"Purple cows" for holiday lets ...

[Vanessa]

As many of you know, Nick & I are fans of Seth Godin, the American author and thought leader.  We have read all his books and loves the concepts he explains simply and clearly in them.

Seth came up with the concept of the "purple cow" in business.


"Seth Godin says that the key to success is to find a way to stand out--to be the purple cow in a field of monochrome Holsteins. Godin himself may be the best example of how this theory works: The marketing expert is a demigod on the Web, a best-selling author, highly sought after lecturer, successful entrepreneur, respected pundit and high-profile blogger. He is uniquely respected for his understanding of the Internet, and his essays and opinions are widely read and quoted online and off." ~ Forbes.com.

I thought the tribe could work together to create "purple cow" touches for our holiday lets to help them stand out for the crowd.

Here are mine:

Fluffy towels
Dressing Gowns
Hairdryers
Comfortable mattresses
Hotel quality bed linen
Tissues
Molton Brown toiletries & handwash
Beach games
BBQ and fire pit
Dogs allowed  (doggy chew on arrival!)
Welcome pack
Using local produce and suppliers to support the local economy.
Supporting local artisans
Guide to local eateries & restaurants with discount vouchers
Guide to the house (how to operate AV equipment etc) plus surrounding area and days out ideas.
Tea, coffee, sauces, salt, pepper, Ribena included.
Picnic basket
Beach mattress
Somewhere to hang wetsuits
Books and mags for a rainy day
Flatscreen TV, iPod docking station, surroundsound, DVD, Playstation and Games.

I just came across Walking Books on Twitter and thought these would be a nice addition.  (Publisher and online retailer of a wide range of walking guides, maps and books on Britain's best scenic walks.)

Anyone else got any other ideas to add?

[James Dearsley]

Books to share and swap

Childrens books, toys and games if appealing to the family market (not to mention highchairs etc)

 

Hope everyone is well.

 

James

www.italianpropertytorent.co.uk

[Duncan Belton]

You have more or less just described the perfect holiday cottage.

The only thing I can add is to make sure you have a good set of kitchen knives with sharpener, also a vegetable peeler that works.

You mentioned DVD player, I would also include a small library of DVD's.

Kitchen roll, cling film foil, is also useful for picnics with maybe a few plastic containers.

I've just come back from a week in Scotlland and one of the things we could have done with was a note of where we could put our recycling. As it happens I found a car park in the village but it only took paper and tins and I ended up taking plastics back home with me.

It's all those little things that add up to an experience that you never forget.

I would also include a floor plan in your marketing (normally more useful for bigger properties). I go away with another family so it's worth noting where everyone is going to sleep.

Regards

Duncan

[Duncan Belton]

That just reminded me, yes James is correct, include a high chair as well as a travel cot.

 

I would also have instructions next to or near appliances eg cooker, microwave etc rather than stuck in a drawer that you only discover on your last day!

[James McBrearty]

I came across this recently - swan towels!

 

It's certainly different.

 

[Vanessa]

@duncan Great additions - thank you!  We have laminated notices about how to re-cycle.  Also details of rubbish collections. 

 

@James - very hotel like!  On our cruises, the steward made a different towel animal every day.  Another nice touch!

[Robert Jardine]

I have been considering a cottage near Afan Forest Park mountain bike centre and would specialise in MTB and walking holidays.

I would then offer a MTB basic workshop and power washer to help maintain and wash MTB  

[Alan Palin]

We are just in the process of renovating a family friendly Cornish cottage. With this cottage, we want children of all ages to be catered for, as we believe if the children are happy, then so are mum & dad!

 

In addition to all the great ideas so far, our list includes;

 

Children's drinks & treats in the welcome pack.

Stair gates top & bottom of stairs.

Bed bars, cots, high chairs, steriliser for baby bottles, guards for electrical sockets.

A childs buggy.

Buckets & spades, crabbing lines, bodyboards, etc.

Wii & Playstation for the older children.

Kids activity centre in the garden with swing, slide, etc.

Trampoline for all ages.

 

We are also going to try proving an extra fridge in the utility room stocked with beer, wine & soft drinks. This will be on an honesty basis and the guests can leave the money for what they have used.

 

Before guests have chosen to stay where to stay, we believe how you present your business is really important. Working with Nick & Vanessa we have produced this new promotional video that gives our customers a taste of our fantastic location and shows the quality of our holiday lets.

 

 

We hope this is going to be our "Purple Cow" and make our business stand out from the crowd!!

[Vanessa]

Good stuff Alan.  It was good fun filming the video and Nick & I have fallen in love with Looe now!

As we don't have children, we don't cater for them in our holiday lets as much as we should!  :)  It's always a good idea to put yourself in the shoes of your potential client to understand what they need and the family market is a huge one.

BTW ... You'll be pleased to know that Wadebridge (where your latest refurb project is)  has seen the biggest house price rise in the whole of the South West over the last ten years.  (See Seaside House Prices May 2011).

Further reading:  U.K. holiday lets for cashflow/the renaissance of the great British...

[James Dearsley]

Great video Alan and Dee,

 

Those who proactively market will make good money out of holiday lettings. The video is a great example of showing something different.

 

Well done Vanessa and Nick on the production as well, very good.

 

In some ways I wish others made this much effort on holiday lettings as it would make the market so much more vibrant (but I also wish that others don't because that might affect my own market!)

 

James

www.italianpropertytorent.co.uk

[Jayne Owen]

Agree with all that's been said so far, though not so sure about the towel swans - bit cheesey IMHO!!

 

In a large holiday house, the games room was one of the biggest hits with everyone. This contained pool table, separate games table, TV, video/DVD player, selection of vids and DVDs, children's books, table for colouring, painting and so on. We were fortunate in having the space to provide this, and people really enjoyed it.

 

Second biggest hit was probably the library - quiet room full of books with no electronic equipment!

 

Someone once suggested to us a few spare pairs of wellies, as people often forget them! We left a couple of spares, but not 14 pairs!!

 

@Robert - don't know what an MTB is but if it's a bike, then that's a good idea and one that can be marketed to the specific audience. Wales Tourist Board (or whoever they are now) have the facility to promote this.

 

Kind regards,

Jayne

Trading as Mozaique Property

Buying, selling, renovating and letting property throughout South Wales

www.twitter.com/jayneowen

[Ian Woolley]

I think some of the suggestions that have been made above are great, and I would certainly be persuaded to come back to a holiday letting property if they were as well equipped as this.

 

A couple of other ideas:

 

You mentioned a place to hang wetsuits, but also an outside tap or a place to rinse off and dry wetsuits is very useful if you have the space.

 

I have also seen an exterior "Wellie rack" which is very useful for allowing dirty footwear to be left outside without getting soaking wet inside.  It may also help guests avoid walking mud through your holiday lets.  Not that we get lots of rain and mud down here in Cornwall!

 

Hope that helps!

 

Ian

 

www.hls-solutions.com

"holiday letting made simple"

[Vanessa]

Hi Ian,

Thanks for those contributions. :)

I've just been looking at your website to see what you offer.  It would be great if you could add Property Tribes to your list of forums that talk about holiday lets.  Just link to the Holiday Let Tribe if you think that is more appropriate.