Starting eight months early
Realistically in our industry, most seasonal lets get planned in the run-up to the season itself. But this year, planning for Westfield began as early as September 2025, giving the team eight months of lead time - on marketing, staffing and sales - before the doors opened this June.
Westfield has always performed well, but this is the first year it's been treated as a proactive part of the annual plan rather than something to sort out once summer got close. Six temporary staff were recruited specifically for the season, brought on to sell, run and manage the building from day one rather than being pulled together once bookings started rolling in.
Seeing success from the groundwork
Westfield is 216 rooms in the centre of Edinburgh, averaging around 1,315 bookings and an 8.72-night stay across a typical year, long enough to suit group bookings and returning guests rather than one-night passers-through.
With the season underway, performance is already tracking around 10% ahead of where the property has ever been at this point in the year, and it's held steady since the doors opened, proving that eight months of planning is worth every hour.
What it means for owners
Ultimately, this comes down to treating a seasonal property like a proper annual commitment: start early, staff properly, and stay close to it once it's live.
That's the same approach behind every property in our portfolio, just easier to see clearly when a single site like Westfield gets the runway to prove it. For an owner weighing up a seasonal partnership, this is what the difference between planning ahead and reacting late actually looks like in practice.
If you're considering a seasonal or pop-up property with your student accommodation or build to rent, and want an operator who treats the planning as seriously as the season itself, we'd be happy to talk.
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