Our website publishes news, press releases, opinion and advertorials on various financial organizations, products and services which are commissioned from various Companies, Organizations, PR agencies, Bloggers etc. These commissioned articles are commercial in nature. This is not to be considered as financial advice and should be considered only for information purposes. It does not reflect the views or opinion of our website and is not to be considered an endorsement or a recommendation. We cannot guarantee the accuracy or applicability of any information provided with respect to your individual or personal circumstances. Please seek Professional advice from a qualified professional before making any financial decisions. We link to various third-party websites, affiliate sales networks, and to our advertising partners websites. When you view or click on certain links available on our articles, our partners may compensate us for displaying the content to you or make a purchase or fill a form. This will not incur any additional charges to you. To make things simpler for you to identity or distinguish advertised or sponsored articles or links, you may consider all articles or links hosted on our site as a commercial article placement. We will not be responsible for any loss you may suffer as a result of any omission or inaccuracy on the website.
Home News Holiday property owners turn to 360 tours as staycation market booms

Holiday property owners turn to 360 tours as staycation market booms

by wrich

29th July 2021

∙ Made Snappy reports rise in use of 360 tours as holiday let marketing tool
∙ Staycations expected to deliver £30 billion boon to UK holiday sector
∙ Quay Holidays reports virtual tours are a “really exciting opportunity”

The UK is preparing for a bumper summer, with 33 million people expected to enjoy staycations over the next couple of months. That should provide a welcome £30 billion boom for the domestic holiday sector, according to Sykes Holiday Cottages’ 2021 Staycation Index.

In 2019, half of Britons planned to spend their main summer holiday in the UK. In 2021, that proportion has risen to 62%, with the Peak District, Bournemouth, East Anglia and Lyme Regis among the most popular destinations. For Quay Holidays, based in Poole, near Bournemouth, this certainly rings true, with Lettings Assistant Hannah Challis reporting that, “Most of our properties are solidly booked for the rest of the season”. 

Quay Holidays is one of a rising number of UK holiday providers using 360 tours as a marketing tool. Quay is using a solution provided by 360 tour technology company Made Snappy, which is on a mission to make virtual tours more affordable and more accessible across the property sector.

“We were introduced to Made Snappy last year through our residential lettings business. Colleagues had started using virtual tours for lettings and sales and we thought they offered a really exciting opportunity for our holiday letting portfolio, too!” 

Hannah Challis, Lettings Assistant, Quay Holidays 

Hannah’s estate agency colleagues had initially tried an American virtual tour solution but abandoned it as the system was overly complicated to use and slow to compile. Made Snappy’s solution addresses both of these issues. 

“A Made Snappy virtual tour is so simple to put together. Popping the camera on the tripod and connecting it to the mobile phone takes seconds. Once they are paired, you can move round a property recording each room in a matter of moments. When I get back to the office, I just upload the photos and use the programme to create the virtual tour – an average-sized property takes me no more than 15 minutes.” 

Hannah Challis, Lettings Assistant, Quay Holidays

Quay Holidays is certainly not alone in grasping the potential of 360 tours as a holiday property marketing tool. As the staycation market has boomed, so has demand from this sector, according to Made Snappy’s Mark McCorrie. 

“360 tours allow viewers to experience a property in a vastly different way than regular photographs do. We already work with many lettings agents and estate agents who appreciate the value.” 

Mark McCorrie, CEO and Founder, Made Snappy

For lettings agents and estate agents, the value of 360 tours lies in reducing wasted viewings and better matching potential renters and buyers with suitable properties. For holiday rental firms, the use case is slightly different, though no less beneficial, as Quay Holiday’s Hannah Challis points out: 

“Photographs are great, but holidaymakers know they can be manipulated to show the best angles. A virtual tour puts the prospective guest in control – they can wander through the whole property online, look out of the windows, stand in the garden and view it from every angle. This gives them greater confidence to make the booking. Ironically, it also makes our job easier too, as the more the guest can see beforehand, the less they can reasonably complain about when they arrive!”

 

 

Recent Post