Record start to Plymouth’s self catering season

Figures released from Blue Chip Holidays, the South West’s largest provider of 4 and 5 star self-catering properties, indicate that high-end holiday homes in Plymouth and its surrounding area are set for a bumper self-catering season in 2015.

The business, which has over 1,000 self catering holiday homes within its portfolio, has taken record bookings for the city with demand up 6% on January 2014. Properties in Saltash and Torpoint also saw impressive growth, with bookings up 44%.

Commenting on the growth Nicole Roe, Blue Chip Holidays’ Portfolio Development Manager for Plymouth and the South Hams, said: “Demand remains high as increasing numbers of people look to experience the many attractions that Plymouth and the surrounding area has to offer year round.

“Over the past year we’ve developed new content on our website and we’ve worked hard to raise the profile of the city as a great destination with high-end self catering. This work appears to be paying off with rises in bookings both from returning guests, and from customers who want to try the Blue Chip Holidays experience in a new location.”

She continued: “Peak weeks across our portfolio are exceeding those of last year with July up 76% on bookings in 2014. Off-peak periods have also performed strongly with bookings for January up 78% on last year, while bookings for June are up 25%, and bookings for September are up 20%.

“We’ve also seen the number of short breaks booked for the first two months of 2015 rise by 36%. This type of performance is fantastic news for owners as the key to increasing income for a holiday home is to boost bookings in the shoulder periods. Achieve this and properties can realise much higher yields and revenue targets.”

She added “While this level of demand is great news for holiday home owners in the city, there is a gap between the level of demand and availability of high end holiday homes in Plymouth. To address this we are actively seeking new properties within the city and we are looking to talk to developers, investors and existing property owners so that we can get ahead of the demand curve.

“Our goal is to ensure that owners of holiday homes who are interested in joining Blue Chip Holidays are able to swiftly and effectively benefit from the current bookings surge, as well as the ongoing year round rise in demand for properties in Plymouth.”

Blue Chip Holidays analyses customer demand on a daily basis, enabling it to respond to changing trends in customer profile, property preference, type and location. This enables its team of portfolio managers to target those properties with greatest potential, and it also enables their team of experts to advise owners on the best way to help improve their property’s performance.

Holiday home owners and investors interested in contacting Blue Chip Holidays for advice on renting out their holiday home, or for an income projection, can call 0330 134 5425. Alternatively owners can visit www.bluechipowners.co.uk