Average stay
Sitges: 3.4 days vs Hello Homes: 6.4 days
In the graph for Sitges, highlighted in red, we can see that the average length of stay peaks in July and August, which is probably related to the fact that families and friends tend to plan longer trips during the summer holidays, reaching an average of 3.4. At Hello Homes Sitges, in the blue graph, we recorded an average stay of 6.4 days, a figure that reflects only nightly bookings and excludes short-term rentals.
Advance Reservation
Sitges: 33 days vs Hello Homes: 74 days
In both graphs we can see that the advance booking period is higher for high season reservations. This may be due to the fact that people prioritise summer holidays and plan them well in advance.
In both graphs we can see that the advance booking period is higher for high season reservations. This may be due to the fact that people prioritise summer holidays and plan them well in advance.
In the blue graph, we can see a very sharp difference with the month of December. This is due to our pricing strategy, which corresponds to an early study of the season and a price planning for the following season, all thanks to our own data and tools.
We also find ourselves with increasingly loyal customers, who, as soon as they finish their stay, already ask us to book for the following year because they want to come back with us, since our platform allows direct bookings at better prices than other OTAs (Online Travel Agencies).
At Hello Homes Sitges we have been developing and improving our website for several years, to the point where customers can now book directly on our platform in a fast and secure way with the best prices on the market.
Total Nights Reserved
Sitges: 163,016 vs Hello Homes: 16,056
In our internal study we have obtained a result of 16,056 nights booked in total in our apartments. We are proud to know that Hello Homes Sitges has managed 10% of the total nights booked.
This graph shows the total number of nights booked across all tourist apartments in Sitges.
Future Occupation
This graph shows the actual occupancy (confirmed bookings) for 2025 (red line) and the current occupancy (confirmed bookings) for 2024 seen from November 2023 (grey line). We can see that the bookings already confirmed for the summer of 2025 are higher than those for 2024. In addition, the change of dates for Carnival and Bear Week influence the occupancy peaks.
We can assume that it will be a more successful season because the reservations already confirmed for the 2025 summer season today are higher than those for 2024.
We can see that the first peak, different from the previous year, is due to the change of carnival dates, this coming year being from February 27 to March 5, while in 2024 it was from February 8 to 14.
We are surprised that this year's Easter (from April 13 to April 19) has not yet shown strong demand.
We continue with a good peak at the beginning of May, which is due to the first of the 2 Bear Weeks that take place each year, the second being much more popular.
In June we find another peak in occupancy as it is the beginning of the high season and Gay Pride, one of the most important events in Sitges throughout the year, internationally recognised.
August is maintaining its trend, naturally, as it is the peak season, with the good weather in Sitges.
We have reached September, when it already seems that everything is going to go downhill with the return to routine... But no, we have Bear Week, which this year is from September 5 to 14, being a week later than in 2024, hence the shift in the occupancy peak on the graph.
In comparison, we can see quite similar results, but we can see that there are already more confirmed reservations for Gay Pride 2025 than for Bear Week 2024, and more for the first Bear Week 2025 than for Gay Pride 2024.
Number of Reservations
Blue charts and others in the Hello Homes section: Hello Homes Internal Data
Sources: Airbnb data
This year we have noticed a significant increase in the total number of reservations, with more than 400 additional reservations compared to the previous year. At first glance, we can see an increase in occupancy peaks throughout the year, especially during the high season.
In addition, there have been changes in the dates of key events, such as the early arrival of Carnival and Easter. Peak occupancy during Gay Pride and Bear Week has also been slightly higher this year compared to last.
Origin of the Reserves
This chart shows the main platforms through which we receive bookings. As usual, the leading platforms, Airbnb and Booking.com, dominate the market. However, our own website is not far behind, capturing an impressive 26% of bookings. This shows that our site has managed to establish itself as a sales channel as effective as the big platforms. The other 10% comes from our partners in the United States and other affiliated tour operators.
Guests
This year we have reached a total of 8,655 guests, 1,500 more than the previous year. The ranking of the main nationalities would be as follows:
following form:
1. United Kingdom
2. Spain
3. France
INSIDE HELLO HOMES SITGES
ACQUISITION OF THINK SITGES
At the beginning of the year, Hello Homes acquired Think Sitges. In the agreement, we acquired 17 new apartments for our portfolio at once. It was a big change for us, where the whole team had to do a lot of work to be able to get it off the ground, and it hasn't gone badly at all. We all share the work involved in acquiring a property, multiplied by 17, from the signing of the new contract, continuing with the photo shoot of each apartment, carrying out profitability studies to create the rates and publishing advertisements.
The result of this first year has been very positive where our new owners are delighted with us and we with them 🙂
TEMPORARY RENTALS
As you well know, during the low season months, we mainly focus on temporary rentals, those that run from October to the end of May, where we have more than 150 people staying, reaching 80 apartments rented in this way.
Our website has become a reference page for searching for seasonal rentals.
REAL ESTATE
The other side of Hello Homes, the real estate part, which we also put a lot of love into.
What sets us apart from other agencies is that with the help of the holiday rental agency we get many potential clients “in love with Sitges” who are interested in our buying and selling part, from there we get a good portfolio of clients interested above all in investing in Sitges, therefore, if we also take into account our team of international real estate agents, when a seller comes to us, we quickly find someone who may be interested in their home.
We have a good customer base classified according to their interests and needs.
OWNER PORTAL
Since last year, we have implemented the Owner Portal on our website, a space shared with our owners where they can find all the documentation related to their properties, billing, calendar, statistics and can make their own blocks to come and enjoy their homes. It is a really useful tool where all the important information is compiled in one place.
REVIEWS
This year, getting good reviews has been a priority for the team. Through these, we can learn about the feedback our guests give us and see what we are doing well and what we can improve. We analyze and manage each comment in the most efficient way. If there is any incident, we report it to the corresponding department and if they make suggestions for improvement, we do our best to implement them and always improve the quality of our apartments so that stays are increasingly more comfortable and pleasant.
On Google we have almost reached 600 reviews , more than 270 new ones compared to the 322 we had at the end of 2023, also rising from the average of 4.4 to an average of 4.6.
At Airbnb we are approaching 2,000 , almost 500 more reviews than last year when we had 1,564 - an absolute outrage!
But all this would not be possible without the great team behind Hello Homes Sitges , behind each department, reservations, hospitality, cleaning, maintenance,... there is a great human team where we all collaborate together to improve every day and give the best service to our guests, making them feel welcomed at all times, from the first moment when they see the advertisement on the platforms and make the reservation, until they arrive, enjoy their stay and leave, we accompany them from start to finish.
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Thank you very much for joining us for this special edition of our annual newsletter. We appreciate your interest and dedication in following our updates and analysis. As every year, we will continue to share these summaries to keep you informed and connected. We hope you found the information and analysis presented useful and inspiring. Until next year!
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Written by Hello Homes Sitges
|Updated: 06-12-2024
| 0 Comments
