Join Premier Cottages

The Finest Collection of 4 & 5 Star Cottages in the UK & Ireland - Booked Direct with the Owners

To get bookings, you need a platform, right? The thorny problem for us all as owners is that most agencies and OTAs charge an eye-watering amount of commission, and give us little access to the guest. So here’s something completely different. Premier Cottages is a Book Direct model. A membership cooperative, run by members for members. We do not take a commission or dictate your pricing, and every booking is made direct with you (even if they “book now” on our website). Everything you earn is yours for just one annual fee, which will put you in charge of your Premier Cottages listing on our website and give you access to our extensive database and social media following.

As a membership cooperative, we really are different. Every member of the Board is an experienced self-catering operator, with the interests of the Board aligned with those of the membership. We spend 100% of your membership fee on marketing our properties, not on fancy offices or dividends for shareholders. That does not mean that we are a kitchen cabinet of amateurs, though. There is extensive experience, both on the board and among the membership, and we have consistently led the market for almost 30 years. For example, with our innovations with director online booking and a mobile-responsive website. We remain the only Book Direct player in the UK with full foreign language websites in German and Dutch, and we have consistently benefited from innovation grants because of the quality of our website. We have a very large social media following and guest database, which we leverage to great effect. 

Being a membership organisation gives us the agility and flexibility to adapt and support members very quickly when demands on owner businesses change. This means we are able to adapt quickly to changes in the market, which affect our members most. For example, during the Covid-19 pandemic, we put in place an emergency budget, to enable as many members as possible to renew. Survival for our members was, and continues to be really important, as we are about the only space in the market where owners retain full control of their business model. 

We work with you, as a member, to help you improve your business. We offer support, advice, a regional member network and up-to-date self-catering news. We will also keep you well informed regarding legal matters, promote your business to our vast guest database and offer you the best possible exposure for your property.

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We are a member-owned marketing co-operative.
Your annual membership fee goes directly into marketing activity.

Our multi-language websites, guest newsletters and social media coverage ensure your cottages are shown to all the right people.

We represent the top end of self-catering.
Display alongside like-minded businesses to a loyal audience, and join a trusted, quality brand.

We work closely with Premier Cottages, and have done so for over a decade. Our data shows that Premier Cottages consistently outperforms marketing channels with multi-billion dollar budgets Robert Kennedy, Managing Director, SuperControl

Why Join Premier Cottages?

Luxury cottage bedroom

Your Business, Your way

Premier Cottages gives you the freedom and flexibility to run your business the way you want to and to treat your guests as simply that – your guests.

All contact and correspondence is between you and your guests. There are no call centres, handling agents or automated switchboards for your guests to negotiate. Personal service is at the heart of the Premier Cottages ethos.

Of course, we do have some rules, but these are primarily about offering a fantastic guest experience (both at the bricks and mortar level, and also online), and maintaining your properties at a high level. 

Quality is the cornerstone of Premier Cottages, and is why guests come back to Premier Cottages again and again – they know that when they book, they will get quality properties and a great guest experience.

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Alfresco dining at luxury cottage

Strength of Marketing

Premier Cottages was founded almost 30 years ago on the principle of working together as a membership marketing-collective with like-minded owners of 4 & 5 Star quality self-catering businesses. We have a very significant database of 150,000 guests who come back to Premier Cottages time and again because they trust the quality of the collection. That’s more than most Tourist Boards. We send out regular newsletters to our guest database, with industry-beating engagement rates, and is a significant driver of bookings.

Premier Cottages was early to the social media table, and has built up an enviable following on Facebook - another major driver of traffic to our website. We currently have over 220,000 Facebook followers, and with less than 1000 cottages to promote, and a growing Instagram following, our Social Media strategy delivers excellent engagement for each individual business.

  • In addition we have a red-hot SEO team, who make sure we maintain a low bounce rate on our website (top line traffic isn’t everything, if visitors don’t follow through!), and deploy all the usual marketing tools available.

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Exterior of a luxury cottage

Join a brand with an unrivalled pedigree for Quality

Premier Cottages’ members have won most of the top national 'Visit England Awards for Excellence in Tourism' awards in the Self Catering category every year since 2007. Our members have won 17 out of a total of 21 Gold, Silver and Bronze awards in the last 7 years. In addition, our members have won National awards every year in the Sustainable and Accessible Tourism categories.

Prior to joining, all applicants are assessed to ensure a minimum of 4 Star quality, and to ensure their business operates to the stringent requirements needed to become a Premier Cottages member. In addition, many of our luxury UK cottages are also graded by one of the independent national accreditation bodies, such as VisitEngland, VisitWales, VisitScotland, Quality in Tourism, and the AA.

We only accept into membership those properties that can achieve high 4* or 5* quality assessments.

For almost 30 years, Premier Cottages has become synonymous with quality and luxury. Our Quality Assessment process ensures that members deliver the unrivalled experience that guests have come to expect from the Premier Cottages’ brand.

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hot tub with a view over rolling countryside

We help you to get the most out of your business

As professional self-caterers, our members want to retain control of their business model and pricing, while taking advantage of the marketing power of a bigger group. As a membership organisation, we are also dedicated to enabling members to gain more of their own bookings direct, and enable them to move away from expensive and controlling agencies and OTAs.

We provide frequent communication and advice on various aspects of running your business, including how to get the most out of doing your own social media, advice on pricing (an art, not a science, but lower is definitely not always better), tips on how to improve conversion rates, changes in the law that affect you, and tips on keeping costs under control.  In addition, we have an Annual Member Conference where you can network and share ideas with like-minded owners, as well as regular Member Briefings to help you keep up with the latest trends and improve your business.

We work closely with PASC UK – the Professional Association of Self-Caterers. For example, we were jointly responsible with them and ASSC (Association of Scotland’s Self Caterers) for producing the national Covid cleaning protocols for the self-catering sector, which helped to convince Government that we were safe to re-open. 

We also run (free) educational sessions with PASC UK, which help owners keep on top of compliance and legislative changes that affect their business.

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What do our members say?

  • Interior of Beacon Hill cottage

    "Premier Cottages has been my primary source of bookings for 20 years. It enables me to run my business exactly how I want to, with direct contact with guests. I would have no hesitation recommending Premier."

    Alun Moore, Owner
    Beacon Hill Farm, Northumberland
    15 Cottages
    Member since 1997

  • Exterior of Higher Wiscombe cottages

    "Premier Cottages is by far the best marketing channel for our three cottages, and this is resoundingly confirmed on our analytics traffic reports. Great Guests too."

    Alistair Handyside, Owner
    Higher Wiscombe, Devon
    3 Cottages
    Member since 2005

  • Exterior of Corner Farm Barn

    "Premier Cottages works really well for our single cottage, and is our main source of bookings. We have tried some other larger sites but they are not as effective, and Premier guests are extremely loyal and many return."

    Jane Morelli, Owner
    Corner Farm Barn, Suffolk
    1 Cottage
    Member since 2007

  • Exterior of Mendham Mill

    "Since joining in 2013, Premier has provided lots of lovely guests and invaluable advice. Everything is geared towards the members. Their support has enabled me to grow my business and keep ahead in an ever-changing regulatory environment."

    James Johnston, Owner
    Mendham Mill, Norfolk
    5 Cottages
    Member since 2013

Your questions answered

NEED HELP?

You can call us on 0117 325 8810 or email us your contact details if you would like a call back

(This service is normally available between 09.00 and 17.00 Monday to Friday. At all other times, please submit an email request.)

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JOIN PREMIER COTTAGES TO:

  • Remain an independent owner
  • Keep control of your business
  • Benefit from the power of a strong high-end brand behind you
  • Avoid agency fees
  • Access a substantial guest database
  • Be a part of organisation whose interests are aligned with yours
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