Algarve Holiday Letting Guide: Adding a touch of luxury to your holiday home

I was in town the other day and wanted to have a coffee. There are many, many cafes in my town, you know how the Portuguese love coffee! And I went to one I had never tried before but always looked at. It is quite new, probably two years old, had a nice facade with nice tables and chairs outside and big umbrellas. It all looks very nice, and as I sat there I looked around at the other customers and the corrolation of customer type to image, really rang true. This cafe had a more upmarket look to it, with its furniture and large (expensive looking) umbrellas and servers.

And it got me thinking about holiday rental homes and how exactly the same thing happens. Its known that people like to go upmarket with their holidays if they can, they like to spoil themselves and will almost always choose something which is nicer than home. This has rung true this year with Tots as we have seen people choose to spend slightly more money on booking a nicer type of place, rather than save that difference for a dinner out or a night of babysitting.

So my thought is, if you make those little 'luxe' touches, which do not cost a lot but could move you 'up' in the eyes of your customer base, that can only bring a better 'type' of customer who is willing to spend some more money on those extra touches.

Even simple things like,

Change light fittings to something more modern or elaborate (but not expensive if you shop around).
Paint one wall in the bedroom a different colour to give some life and also a theme, to add pictures or prints to (use your own photos of the local area, costs very little and adds a sense of 'holiday')
Add bathrobes to the master bedroom, one off cost, which can be recuped several times and gives that 'boutique hotel' feel.

Recently I have been looking for a holiday rental for a late season break and the places I have seen, some I just wonder how they get bookings, examples are fuzzy photos, so I have to look really closely (and think Im going blind). Child friendly properties with an unenclosed pool within a metre of the door of the house or low walls with a long drop on the other side. Lounges with really old looking and cluttered furniture. And then you have the bright, airy, modern dining rooms with painted walls and simple blinds. Luxury, doesnt mean elaborate, just means to take the time, make it simple but pleasant.