful management behind the scenes helps us keep the cost of staying with us as reasonable as possible.

And ultimately, that is what we want every guest to find when they open the door at the beginning of their holiday.