Staycations, our new business, help and feedback appreciated

[sidekickdmr]

egor110 said:

Meat wise, if you want to make profit you need to get in with the local farmers and buy from them.

ie £40-£50 for half a lamb which you'd then sell on , pheasants and game are dirt cheap because on a shoot they end shooting too much.

With the lodges maybe link up and provide luxury digs for shooting parties?

Oh yes I wouldn’t be going to Tesco or the farm shop and buying off the shelf, I would try and go directly to the source and get the freshest produce and hopefully at a decent price.

Good idea with the shooting parties, wherever we buy i will be making a real effort to establish relationships with all of the local businesses as it could be a mutually beneficial business relationship both ways.

BoRED S2upid said:

If you keep one dog free and allow special dispensation for well behaved 2 year olds you can count me in.

If it's a total ban on children then count me in in about 15 years time.

Best of luck.

Thanks for the positive words for obvious reasons if we advertise as adults only we would have to 100% stick to that, which will be hard, turning away willing and paying customers but that’s the model.

Im sure you can find a babysitter for a dirty weekend away

geeks said:

I really like the sound of this, where when do I book?

2017 most probably, I'll update this tread along the journey

21TonyK said:

If I was going away with the Mrs and my dog I would love the same level of freedom for her (the dog!!) as she has at home. Open the back door and let her go. Not having to keep her cooped up inside. Not an easy one to do but a massive selling point. Your dog has the ability to roam freely in your own private grounds?

Also, more realistically, offer a private hire chef to cook for the couple in their cabin. Luxury breakfast deliveries and high-end hampers for lunch. I wouldn't pay for it myself (being a chef!) but I know people who are happy to pay £100's per head for a private chef to do a 5 course tasting menu in private accommodation.

Yes another poster on the first page mentioned about fencing off the plots so dogs can roam free, its a very good point and something we would look to do for sure. Last thing you want is to put your dog on a lead and go for a pee walk at midnight.

In regards to the Chef, as ive mentioned above I would be looking to build rapports with lots of local business's and a in-house chef would be a good one to offer, as well as activities like off roading, clay shooting, sports/supercar hire, cider making/tours, wine tasting evenings and lots more, they are completely optional so the more I can offer for people to pick from the better.

[sidekickdmr]

desolate said:

it's a lovely idea but isn't the cost of putting in services going to be prohibitive?

Thats going to be one of the hardest things to overcome, however I think ive managed to narrow the services required to electric and fresh water, these can be spurred from the main house (providing they are upto scratch) and run in underground trenches.

Grey water will be delt with by a soakaway and there will be a septic tank for waste.

No need for gas/oil etc as there will be an electric water heater and electric heating, as well as a log burning stove.

There are various other options but these are my first thoughts.

We know these are not going to be cheap to build, but hopefully worth it!

[sidekickdmr]

Petrol Only said:

That would put me off completely. I only go to places that are dog friendly not just dog tolerant. OP having dogs knows that doggie has to be on holiday too. Not stuck in kennels away from owners.

In the welcome pack will you be having some doggie treats and maps of nice walks etc. You could even make doggie "beer" basically a beef stock.

Oh yes, If we are going to be dog friendly then we will do it properly, there will be ground rules though, not on sofa/chairs or in the bedroom for example.

And of course, there will be homemade goodies for both 2 legged and 4 legged guests (if one booked).

[sidekickdmr]

desolate said:

That will never work.

The best way would be to have a pet free one as the one with dogs will definitely dilapidate more quickly.
Centre Parcs do something similar.

Yes there will be one or even 2 that are completely dog free, so you have the option

And I know some owners will have dogs on the bed/sofa etc regardless, but at least if we set the ground rules out clearly, if someone takes the mick and the sofa/bed is covered in mud and dog hair etc or a sofa is marked by claws, we can charge a cleaning/repair charge (Will be set out in the T&C's and welcome pack).

I think its only fair that I allow their dogs to come, on the proviso that they show a little respect.

Edited by sidekickdmr on Wednesday 27th January 10:53

[sidekickdmr]

BenWRXSEi said:

Yep, I'd call that a yurt

Excellent idea by the way, I'd be rather tempted by this

Thank you very much

[sidekickdmr]

I feel people are getting their wires crossed, someone has said 10K income per lodge is optimistic and someone has said building one for 10k is unlikely.

I've never said how much I am expecting as an income per lodge and certainly didn’t say I could build one for 10k, no chance in hell of that.

Id rather keep the money/income/build costs chat off this thread for now though if that’s ok, when i have an idea of property purchase costs i will start a thread in the business chat, I’m just trying to get some feedback on the idea from a holidaymakers point of view for now.

[sidekickdmr]

tighnamara said:

Great idea and 100% somewhere we would visit.
Stayed here last year, very impressed. May give you some pointers / ideas.
Possibly same sort of vision but totally different end of the country.

www.eaglebrae.co.uk

Wow thanks, that looks great and pretty much what we are hoping for just on a much smaller scale.

Check out the availability calendar too, pretty much all 7 are fully booked and they are charging £780 for 2 nights in a one bed place, crazy money.

Despite being the complete other end of the country and a lot bigger than we are hoping for, a great site and we may have to book a visit for research purposes.

[sidekickdmr]

Midlifecrisis71 said:

Hi There

Ive come over from the Barnstaple thread - im not sure this is the right location for you but I didn't want to upset my friends who live there. Its a tough balance, you wont afford the land in the South Hams / south Devon. I'd maybe look closer to Exeter.

I looked at letting complexes when I first moved down, but spending 1.25m on a complex of 6-7 barns with an annual profit of £30k didn't seam viable if you have to borrow.

Your option is unusual, and what worries me is just that. The key to success will not be the summer season but the off-season booking rate, on that basis I like your ideas but you cannot just use seclusion as your USP, if people are driving down from London they will want to see some of the locality & for me Barnstaple doesn't do it for me. I'd go closer to Exeter/Honiton or Cornwall.

Im not your target market as I have 2 kids & don't want to smell the stink of other peoples wet dogs when I check in, so don't worry too much about my opinion. But just consider carefully the commercial aspects and the location is vital. I would consider East Devon or Cornwall to give you the most attractive locations with the amount of land available. Have you looked in to planning regs ?

I use places like this now, bigger lodges with 3-4 beds and have restaurant & leisure facilities, not just for the kids but for me. My idea of hell is complete seclusion with no wifi and flatscreen, sorry.
https://retallackresort.co.uk/

My final point - people with high disposable income, don't go to Barnstaple. They go to Salcombe,Dartmouth Fowey, Rock. This may not matter when you are secluded but think about what they will search on google.

Thanks for your input MLC, you make some good points and seems like you know your stuff. We are also looking at a couple of places on the outskirts of Exeter, its a lovely City and will be a good selling point.

Im not so keen on the type of lodges you have referred too, A) because there is so much competition, B) Because we lose the USP, and C) you would need the infrastructure to back up that kind of client (pool with slides, restaurant, shop etc) just not what im aiming for.

Im more setting myself as a half way point between Glamping and a cottage, back to basics, but with all of the comforts you need to be comfortable all year round.

What with the underfloor heating, log burning stove, hot tub and hot shower in the ensuite, I feel there will be enough of an appeal to get people coming in all seasons. If anything the height of winter is when they will really come into their own. Im not saying we will be booked all year, but I don’t feel this is going to be a summer trade only set-up.

We will be starting with just the one, to test the market, so we can amend and tweak the business model as we (hopefully) grow.

[sidekickdmr]

cailean said:

Sounds great, are kids still a no no? If the buildings are a decent space apart I would have thought kids in at least some would be ok and would not disturb the others. My kids are better behaved and quieter than most groups of adults... get the pricing right and you should get well behaved families...I know, harsh

This is something we can look to re-consider if the adults only thing doesn’t seem to be working/take off. We are starting with a smaller one bed place. But the 2nd place will be a 2 bed to sleep 4 people, this is initially still going to be for adults only, friends and family, but we have the option to experiment if we are turning down too much family business.

toppstuff said:

Weird that so much talk is about dogs.

My experience , living in rural West Berkshire, is that the place is packed with professional people with plenty of income who are often desperate for a weekend option away by the sea where they can take their labradors / spaniels and still have comfort and a change of scene.

Keep a couple of lodges dog free for sure, but I think you'll find that you will get plenty of business from dog owners and from those who don't really care provided the places are clean and immaculate; dogs or no dogs.

Being near a good pub is vital. A decent small town with a smattering of restaurants and a Waitrose nearby is probably a good way of telling if the area is "right" for your target market.

You are right, most of the places that we go too are dog friendly and they seem to be doing great, never seen so much as a single dog hair or whiff of any previous dogs when we have arrived, so cant really see the issue.

However enough people on here are of the opinion that they wouldn’t stay in one if there had been a dog there so im willing to listen to the feedback and trial a dog free lodge and see if there is the demand for it.

And yes you are right, Location is key.

MentalSarcasm said:

One other possibility to add eventually is shepherd huts. These are slowly starting to become more common as an alternative to camping or glamping as they're made of wood, so better at keeping out the worst elements should you have a rainy summer. I believe you can also fit them with log burners, which increases your "season" from late winter/early spring through to the end of autumn.

You can also get them fitted with wheels so you can move them across your site to suit circumstances, useful if you've had people with dogs who have left a bit of a mess or if you want to reseed grass areas that have been walked over too many times, or if you want to move them closer to "base" in the winter so you don't need to go far to check up on them and do a deep clean.

Just a thought

Im always up for trying different things, and shepherd huts are something I would be willing to consider. Not at first, and in a way I hope I dont have to consider them, but at the end of the day the client is always right and if I try one and its getting booked then so be it.

[sidekickdmr]

Firstly I’d like to say thank you to everyone that contributed to this thread so far, you have been a great help in shaping how we wanted to take the business forward and I have all of you to thank for that.

So we have some updates......

We have just had our offer accepted on a stunning place, with a fantastic 12 acre woodland, it feels like you are in paradise (and a bit like jurassic park ), there is nothing to be seen or heard apart from a crystal clear trickling stream a pond and lots of flowers and wildlife.

http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/prope...

we have also "refined" the cabin design somewhat and have decided to settle on proper, handmade log cabins, a bit like this, we have had plans made up and are in talks with a few companies.









So it’s all slowly taking shape.........

Edited by sidekickdmr on Wednesday 30th March 16:36

[sidekickdmr]

Oh and it's walking distance to a lovely pub, walking distance to the sea, which has the famous Tarka trail and SW coast paths for cycling and walking, as well as being only 10 mins drive from Woolacombe for the beach and surfing and 10 mins from Ilfracombe for the harbour, shopping and seafood.

It's in an area of outstanding natural beauty so the whole area is STUNNING!

[sidekickdmr]

BenWRXSEi said:

Ooooooooooh. Now that I like

Thanks I like it too! The house needs a bit of work and we will need an extension over time but its the land I'm interested in for the business really.

boyse7en said:

Oh you've bought in Lee Bay. Know it well.
By the time you get your business up and running they should have finally developed the old empty hotel too, which will help.

Nice pub in the village, and like you say the Tarka Trail heads off to Woolacombe or Ilfracombe. Stunning scenery along there but you need to be fit - its steep. Properly steep.

Good luck with it. Always good to see new business ventures happening in our neck of the woods

Yes I've been reading up on the old hotel and the plans, seems they are almost there planning wise, will improve things.

Thanks for the well wishes, lovely area you live!

egor110 said:

and not a million miles from some decent mountain biking and the west country evo triangle that is exmoor.

Im going to try and get back into my mountain biking more, so this is good news!

eliot said:

Just round the corner from Croyde bay - my favourite place.
What was the decision on dogs then? As i wouldn't touch the place if it's had stinky dogs in the cabins.

One cabin will be completely dog free, so no "stinky dogs" if thats not your thing

[sidekickdmr]

russ_a said:

We stayed in a lodge just outside of York, in an acre or so field with around 10 other lodges each with its own hot tub.

The fellow that owned the park had bought the house with the field, just built himself a lodge. He moved into the lodge and sold the house with a small garden. He then used the cash from the house to build the other lodges.

He worked around 1 hour a day cleaning the hot tubs and making small talk with the guests. Living the dream!!

Sounds great, however as much as I'm after a change of lifestyle and setting, I couldnt cope with 1 hours work a day, I'll be finding plenty to keep me busy and will be spending a lot of time with the marketing/advertising side to ensure im fully booked

toppstuff said:

Very nice. But if the lodge does not come with its own live red deer stag posing on the balcony, then I'm not coming.

Cardboard cutout ok?

dom9 said:

A wet (but not stinky) black Lab owner here, checking in!

We spent the Easter weekend in a chalet (portacabin) by a lake in Berkshire.

The break was great, the facilities were fairly terrible and you couldn't keep the floor dry/ clean

We don't like leaving the beast with friends/ family as she's a bit clingy to me and usually makes herself slightly ill if we're gone for more than a couple of days so we're always looking at dog-friendly cabins for a break away.

So, this would be EXACTLY up our street and looks great!

Fantastic, would be very happy to welcome you and the black "beast" anytime

If all goes to plan with the planners etc we are hoping to have lodge one open for christmas

[sidekickdmr]

Oh for sure!

The more the merrier (for obvious reasons )

When we have the planning approved and the build has started we will also be taking some "pre bookings" at a reduced rate too, so keep your eyes peeled.

Just need to think of a business name/logo now............

[sidekickdmr]

Thank you for the well wishes everyone

Any thoughts/feedback on a business name?

We don’t want to go run of the mill holiday business name, we want to stand out from the crowd a little and try and be the only hit on Google for the name.

The property is called Crowness cottage, so we are currently thinking something along the lines of:

"Crowness Woodland Retreats"

"Crowness Vale"

Or the other idea we have had, moving away from Crowness completely is

"Tømmerstokk Vale" (Tømmerstokk is Norwegian (origins of the cabins) for log)

Or even

"Tømmerstokk Hytter" which translates to literally "log cabins"

Its hard to come up with something unique but at the same time memorable.

[sidekickdmr]

Time for another update?

We have settled on a Business name, and purchased the Domain name, we have gone for:

The Crowness

www.thecrowness.co.uk

In addition to this, we have updated our business model again somewhat. I spent the weekend at the property and in the area, this really enabled me to get more of a feel for the place, the people and the landscape of the grounds (I spent hours walking around the grounds, getting to see every nook and cranny for the first time).

While doing this, always thinking about the business, it came to me.

Rather than building 3 Log cabins, all of which would have been very similar (but themed/decorated differently), why not offer 3 completely different types of amazing accommodation, tapping into three times the market and hopefully getting each guest to come back at least 3 times.

So we have decided to build........

One totally amazing log cabin, down by the stream, hidden away in the woods, hot tub in the decking, log burner crackeling away inside.



One tree house, there is a perfect spot for this, with 4 mature trees in a square, with a perfect sized gap for the most amazing cabin with forest views, as well as sea views!



And finally, the most amazing Yurt/Glamping pod there is, 4 poster bed, Log burning stove, ensuite bathroom with roll top copper bath, built on a rustic wooden deck, with a glass panel in the roof to stargaze all night.






Thoughts?

I’m hoping that it will still appeal to everyone that has posted on this thread so far, as the totally amazing log cabin is still there, but we can concentrate on making it the most amazing log cabin there is, but we are also broadening our horizons and appealing to more of the market. I think it also makes the business a bit more interesting, and gives it a certain "wow factor".

[sidekickdmr]

I don’t want the business to feel confused or disjointed, which there is a very real risk of having 3 different types of accommodation.

Therefore we will be ensuring the theme/decor/linen and quality is consistent throughout all 3, and the way the website/marketing is put together will be key in ensuring the business flows and the accommodation on offer compliments each other.

[sidekickdmr]

desolate said:

They all look great.

Will be interested in the budget for each as I can't imagine getting services there will be cheap. It looks like a fairly major capital expenditure.

I have 8 acres of woodland next to my house and the council have approached me to see if I would be interested in doing something similar to assist with local tourism - but I can't get my fag packet to add up.

Yes its going to be a Huge investment, and the business will also need to grow organically, we will start with the Log cabin (we already have the contact and quotation for this) and over time will add the Treehouse and Yurt. This also enables us to mitigate our risk, I wouldn’t want to spend £££££ and build all 3 from the word go, just to find out they are not in demand.

Tuna said:

Sounds very fun, a great project to get your teeth into.

Around here the planning department would laugh you out of the building though.

That is a concern we have, but we have spoken to the planners already, and they seem susceptible to the overall idea.

We are luckily completely flexible, and with this approach I’m sure we can work out something that will please them.

[sidekickdmr]

desolate said:

You will need to look at the Treehouse though as you wont be able to have ladder access like that.

You will definitely need to look at paths and lighting as access will need to be easy and clean, plus if you cant drive up to the units then you will need to provide some sort of transfer.

Yes you are right, a ladder just wouldn’t work for obvious reasons, that was just a Google images pinched picture. I’m thinking a rope bridge in the trees would be cool.

I’ve already spoken to electricians about pathway lighting and started a thread on PH about making more substantial paths through the forest, it’s going to be trial and error and I will make mistakes, but that’s all part of the fun.

FrankAbagnale said:

I haven't got any more input that all the great replies already offered other than to say good luck.

I'll definitely be interested in booking a stay when it's up and running.

Great, thanks for the kind words, would be great to have you

louiebaby said:

I've skipped over a bit of the thread, but like the bits I did read.

We have kids, and will have a dog, but I think we will be the target market in a couple of years. I can see us having the Grandparents to ours for a few days, during the week, to do the school run etc, so we can bugger off for a few days of peace and quiet.

We'd probably be mid week, for a couple of nights, in school time, not constrained by the time of year. So when you have it empty from normal folk.

Things that would be a bit of a draw for me would be access to good wilderness (ish) walks with a pub for lunch roughly halfway round and good road cycling roads so I can get out of the missus hair for a while. She'd probably want somewhere to go for a run.

We'd want to be contactable, so phone signal and WiFi would be needed. I understand some people want the isolation, so you could always offer to turn it off for people who don't want to be disturbed.

An alternative would be to offer a small coffee lounge at the main building where people could go to get online.

Well it sounds like we would be right up your street, we have both the Tarka Trail and the SW coast path right on our doorstep for cycling and running, and a lovely pub and coffee shop/bar just strolling distance from us!

The phone signal is hit and miss, so I think WIFI in each place is inevitable.

[sidekickdmr]

Yes that does make that slightly trickier, but dogs and Treehouses wouldn’t really go hand in hand (parachutes not supplied), and material/canvas Yurts may not lend themselves to dogs too well either.

So it may be a case of the Log cabin is dog friendly, the Yurt and Treehouse are not for example.