Hey guys!
Welcome to the hosting world. I don't rent out a cottage so I can't give you specifics, but in general I'd suggest:
-Checking out similar listings in your area, and pricing yourself accordingly (Bear in mind that too low = shady guests, at least in my experience. Be competitive but not desperate.)
-Offer family-friendly amenities, if possible - especially for a cottage, I suspect most of your bookings will either comprise of family vacations or romantic getaways (maybe even girls/guys weekends!) so try to offer things like:
- Playpen
- High chair
- Child-friendly dishes/cutlery
- Toys/books
And for romantic weekends or group getaways, consider:
- Extra blankets
- Welcome bottle of wine
- Local guidebook to tourist attractions (not just an online version, something people can leaf through)
- Hand-written welcome note if possible
-Consider running a promotion on your first X number of guests, just to get some bookings and some reviews under your belt
-Cross-post your listing on other short term rental sites to drive more traffic to your listing
-Post your listing to local Facebook groups (mom groups are the BEST for spreading these types of listings), Facebook Marketplace, Kijiji, etc.
Last but certainly not least, make sure you have tons of good photos. Cottages don't come cheap, and potential guests want to see as much as possible to help make their decision. Make sure there's no clutter, it's warm and inviting, it's accurate (some people misrepresent their space in the photos...this might get you more bookings, but this won't bode well for you in your reviews. Better for people to be pleasantly surprised than the other way around!) and it's up-to-date.
Answer inquiries with as little delay as possible so guests feel you're going to have their back if they reserve and something were to come up. All the best in your hosting journey!
😊