White House Cottages

📣 We're in the news! 📣 Almost two weeks ago, we officially took the reins at White House Cottages. Our new home features five characterful, listed cottages, nestled in tranquil countryside just 4 miles from Ledbury. 👉 Read our story in Hereford Times now: http://bit.ly/3fTRHXK #holidaycottage #selfcatering #dogfriendly

It’s wild to think that just two years ago today, we got the keys to our new venture. 🎉 We wanted a change, and were motivated to learn something new... But running and growing a small business isn’t easy. UK staycations have been challenging. Many owners have experienced a drop in demand, while others have decided to sell up with the recent budget tax changes. It has been exceptionally busy (in a good way) and we still haven’t mastered the whole work-life balance thing. So, are we working too much? 🤷🏼 It’s a question we ask ourselves a lot. We’ve lost count of how many beds we’ve made on the days our housekeeper is off. Not to mention the number of toilets cleaned….. or the home-made Lemon Drizzle and Apple cakes and cookies freshly-baked…(not at the same time) Here’s a glimpse into how the business has performed and what we’ve achieved over the past 12 months: ✨Almost 400 bookings in the last year alone (+67% increase on 2023) 🚀; Revenue: +85% YOY; Average daily rate: £131 (+27%); Occupancy: 64% (up 13% points) 🔥 So more bookings at higher prices & better fill (thanks PriceLabs). Our direct website is working well, bringing half our sales, with Airbnb (top 2% listings, >£50K revenue ) and Booking.com also flying (4 of 5 top local listings). 📈 Average Length of Stay: 2.7 nights (down from 3.7 in ‘23); there’s no question economic headwinds have impacted spend; we’d love to hold out for longer stays but needs must. 📈 Average booking window: 58 days (up from 44 days last year) ✨85 more five-star Google reviews (so many❤️ our Touch Stay guidebook!); >200 on OTA platforms at 4.96/5   🙌 🐶 >100 dog stays - that's a hundred hounds in our pooch pack! 🌐 >1,200 Instagram followers (despite sporadic posting, we’ve added 30% more followers… 👏 Lola) Everything we are doing is with a #purpose of delivering great experiences in nature. #Authenticity and the human touch matters far more to us than business performance or AI applications. So, watch this space with some exciting new collaborations in 2025. 🤝 What’s next? 👀 Our development programme includes: ⚡️ Investment in PV solar panels and battery storage to stand by our values of sustainability 🏡 Freshening up our flooring and kitchens, using locally sourced products and tradesfolk 🪑 We’ll continue soulful upcycling some of the furniture ourselves, and Angela creating furnishings from local fabric suppliers 🖼️ More wall art from local artists available for guests to buy The countdown to Xmas has begun and we have a few gaps left this year. Herefordshire has so much to offer including sunrises like this morning. We're just 1-2 hours from Bristol, Birmingham, Cardiff and Manchester & 3 hours from London. #visitherefordshire #travel #tourism #placemaking #hospitality #selfcatering #visitoreconomy #UKStaycation #BackToNature #dogfriendly #Sustainability #SlowTravel #GreenTravel #EcoFriendly #ResponsibleTravel

We are beyond thrilled that we have been shortlisted as finalists in the Herefordshire County BID / Visit Herefordshire LVEP Tourism awards - Best Newcomer category! 🏆 This is a significant milestone in our vision to create the best #dogfriendly, #ecofriendly self-catering escape in the county. Being recognised by the judges in what is a very strong field is an incredible honour, and the result of almost two years of dedication, passion, and hard work. Congratulations to all the finalists, and thank you to everyone who has holidayed with us and left such amazing reviews! We couldn't have done it without you ❤️ If you are craving a greater connection with nature – meeting friendly locals, eating locally sourced foods, strolling through unfamiliar landscapes, and witnessing (or maybe even joining) cultural traditions that you can’t experience at home, we are just one of hundreds of amazing places to stay in this wonderful destination. #visitherefordshire #travel #tourism #placemaking #reputation #hospitality #selfcatering #visitoreconomy

Today, celebrating World Smile Day, we have been thinking about all the things that make our guests smile when they stay. 😀 Here’s Stu, Frankie, Teddy and Rose the Beagle…. Yes we think the doggo is also smiling after a weekend of waggy-tailed adventures 😅 The view from Symonds Yat after the climb up is enough to make anyone grin like a loon. 😊 Earlier this week, we enlisted guests/friends to help with the harvest in our local orchards. Ian Ailles is beaming like the cat that got the cream after filling crates of 🍏 🍎; sue perhaps less so 😁 We recently took our 600th booking 🙌, but getting this card from Nick and Emma last week made us smile much more 😍. We’ve not had a cottage empty any weekend since March ans are looking forward to delivering more smiles for everyone arriving today. #worldsmileday2024 #happiness #smile #hospitalityindustry #hospitality #visitHerefordshire

We heard a rumour that Pig Hotels are all the rage right now 🧐 And by that, we obviously mean accommodation that features pigs 🐷. Well, conveniently, we’ve just had our 150th Google review and a fair few of them mention pigs (these porkies do rather “hog” the limelight). WHY? These sociable, down-to-earth animals live just up the “slow lane” at our neighbours in Dragon Orchard, and they love their dinner. When time allows, Paul offers to take guests on free-ranging local walks — and, as part of the experience, showcases our connection with the countryside and local farming community. This include a meet-and-grunt with Carlos, Jose, Kiri and Richie, Annie Stanier’s pet Kune-Kune pigs. So, taking inspiration from a slightly more famous hotel brand who recently opened in the Cotswolds: “Escaping the city, catching up with friends, back to nature. Whatever the reason, there’s a PIG waiting for you”…. To feed (and not eat), obviously. 🙄 Did we mention that you can also wake up to birdsong, and the distant bleating of the local flock? 🐑🐑 If you like the sound of that, and fancy a weekend away wallowing in nature without breaking the ‘piggy-bank’, then book a stay at one of our five self-catering holiday cottages - link in our bio 👆 #visitHerefordshire #SlowLane #UKStaycation #BackToNature #PigFeeding #dogfriendly

🤣 - the morning ticket sales opened, we had some guests who'd been queuing online to see Oasis in Manchester. As their cottage check-out time approached, Ben was getting more and more anxious, as switching from our super-fast wifi to variable mobile coverage would have kicked him out. ❓ Would Ticketmaster Rentals have charged a late check-out fee? DEFINITELY. ❓ Ben would have paid it, but would he have felt the same way about rebooking with us? MAYBE An hour later, he'd bagged them, and paid handsomely for the tickets. Ben hopefully won't "look back in anger" and instead will happily book again to stay with his family. PriceLabs help us dynamically price - but we have a target, a minimum and max price we want to charge, so our "value-for-money" scoring on reviews is never an issue! 👏

Helpful info from Nikki Spoor and White Hart Associates... We know the treasury and chancellor has some tough calls to make on their budget – tax business and/or winter fuel payments. Small self-catering business in coastal and rural areas like ours, support huge amounts of spending to local businesses. We form the bed stock of the fragile eco-system that makes up these visitor economies. Overall, the short-term let sector in Herefordshire contributes an estimated >£500m, and nationwide its £27.7 billion to GDP, supporting almost half a million jobs. We want to grow our lifestyle business and reinvest every penny to improve the product, using local crafts/trades and professionals. We have recently crashed through the VAT threshold, where other small businesses choose not to do so. But margins are thin in our sector, and tax changes may influence our business planning. Furnished holiday lets allow people to explore all that this country has to offer. We should be helping them and protecting the thousands of jobs they support. Let’s not make the same mistakes in England that the regional governments have done in Wales and Scotland. Please pause and listen to the evidence Alistair Handyside MBE, Ellie Chowns, Herefordshire County BID / Visit Herefordshire LVEP, Tourism Alliance, Department for Culture, Media and Sport, ShortTermRentalz, Federation of Small Businesses (FSB), UKHospitality, UK Short Term Accommodation Association (STAA)

Anddd the 500 is up. 🎉🔥 🙌 It’s a tough market out there with this lovely weather 😎 , so we’re more than a little chuffed and a bit surprised to make it this far. 1. We’ve had to learn everything about running a hospitality business, and there's no denying it is hard work. 2. People want to arrive and depart on any day of the week. Our housekeeper comes twice a week during school holidays. So you’ll find us cleaning toilets and making beds on the other days, even at weekends. 3. Angela’s standards are very high, as is her attention to detail. Everything has to be perfect….so we've upgraded the linen, with new fluffy towels, she has hand-crafted designer cushions, and even made lampshades. 4. Other 'surprise and delight' personal touches include fresh flowers from our garden, baking lemon drizzle muffins, cookies, or brownies for our guests. 5. Maintaining our cherished ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Google rating and Angela's 4.97 Airbnb super-host status is the result of a meticulous perfectionist. 😙👌 It’s midweek, we’re full again.  Here's Cam, Sarah and their Black Lab, Frank, who checked out today after a week here - their 7th stay this year! So many guests have come back and we absolutely love seeing them again. Thank You!

Happy to have woken up this morning in this green and pleasant shire 💚🌍🌱 #generalelection2024 #elliechownsmp #northherefordshire #visitherefordshire #positivechange #oneinfour

🌿 🌱🤝 Exciting News! 🌱🤝🌿 We are thrilled to announce that Sustonica has certified our 5 cottages for our sustainability efforts. Our scores average range from 54 to 63 out of 100. Whilst there are a lot of criteria to comply, overall we found the application process went smoothly and would encourage anyone with a short-term rental to take the #SustonicaTest and start their journey. The minimum qualification is just 20, and for larger property managers and companies that are subject to #ESG reporting, this is invaluable tool. Thanks EnviroRental and Bob Garner ⓥ🌳 for your guidance, and Touch Stay whose digital guidebook platform enabled us to achieve maximum points on the community effort. We’ve played host to many like-minded guests, and now hope many more choose us based on our certification with our efforts rewarded through increased visibility and increased demand on the Airbnb & Booking.com portals.   Vanessa de Souza Lage, Andy McNulty, Rachel Parsons Herefordshire County BID / Visit Herefordshire LVEP Fiona Reece Thomas Loughlin Jeremy Willems #Sustainability #SlowTravel #GreenTravel #EcoFriendly #ResponsibleTravel