Boutique holiday letting agency Mulberry Cottages, which specialises in luxury, design-led properties, saw a staggering 71 per cent rise in short-break bookings made in January and February 2019 compared to the same period in 2018 across the whole portfolio.
With online curb appeal being key to influencing guests to stay a property, a select group of Mulberry Cottages property owners and interior designers have shared their expertise on how to maximise the visual appeal of your holiday home.
Set a theme
Captain Quarters, located in Margate on the Kent coast, boasts a nautical theme as a nod to its location and has been designed to resemble a sea captain’s accommodation. Regency bay windows with sea views give the impression to guests that they are standing on the bridge of a ship and a tropical themed bathroom has been decorated to juxtapose the calm serenity of the rest of the house and includes wooden decking as flooring, wicker baskets and butterflies, birds and vines on the walls. “I wanted it to feel like the ship had docked at an exotic island and you were stepping out onto the deck,” explains property owner Liz. To pay tribute to the local area, Captain Quarters also features carefully selected artwork by famous local Margate resident JMW Turner.
Think differently
Francesca Rowan Plowden, the interior designer behind Battel Hall in Maidstone, Kent, and Goodnestone Park in Goodnestone, Kent, recommends looking at a holiday home differently to your usual home interior design. Owners should think about what the property will be used for, for example if it is likely to be booked for weddings then there needs to be space to hang a wedding dress.
Francesca says, “How a property functions in your day to day life is different when compared to a rental. A holiday let cannot be too cluttered, so look at the things that are no longer needed. For example, a property I was transforming into a holiday let had three wardrobes, but a holiday home doesn’t need that many wardrobes as no one is living there or needs that much storage space.”
Create an experience
Guests want an experience that they won’t get at home. You do not have to create a home that a guest will want to live in, it doesn’t need to be practical, but it must create a memorable experience. Amy Gardner, owner and interior designer of Bells Cottage in Tenterden, Kent, says, “You need to be imaginative and fun. A holiday let doesn’t necessarily need a kitchen as well as a dining room so why not turn the dining room into a games room for guests.”
Pay tribute to its origins
Every house has a story to tell. Mulberry Cottages property La Gallina, which is Spanish for ‘The Hen’, is a former chicken house in the owner Soujata’s childhood home in Hartfield, Sussex, which has been transformed into a luxury holiday home. Soujata has paid tribute to the building’s former residents with subtle pieces throughout the home, including chicken themed coat hooks, candle holders, ornaments, and an early Emma Bridgewater chicken tea set. Soujata says, “We haven’t changed the lay-out at all, the bedroom is where the chickens roosted. I wanted to keep as many original features as possible.”
Mulberry Cottages boasts over 600 handpicked, self-catering properties in England. Properties range from countryside manor houses and chocolate box cottages to beachside retreats to city centre apartments, over half of which are pet-friendly.
Book at www.mulberrycottages.com or by calling 01227 464958