An Interview with Les Robinson, Gael Holiday Homes, Ross-shire
Les, When did you start working in the tourism business and how did you get involved?
12 years ago. I started my own business providing changeover services, mainly on the West coast in the Gairloch area. Based in Culbokie, on the Black Isle, there was a fair bit of travelling involved and in those days bookings were weekly with Saturday changeovers.
A friend of many years, who had holiday accommodation in Gairloch persuaded me that starting a holiday rental property management business was a good idea as many owners struggled to get help for changeovers. Through time the business evolved into a Marketing and Booking Agency, continuing to help owners with property management services.
We now have 7 staff based in our Dingwall office and my wife, son and daughter also work in the business.
How has the industry changed since you started?
A lot has changed. 12 years ago the rental market mainly only offered weekly bookings, many owners didn’t have a website, most didn’t have any online presence or online booking, some didn’t have a computer and there was no such thing as Booking.com or Airbnb and TripAdvisor had just started.
In those days there were 2 camps, those who subscribed to Visit Scotland QA and those who didn’t. With no review sites and very little access to view photos of the property prior to booking, except in publications such as the ASSC’s Embrace Scotland yearly brochure, it was difficult for guests to get in-depth information about an area and rental options.
The internet has changed that significantly and changed how the industry operates. As guest expectations change the industry is moving at a pace to stay ahead of this curve. Back in the day the pace of change was much, much slower and many of the traditional operators found it a challenge to embrace the new world that was emerging. Quality of accommodation and service is everything and now there are no hiding places for those operators who aren’t willing to invest in the future of Scotland’s tourism industry. This is a good thing.
Is there anyone who has made a significant impression on you during your time in the industry?
There are 3 people who have mentored, supported and guided me over the years in the industry.
Firstly, Frank Buckley, formerly an ASSC committee member, introduced me to the ASSC at a Highland regional event and got me started with changeovers in Gairloch. A friend and self-catering owner for over 30 years his experience and help have been invaluable.
Secondly, David Smyth, Chairman of the ASSC. David requires no introduction of who he is and what he has done and does for the industry. His approach is uber-professional and he always takes a pragmatic and measured approach to how the ASSC operates and develops its place in the industry. In times where it could be easy to get distracted by challenges faced in a busy business I defer to what I have learned from being around David.
Finally, but not lastly, my wife Sheila. Taking aside the personal support she always provides, as a business partner I could not have done or continue to do what we do at Gael without her at my side.
Is there a significant moment you can remember which has resonated with you?
2008 – We launched our first marketing agency website and met Robert Kennedy from SuperControl who convinced me to add the newfangled online booking. He said it was the future, so we dived in with 5 properties. We now have 120 properties, are on version four of the website and still have a SuperControl booking system which helps us manage over 4,000 bookings a year.
What are the key triumphs for Self-Catering in Scotland?
Quality of product and service. The Scots were always renowned for their hospitality and this continues today. The self-catering sector was to a degree quite ‘cottage industry’ back in the day. Today this has grown into a thriving sector where the vast majority of owners are business people developing the quality, flexibility, accommodation range and service on offer whilst growing the significant contribution to the economy and employment opportunities, particularly in rural areas.
Who have you enjoyed working with?
A bit of a cliché but everyone. Our property owners, guests, businesses, the ASSC, my colleagues here at Gael Holiday homes and as you say on the radio, ‘and everyone that knows me’.
Joking aside, it’s not like working, there are so many great people in the self-catering sector, lots of knowledge, experience and everyone is so enthusiastic and enjoys being involved with self-catering.
How has ASSC evolved compared to the early days?
In the time I have been on the committee and now a Director I have seen a fair bit of change. From the appointment of our CEO Fiona Campbell to a shift in focus from primarily being about a route to market for bookings with advice and guidance about how to operate a successful self-catering business, to a trade body that engages at the highest level with Government and other organisations involved in shaping, developing and protecting the future of the sector. The advice and help in running a successful self-catering business hasn’t changed, it grows from strength to strength alongside the representation the ASSC delivers for our businesses.
What do you think are the key triumphs of ASSC over the last 40 years?
Many, without going into the detail of what the ASSC does for me the main triumph is the recognition the ASSC has in Europe, and wider, as being the example of how a trade oragnisation for the self-catering sector should be. As a founder member of the EHHA (European Holiday Home Association) many of the other member organisations from Denmark & Spain, for example, see the ASSC as the model. Closer to home the English and Irish associations see the ASSC as aspirational. This years ASSC conference sees them come together at a national conference hosted in Glasgow.
From your experience, what are the challenges faced by owners of self-catering properties today?
Many from outside the sector, whether this be competitor sectors, politicians, local level and otherwise, see the growth in tourism and visitor choices as a threat and to blame for short comings in communities and housing.
The outcome could be the introduction of regulation and restriction of growth for the sake of it without taking time to understand the sector, demand and economic implications.
The development of self-catering can only be a positive outcome for the economic growth of Scotland from one of its highest opportunity sectors. As a sector we need to keep developing the standard of accommodation, ensuring we continue to offer a quality and safe place to stay, whilst not supporting those peer to peer operators that are unwilling to contribute to the development, investment and fiscal contribution that the majority of self-catering operators willingly respect.
What do you think the future holds for Self-Catering in Scotland?
The sector is a success story, both due to the quality product and service we offer. With the shift in the expectations of visitors to Scotland who prefer the benefits self-catering has over other accommodation options, we need to grasp this opportunity and grow our offering to meet and exceed expectations.
Due to changes in legislation and taxation many landlords have moved out of the long-term rental sector into self-catering. This has created challenges for the future of the traditional operators as the market place may saturate and some of these peer to peer operators don’t have buy in to the high operating standards that the majority of self-caterers businesses have offered over the years thus potentially causing damage to reputation.
My view is that this is a bubble that will burst in the short-term. The traditional self-catering business will continue to deliver what they always have and will continue to develop the sector. Those others will find it’s not unregulated, easy and the goose that laid the golden egg, as many believe, and will leave as quickly as they began.
Visitor expectations have changed over the past few years and many want the benefits of space and experience that only self-catering can offer. I don’t see this changing anytime soon, and if it does the demand will only be greater. We need to meet this opportunity and look forward and not back.
What are your aspirations for ASSC and the Self-Catering Sector in Scotland?
To continue to grow as the trade body that everyone in self-catering wants to be part of and the ‘go to’ organisation that continues to deliver quality and growth for tourism through self-catering accommodation.
What’s do you think the next ‘big thing’ could be for self-catering?
If I had shares in Booking.com or Airbnb I wouldn’t be holding on to them for too long.
Not that long ago neither of them existed. In a very short timescale they have changed the way we all source and book accommodation.
Google and Amazon have yet to get involved to any great extent. Google will find it challenging as they don’t want to damage their biggest revenue generator in Adwords by upsetting what would be a competitor. Booking.com reportedly spend $1 billion a year on Adwords.
Amazon don’t have that problem and are now the second biggest global company and are in every sector, they are now the biggest global car dealer. They bring different ways of buying and selling and when they jump in to the accommodation booking sector we may just see things shaken up again.
Many thanks to Les for providing us with an insight into his thoughts and experiences, celebrating ASSC’s 40th Anniversary.