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Overview
A guest who sends an enquiry has already done the hard part. They have found your area, decided they need somewhere to stay and told you roughly what they want. What happens in the next few hours decides whether that becomes a booking or a guest who quietly books somewhere else.
This guide covers what a good reply looks like for UK hosts of holiday cottages, lodges, static caravans and houses let to working crews: how quickly to answer, what to put in the offer, how to price it when the dates fall in a quiet month, and how to follow up without chasing. It matters most from now until March, when there are fewer guests to go round and every enquiry carries more weight.
Why the reply matters more in winter
Demand for short stays drops after October half-term and does not recover properly until spring. VisitEngland's monthly occupancy survey shows the pattern clearly for hotels in England in 2025: room occupancy was 66% in January against 86% in July (VisitEngland, England Occupancy Survey, December 2025 results).
For many hosts in England and Wales there is also a hard number at stake. To be rated for business rates rather than council tax, a self-catering property in England must have been available to let for at least 140 nights in the past 12 months and actually let for at least 70 nights. In Wales the thresholds are 252 nights available and 182 nights let, although from April 2026 Welsh owners can use an average over the previous 24 or 36 months if they fall short in a single year (). A few winter weeks that would otherwise sit empty can be the difference between meeting the test and being moved back to council tax.