The Static

Took possession yesterday of the new static caravan we bought at Hoborne Water Park in South Cerney, near Cirencester.

The decking will be installed on tomorrow and, following an attempted break in some 6 weeks ago, a new set of patio doors are on order.

The willows around the lake have recently been pollarded, making the lake look a little bleak, but next spring the place will look verdant once more.

We took a car load of stuff there yesterday, such as bedding and kitchen/dining items, and will probably go again today to add some touches of sophistication to the decor. There's a nasty looking coal-effect, electric fire that needs replacing with something more classic - probably my chrome, art deco HMV heater. The caravan is residential spec, meaning the insulation is superior to a standard unit - in effect it's a park home.

Artwork has yet to be commissioned, TVs installed and the 4G router ordered, but we hope to have it on the market for high-end rental clients before Christmas, once the finishing touches have been added, and start using its earning potential for the next 15 years.

Based on our experience with our AirBnB (which we should strictly call our Booking.com, as we now get more bookings through that platform than AirBnB), it's crucial we over-deliver on the marketing promises, as that's important for getting 5 star reviews. Just one bad review in the first few months can ruin the later occupancy rate, so low occupancy with excellent reviews is the strategy in the first few months while we test the waters for feedback and build a reputation. The last thing we want to do is over-sell and under-deliver in the eyes of the clients, as we'll be one of the highest spec and among the highest charging units on the park.

The caravan has two bedrooms and one of the settees converts into a double bed, so it effectively sleeps 6, but we're sticking with 4, as that results in less wear and tear. Also, accommodating 6 can facilitate wild parties or hordes of kids. We're also going to market it as dog-friendly, despite the obvious down side, as most families these days have a dog and we can't afford to miss out on this segment of the market.

Given we live some 45 minutes from the site, managing the changeovers ourselves will be impossible, so we're using a local company that set itself up relatively recently - an enterprising husband and wife team who themselves own a couple of rental caravans on the site. They will do the bookings as well, charging a total of 15% of the rental fees, which is the same as Booking.com would charge us, but without the changeovers, so it makes sense. Based on the number of caravans they manage, they know what works and what doesn't.

The park's site is perfect, as it's on the edge of the Cotswolds and attracts clients from both the Midlands and London.

We thought the occupancy of our AirBnB would be down for October and November, but we're been busier than in the summer and hardly have a vacancy for the whole of November - we've been full for the last 2 weeks. The reason is twofold; firstly because of the over-delivering strategy and the consequent 5 star reviews taking us to pole position in the area, and secondly we seem to be hoovering up business clients who are on the area for work. Most of the AirBnB places locally are entire houses, so we've captured a niche within the week day consultancy market for the single person who doesn't want to spend hotel prices and just needs a room, as opposed to a whole house, while weekends are primarily older couples visiting the area. We also seem to attract couples from the north who are on their way to Cornwall or Devon and want to break their journey.

Running the AirBnB isn't really stressful. Changeovers take no more than an hour at most and Hay personally greets most client (it's difficult for a client to leave a negative review if you've struck up a rapport with them on arrival) and the fact it has a separate entrance means we can go away in the motorhome at weekends - guests arriving when we're away are greeted by Hay's dad, who is one of nature's likeable people and can talk the hind legs off a donkey.