Diversification Blog Series Part 5 – Accommodation

You may have an existing building which is used for something else but wouldn’t need a lot of building work to convert into a range of accommodation solutions. Perhaps you have a building which is currently home to anything from cattle to a tractor, which could be renovated and converted into accommodation? Or maybe you just have space in a great location to site anything from a permanent building (either built with foundations or one of the very popular log cabins or static caravans, which can be sited on a concrete base in a matter of days. Increasingly popular are the non-permanent solutions, such as Shepherd’s Huts, Yurts, Gypsy Caravans, Tree Houses, Eco-Pods or Domes which offer a lovely, different ‘get away from it all’ solution to urban-weary visitors seeking space and fresh air. 

 

Whatever your potential form of accommodation, there are also plenty of ways it can provide income, with different levels of service. Here are a few: 

You provide a great place to stay, your guests sort everything else out. Simple. This type of accommodation is often used for holidays, and, with the increasing popularity of staycations, the more places people have to choose from, the better. This is usually an entire property left for guests to come and go as they please. 

You might like to consider opening to seasonal workers who work in the local area, sometimes for weeks and months at a time. We’re thinking of construction workers, actors, freelance consultants, event co-ordinators, trainee or locum doctors. Offering accommodation to these workers guarantee your income for a longer period than the methods previously mentioned. 

The business model you choose for your accommodation offering, will depend on how much interaction you would like to have, personally, with your visitors and how much service you would like to add on, to add value. This can range from simply preparing the accommodation before they arrive and cleaning it afterwards, to providing breakfasts or even evening meals. On farms, you can offer the added attraction of access to animals (even letting them be involved in helping to look after them), or natural features such as a river to fish, boat on or swim in, some of which may directly involve your time. The great thing about accommodation is that you are in control of the booking so if there are times you don’t want to rent it out, you can simply show it as ‘fully booked’ which is never a bad thing! 

 

Do you offer accommodation on your rural land or property? What do you offer and who is your target guest? We’d love to hear from you about the pros and cons of it! 

 

This blog series is designed to inspire rural businesses to undertake diversification projects to increase income streams and improve revenue. It’s important to remember that not all land and property is suitable for every method of diversification so be realistic before setting your heart on a project. Also, following your passions is more likely to result in long term success. 

 

Make sure you look out for our next blog in the series, which will look at how your rural land and property could be used as conference and/or wedding facilities.