Husband and wife team; Adam and Michelle Wilkin are celebrating their first successful summer since the launch of their new holiday cottage business, Lakeland Retreats.
The Ambleside couple who have known each other since school launched the company in January this year and have since grown their portfolio of Ambleside and Hawkshead cottages from four to twenty.
The entrepreneurial couple have run a successful cottage cleaning and maintenance business since 2010 but decided to branch out into full management earlier this year following requests from loyal customers. As the summer season draws to a close Michelle reflects on the near full occupancy her cottages have benefitted from.
Michelle said; “It has been a great first summer and it’s lovely to be able to go back to the homeowners and tell them their property has been booked all summer and it’s looking good for the rest of the year too. We’ve been pleasantly surprised by our first season and think that our focus on service is what has made the difference. The way we do things may seem a little old fashioned, for example if it’s a cold day we’ll nip ahead to the cottage to put the heating and a few lights on and we like customers to come to our Ambleside office to collect the keys rather than just pick them up from a safe outside the property. It means they get a personal service from the minute they arrive in the Lake District, from advice about where to eat and drink through to helping them with walking routes it’s lovely to be able to add to someone’s experience of this beautiful place. We want everyone who comes to enjoy it as much as we do and we think it’s the local touch that makes all the difference.”
The focussed couple who have two children have lived in the area all their lives, stated their plans for the future of their independent holiday cottage company Lakeland Retreats.
Adam explained; “We will continue to specialise in Lake District properties, it’s what and where we know best and means we can continue to add value to our owners and customers. Our focus is to continue steadily increasing our portfolio of holiday homes as we have plenty of interest from people wanting to book them.”
It would appear the couple are right to be optimistic as Cumbria and the Lake District remains one of the most popular places to visit. Earlier this year Cumbria Tourism identified 47.28 million tourism visits to the county in 2017 and stated the tourism industry is worth £2.9billion to Cumbria.
