Holiday firm aims to build on increase in bookings

0 The firm’s properties include Taigh na Coille, which overlooks Hebridean islands Eigg and Rum A self-catering firm is expecting bookings to increase in 2018 after experiencing a jump on the back of investing “heavily” in additional staff and technology this year.

Cottages & Castles said its bookings in 2017 have seen year-on-year growth of about a fifth, with online orders up by a quarter. Its overall bookings have also jumped by nearly half since 2015.

The Edinburgh business also said it is the only self-catering company able to offer an integrated online booking and payment service in the short breaks sector.

MD Sue Bourne said: “Our social media platforms have made a huge difference to our bookings over the past few years and particularly so in 2017. We now employ two fulltime staff to manage our internet and social media activity.”

She also noted a focus in the past year on the top end of the market, adding that, due to factors such as the popularity of self-catering staycations, “we predict a continuing increase in bookings for 2018”.