For the past two years, I’ve spent every waking hour improving our service at Field Heritage for both landlords and guests. Every property I’ve managed, every mistake I’ve made, every success I’ve had… it’s all taught me exactly what works and what doesn’t in the holiday-let world.

Along the way, I realised something important:

Some hosts actually want to learn this themselves.
Not everyone wants management some people want guidance, clarity, and a plan they can follow on their own.

When I first started in this industry, I would stay in struggling Airbnbs, take professional photos, rebuild their listing, and send the owner a full presentation showing them how much more money they could make.
Cheeky, I know — but it worked.

I once did this for a lady called Sally. After staying in her property, I sent her the new photos, a rebuilt listing, and all the strategies I’d use to boost her revenue.

She replied:

It shocked me — but I understood.
Of course, I didn’t charge her. I helped her step-by-step, and since then I’ve done the same for many other hosts who simply needed guidance rather than management.

But I knew I couldn’t keep doing that forever.
There are only so many hours in a day, and more and more people were asking for help.

Section 2: Understanding Guest Type & Demand — Identify who books in your area (families, couples, contractors) and tailor your listing, staging, and marketing to them.

Section 3: Professional Photography — Why professional images are essential for clicks, trust, and higher nightly rates — and how to get them right.

Section 4: The Photo Tour — How to arrange photos for maximum impact: hero image, top features first, and smooth room-to-room flow.

Section 5: Descriptions & Titles That Convert — Write descriptions that hold attention and titles that grab clicks — with spacing, emojis, and key hooks.

Section 6: Smart Home Technology & Automation — Use smart locks, sensors, heating controls, and automations to save time and improve the guest experience.

Section 7: Dynamic Pricing Strategies — Use tools like PriceLabs to adjust rates by season and demand. Set minimums, gap-night pricing, and length-of-stay discounts.

Section 8: Keeping Your Listing Fresh — Regular updates to photos, titles, and descriptions keep your property active in Airbnb’s algorithm.

Section 9: Generating Maximum Exposure — Use all OTA platforms and build a brand on social media and Google to generate your own direct bookings.

Section 10: Channel Manager Overview — Centralise bookings, sync calendars, automate guest messages, and build direct booking pages.

Section 11: Collecting Guest Data & Direct Bookings — Turn OTA guests into repeat direct bookings via email lists, QR codes, and loyalty incentives.

Section 12: Improving Guest Experience for Better Reviews — How to deliver 5-star experiences through fast responses, welcome packs, and digital guest guides.

Section 13: Property Protection & Guest Vetting — Use software like SuiteOp for ID checks, deposits, and rental agreements to protect your property.

Section 14: Finding & Managing Cleaners — Hire reliable cleaners via referrals or apps like Turno and ensure consistency with checklists and photo standards.

Section 15: Building a Property Brand — Create a name, social presence, and Google Business page to stand out and boost credibility.

Section 16: The Future of Airbnb Hosting — Where the market is heading and why unique, story-driven properties will dominate.

If you prefer to learn visually, this short video gives you a quick overview of the key holiday let regulations. For the full detailed breakdown, just scroll down to read everything step-by-step.

There are lenders that offer holiday-let mortgages, which are designed for properties used as short-term rentals rather than long-term ASTs. If your property is currently on a standard residential or buy-to-let mortgage, your lender may require you to switch to a holiday-let or short-term-let product before you operate it this way.

You don’t need to be a homeowner to get one — you just need to meet the lender’s affordability criteria. This usually means the expected income from the holiday let must cover the mortgage interest comfortably. Each lender sets their own stress test, so the exact percentage varies.

If you finance the property through a limited company, mortgage interest is treated as a normal business expense and can be fully deducted when calculating corporation tax. This is different from owning the property in your personal name, where mortgage interest is restricted to a basic-rate tax credit under Section 24.

Since the Furnished Holiday Let (FHL) tax regime was abolished in April 2025, holiday lets no longer receive the old tax benefits. They are now taxed in the same way as standard rental properties unless held through a company, where company rules still allow full interest deduction.

Business rates aren’t required immediately, but once your property is trading and meets the letting rules below, you’ll need to set them up. These rules decide whether your property falls under Council Tax or Business Rates.

To qualify for Business Rates, your property must be:

If both are met, the property switches from Council Tax to Business Rates.

Wales has stricter rules. To qualify, your property must be:

Thinking about adding a hot tub to your holiday let? You’re not alone. Hot tubs are one of the top amenities that boost booking rates and attract guests year-round. But before you dive in, there are legal, operational, and guest experience factors to consider.

Yes — significantly. Properties with hot tubs consistently outperform those without. Guests associate hot tubs with luxury, relaxation, and socialising. For colder months especially, this feature can keep your occupancy high.

Increased nightly rate potential Higher weekend and off-season demand Better visibility on platforms (“hot tub” is a top filter), however its not in the way you may think…

The extra £50–£100 you charge for a hot tub doesn’t increase your profit — it simply covers the running costs: refilling, emptying, and monthly chemicals. Your net nightly rate stays roughly the same.

The real money comes from the occupancy boost. A hot tub makes your property stand out, ranks higher, and becomes the deciding factor when guests compare listings.

It’s the same model hotels use with spas — the added fee covers the cost, but the increased demand is where the real profit is made.

Operating a hot tub in a short-term rental comes with responsibilities. UK holiday lets must follow HSG282 guidelines, which include:

Thorough cleaning and disinfection between each guest stay Daily water testing if the same guests stay multiple nights Proper signage and guest instructions Records of maintenance and checks.

The setup and turnover process can be simple when done right. Here’s a quick view of how we do it:

Before you list your property, you need to know who you’re targeting — because that’s who you’ll be marketing to.

Different guest types value different things:

How to identify demand?
One of the easiest ways is by checking competitor reviews in your area. Guests often reveal why they visited:

You don’t want to attract guests who are booking to party or use your property for the wrong reasons. The easiest way to avoid this is by not allowing 1-night stays.

You might think, “Hotels do 1-night stays,” but hotels are very different — they have staff on-site, no private outdoor space, and security to prevent problems. A house gives guests more space, more privacy, and no supervision, which makes it much easier for things to go wrong.

You can spend five to eight figures buying and furnishing a property — but if your photos aren’t professional, you’re leaving serious money on the table.

High‑quality, edited photography:

Skipping this step is one of the biggest mistakes new hosts make. For around £300, you can massively boost your bookings and average nightly rate.

Take a look at the transformation below — they are all the same property, but after we stepped in and re-shot them, the difference is night and day.

Even if your photos are great, their order can make or break bookings.

Tip: Airbnb’s “Photo Tour” feature doesn’t always arrange images well — if you have lots of features, manually order them yourself.

Many hosts make the mistake of hiding standout features — like a pool or sauna — too far down the page. By the time guests notice, they’ve already scrolled past.

Highlight your best features first — that’s what captures attention and drives bookings.

Guests don’t just skim; they read — especially when comparing properties. A weak description = missed bookings.

Smart technology is one of the easiest ways to save time, reduce stress, and keep your property running smoothly. It creates a seamless guest experience while giving you full control behind the scenes, which becomes even more valuable as you scale.

Smart locks can be connected directly to your channel manager (mentioned in Section 11).
Once set up, everything becomes automatic:

This removes the need for key-hiding or lockboxes and massively reduces the risk of unauthorised access. You never have to manually create or send codes again — it’s all automated. A great example is the Yale Linus Smart Lock, which syncs with channel managers like Uplisting to generate unique door codes for every booking.

Apps like Hive, Nest, or Tado allow you to control heating remotely and keep energy bills under control.

What you can do:

Smart sensors give you an extra layer of protection without invading guest privacy. The most common example is the Minut Sensor, which is specifically designed for short-term rentals.

What these sensors can monitor:

Automation helps you:

Branding your property is unbeatable because it makes the stay feel so more more special and memorable for guests, but not only this In my opinion it is going to be the future for the properties that perform the best and the ones that dont but I will talk more about this on section 10.

Guests remember brands, not just houses.

When guests see a unique property name on a listing, it creates curiosity. They want to know more about the place, and because the branding is all over the listing, they naturally search the name on Google or social media. When they find your pages, this often leads to direct bookings, saving you the 17% OTA fees.

After seeing this over and over again matched with a logo they will start to understand this is a brand.

A beautiful property located in Derbyshire If you search this property on google you will see it come up for pages upon pages even featured on articles such as The Star. Generates around 30% of total revenue direct bookings after only been running 1 year!

This is a unique cabin park based in Lincolnshire. The owner also runs SkyBears Kennels, a professional dog-breeding company, and when guests stay, they get to spend time with the puppies in the on-site lounge. The place has built a strong social media following, and because of that, I genuinely believe it will get to a point where 100% of their bookings come directly through their own channels, without needing OTA platforms at all.

Static pricing = lost revenue. Dynamic pricing tools like PriceLabs or Wheelhouse automatically adjust your rates based on demand, seasonality, and competitor pricing.

• Set minimum, base, and maximum nightly rates
So your prices never drop too low or go too high.

• Let the system raise or lower prices automatically
It reacts to events, demand, seasonality, and booking windows.
Example: Busy summer = closer to your max price.
Quiet winter = closer to your minimum price.

• Set different minimum stays for different times of the year
2 nights in off-peak, 3–4 nights in peak season, etc.

• Custom weekend rules
Higher prices on Fridays and Saturdays, lower midweek.

• Gap-night pricing
Fill small gaps between bookings at a slightly lower rate.

• Orphan night discounts
If one random night is left empty between two long stays, the system lowers the price to fill it.

• Length-of-stay discounts
Weekly or monthly discounts to attract longer-term guests when needed.

• Event/holiday price boosts
The system increases your rate automatically for concerts, bank holidays, or local events.

• Last-minute pricing
Lower rates to fill tonight or tomorrow, or higher if demand is high.

For larger homes, the booking patterns are completely different.
Take a 5-bedroom house, for example — families plan ahead, so demand is higher for dates further out. Because of that, we increase both the prices and the minimum stay for bookings in advance.

A simple example structure looks like this:

This protects your calendar from short stays blocking the best dates and increases overall yearly revenue.

Smaller properties behave differently.
A 1-bedroom cabin aimed at couples gets more last-minute demand, so we flip the strategy.

For these, we typically:

This pushes the cabin higher in the rankings at the higher price, and the last-minute discount captures the spontaneous bookings — meaning we get the visibility boost while still achieving the same final rate.

Airbnb’s algorithm rewards activity. If you never update your listing, it can fall behind competitors.

Small changes keep your listing fresh and performing well.
Check out the two examples below — the same property, marketed differently to match the season.

OTA stands for Online Travel Agent, which simply means platforms like Airbnb, Booking.com, and VRBO. You never want to rely on just one or two platforms — spreading your property across multiple OTAs increases visibility, reduces risk, and boosts your yearly revenue.

The three big platforms are the ones mentioned above, but you should also list on more niche platforms depending on your property type. These niche sites typically add an extra 5–10% to your annual revenue, which makes a huge difference over the year.

Examples:
• If you have a cabin or woodland retreat, consider:
– GlampingHub
– HomeToGo
– Holidu

• If you have a luxury or high-end property, consider:
– Marriott Homes & Villas
– Plum Guide

To give you an example of how crazy this one is, Below is a picture of google maps in Lewes there is only 3 properties shown (Premier inn a hotel chain, Lewes Heights a clever host, Then us Lewes Sauna House…

Now if we search lewes on Airbnb you will see 1,000's of properties show up! This is a huge opportunity to stand out by simply just creating a google page, it also looks far more professional when guests can just search your property on google maps rather than following a postcode.

A website for your branded holiday home isn’t just for taking direct bookings — it’s also a place where guests can find more information about your property. You can get really creative with it, and everything you add helps with SEO (search engine optimisation).

SEO basically means when guests search your property name on Google, your website appears at the top along with a clean layout of all your pages. This gives guests more confidence, more clarity, and more reason to book directly with you.

This is a huge one that most hosts completely overlook. A booking window is simply how far in advance guests are allowed to book your property. For example, if it’s January 2025 and you have a 12-month booking window, guests can book dates all the way into January 2026. When it becomes July, they can book July the following year, and so on.

Most people don’t realise that a huge number of guests browse Airbnb without choosing dates — they’re just scrolling to see what they like. So which properties do you think Airbnb pushes higher?

Those with a short booking window, or those available far in advance? Airbnb pushes the ones with the longest availability, because they can fill more dates with them.

Guests filter by amenities — if you haven’t ticked every box, you’re invisible.

I see a lot of hosts getting this wrong. Many don’t realise that guests often search specifically by amenities, not just by location or price. This gives you a huge advantage — either by adding the right extras or simply making sure you’ve ticked every single box available on your OTA listing.

I hear a lot of people complain about OTAs — Airbnb, Booking.com, Vrbo — saying the commissions are too high, they’re increasing, or that the platforms are “getting greedy.”

But the truth is:
these platforms still provide insane amounts of traffic.
The issue is that most listings simply don’t convert well.

And yes, I do think OTA commissions will continue to rise.
That’s exactly why it’s so important to build a brand and generate direct bookings… which I’ve talked about in section 7.

But one thing people misunderstand is this:
Airbnb isn’t stupid, and they’re not raising fees “for no reason.”

When they push commissions up, it forces out the poor listings and the cowboy operators.
That actually helps the industry, because the weaker listings disappear, but the demand for travel stays the same (and is actually growing).

So if the supply drops and demand stays strong… the good listings win.

And that’s the whole point:
Airbnb’s traffic isn’t the problem — your conversion is.
If your listing is more attractive, you WILL get more bookings.

Airlines are the same.
Most airlines break even on the flight.
Where they actually make their profit is:

• Business class upgrades
• Extra luggage
• Seat selection
• Priority boarding
• Partner offers
• In-flight purchases

You should be thinking the same way.

A channel manager connects your property to multiple booking platforms and automates all the key tasks. If you plan on listing across different OTAs or want to scale without a property manager, this is essential. Without one, you’ll drive yourself mad trying to keep calendars, prices, and messages synced across every site.

Recommended platforms:
• Uplisting (best for beginners)
• Guesty (best for advanced users)

Sync all calendars (Airbnb, Booking.com, Vrbo)
If a guest books on one platform, the dates automatically block on every other platform. This completely removes the risk of double bookings.

Centralise all guest communication
All messages from every platform feed into one inbox, so you don’t need to log into multiple accounts. Everything can be handled in one place.

Create a direct booking website
Most channel managers let you build a simple direct booking site that syncs with your calendars. It’s not as advanced as a custom-built website, but it’s perfect for taking direct bookings easily.

Set markups and smart discounts
Example: if your base price is £100 per night, you can add a 20% markup so it becomes £120. Then apply a 20% “Airbnb discount” so your listing appears on sale — while you still receive your original £100.

Automate guest messaging
You can automate booking confirmations, check-in instructions, mid-stay messages, check-out instructions, and even review reminders. Just be careful not to overdo it — you still want your communication to feel personal.

Your best bookings will always come from repeat guests — but this only works if you actually collect their details. As I mentioned at the start of this guide, the problem in this industry isn’t traffic… it’s conversions.

You could operate on Airbnb for three years, and if every guest had an incredible stay and you collected all their information, you wouldn’t need to rely on OTAs anymore. They would keep coming back and booking directly with you every single time.

You can use direct bookings to earn more per stay by removing OTA fees and keeping the extra 17%.
Or — the approach we prefer — you can give guests that same 17% as a discount. You still earn the same amount you would have made on Airbnb or Booking.com, but the guest gets a better deal.

Welcome Pack (QR Code Method)
Place a QR code in your welcome pack with something appealing like “Get 15% off your next stay.”
Guests scan it → it opens your form → they enter their name, email, and phone number.
This is an easy way to collect guest details during their stay.

In Your Confirmation Message
When a guest books, include a line in your automated message saying:
“Please complete the check-in form before you arrive.”
This lets you collect their email before they even check in.

Run social media giveaways.
These are great for building your mailing list fast. Simply run a giveaway and make the rules: join the mailing list and share with 3 friends to enter. This boosts your reach and grows your database at the same time.

THE BEST WAY — Use a Tool Called StayFi
StayFi works like hotel WiFi.
To get online, guests must enter their email address first — meaning every stay helps you build your own direct-booking list.

How it works:

Good Reviews = credibility + higher ranking + more bookings — therefore success

Problems will always happen — we’ve had everything from the heating failing to oil being stolen mid-stay, ant infestations and full WiFi outages. But we still get 5-star reviews every time because of how fast we reply and how we handle the situation. Even if you don’t know the answer yet, don’t leave guests waiting.
Just message instantly with something simple like:

Speed matters more than perfection.

Sometimes on the extreme occasions you just simply have to give refunds wether that me partial or in full, when it gets that bad always ask the guest "I'm so sorry Rachel, this is not the standard we aim for what would be an acceptable figure you would be happy with for me to send back" very unlikely there going to say the lot but either way is always better to ask them than suggest a price yourself.

Make the welcome pack super detailed, and thoughtful you can put things on such as essentials Wifi, How too, Where is, If this happens do this, however you should also put on Local guides nearby restraints, local coffee shops, pubs all things that are going to make there life easier and a more personal experience, we also have a welcome board and we get the cleaners to write there name on it each time "welcome to Habberjam Farm Rachel", if you want to biscuits, wine is a huge bonus!

We have an online digital welcome pack they can interactive with to see videos on the property for the appliance guides, check‑in videos, maps, Wi‑Fi, emergency info everything you can possibly think off, (can use SuiteOp to make this). We also make a trailer video of the property and send it to the guest before they check-in to excite them and make it more personal check out an example video below on Habberjam Farm.

Don’t skip screening — prevention is cheaper than damage control.

We use SuiteOp to:

This ensures peace of mind and reduces risk.

On Airbnb, guests are already vetted through an identity check, and you also have AirCover, which means if there are any damages you can make a claim through Airbnb’s insurance.

However, other OTA platforms don’t offer this level of protection. They don’t have the same ID verification process and don’t provide an insurance-backed damage system like AirCover.

A great cleaner is the backbone of every successful Airbnb. You can have perfect photos, great pricing, and strong demand — but if the cleaning is poor, your reviews will collapse. A reliable cleaning setup is everything.

Referrals from other hosts will always be the strongest option.
You already have proof that the cleaner is reliable and understands short-term rental standards.

How to find referrals:

Paid communities can be great early on because they give you fast access to people all over the UK with cleaning companies, maintenance teams, and trusted contractors which is what I did.

Your next best option is Turno.

Turno lets you:

It’s designed specifically for STR hosts, so it’s simple and reliable.

Generic city apartments are now competing directly with hotels, which have the advantage of strong branding, loyalty programmes, and built-in trust. This makes it harder for standard flats to stand out.

Meanwhile, unique and characterful stays — countryside cottages, luxury cabins, barns, farmhouses, quirky builds, and historic homes — continue to outperform the market. Guests are no longer just booking accommodation; they’re booking a feeling, a story, and an experience.
Experiences > Stays has become a clear trend.

One of the most powerful trends emerging in the short-term-rental space is the rise of branded properties.
Hosts who build a recognisable name, visual identity, and social presence are already seeing stronger demand and more direct bookings.

People research on TikTok, Instagram, and Google before they ever search on Airbnb.

Properties with a strong brand become discoverable everywhere — not just on OTAs — which leads to higher occupancy, stronger pricing power, and repeat guests.

In the US, standard hotels are declining while boutique, experience-led hotels are booming.
Guests want:

Airbnb guests behave the same way. Hosts who adapt to this preference will naturally achieve higher occupancy and stronger reviews than those offering generic spaces.

Travel discovery is changing:

The direction is clear:
Social media presence + searchable brand identity will play a growing role in how guests discover properties.

Even though AI-driven travel search is still developing, the trajectory points toward a future where properties with strong social media brands are surfaced more often across search, social, and AI tools.

Everything indicates that the next generation of guests will choose:

Everything in hosting comes back to one question:

If the honest answer is “no” — or even “maybe” — then something needs improving.
The most successful hosts put themselves in the guest’s shoes constantly.
Every decision must come from the guest’s point of view, not the host’s convenience.

This mindset keeps you ahead of the market.

Markets shift.
What guests wanted two years ago isn’t always what they want now.
Families, couples, contractors, and luxury travellers all look for different things — and their expectations evolve.

The hosts who win long term are the ones who constantly reassess guest needs and adjust:

One of the best ways to think like a guest is to stay in your own property for a night or two.

You’ll notice things you never see as a host:

It’s eye-opening — and instantly improves your property.

One of the most valuable books for hospitality and guest experience is “Unreasonable Hospitality” by Will Guidara.

This book transformed the restaurant industry, and the lessons apply perfectly to Airbnb hosting.

When you adopt this mindset, your property stops being just a place to stay
— and becomes an experience worth sharing, repeating, and recommending.