Where do our numbers come from?
All holiday let management companies say they will increase your income, but very few show you the workings out.
We quote a handful of numbers on our website and in our service guide: higher occupancy than the local market, a two-minute reply to guest messages, a 4.9 rating on Airbnb. If you're trusting us with your property, we believe you should be able to see exactly what each of those numbers measures, where the data comes from and what it doesn't tell you. This post sets all of that out in one place.
The short version
Over 20% higher occupancy. In 2025, our core Oban portfolio achieved over 20% higher occupancy than the local market, rising to 35% higher in spring and autumn (March–April and October–November).*
About two minutes to reply. Half of all guest messages get a personal reply from our team within about two minutes.
4.9 out of 5 on Airbnb. Where we hold Superhost status.
4.7 out of 5 everywhere. Across over 5,000 guest reviews on all platforms since we started.
5-star rating from our owners. From the owners who've reviewed us on Google.
40+ holiday lets. In and around Oban, and we've been letting holiday properties here since 2017.
Every figure we publish and where it comes from
This is every performance figure you'll find on our website and in our service guide.
Figure | What it measures | Period | Based on | Source |
Over 20% higher occupancy than the local market | Our occupancy compared with similar holiday lets nearby | January to December 2025 | Our core Oban portfolio | PriceLabs booking and market data |
35% higher occupancy in spring and autumn | The same comparison, for the quieter shoulder months | March–April and October–November | Our core Oban portfolio | PriceLabs booking and market data |
76% occupancy | Nights booked as a share of nights available to guests | January to December 2025 | Our core Oban portfolio | PriceLabs booking data |
About two minutes to reply to guests | Median time for our team to send a personal reply to a guest message | 60 days to 12 October 2026 | 239 messages sent by our team, automated messages excluded | Boom, our property management system |
4.9 out of 5 on Airbnb | Average guest rating on Airbnb | 1 October 2025 to 30 September 2026 | 1,128 Airbnb stays | Airbnb Superhost assessment |
4.7 out of 5 across all platforms | Average guest rating on every platform we list on | All reviews since we started | Over 5,000 guest reviews | Revyoos, our review management tool |
5-star owner rating | Rating from the owners whose properties we manage | All reviews to date | Owners' Google reviews | Google reviews |
40+ properties | Holiday lets currently under our management | As at October 2026. | In and around Oban | Our management records |
Since 2017 | How long we've been letting holiday properties in Oban | 2017 to date | The business as a whole | Company records |
How we define the terms we use
The same word can mean different things at different companies, so here's exactly what we mean.
Occupancy. Nights booked by guests as a share of the nights the property was available to guests, measured the way PriceLabs, the dynamic pricing tool we use, measures it. Dates owners block for their own use don't count against the property. A property booked for 270 of 360 available nights has 75% occupancy.
The local market. The PriceLabs comparison set of similar-sized short-term lets within 15 km of each of our properties. Every property is compared with its own local competition, not with Scotland as a whole.
Core Oban portfolio. The OHL-managed properties in and around Oban town, each counted from two months after it went live. Rural properties are left out, because they're not a fair like-for-like comparison.
Higher occupancy, in percent. When we say our occupancy is over 20% higher than the market, that's a relative comparison. In 2025, our core portfolio was at 76% and the market at 62%. That's 14 percentage points, and 14 is more than a fifth of 62.
Nightly rate. The average price per night a guest pays.
Booking revenue. What guests pay for their stays at your property. It's what our percentage fee is calculated on, so we're only paid when you are.
Median response time. The middle value when every reply time is lined up from fastest to slowest, so half of replies are quicker and half are slower. Unlike an average, it isn't skewed by the odd slow reply.
Guest rating. The average review score guests leave, on a 5-point scale. Booking.com scores out of 10 are converted to the same 5-point scale so the platforms can be combined.
Owner rating. The rating our owners give us in their Google reviews.
How we know our occupancy is higher than the local market
This is the figure we're asked about most, so here's the working.
In 2025, our core Oban portfolio achieved over 20% higher occupancy than the local market, rising to 35% higher in spring and autumn (March–April and October–November).*
Local market | Oban Holiday Lets | |
2025 (calendar year) | 62% | 76% |
Spring and autumn (March–April, October–November) | 55% | 75% |
How the numbers come out
Across 2025, 76% is 14 percentage points above 62%, which makes our occupancy over 20% higher than the market. In spring and autumn, 75% is 20 percentage points above 55%, which makes it around 35% higher.
Where the data comes from. Our own occupancy and the market figures both come from PriceLabs, so they're measured in exactly the same way.
Why the gap is widest outside summer. The gap is widest in spring and autumn. That's where active pricing and local knowledge matter most, because demand is less predictable than in summer.
How often we check it. We review this comparison every week as part of our pricing process. You can see your own property's occupancy and nightly rates in the owner portal at any time.
Why it matters. Higher occupancy on its own isn't the goal. We price to balance occupancy and nightly rate, within the minimum profit per stay agreed with each owner. You can read how in How we look after your property.
*Source: PriceLabs booking and market data, December 2024 – September 2026.
Market = PriceLabs comparison set of similar-sized short-term lets within 15 km of each property.
Core portfolio = OHL-managed properties in and around Oban town, each counted from two months after it went live.
Spring = March–April; autumn = October–November.
How we measure our response time
Half of all guest messages get a personal reply from our team within about two minutes. That's the median response time across 239 messages sent by our team over the 60 days to 12 October 2026, measured in Boom, our property management system.
Automated messages are excluded, so this reflects real replies from real people. We started using Boom in mid-2026, so this is based on our first months of data, and we'll update it as more data builds up.
Fast replies matter because they shape guests' experience and their reviews, and the booking platforms reward responsive hosts with better visibility. Our team is on hand 365 days a year, including evenings.
Where our ratings come from
Guests on Airbnb: 4.9 out of 5. This is our Airbnb rating, where we hold Superhost status. It's based on our Superhost assessment period from 1 October 2025 to 30 September 2026, during which we hosted 1,128 Airbnb stays with a 100% response rate and no cancellations.
Guests on all platforms: 4.7 out of 5. This is our average across over 5,000 guest reviews on every platform since we started, measured through Revyoos, our review management tool. It includes Booking.com, which scores out of 10. Once those scores are converted to a 5-point scale, they pull the combined average down slightly, which is why it's a little lower than our Airbnb rating.
Owners: 5 out of 5. This comes from the Google reviews our owners have left us. You can read them in full on our Google reviews, and read owners' own stories on our case studies page.
What independent sources say
You don't have to take our word for any of this. These are recognitions and records that we don't control:
Airbnb Superhost. Airbnb awards Superhost status to hosts who meet its standards for ratings, responsiveness and reliability. See our Airbnb profile.
Booking.com Preferred Partner. Every one of our Booking.com listings shows who manages it and our company review score across all our properties. See an example listing with our profile.
Google reviews from our owners. Google Profile.
Guest reviews on every property listing. Which anyone can read on Airbnb and Booking.com.
What our numbers don't tell you
No set of figures tells the whole story, and we'd rather be upfront about the limits of ours.
It's a comparison with the market, not a before-and-after. The occupancy figures compare our properties with similar nearby lets over the same period. They don't show how each property performed before it came to us, and every property is different.
It's our core portfolio, not every property. The occupancy comparison leaves out rural properties, which sit in a different market from Oban town. We count each property from two months after it went live.
Averages hide variation. Some properties sit well above 76% occupancy and some below, depending on size, location and how much the owner uses them.
Our response time data is still building. Our response time is based on the months since we moved to Boom in mid-2026. It's a real measure, but a young one, and we'll keep updating it.
Past performance isn't a promise. These figures describe what we've achieved so far. When we forecast what your property could earn, we give you a realistic range, not a guarantee. You can read how in What happens on an intro call with Oban Holiday Lets.
How we keep these numbers current
We update the figures in this post every year once the previous year's data is complete, and check them again every six months. The "Last reviewed" date at the bottom tells you when we last did this. If a figure changes, we'll change it here and everywhere else we use it.
Service facts
These are the other numbers you'll see across our website. They describe how we work rather than how properties perform, and each is explained in full in the linked post.
Fact | Detail | Read more |
Intro call | Free, about 45 minutes, by video with Chris Thomas | |
Reply to enquiries | Within 1 working day, by email | |
Revenue forecast after your call | Within 2 working days, with low, medium and high scenarios | |
Set-up | Free, around 2 weeks | |
Property manager | A dedicated local property manager, with both full-service and online management | |
Property inspections | 150-point, at set-up and then every quarter with full-service (twice a year with online management) | |
Safety checks | Monthly | |
Pricing | Updated daily, reviewed by hand weekly, performance reviewed with you quarterly | |
Maintenance approval | We ask you first for any single job over £250 | |
Owner payments | Within 7 days of each month end | |
Personal use | Up to 3 months in any 12-month period, at no cost | |
Contract | 12 months | |
Cover | 365 days a year, including evenings | |
Property manager experience | At least 4 years each |
Questions owners often ask
How do you calculate occupancy? We divide the nights booked by guests by the nights the property was available to guests, measured the way PriceLabs measures it. Nights the owner blocks for their own use don't count against the property.
What is the higher occupancy figure based on? It compares our core Oban portfolio with the PriceLabs comparison set of similar-sized short-term lets within 15 km of each property.
Why do you leave some properties out? Rural properties are in a different market from Oban town, so including them would distort the comparison.
Is higher occupancy guaranteed for my property? No. It's a comparison across our core portfolio. Every property is different, which is why we give you a realistic forecast with low, medium and high scenarios after your intro call.
How is the two-minute response time measured? It's the median time for our team to send a personal reply to a guest message, across 239 messages over the 60 days to 12 October 2026, measured in Boom. Automated messages are excluded.
Why do you quote both 4.9 and 4.7? 4.9 is our Airbnb rating for our Superhost assessment period, 1 October 2025 to 30 September 2026. 4.7 is our average across over 5,000 reviews on every platform since we started, and Booking.com's scores, converted from 10 to 5, bring that average down slightly.
How many properties do you manage? Over 40 holiday lets in and around Oban.
How long have you been letting holiday properties in Oban? Since 2017.
How often are these figures updated? We check occupancy weekly as part of our pricing, update this post every year once the previous year's data is complete, and review it again every six months.
Want to know what your property could do?
These are figures across our portfolio. On a free intro call of about 45 minutes, we'll talk through your property specifically and send you a realistic forecast within two working days.
Get in touch through our contact form and we'll reply within one working day.
Last reviewed: October 2026
