Founded in 1984, Schofields is a family run company specialising in holiday home insurance for properties in the UK, France, Spain, Portugal and Italy. Phil Schofield leads the marketing team and offers a wealth of industry knowledge to the Schofields blog and various online publications.
With over 10 experience managing holiday lets, Phil is an active member of the holiday letting and self-catering community, providing expert holiday letting advice, as well as essential holiday home marketing tips. His combination of insurance and marketing knowledge make him a key asset to the holiday rental industry.
Reading Time: 6minutes The holiday letting business is full of unexpected events and there’s no knowing what’s going to happen next. This inevitably means you’ll have to deal with booking cancellations and refund requests due to bereavement, illness, the weather or pandemics. Why holiday booking cancellations can be damaging When guests cancel their booking, you lose the time and acquisition costs you’ve invested …
Reading Time: 15minutes Many holiday home owners fall into the trap of thinking it’s easy to set up a holiday letting business, secure bookings, and make a good income — but the reality is it’s often not quite so straightforward. While the ‘barrier to entry’ might seem as though it’s lower than other types of business, the world of holiday letting is hugely …
Reading Time: 9minutes The self-catering accommodation industry has often been the brunt of bad press – primarily due to complaints about a holiday let not being as advertised, being dirty or damage deposit refund disputes. Holiday cottage booking agents are also guilty of shunning accountability when things go wrong, by stating the booking contract is directly between the accommodation owner and the guest. …
Reading Time: 5minutes As a holiday cottage owner, it’s your responsibility to recognise, remove or reduce fire risks at your accommodation and to ensure your property is safe for guests and visitors. If you’re new to holiday letting and haven’t already completed a fire risk assessment it can be difficult to know where to start. We have created this guide to help you …
Reading Time: 5minutes The number of travellers who book their cottage holiday at the last-minute has been increasing year after year, with nearly half of bookings made less than 3 weeks before the date of arrival. Last-minute bookings can be a great way to fill booking gaps and maximise the profitability of your holiday rental. In this article, we will explore the most …
Reading Time: 6minutes What is holiday let management software? Running a successful holiday let can be extremely demanding, that’s why anything that can make managing tasks easier and improve the guest experience better is essential. A good property management system (PMS) can help automate tasks and streamline your day-to-day operations through a variety of features. You can manage everything from guest communication, bookings, …
Reading Time: 4minutes Your holiday let is likely to be one of your most valued assets. Somewhere you may have painstakingly renovated from a ruin, where you spend many hours meticulously cleaning and preparing for guests or a special place you intend to retire. Unfortunately, some guests don’t abide by a ‘treat it as you would your own home’ rule when renting holiday …