Renting out your holiday home in winter: how to keep it booked

For many owners, the property goes quiet as soon as the autumn half-term is over. The summer was busy, the calendar was full, and then come weeks without bookings. It does not have to be that way. In winter too, people look for a place to get away for a while. They are simply looking for something different from what they want in July.

If you understand what winter guests want, you can make the property attractive in the cold months as well. That calls for a different approach: different target groups, different prices, different photos and a property that feels warm from the very first minute. In this article, you will read how to go about it.

Who travels in winter?

The winter guest is rarely the family with three children and a beach tent. These are different profiles, with different wishes.

Couples. A weekend by the sea with a long beach walk and a good restaurant. Or a few days in the Ardennes with a log fire and walking boots. Couples often book short stays and at the last minute, especially in good weather.

Groups of friends. A group that wants to spend a weekend cooking, walking or celebrating a birthday together in peace and quiet. Large properties in the Westhoek or the Ardennes lend themselves well to this.

People who work remotely. More and more people combine work with a stay elsewhere. A quiet property with good wifi and a place to work is an alternative to home for them. They often stay a week or longer.

People between two homes. Those who are renovating, moving or working temporarily in the region look for a furnished property for a few weeks to a few months.

Weekends and longer stays

In winter, a lot revolves around the weekend. Friday to Sunday is the natural rhythm for couples and groups. Make sure those nights are clearly visible and attractive.

At the same time, weekdays are often empty. That is where the opportunities for longer stays lie. A discount for a stay of a week or a month makes your property interesting for people who work remotely or need temporary accommodation. Most platforms let you give a lower price per night automatically from a certain number of nights.

Do think about what a long stay means for your property. How often is it cleaned in between? Who changes the linen? Who follows up if something breaks? Make clear arrangements about this in advance. Also find out about the rules that apply to longer-term rentals, because they can differ from those for tourist rentals.

Adjusting the minimum stay

In summer, you may ask for a minimum stay of a week. In winter, that rarely works. Someone who wants to get away for a weekend will not book seven nights.

Lower the minimum stay in the quiet weeks to two nights, or even one night on weekdays if the cleaning allows it. Keep a longer minimum in the holiday periods, when demand is high enough.

A handy middle way: allow short stays when there is a gap in the calendar between two bookings. That way you sell nights that would otherwise stay empty. A well-configured pricing system does this automatically.

Holidays and events

Winter has a few periods with strong demand. The Christmas holidays and New Year are sought after, especially for large properties where families come together. The spring half-term (krokusvakantie) also brings many bookings, mainly in the Ardennes and on the coast.

Open those periods in good time and price them higher than the rest of the winter. Many guests book their Christmas stay well in advance. If you only look at your calendar in December, you are too late.

Look at local events too. Winter bars and Christmas markets in the coastal towns, walking events, sporting competitions, trade fairs or concerts nearby. Weekends like that attract visitors who need somewhere to sleep. A simple calendar of the events in your region helps you respond to them in time.

A warm house on arrival

Nothing is as disappointing as arriving at a cold property after a long drive in the rain. In winter, the first impression is literally a question of temperature.

Make sure the heating comes on a few hours before arrival. Test in advance that all radiators work and that the boiler has been serviced. Check the hot water too.

Make the property cosy as well. Think of:

• warm throws on the sofa and an extra blanket on every bed
• battery-powered candles, which are safe and still create atmosphere
• a supply of tea, coffee and hot chocolate
• a few board games and books for rainy days
• a drying rack or hooks for wet coats and shoes by the entrance

If your property has a fireplace or wood burner, give clear instructions on its use and safety. Provide enough wood and check the smoke detectors.

Winter photos make the difference

Most listings only show summer photos. A sun-drenched terrace and a blue sky. In winter, that is less appealing. Someone searching in January wants to see how it feels to sit inside while a storm blows outside.

Have a few photos taken that show the winter. A burning fire, a laid table in warm light, a bed with a thick throw, a view of a wintry dune or a snow-covered hill. In winter, put those at the front of your listing. Adjust the text too: mention the warm property, the peace and quiet and the walks nearby.

Energy and maintenance

Managing energy wisely

Heating a property that is not always occupied costs money. With a smart thermostat, you keep that under control. You turn the temperature down remotely between two stays and let it rise again for the next arrival.

Also set a maximum temperature that guests cannot exceed. That way you avoid the heating running full blast day and night with the windows open. Briefly explain in the house manual how the heating works. Guests then use it more consciously.

Never let the property cool down completely in empty periods. Keep a minimum temperature to avoid damp and frozen pipes.

Using quiet weeks for maintenance

The quiet weeks are the ideal moment for maintenance. Painting a room, having the boiler checked, cleaning the gutters, renewing the grout in the bathroom or doing up garden furniture. In summer, you lose bookings because of that, in January hardly any.

Plan these works in advance and block the calendar in good time. Work with regular tradespeople who know the property. That way you are ready for spring with a property that looks fresh.

Lower prices, but not too low

In winter, demand is lower, and so are prices. That makes sense. But it is a trap to let the price drop so far that you have more costs than income. Every booking brings cleaning, linen, energy and wear and tear with it.

Set yourself a floor price per night that covers all those costs. You do not rent below it. Above it, work with prices that move with the market every day: higher at weekends and in holidays, lower on weekdays, and sharper when an empty night is approaching.

A price that is too low sometimes attracts the wrong audience as well. A property that suddenly becomes very cheap in January can attract groups mainly looking for a party venue. So stay alert.

Approaching your winter differently

A winter with bookings calls for preparation, follow-up and pricing that is adjusted every day. YourDomi works with daily prices based on market data, maintenance through regular tradespeople and a monthly statement per property. Curious what the winter could mean for your property? Request a personal proposal.