“My Host has been exceptional”: A holiday home Owner’s experience with HolidayHost
Looking to start renting out her holiday home, Emma explored several options before choosing HolidayHost. Honest advice, responsive support and a personal approach gave her confidence from the outset. Today, she describes her Host, Rachel, as “exceptional” a reflection of the trust, communication and personal support that sit at the heart of the HolidayHost experience.
When it comes to choosing somebody to support your holiday home, trust matters.
For many Owners, the decision isn’t simply about fees, availability calendars or listing performance. It’s about finding people who feel reliable, knowledgeable and genuinely invested in helping their property succeed.
For owner Emma of Quay Cottage in Salcombe, her introduction to HolidayHost came whilst exploring how to begin renting out their property.
“We were thinking about renting out our property and spoke to several companies, one being Pebbles, which we initially approached for the changeover side of things. Pebbles introduced us to HolidayHost and here we are.
We liked the fact that they worked closely together,” explained Emma.
“That local relationship and joined-up approach stood out early on.”
Rather than feeling like separate suppliers operating independently, Emma enjoys the assurance in seeing Pebbles, an established local business, collaborating professionally with an expert letting supplier in HolidayHost. For many Owners, especially those entering holiday letting for the first time, that feeling of continuity of communication can make a significant difference.
Importantly, the decision to move forward wasn’t made lightly.
Like many owners, Emma explored several options before choosing HolidayHost .
“They were friendly, seemed to know what they were doing, gave us good advice and the money side of things stacked up and seemed reasonable compared to others we had looked at.”
That balance is something we hear often from Owners across the HolidayHost network. Owners want professional support and strong results, but they also want transparency, realistic advice and relationships that feel personal rather than transactional.
Throughout the onboarding process, attentiveness and communication also stood out.
“Very attentive,”
Emma said simply when reflecting on the experience.
Holiday home ownership is overwhelming at times, particularly when starting up – navigating bookings, guest communication, housekeeping coordination, the wider operational side of letting and so on.
For Quay Cottage, that relationship has continued far beyond onboarding.
“Rachel, my Host, has been exceptional.”
Salcombe & Portlemouth Host, Rachel
While referrals within the holiday let industry can often be difficult, many Owners are already tied into contracts or existing arrangements, positive experiences still naturally lead to conversations between Owners. Even if formal recommendations aren’t always possible immediately, trust spreads quietly through local communities, Owner networks and day-to-day conversations.
And ultimately, that is what makes referrals so meaningful.
They are rarely driven by sales pitches. They come from experience, consistency and relationships that Owners genuinely value.
At HolidayHost, we’re incredibly grateful every time an Owner chooses to mention our name to somebody else. It represents something far more valuable than marketing alone ever could trust.
If you are considering holiday letting for the first time in the Salcombe area or one of the other areas we service, or thinking about whether your current arrangement is truly working for you, speaking to Owners already within the HolidayHost network can often tell you far more than we ever could ourselves.
With thanks to Emma at Quay Cottage for sharing her experience with HolidayHost.
What community minded means for your holiday let
Being community minded means treating a holiday home as a contributing member of its neighbourhood, not a property in a vacuum. For HolidayHost, that means actively investing in the local events, organisations and culture that make each region special, so the community around every holiday let thrives alongside the property itself.
HolidayHost supports the South West through corporate sponsorship and local advertising. Recent examples include sponsoring the music at Salcombe Crabfest, corporate support of Paignton Zoo, advertising in the Fowey Literary Festival programme, supporting Wadebridge Cricket Club, attending the Royal Cornwall Show, and backing local school banners in Padstow.
A thriving community is the foundation of sustainable tourism. When a local area is well-resourced and protected, it provides a better experience for guests and a more stable, premium environment for owners. Community investment also helps keep high streets vibrant and businesses open year-round, supporting demand outside the peak summer months.
Yes. Guests are increasingly savvy and want to know their stay is not hollowing out a community. Positioning your Devon short-term rental or Cornwall cottage as part of a community-focused brand gives you a competitive edge, because you are selling an authentic connection to a place that is loved and looked after, not just holiday accommodation.
By partnering with HolidayHost, owners benefit from a model where part of the wider activity goes back into supporting events, conservation and culture across the regions where their properties sit. That means a portion of every fee helps preserve the very things, from coastal landscapes to landmark destinations, that make a property attractive to guests in the first place.
