The Gorgeous Guide to…
Staging your Holiday Cottage for Photos & Video
Gorgeous Cottages | 0844 736 6276 | www.gorgeouscottages.com
Dear Cottage Owner,
Welcome to one of our Gorgeous Guides for Holiday Cottage Owners.
In this Guide we explore how to present your holiday accomodation to maximise the benefit of images and
video.
The most important elements of any online cottage listing are the images and / or video used to present
that property to potential guests. To encourage the customer to book your cottage you need to convince
them your property is the luxury holiday cottage they have been dreaming off!
And don’t forget, you will only have a few seconds to do it…
That’s why imagery and video are so important. They allow your potential guest to make a split-second
emotional connection with your cottage. If you get it right, that connection will be a positive one and will
ultimately lead to bookings and revenue for you. Simple!
I hope you enjoy reading this guide and find it useful. And remember, we are always available if you want
any specific advice on your property.
Yours sincerely,
Christina Brion
Managing Director | Gorgeous Cottages
0844 736 6276 | [email protected]
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#01 General Tips
We’ll look at what to do for specific rooms and exteriors in a moment, but first there are some general
things you should do before to prepare before the photographer / videographer arrives…
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Be objective
Take out the emotion. Cast an objective eye around your cottage (or even better ask a friend to do
it for you) and make sure that every single piece of furniture, ornament and decoration in each
room works with the general look and theme. If it doesn’t, move it out of view! This is particularly
important if you have been renting your property for some time – it’s all too easy to start collecting
‘stuff’ which can start to de-tract from the luxury feel…
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De-clutter & tidy-up
It’s important that potential guests sense your cottage is well looked after and meticulously clean.
That means making sure you don’t have lots of half-used toiletries sitting around in your bathroom,
crumpled tea-towels hanging on your cooker, books & DVDs falling out of shelves. Of course
expensive toiletries placed well, good quality kitchen accessories and a shelf full of interesting and
relevant reading can all be presented in a postive way.
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Think about your best assets
Before the photographer arrives, take a tour of your property and gardens and make a list of its
best features. Perhaps you have an incredible view from your garden, a statement chair or just a
cosy little spot where guests can picture themselves relaxing on holiday. Having this list ready
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saves time on the day and ensures those features get the attention they deserve.
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Focus on your target market
Prior to the photographer’s visit, it’s worth having a think about your target market. If you have a
large cottage you’ll want to appeal to families and children. Or perhaps you have a cosy cottage for
two or want to appeal to dog-owners. It’s a good idea to make sure you have some target-relevent
props ready to include in your images or video. A selection of toys and games for children, a bottle
of champagne and two flutes for romantic appeal, a dog bowl and biscuits ready for the family pet
on arrival. Anything that makes a positive direct connection with your target audience is a good
idea, provided it’s all of the best quality...
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Light is good!
In most rooms and for most purposes you will want your cottage to look as bright and welcoming as
possible. Make sure you have all the curtains fully open, lights on and lamps placed in any
particularly dark corners. Even for those cosy by the fire shots, you don’t want to portray an image
of a dark cottage.
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Props at the ready
Remember that your images and video are all about selling the idea that your guest will love staying
at your cottage. Props can help you do that. Buy some good quality magazines relavant to your
target market, have some lovely comfy throws at the ready for those fire-side shots and make sure
you have a few good books to hand for beside tables and other reading spots. The day before the
shoot we also recommend you invest in some luxury perishable props to help sell the cottage to
your potential guest. As a minimum this would include:
 A large bouquet of flowers (you can use the same bunch and re-arrange in different vases)
 A good bottle of wine & champagne
 A selection of luxury food items for different times of the day (e.g. breakfast and lunch)

Welcome hamper prepared
All guests of a luxury holiday cottage will expect to arrive to a decent welcome hamper, in addition
to the basics, so it’s a good idea to tempt them by this in your images. What you provide is up to
you, but we would suggest that a bottle of wine, some local ales, cheese, biscuits, crisps & fresh
bread should be included. And remember that guests love to see local produce in the hamper –
and the more local the better! Have the hamper ready for the photographer’s visit, presented in an
appealing way on a tray or wicker basket – whatever is your particular style!
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#02 The Kitchen & Dining areas
Studies have shown that initial impressions of kitchens and bathrooms are the key factors in determining
which holiday cottage a potential guest will choose to book. So it goes without saying that staging your
kitchen to make it as appealing as possible will pay great dividends for you in terms of booking revenue.
Here’s some ideas on how best to do this…
1. Clear some space
Guests don’t want to see every single piece of kitchen equipment you have sitting on the worktops. It looks cluttered and unclean. It’s much more visually enticing to see clean, spacious
work-tops with perhaps a chopping board and some bread, cheese or wine on the side.
2. Hide the tea-towels
Although it can sometimes be nice to place the odd tea-towel here or there in most images teatowels just end up looking un-tidy. If you do want to include them make sure to use only top
quality ones and ensure they are placed in a tidy way.
3. Dress the table
If you have one, don’t leave your dining table all alone and bare. Get it dressed for the occasion!
 Put on a nice table-cloth. Something to suit the style of your room
 Set the table for dining, laying out your best crockery, cutlery and glasses / cups
 Include some aesthetically pleasing items of food. Things which work well include freshly
baked bread, fruit, cheeses, cakes.
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Have different set-ups for different times of the day. Set it up for breakfast with coffee,
tea, orange juice and croissants, then for lunch change to bread, cheese, grapes, jam,
cured meats etc..
For atmospheric formal dining rooms, make sure you have some candles ready and
glasses of red wine.
2. Don’t forget about the rest
 It’s also an idea to move the items around enabling the photographer to pick up
different angles of the kitchen, allowing the Guest to imagine themselves in there.
 Move the cheeseboard to the kitchen island, pop a champagne bucket and some filled
champagne flutes on the side…
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#03 The Sitting Room
Sitting rooms and living rooms are the cosy, cuddly bits of a holiday cottage. They are the places where
your guests want to lounge around and completely relax, happy to kick back and read a book, share a glass
of wine or two with a loved one, bunker down to watch a good movie in the evenings.
There are some easy ways to create this relaxed, cosy, comfortable vibe…
1. Light the fire
If there is one thing that cottage holiday guests crave, it’s curling up in front of an open fire at night.
If you are lucky enough to have an open fire or a wood burner, make sure it is roaring in time for
your photos or video. Instant relaxation guaranteed.
2. Creating a sense of leisure
Coffee tables should be presented with appropriate reading material for your type of guests. Upmarket magazines like Tatler, Yorkshire Life and Living North work well, as do coffee-table books on
interiors, design and local life. Don’t be afraid of throwing in a novel or two, placed on a chair of
sofa with some glasses on top and a throw draped over the arm – you get the picture! Boardgames
such a chess and back gammon are also a nice touch. Make sure you set them out as though in midgame. We recommend you switch TVs on too to give the room life.
3. Candles create atmosphere
If you have the option, it’s a good idea to capture some evening shots with the living space lit up
with candles. Even for the day-time images a candle burning on the table creates instant
atmosphere. Pop next to a glass or two of red wine and a cheese board for a classic evening
ambience.
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#04 The bedrooms
And so to bed… There are lots of things you can do to dress your cottage bedrooms to make them more
appealing to guests. Here are our hints and tips.
1. Neat and tidy
It is really important to present the bedroom as a tidy space in which guests can retreat to and
relax. Tidy away as best you can any wires from lamps, make sure the bed is made, have the
curtains drawn neatly. You get the idea!
2. Breakfast in bed
Guests love to picture themselves waking up on holiday and winding down from the hectic nature
of their normal lives. One thing which epitomises this is breakfast in bed. To capture this indulgent
treat we recommend preparing a tray with some breakfast items included, a broadsheet newspaper
to throw on the bed, even placing a cup of tea on top of some books on the bedside table – all work
really well to convey the idea that this bedroom is a haven for relaxed mornings.
3. Dress, then undress the bed!
It’s fun to give your bedroom a formal and then a not so formal look. Present your bed fully dressed
with any luxurious throws and extra decorative pillows. Then present it with the covers thown to
one side, maybe a magazine with a cup of coffee on the side…
4. Light the lamps
Don’t forget to switch on any bedside lamps to maximise the light and cosy feel of your bedroom.
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#05 Bathrooms & Cloakrooms
Second only to kitchens, bathrooms are one of the most important rooms for prospective guests in terms
of their decision making process. Unlike some of the other rooms discussed here, with bathrooms and
cloakrooms less is more...
1. It should scream ‘I’m clean’
Number one priority for your bathroom / cloakroom shots is that they are presented as spotlessly
clean. Do not be tempted to leave any towels hanging around (nice as they are) or bath mats lying
on the floor. Make sure the bath, sink and toilet are gleaming and the toilet lid is down.
2. Toiletries – Do I / Don’t I?
Part of the whole looking spotlessly clean thing is to ensure the bathroom is not cluttered with
toiletries. But what about my lovely Molton Browns I hear you cry? This does work, as long as it’s a
minimal amount and the toiletries are top quality. And make sure they are not half-empty bottles!
3. Running water
A running bath, shower or tap can give a bathroom a bit of movement and life in your photos and
video, and convery a sense of relaxing there. Pop a bit of bubble bath in the water to give it the full
effect. But don’t leave the bubble bath bottle in the shot.
4. Other props
This is one room I would recommend not using additional props such as candles, books and glasses
of wine. Anything which detracts from the overal feeling of hygeine can work against you. However,
if you are appealing to the young family market, a couple of close up shots of a few good quality
bath toys is fine.
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#06 Gardens and Exteriors
With so much to do inside the cottage, its easy to forget about prepping the exterior. But in our
experience, gardens can be one of the biggest selling points of a luxury holiday cottage.
Even if you just have a small courtyard garden, it’s worth staging it to look as appealing as possible…
1. A good tidy up
If you haven’t been keeping on top of your cottage garden it doesn’t take long for it to look scruffy.
In preparation for your photo shoot make sure you tidy it all up including:
 Cutting the grass
 Weeding and tidying borders
 Pruning trees and shrubs
 Removing any litter or other plant debris
 Sweeping up leaves
And don’t forget to look at the exterior of the cottage building, does the paint-work need
refreshing, do window ledges need to be wiped down, windows washed?
2. Introduce some colour
If it’s the height of spring or summer you will probably have some beautiful flowers and garden
colour to showcase. Even winter gardens can have some colour introduced with winter pansies and
well-placed pot-plants, baskets and window boxes.
3. Stage your garden furniture
As long as its good quality, you should always include your garden furniture in the garden shots.
Dress up benches with pretty cushions and throws, set your patio table for an alfresco lunch,
present some strawberries and cream, pop a bottle of champagne on there. Show-case your garden
as a place your guests will want to spend time in.
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Presenting your Holiday Cottage – Quick Checklist
General
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Be objective
De-clutter and tidy up
Make a list of your best assests
Focus on your target market
Maximise the light
Props at the ready
Welcome hamper prepared
Kitchen & Dining rooms
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Clear the worktops
Hide Tea-Towels
Dress your table
Move props around
Sitting room
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Light the fire
Creating a sense of leisure
Candles for atmosphere
Bedrooms
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Neat & tidy
Breakfast in bed
Dress and undress the bed
Light bedside lamps
Bathrooms & cloakrooms
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Spotlessly clean & uncluttered
Be sparing with toiletries
Add running water
Go easy on props
Gardens and Exterior
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Tidy up
Introduce some colour
Stage your garden furniture
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About Gorgeous Cottages
Gorgeous Cottages are a collection of the finest self-catering holiday cottages in Yorkshire.
Working with only the very best accommodation in the region, Gorgeous Cottages provide
their guests with a 5 Star experience from the moment they land on the website to the
minute they walk through the door.
Comprehensive cottage and area guides, a complimentary concierge service and friendly
knowledgeable booking staff are just some of the reasons why over 99% of Gorgeous
Cottages Guests would book them again.
And with low commission rates, no annual registration fees and no restrictions on owner
bookings, their Owners love them too!
If you would like to find out more about Gorgeous Cottages you can look at the website,
email on [email protected] or call on 0844 736 6276
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