A minority of beautiful high class holiday cottages with a private swimming pool could be advertised on a lamp post and still bring in plenty of bookings. Fortunately, there is a strong market for all kinds of properties and budgets and all are much easier to 'sell' than a cottage without this welcome facility.
Any cottage owner or manager knows that there are various ways of advertising their holiday properties: straightforward advertising on the web, advertising via social media, advertising with a cottage agency that manages the bookings and correspondence as well.
Simple advertising or an agency service for owners of holiday accommodation with a pool?
Simple advertising suits cottage owners who many have the time to deal with enquiries, take bookings and record deposits and balances for their holiday rentals. Holiday cottage complexes where several properties are involved may have the additional staff to also deal with these functions themselves.
There is a wide range of general and specialist web sites on the Internet. Some of these are regional and advertise only cottages in a certain county or town. Some specilaise in pet-friendly holiday accommodation or for people with mobility issues.
Then there are also web sites that advertise exclusive luxurious houses with pools and others that deal with budget accommodation only. It is a case of selecting the right website that best represents the type of self-catering accommodation you have.
There is a wide range of software available to manage bookings, both online and standalone.
Using the services of a cottage agency suits people who prefer to continue with their day job and hand over the bookings and all management of the bookings. The fees may cost 20-30% of the rental income but time is more important than the revenue to this group.
There are also individuals who offer a bookings management service at a lower rate than an agency.