Leading North East holiday lettings company, Cottages in Northumberland, is celebrating its ten year anniversary.
The business started a decade ago with a handful of holiday cottages in Seahouses and now has over 220 properties across Northumberland in its portfolio, which it rents out on behalf of owners keen to generate income from their assets.
Managing Director, Rick McCordall, attributes the business’ success to the rise in popularity of the staycation and the growth of Northumberland tourism, with the region being voted Holiday Destination of the Year in the BBC Countryfile Magazine Awards 2017, and achieving Silver in the Best UK Holiday Destination category at the British Travel Awards for the third consecutive year in November 2016.
He said: “Our success is inextricably linked to the growth of tourism in the area. Northumberland will continue to grow as a holiday destination, but it needs to retain its character. We don’t want it to become too commercial.
“It is important that Northumberland continues to manage its growth, in doing so preserving the charm of the region, so that everyone can still enjoy its unspoilt award-winning coastline and countryside.”
Rick started Cottages in Northumberland with business partner Jeremy Middleton after a memorable holiday in Seahouses.
He said: “I remember spending a couple of nights in a holiday cottage in Seahouses before I started to invest in property in Northumberland. I remember visiting The Ship in Seahouses, enjoying fish and chips on the High Street, having a walk along Bamburgh Beach and relaxing in front of a log fire. I thought to myself – this is great, I can sell this!”
Cottages in Northumberland began when Rick and Jeremy bought a number of holiday cottages in Seahouses. After generating a substantial amount of bookings, they were soon approached by other cottages owners who were looking to increase their income through holiday lettings.
Rick said: “Probably the most significant milestone was when an owner of a cottage asked us to look after theirs for them. It wasn’t in our initial plan to look after other people’s properties, just the ones we owned, but it got us thinking. It just snowballed from there and we now have over 220 properties on our website.”
Cottages in Northumberland has ambitious growth plans over the next couple of years, and is expecting 25-30% growth year on year for the foreseeable future. Its increased number of properties offer its customers more variety in a bid to attract holidaymakers to the area and as a result, help to boost the local economy.
Rick said: “We work closely with many local businesses and are proud to contribute to the growing tourism economy in the region.
“Through good links with local attractions and restaurants, we can offer our guests a range of exclusive discounts and offers so that they get the most out of their stay and truly experience the best that Northumberland has to offer.
“We aim to encourage them to come back year after year, as a growing number of our guests already do.”
For more information visit https://www.cottagesinnorthumberland.co.uk/ or call 0191 231 3020.