The Staycation Boom!

The great staycation boom is on its way! Is your property ready?

With everything we have experienced over the last year there is now real hope that we will be able
to return to a more normal life soon. Current booking numbers would suggest there will be a boom
in staycations this year as we are all desperate for a break but remain anxious about foreign travel.
Is this therefore the lull before the rush? Why not use this time to make some improvements so
your clients have an amazing experience and choose to return year after year?

At County Fabrics we have been lucky enough to be involved with the furnishings in many holiday let
properties. From small romantic bolt holes to huge estate houses we have experience of them all.
In this blog post we wanted to concentrate on some of the practical considerations when choosing
fabrics for a holiday rental although this advice would also be relevant to pubs, hotels, village halls
etc.

Durability

Your clients may not care for your property as much as you do and in some instances are also not
used to UK soft furnishings. It is therefore vital that your fabrics and fixings are extremely durable.
Any upholstery fabrics must have a rub test over 30,000 i.e general domestic upholstery or above.
The exceptions to this may include occasional use furniture, such as bedroom chairs.

How to keep the fabric clean?

Stain resistant fabrics may be a very good idea – a number of our suppliers supply fabric especially
treated so marks can be wiped off with only water. If it is not possible to opt for a stain resistant fabric, consider treating with Scotch Guard.This will
help protect (a bit!) from stains but remember to test on a small piece of fabric first. Many fabrics are washable – for high foot fall areas this would be beneficial.

Curtains or Blinds

Clearly the layout of the room will dictate whether you go for curtains or blinds however if it makes
no difference, we recommend curtains. They are easy to open and close and don’t involve any blind
track, chain or cords that could be damaged.

We have been involved with flats where overseas clients have unstrung roman blinds or removed
the blind from the blind track as they ae not sure how to operate them. Whilst this can always be fixed it is just an extra hassle to be dealt with. Whether you go for blinds or curtains the key is to ensure they are well fitted so fixings will not be pulled out from the wall by over enthusiastic visitors after a glass of wine! Consider a strapping board if you can’t get a good fixing into wood. This can be painted the same colour as the walls to make it inconspicuous as possible.If you apply a silicon spray to all your curtain poles and curtain tracks when doing annual maintenance this will help them glide smoothly and avoid pressure of fixings.

For the same reason we would avoid cording curtain tracks. We love a well corded curtain track but unfortunately not everybody has the same respect for them.

Blackout

We would highly recommend using a blackout lining in all bedrooms. Hopefully this will
ensure that all your guests (and their children!) have a lovely night’s sleep.

Fire Resistance treatments (FR)

We would recommend that you confirm the requirements with your insurance agent or governing
body. Requirements will vary between holiday rentals, pubs, hotels etc.