Latest / Host Planet: Airbnb, Holiday Let, and Vacation Rental Insights / From Sykes to Scaling: Building a Holiday Let Brand on the Isle of Wight

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From Sykes to Scaling: Building a Holiday Let Brand on the Isle of Wight · Host Planet: Airbnb, Holiday Let, and Vacation Rental Insights

• 0:00
  Welcome to the House Planet Playbook, your go to guide for
• 0:03
  mastering short term rentals. In this special series, we're
• 0:06
  sitting down with 30 of the world's top property managers to
• 0:10
  uncover what really drives success in the vacation rental
• 0:13
  industry. You'll hear their stories, learn
• 0:15
  the key lessons they've picked up along the way, and discover
• 0:18
  the game changing tech they use to deliver 5 star guest
• 0:22
  experiences. If you're serious about growing
• 0:25
  your STR business, you're in the right place.
• 0:28
  We've also developed an e-book featuring the stories of every
• 0:31
  manager in this series and you can download it for free.
• 0:35
  Head to House Planet dot Club to find out more.
• 0:38
  In today's episode, we're chatting to Justine Ireland from
• 0:41
  Just For You holiday homes in the Isle of Wight.
• 0:43
  Stand by for a deep dive into outstanding communication, a
• 0:47
  strong commitment to sustainability and treating
• 0:50
  every rental as if it's your own property.
• 0:57
  This special series is brought to you by Host Planet and
• 1:00
  Hospitable, the smart AI powered property management software
• 1:04
  trusted by hosts worldwide. With Hospitable, you can
• 1:07
  automate guest messaging, sync calendars across platforms and
• 1:11
  manage your rentals with ease, all from one powerful, easy to
• 1:15
  use platform. If you're keen to run your short
• 1:17
  term rental on autopilot, try Hospitable today.
• 1:21
  Visit hospitable.com/house Planet.
• 1:24
  See how the platform can save you time, reduce stress, and
• 1:27
  maximize your earnings. Justine, thank you for being
• 1:30
  part of the House Planet Playbook.
• 1:32
  Let's start with you. What's the name of your company?
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  Where are you located and how many rentals do you manage?
• 1:38
  Hi James, thank you for having me on.
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  I'm on the Isle of Wight. The company name is called Just
• 1:44
  Few Holiday Homes and we manage 32 properties.
• 1:48
  Fantastic. OK then.
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  So tell us, how did you get involved in the world of short
• 1:53
  term rentals? Like, I think an awful lot of us
• 1:56
  by accident, I, I actually got divorced, bought a new house and
• 2:03
  there was a lodge there and we, then I gutted it and redid the
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  lodge. Lots of people stayed in it.
• 2:08
  And then someone went, well, why don't you rent it?
• 2:10
  And I was like, you know nothing about it.
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  So I saw a little advert for Sykes Cottages and rang them up.
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  They came over and we just put it live.
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  It was just sort of, didn't we think anything of it.
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  It was 2009 and the world was very different.
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  So and then the six months later I ended up becoming a
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  salesperson. So that was really my big inroad
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  meeting. Clive Sykes and he was so
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  inspirational and he drove his business by technology and they
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  were superb in those days. It was just the most
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  extraordinary experience. So what we really got to know
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  the industry, but you know, it was brochures and in two years
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  time the market might be different.
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  It was so, so different, but that was sort of how I sort of
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  started. And I then started working very
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  closely with my owners that I had actually recruited.
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  And that was where I realized I would have real interest.
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  I would really help them from interior designers to gardeners
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  and everything they needed. So it then became quite a
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  natural process to start my own business really when a few of
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  the owners just went, well, you're running everything for
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  us, so let's just do it. So it was a bit of a big
• 3:21
  learning curve, but that was sort of how it started.
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  It just was a handful and built from there really.
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  What are the key learnings from those early days that you still
• 3:32
  apply today and obviously since there's been so much change in
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  the industry? I think the key learnings is
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  communication, never forgetting your hospitality and listen to
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  your owners and your guests. I, I read being an owner, I
• 3:51
  started as an owner because owners want their houses looked
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  after and really happy guests in great reviews.
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  So we're all on the same page. So I think it's never forgetting
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  you're here to make memories, you're here to create some.
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  You know, people will save all year for the holiday.
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  So you really want that, right? So I think it's the attention to
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  detail it's and actually just never forget you're in
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  hospitality because I think people, it's become quite a big
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  money industry, but actually we are in hospitality and I think
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  we have to sometimes just step back a little bit.
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  And I, I enjoy those moments when you get that review from a
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  child who's had the best week of their life and you, that's why
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  we do it. And I think never forget why you
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  started it in the first place, really.
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  And what did you learn from Clive Sykes?
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  He had, I think he was honest and open and kind and
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  knowledgeable, but I think it was how he started his business,
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  how the technology, he was very early doors doing the technology
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  on the Internet when, you know, a lot of people hadn't even seen
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  it. I think that to me was the
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  inspiration and that's how I, when I started just for you,
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  Honda Holmes, I was right. I'm going to start it with
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  technology because that's what Clive did.
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  So I was, I think his training, the training, the team, it was a
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  really, really positive experience.
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  And, and we had, it was the first sort of educational
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  meeting. We had yearly meetings and
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  that's what got me interested each year.
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  I got really excited about what's happening, what's new,
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  and he was always at the forefront of what's moving on.
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  And I think that's what's helped me a lot.
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  Talk to us about the Isle of Wight, what are the unique
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  challenges and of course, the opportunities of where you
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  operate. I think with the Isle of Wight,
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  our biggest challenge are the ferries.
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  I think we have, we, I think we also have probably got quite a
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  lot of oversupply at the moment because a lot of people are
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  needing, there are a lot of second homes which are needed to
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  be businesses now. And I think after COVID,
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  everyone has so much money, people got a little bit thinking
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  it's going to make their fortunes.
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  So I think the oversupply is a challenge and I think base and
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  the ferries because we have had less visitors coming over.
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  And I think for me, because the industry has changed with the
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  short bookings, last minute bookings, our oversupply I think
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  has therefore shrunk our tourist window.
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  So where we used to always get 40 weeks before COVID, you've
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  got 4045 weeks without batting an eyelid.
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  Not the case at the moment and not it's because suddenly we've
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  got so much supply for August, all coming August.
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  It was quite a challenging month for I think for everybody.
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  And therefore we're seeing the weaknesses at, you know, your
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  head and shoulders. Spring and autumn are really
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  struggling than have been and I think that's that's been a
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  challenge. I think when you've got an
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  industry change on a small island, it seems to be a little
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  bit more, but we've got the quality properties, we've got it
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  and in said summer we're all pretty much doing well.
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  But that's how it was 25 years ago, so we've evolved from that.
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  So that's me. The challenge now is to get that
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  market back so we can get the spring in autumn again so it
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  becomes a proper business. What are your top tips for
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  delivering an outstanding guest experience?
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  I think that communication is, is key.
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  We, it, it's as long as I think your descriptions, your
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  photography has to be spot on because also we have to remember
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  a lot of people aren't reading anymore.
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  So we have to get as much visual out there.
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  We do 3D photography and the virtual photography.
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  So we're doing as much as we can to get the experience.
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  And we've, I think also my job is to protect my owners and my
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  guests. So we are very absolutely, all
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  our properties are fully regulated, iprac approved for
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  our guests today, then have the security knowing that we are
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  legitimate. So I think it's about just being
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  best practice all the time and gaining the trust.
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  I think trust is obviously seriously important, but having
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  the right information and actually answering the phones.
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  I know AI is great, but I still think in, I think on the Isle of
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  Wight, we've got a lot of older generations coming.
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  They don't want AI. So I'm not going to say no to
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  it, but I think you still need a bit of personal touch.
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  It's a balance between the two. And I just think it's, it's,
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  it's key is remembering we have to be there for our guests and
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  our owners. And also, I think the biggest
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  thing is if you know there's an issue with the house, don't
• 8:47
  ignore it because that will be on the next review.
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  It, it, it will be. And it's something that niggles
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  you or if an owner mentions something, you know it'll be an
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  issue. So sort it and we have a
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  maintenance who's on hand 24 hours a day and we get things
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  fixed pretty much within half an hour.
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  And that is why our reviews have been solid because I think we do
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  that. And if you can't communicate,
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  tell the guests why, then they understand that if you ignore
• 9:13
  it, then you've got a problem. Because if they walk in and the
• 9:15
  dishwasher's not working, they find issues with everything.
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  So you eliminate it or at least let them know, you know,
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  tomorrow we've got a power cut from half half of ride, which,
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  and I've got a lot of clients have no power for 12 hours.
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  So I've just been talking to them every day, reminding them
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  of communicating. I've had to go and get the
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  change overs we've got I've had to get battery hoovers.
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  You've just got to, I think when the situation comes, you've just
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  got to embrace it and, and deal with it and, and being honest
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  all the time. So we talked about keeping the
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  guests happy. How do you keep the owners happy
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  as well? The I think the owners, it's has
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  been a trickier year this year because they have been used to
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  much higher earnings and I've definitely had more
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  communications. I think they want the house
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  looked after. They would like more earnings,
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  they would like longer bookings. I think the owners have been the
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  most challenging this year. Again, it's just communicating.
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  Some of them don't seem to want to understand and the supply and
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  demand situations that we're in. And I'm not sure.
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  I think again, I think it's been open with them and I'm, I
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  e-mail, I WhatsApp and I speak to them regularly because it is
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  a bit more frightening. You know, we've been through a
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  lot with regulations costing them an absolute fortune.
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  And I have, I'm saying I'm very big on my sustainability.
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  So we've had to do all our certifications for
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  sustainability and they, they trust me.
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  And I think that's the key. Once you've got that trust and I
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  think you work really hard with the trust.
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  And I think again, it's down to communication and we get things
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  done. We are, I think, having our
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  maintenance fixing. We had a leak this morning
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  because of the rain. It was fixed in an hour.
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  So they, that's the side they like.
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  I don't overcharge them. And I think at the moment we
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  just have to all be bare at switching the cost between
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  ourselves. Really.
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  It's a bit, it's a bit tough. But again, I think with all of
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  this, at the moment it's it's just talking to them.
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  What makes your brand stand out among the competition in the
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  Isle of Wight? I think because we're very hands
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  on and I've worked really hard at making sure my properties are
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  fully regulated and our sustainability, I think we're
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  the only ones really pushing the sustainability.
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  I think living on an island, I walk the dogs and you see the
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  thrift cliffs scrambling. The tides are so much higher,
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  the storms are so much bigger and I think it's really
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  concentrated here. So we were doing doing this for
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  a little while, but actually last year after Scale Green, I
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  really went for it and, and the owners have liked that.
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  Actually they have liked that. I think a couple of the elderly
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  weren't too keen, but 90% of people with young children have
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  all just gone great. And I think that's been the feel
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  when you speak to the young adults, they're all saying we're
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  not going to fly, we're not. So there isn't, there is
• 12:16
  potential for uplift, but we're just in that waiting period at
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  the moment. So I think it is constantly
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  communicating and being small and we are really hands on.
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  And I know my guests really well as well.
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  You know, I get Christmas cards and emails from them all the
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  time, you know, so we look after our regular guests and the that
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  the owners love having a regular guest in and that that's so I
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  think it is, it's just the quality we do offer full on
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  quality. My staff are fantastic and they
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  get it and attention to detail. We walk in and we can see the
• 12:48
  cobweb in the corner. You know you've just got to deal
• 12:52
  with everyone's foibles really. But the I think the the owners,
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  you have to gain trust for them to follow you through this
• 13:01
  market at the moment. In terms of the sustainability
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  side of things, what are the specific things that you've
• 13:09
  implemented to become more eco friendly?
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  I think the first thing is we looked at the energy and we then
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  managed to get all our properties switched into
• 13:18
  renewable energy sources, which that was a really big plus.
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  Working with stomach has been fantastic, so it gives you the
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  guidelines of what to do. But we had already changed all
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  our cleaning products in the houses, which was really
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  difficult when we started, but now you can pretty much bite
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  everywhere. We've changed the cloth to all
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  combustible clothes and I've now just had a new product so I'm
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  really excited about and the toilet rolls are made from the
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  byproduct of sugar canes when they've been through the sugar
• 13:48
  process. So that's even better than
• 13:50
  bamboo, I think because you know, it's it, I just think it's
• 13:54
  fantastic. It's using up waste and they're
• 13:56
  really soft and lovely. So it's the new products are
• 13:58
  superb. So I think it's, we've reduced
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  the waste in the properties by about half and our own in the
• 14:04
  office as well by half. We've got water saving devices
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  in the loos, in the showers. So all these things we are have
• 14:13
  been implementing. I obviously we did the digital
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  guidebook, which I'd already done before.
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  So a lot we had implemented already.
• 14:21
  But now it's, it's a lot easier to Add all the different
• 14:24
  products in and the bedding was, as you replace bedding, it's
• 14:27
  bamboo bedding because that's less harmful to the environment.
• 14:32
  And there's more and more. We're always all learning really
• 14:34
  and it's some of them we can't pass.
• 14:36
  We don't need air conditioning in the UK.
• 14:38
  We don't need sun blinds and things in the UK.
• 14:42
  But if the weather's changing it might, it might happen.
• 14:45
  I want to try and get the smart blocks.
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  We then got the detectors for the smoke.
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  That's the next thing. But I think with this year, the
• 14:50
  owners were not prepared to pay anymore at the moment.
• 14:53
  But we we're going through the process now of renewing for this
• 14:57
  year, for next year. And that's so we look, we've
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  been focusing on the water saving devices.
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  And are you finding this is something that's appreciated by
• 15:06
  the guests? Is it?
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  Does it help eventually to make more money, do you think in the
• 15:10
  long run? I think it did initially.
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  I think again we've we've had challenges from the big OTAs
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  they have been on to cutting our websites.
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  They and I have. It's been an interesting 1.
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  You either people are really in who love it or not.
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  I still think it's early days. I think there was a benefit and
• 15:29
  I feel a benefit because you are, I think you just feel
• 15:33
  you're doing the right thing. But I still think it's early
• 15:35
  days. I, I would in EV charges, I've
• 15:38
  had them for 5-6 years and this is the first year they've been
• 15:41
  used. And I've noticed in all the
• 15:42
  searches it's now come like #3 where it was #10 for years.
• 15:46
  So we are now at the brink and I still, that's why I started
• 15:50
  because I think we need to be there ready because I think the
• 15:53
  next generation coming through are absolutely going to be
• 15:56
  looking for that. They're interesting.
• 15:59
  Grandparents aren't. So at the moment they don't seem
• 16:01
  to understand it, but they are less and less booking now and
• 16:04
  the next one's coming through and listening to their
• 16:06
  grandchildren and it will be driven by the youngsters I
• 16:08
  think. What's been your biggest lesson
• 16:12
  learned in your short term rental journey?
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  I think I think the biggest lesson is when you know there's
• 16:18
  an issue that it you'll get on with it.
• 16:21
  I think if you leave it a day, it bites you and it bites you.
• 16:25
  So I think it is keep being proactive and we have dark days
• 16:31
  because it has been challenging. And I think it's, it's embracing
• 16:38
  the issues you deal with. And I, I think for me, it's
• 16:40
  dealing with the issues and I think you do not delay because
• 16:43
  that's definitely when it goes wrong.
• 16:45
  If you know you've got a cleaning issue, don't wait till
• 16:48
  the next king get in there. Yeah, exactly.
• 16:50
  When when you know there's a problem, you're just kind of
• 16:53
  waiting with bated breath about getting the call or the message
• 16:56
  about it are. You and you will and 99% or if
• 16:59
  you hear nothing from the guest, it will come in the review and
• 17:02
  you'll be so upset because you just think you knew about it.
• 17:05
  Exactly. And I think it is just listening
• 17:09
  and actually I think it's making sure the team communicate
• 17:12
  because I've had an issue where once I knew about that and I
• 17:14
  think none of us did. So we've got really good
• 17:18
  communication and I think that's making sure you're all your team
• 17:21
  communicate because we're all busy and everyone's flat out and
• 17:23
  it gets remembered at 3:00 in the morning or something.
• 17:26
  I think we all have notebooks by our beds because you remember
• 17:28
  things at night. So you just have to quickly
• 17:30
  write it down. And I think that's probably the
• 17:34
  big thing this too. What do you love most about
• 17:38
  hosting? I think the it's the seeing the
• 17:41
  pleasure in people and you read some of the, the lovely reviews
• 17:47
  and I love it when a child has written and we've had one
• 17:51
  recently and every member of the family wrote in the book and it
• 17:55
  was just lovely. And I think they're often
• 17:58
  surprised, but we do do an extensive welcome pack that's
• 18:02
  more their cleaning and things, but they, it really is
• 18:04
  appreciated. And I think that's the lovely
• 18:07
  part. And we had a note and one child
• 18:10
  has really written. They must be 7 or 8 and they'd
• 18:13
  appreciated all the sustainable environmental friendship
• 18:16
  products And that's nature is worth it.
• 18:19
  It's it's hard work, but it's worth it.
• 18:21
  And that's why we do it. We do it for those lovely people
• 18:25
  that enjoy and appreciate. Very good.
• 18:28
  OK. Then Justine, we've got a few
• 18:29
  quick fire questions then to finish.
• 18:31
  So which PMS do you use? Avantia.
• 18:36
  Which dynamic pricing tool do you use?
• 18:39
  Beyond. Which piece of tech couldn't you
• 18:42
  live without? I think it's probably of ANTIO,
• 18:46
  but I think our channel manager is key.
• 18:49
  It took me 5 or 6 channel managers till I found the one
• 18:51
  that that worked. And from that you can bolt on
• 18:55
  all the other tech that you need.
• 18:57
  Ideally pets, yes or no? Yes, we're fine with pets.
• 19:02
  Hot tubs yes or no? Not not too keen on hot tubs
• 19:06
  just because of the management of.
• 19:09
  Them self check in or a personal welcome.
• 19:13
  We are mainly self check in. We have a few personal ones
• 19:16
  purely because the owners require it, but that we know see
• 19:19
  most guestants they'd like to just get on in and get going.
• 19:22
  I think that's. And telephone call or AI
• 19:25
  response? I like the telephone at the
• 19:30
  moment, but I am looking at the AI and it would be more for the
• 19:33
  ones who've had arrival instructions 20 times and they
• 19:37
  get to the door and they don't know the key code.
• 19:38
  I think for that one would be quite useful because no one
• 19:41
  reads and at 2:00 in the morning can I bring another dog might be
• 19:45
  useful. But I think most of the time I
• 19:48
  quite like the person touch. But I know if we grow or when we
• 19:52
  grow it's, it's going to have to be balanced.
• 19:55
  But again, I put a lot of tech on and I think, and some of it
• 20:00
  seems to hit maturity a bit now and I'm watching it before I
• 20:02
  start putting any more on, I want to just see it get embedded
• 20:06
  because I think it could go really, really wrong.
• 20:09
  If it's not right for what how your business runs, it could be.
• 20:12
  I think AII think it's great. I use it a lot, but I think
• 20:16
  we're dealing with humans and hospitalities.
• 20:18
  I just think there's I want to make sure it's correct because I
• 20:22
  don't want it to damage the brand that we're building.
• 20:25
  What's your most memorable hosting moment?
• 20:30
  Memorable hosting moment. I tried to think we've had,
• 20:37
  we've had so many. I think it was a client, one of
• 20:40
  my first clients when about 2017 and they've literally stayed
• 20:45
  three times every year since and they were covered from cancer
• 20:50
  and they loved the fact that the house was clean.
• 20:53
  And I think for me as having that guest keep booking and keep
• 20:56
  returning it, it's, it's an honour and it's fantastic and I
• 21:01
  it's very special. Shout out time then.
• 21:04
  Is there an individual in the STR industry who's helped you
• 21:08
  that you'd like to give a shout out to?
• 21:10
  I think Lisa Rhodes from the Holiday Property Coach is
• 21:14
  phenomenal and Bob Garner from Environmental to Two have been
• 21:18
  so phenomenal in helping me grow.
• 21:20
  But Lisa has been amazing and I love learning.
• 21:27
  I've been coming to these events, but Lisa's made it a lot
• 21:30
  easier. It's just it's opened my eyes a
• 21:32
  lot more. Superb, great shout outs there
• 21:34
  for Lisa and Bob. Questions finished then.
• 21:37
  Ultimate goal for your business. Is to grow it to a point where I
• 21:43
  can eventually sell it when I'm at retirement age because I'm
• 21:45
  sort of not far off it really. But I would still want to be in
• 21:48
  the industry. I loving the education side.
• 21:51
  I think it's important. So whether you think you still
• 21:54
  need to have the business to know what's going on, I think
• 21:57
  so. I'm a bit of a not quite sure,
• 22:00
  but I obviously I'd like to get it a bit bigger and I think a
• 22:04
  lot of it's held up until the regulations are sorted.
• 22:07
  And once we've got that, then I think we can start really
• 22:09
  focusing on that. Fantastic, Justine, it's been
• 22:14
  great to hear your story. Thank you for being part of the
• 22:17
  House Planet Playbook. Pleasure.
• 22:19
  Thank you, James. All right, that's it for today's
• 22:21
  episode. My thanks to Justine for sharing
• 22:23
  her journey and for being part of the Host Planet playbook.
• 22:27
  Remember, this series is brought to you in partnership with
• 22:29
  Hospitable, the all in And here's the good news.
• 22:50
  Host Planet Playbook listeners get an exclusive 14 day free
• 22:53
  trial, plus 25% off for the first three months.
• 22:57
  Head to hospitable.com/houseplanet to
• 23:00
  claim your offer and start running your rentals on
• 23:03
  autopilot. And for more free education for
• 23:06
  vacation rental hosts, head to Houseplanet dot Club, where you
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  can sign up for our newsletter, listen to our podcasts and
• 23:13
  download our suite of ebooks. Until next time, happy hosting.