Make the most of your holiday property with Suffolk Secrets
With both local and national expertise and support, you'll get the best of both worlds
Here in Suffolk, we have passionate, knowledgeable property specialists who can support you in getting your property ready to let. We're also part of the Original Cottages family, which means that you get additional benefits from our central team of experts. From pricing to marketing to property grading, we can ensure that your property is set up for a successful season, year after year.
"The refurbishment of my holiday home had been majorly delayed by the lockdown and there was a significant chance that I would miss the summer season completely. However, with Annabel’s support, hard work and enthusiasm, it was actually launched to the holiday market within just 36 hours of being ready and then went on to achieve an incredible 7 full weeks of summer bookings in the first few days of going live. My thanks go to Annabel and her team for such a speedy response!"
Homeowner Feedback, July 2020
Find out what the Suffolk team can do for you
0800 368 9358
letting@originalcottages.co.uk
To read more about us and the services we can offer you, simply request an owner information pack:
Why let with Suffolk Secrets?
Established in 1995, we’re no ‘new kid on the block’. Our years of experience, knowledge of the local area and the holiday homes we market is unrivalled.
We're truly local
We have two lovely offices in Southwold and Aldeburgh, both in prime locations in the heart of the town, plus a further office at Saxmundham for our managed services. With dedicated teams for homeowner and customer service, marketing and property management, plus national sales support (more on that later), we’re able to offer a service tailored for you.
Marketing Expertise
- Leading digital marketing expertise & innovative activity such as virtual reality property tours.
- Effective, targeted and exciting marketing activity featuring your individual property & free professional photography.
- We list our properties on major affiliate websites too, at no extra charge to our owners, including:
It makes financial sense
- We’ll visit your property (for free) to let you know how much you could earn.
- Competitive commission rates, no sign-up or renewal fees, plus flexible property management options.
- Attractive payment terms; regular monthly payments and easy to understand statements, plus protection from cancellations and damages.
We're customer service led
- Knowledgeable & friendly local team in Suffolk, plus a central team of experts.
- Our holidaymakers come back year after year (which means more repeat customers for you).
- Tailored property management services, arranged to suit you (we won’t try and sell you a package).
Our response to Coronavirus (Covid-19)
From the start of the pandemic, we have been focused on supporting our homeowners, guests and staff
Sending clear, regular communications
In a world with so many unknowns, we have cut through the noise to give our homeowners clear, regular and informed communications about the situation, what it means to them, how we’re adapting, and what they need to do to adapt.
Keeping safety our top priority
Our local teams have been equipped with all of the PPE necessary to continue visiting and servicing properties safely . Our photography teams have also adapted photoshoots, making them 'contact-free'.
Being there, whenever needed
We have made sure that we’re always available on the end of a phone or email, and the feedback from our homeowners has been fantastic – we, and they feel like our relationships have only strengthened during this time.
Looking ahead...
With holiday bookings now on the up, we are helping both new and existing homeowners to make their properties safe and ready for visitors. We understand our holidaymakers’ needs and are advising our owners on how to optimise their property – from facilities, to pricing – to achieve their booking potential.
Homeowner feedback we received during the pandemic:
Marketing your holiday home
Our Websites
Our website is fully responsive (which means it adapts to best fit the device on which it's being viewed) and has been designed with the user experience front of mind to ensure that the booking process is seamless. We invest in ‘pay per click’ advertising and continuously work on our ‘organic’ search engine performance on Google.
We market properties on our national website; www.originalcottages.co.uk and our luxury website; www.nicheretreats.co.uk;
Over 464,000 visitors to our own website each year
Affiliate Websites
We pay to list your properties on a range of affiliate websites, both in the UK and elsewhere in Europe, casting the net further still. These include: Airbnb, Tripadvisor, Snaptrip, Holiday Lettings and HomeAway.
Advertising on 3,000 additional websites
Social Media
We showcase holiday properties, special offers, local news and events through our social media accounts, and actively engage with our followers on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Youtube through our organic and paid social media activity.
Our social media following has grown by over 11% in the last year.
Campaign Marketing
Our sophisticated Customer Relationship Management software (CRM) gives us outstanding insights into customer demographics, booking behaviour, marketing preferences and interests. We regularly communicate with our customers with personalised, targeted emails. We feature properties, events and special offers, tailoring the content to suit each customers’ own unique preferences.
Over 1.6million marketing emails sent to our customer base every year
Brochures
Taking advantage of the significant footfall we have passing our offices, we produce a full colour brochure updated annually, with high quality imagery of our beautiful holiday properties. This can also be requested online and we give it out to visitors at the events we attend and through local businesses too.
We distribute over 20,000 brochures per year!
Local Shows and Events
We attend local, county and national shows, so people can meet us and find out about our holiday properties. We have high quality show displays, branded giveaways and run a 'win a holiday' competition to build our customer base and attract new holidaymakers to our properties.
Advertising and PR
We place carefully timed advertisements in local press and selected national magazines and papers. We work with local and national PR specialists, journalists and high profile bloggers to gain our cottages as much coverage as possible. We also work closely with local tourism agencies including Visit Suffolk and The Suffolk Coast DMO.
Multiple relationships formed with national brands, for example Stokes Sauces, Virgin Wines and John Lewis.
Local Presence
Our offices in Southwold and Aldeburgh are in prime location and our window displays and digital signage are designed to catch the eye of passing holidaymakers. Our branded company vehicles are another great way we spread brand awareness across the county.
Our high street offices are perfectly positioned to advertise our holiday properties to passers-by.
Tailored property management service
Housekeeping
Suffolk Cottage Care’s monthly housekeeping service plan takes care of all holiday home changeover cleaning including a regular and reference checked housekeeping and alternative cover when required, an agreed service level agreement with your housekeeper, regular monitoring of cleaning standards and fixed changeover costs per booking. Booking notifications go directly to your housekeeper so you don’t have to worry about a thing.
Regular housekeeper and monitored standards
Maintenance
Sometimes things just don’t go to plan. Plumbing leaks, electrical appliance failure, heat breakdowns etc. We’re here to help with a monthly service that includes a 7-day emergency phone line for guests to use from 9am to 9pm in the event of maintenance issue during their stay and a ‘fully covered plan’ including a comprehensive monthly property inspection giving you complete peace of mind that your property is in tip-top condition.
Peace of mind for you and your guests
Linen Hire and Purchase
Guest expectations are continually rising and ‘hotel style’ crisp white sheets and fluffy white towels are high on the wish-list for self-catering accommodation. Suffolk Cottage Care can provide an extensive range of high quality, reasonably priced linen which is available for purchase. We also provide a linen hire service which is a great alternative to purchasing your own linen.
Luxury hotel standards in your self-catering holiday home.
Welcome Packs and Toiletries
First impressions and attention to detail create lasting memories for your guests and what could be nicer than a luxury welcome hamper brimming with the tastes of Suffolk? Our welcome packs include Adnams ale, Pump Street Chocolate, Stokes condiments and more. We also provide a range of L’Occitaine toiletries to add a little indulgence to your bathrooms.
The little touches really count.
Maximise your income
Maximise your income with minimum inconvenience
Combining over 25 years holiday letting experience nationally with our local expertise in Suffolk we know how to maximise your income through holiday letting.
Competitive commission, strong bookings and good income levels
Individually researched price bands and optimised calendar
Bespoke marketing showcasing your property's unique features
Expert property management including housekeeping, maintenance and linen services
High repeat booking percentage builds your customer base year after year
Holiday properties as an investment
Staycations are experiencing a huge surge in demand and given the nature of UK self-catering breaks appealing to those looking for safe, environmentally friendly, cost-effective holidays, this is set to continue for some time to come.
Our experienced Property Recruiters frequently work with homeowners to help them select, furnish, manage and let their property, optimising their return on investment. Here is a summary of how we can help:
We can visit properties with you.
We can provide helpful feedback on the ‘letability’ of a property given its location and amenities.
We can offer practical advice on simple steps to improve the ROI of the property (e.g. interior design).
We can generate property proposals with rental rates and income.
We can support with the practical running of the holiday let, taking away any ongoing hassle.
Please call us on 0800 368 9358 or send us an email if you’d like to find out more about how we could help you with your holiday home investment.
Testimonials
We're proud of the feedback we receive from our property owners, here's what they have to say:
Additional homeowner benefits
10% Original Cottages discount
As we are part of the Original Cottages group, our homeowners enjoy a 10% discount off their own holidays.
With over 5,000 Original Cottages properties to choose from, you too could enjoy exploring the UK for less.
Exclusive discounts from our partners
We love loyal customers. To say thank you for choosing us, we’ve teamed up with a range of local and national companies to ensure that you are rewarded with some seriously great offers and discounts.
Property Advice
How to make your property stand out from the crowd
Knowing the answer could make the difference between potential holiday makers scrolling past or pressing the ‘book now’ button.
Read more
Do You Know Your Place?
Understanding your audience and knowing how to price your holiday let are key when it comes to maximising your income
Read moreHow to join our family
If you’re interested in letting with us our knowledgeable and friendly team members are on hand to advise and support you through the simple 3-step process.
1
Contact us
Send us an enquiry so we can arrange an informal chat with one of our knowledgeable team members.
2
Arrange to meet
We would love to visit your property, or arrange a video meeting and tour (whichever is more appropriate) with no-obligation on you at all.
3
Join our family & receive bookings
We arrange your property setup and once live we launch our marketing activity to secure bookings and generate you income.
Meet the Team
Head of Recruitment
East & South East
Senior Property Recruiter
East & South East
Property Recruiter
East & South East
Property Recruiter
East & South East
Property Recruiter
East & South East
Property Recruiter
East & South East
Property Recruiter
East & South East
Please fill in your details below to request a Homeowner Information Pack. We will send you a guide filled with information about successful holiday letting and how to maximise your return on your second home, and will follow this with a friendly call to discuss how we can best help you.
