Hi everyone,
I'm in the early stages of planning to turn a self contained annex into a studio apartment holiday let. Thinking it will be for short term/long weekend lets ideally suited for 2 people, maximum of 4.
Apologies in advance as I know you'll have been asked this 1000s of time before....
Beds!
I think space will be too tight for link beds so I'll probably opt for a fixed king. Also offering two additional beds in the form of a sofa bed but I'm thinking it be would more versatile if it has a pull out trundle bed (so not another double bed , it will sleep 2 people separately) . I seem to recall I've seen this set up at Travelodge.
Wondering if anyone has any thoughts on this and if you think it will work.
Also does anyone know of a supplier of commercial sofa beds (as described) as I'm assuming a domestic one aimed at occasional use won't be up to the job (for long). Having trouble finding anything that fits the bill, possibly because I'm not sure what to call it exactly.
Thanks
Bed advice
Hi Sarah
This is my experience. I have two sofa beds which have stood up to use. They are just domestic sofa beds and I do not believe that the actual mechanism would be any different or more robust on a commercial sofa bed. The reality is that most guests will not want to sleep on a sofa bed due to the inconvenience of having to pull it out and collapse it every day, so they don't get that much use. I used to have a 1 bedroom annexe with an additional sofa bed and overwhelmingly my bookings were for just 2. Again in my larger cottage, I also have a trundle bed but the majority of my bookings only use the main beds. So, whatever you supply, I suspect it will have little use anyway, so I would just buy whatever is most suitable for the space allowed.
This is my experience. I have two sofa beds which have stood up to use. They are just domestic sofa beds and I do not believe that the actual mechanism would be any different or more robust on a commercial sofa bed. The reality is that most guests will not want to sleep on a sofa bed due to the inconvenience of having to pull it out and collapse it every day, so they don't get that much use. I used to have a 1 bedroom annexe with an additional sofa bed and overwhelmingly my bookings were for just 2. Again in my larger cottage, I also have a trundle bed but the majority of my bookings only use the main beds. So, whatever you supply, I suspect it will have little use anyway, so I would just buy whatever is most suitable for the space allowed.
Thank you Bunny. That's really useful to know. It will also help us decide rates in terms of breaking even if we are to assume that most bookings will be for only 2. I understand people's reluctance to make up beds but I think realistically our studio will attract 1 nighters and long weekenders - I doubt anything more than 4-5 days, so maybe not as big a deal if they were staying for 1-2 weeks.
Bearing in mind your comments, I think a trundle bed rather than sofa may appeal more as (I think) it can be made up (with just sheets) and slid back under the sofa. That would save some work. I think the problem may be finding a sofa/day bed that looks good and is comfortable to sit on. The search continues....
Thanks again,
Bearing in mind your comments, I think a trundle bed rather than sofa may appeal more as (I think) it can be made up (with just sheets) and slid back under the sofa. That would save some work. I think the problem may be finding a sofa/day bed that looks good and is comfortable to sit on. The search continues....
Thanks again,
Hi Sarah
You may be surprised. I used to have no problem filling a one bedroom annexe for couples on a full weekly let. Maybe you are a city location; we are rural. Most hosts won't offer anything less than 3 nights, or two as an absolute minimum. It's an awful lot of work and effort in terms of time and changeover costs for single nights and not that viable. I expect as you find your feet and get a feel of what you can achieve, you will be able to adjust what you offer to suit you.
You may be surprised. I used to have no problem filling a one bedroom annexe for couples on a full weekly let. Maybe you are a city location; we are rural. Most hosts won't offer anything less than 3 nights, or two as an absolute minimum. It's an awful lot of work and effort in terms of time and changeover costs for single nights and not that viable. I expect as you find your feet and get a feel of what you can achieve, you will be able to adjust what you offer to suit you.
It's worth inverting the question - what is your target market and how best to provide for that market?
City breaks and weekends away in the country are hugely different markets, if it's a city then there's a big factor in which city and which part of the city, whether you're looking for people on business, sightseers and so on. Put another way, why would you get more than 2 people staying? If that is likely to be your market then aim full square at it and provide all the comforts a couple would want (and most sofa beds tend to be not very comfortable as beds, or sofas... )
To sum it up - don't try and work out how many beds you can fit in and end up creating accommodation for a market that doesn't exist - find out what the market is and design (and price) accordingly. Well appointed accommodation for one couple is likely to have a better return than cramped accommodation for three, unless you're trying to attract backpackers.
City breaks and weekends away in the country are hugely different markets, if it's a city then there's a big factor in which city and which part of the city, whether you're looking for people on business, sightseers and so on. Put another way, why would you get more than 2 people staying? If that is likely to be your market then aim full square at it and provide all the comforts a couple would want (and most sofa beds tend to be not very comfortable as beds, or sofas... )
To sum it up - don't try and work out how many beds you can fit in and end up creating accommodation for a market that doesn't exist - find out what the market is and design (and price) accordingly. Well appointed accommodation for one couple is likely to have a better return than cramped accommodation for three, unless you're trying to attract backpackers.
Totally agree with what GB says. Also you have to consider the location of your annexe relative to your own home. Does it have a private access etc, for example? In my experience we could not charge as much for our annexe as our stand alone cottage, regardless of occupancy levels. In that respect I wouldn't go too higher spec and IF you are a city location, you may be better going for good quality basic accommodation sleeping 4, than luxury spec for 2. As GB says, it is important to understand your market more than anything.
Thank you, very good points.
It is an annex attached to our house so not what I would see as a romantic get away or high spec. It is in a old building but the annexe itself doesn't have bags of character (but we will try to inject some). It's More of a nice convenient place to stay. It does have a separate entrance and dedicated parking.
We are in the countryside near a port. We could potentially attract all sorts eg people to/from ferry, walkers , Cyclists, holiday makers wanting a rural break, people attending local events etc etc. . Also potentially friends/relatives of locals with no spare room (a lot of flats nearby) and also overnight business stays. We're trying not to limit our options at this stage, not ruling anything out or in. Very short term lets would be hard work I know but I think until we get established we can't be naive about it, it would also be a good way of finding our feet and getting known. It also seems to be where there is a bit of a gap locally, there are a few small cottages and holiday homes reluctant to take any bookings under 2 nights and a few smart B&Bs. No big chains. No short term self catering.
Very early stages, so far I've looked at local competition eg what they offer and their rates. I also know the area and have my own gut feeling. What else do you think I should do in the way of research, chat to friends, ask local tourist board?
Thanks
It is an annex attached to our house so not what I would see as a romantic get away or high spec. It is in a old building but the annexe itself doesn't have bags of character (but we will try to inject some). It's More of a nice convenient place to stay. It does have a separate entrance and dedicated parking.
We are in the countryside near a port. We could potentially attract all sorts eg people to/from ferry, walkers , Cyclists, holiday makers wanting a rural break, people attending local events etc etc. . Also potentially friends/relatives of locals with no spare room (a lot of flats nearby) and also overnight business stays. We're trying not to limit our options at this stage, not ruling anything out or in. Very short term lets would be hard work I know but I think until we get established we can't be naive about it, it would also be a good way of finding our feet and getting known. It also seems to be where there is a bit of a gap locally, there are a few small cottages and holiday homes reluctant to take any bookings under 2 nights and a few smart B&Bs. No big chains. No short term self catering.
Very early stages, so far I've looked at local competition eg what they offer and their rates. I also know the area and have my own gut feeling. What else do you think I should do in the way of research, chat to friends, ask local tourist board?
Thanks
There's a very good reason for that. The changeover costs for one night are the same as for 3, or for 7, and you are unlikely to get change from say £100. Don't get fooled by the notion that your own time is free; it's not. Basically, for a one night stay you can't compete on price with a hotel or B&B; it's really not until you get to 3 nights that you're level or slightly ahead. The only thing you can compete on is that as a self catering property you're offering more space and flexibility than a hotel or B&B; for a one night stay, does anybody want that compared with the convenience of rolling up, eating, sleeping, and leaving the next morning with no tidying up to do? It might well tip the balance at two nights.SarahV wrote: small cottages and holiday homes reluctant to take any bookings under 2 nights
There are plenty of people looking for self catering for one night stays, but they mistakenly think it'll be cheaper than a hotel, fooled by the stupidity of the "per night" costs shown on so many listing sites.