ÖÖD at Kirtlington: 82% booking rate from the second month
The Budgett family of five, headed by Charlie and Lucy, live on a farm in a generations-old family estate in the heart of Oxfordshire, United Kingdom. Charlie, the owner of the world-class thoroughbred stud, sought options to diversify the income of the 345-acre estate. He was looking for something unique, of high quality and something which reflects the beauty and the reputation of his farm.
With its natural beauty, charming character, and proximity to London and Oxford, Kirtlington is a beatiful destination for visitors seeking a peaceful nature break and a glimpse into traditional English village life and the popular local Polo scene.
While the Budgett family were looking for opportunities to diversify their estate through a short-term cabins business, we were looking for partners with secluded land in the UK to expand their Partnership model.
Through Partnership Programme we provide the partner with the iconic ÖÖD Mirror Houses, a trusted brand, a full-scale booking platform which synchronizes with all major OTAs, a loyal traveller base and a gift card system. Our team of experts help you through the process of building a cabin business from cradle to completion to create an unforgettable experience for travellers. Our team guides the partner through the planning, development and launch process.
Given that ÖÖD provides the mirror houses in return for a rental share of less than 33% (more than 66% for the partner) on average, the investment for the partner is low and the return on investment is very attractive.
ÖÖD produced and shipped seven tiny mirror houses from Estonia to the United Kingdom in late March 2023. During the subsequent two months, Charlie, Lucy and an ÖÖD team built the deckings, the wooden footpaths and completed the final touches for this unique and tranquil nature getaway.
Marketing activities arranged by ÖÖD included listing the Mirror Houses on ÖÖD booking platform (oodhotels.com), e-mail, social media and influencer marketing, outdoor advertising and a launch event in London, which saw an ÖÖD Mirror House and an Office cruising on the River Thames for a day.
One week before the opening, ÖÖD invited key media people to explore and stay in the soon-to-be-opened retreat. During the PR week, journalists from The Times, Conde Nast and travel influencers from social media visited ÖÖD at Kirtlington to spread the news.
Through marketing activities, ÖÖD collected 60 bookings before the opening of the site on the 5th of June 2023. Surprisingly, most bookings didn’t hear about the site through the actual launch event or the outdoor advertising, but the social media advertising and influencer marketing.
Focusing on these two marketing activities, the occupancy rate for the first two months of opening the site was 47% in June and 82% in July, with the nightly prices around 330 GBP. In July, the Kirtlington Mirror Houses earned more than 40 thousand pounds in revenues.
The opening of the Kirtlington site is only the beginning. ÖÖD is working on new partnership sites in Norway, Scotland, and the US, opening in 2023 and Iceland in 2024.
ÖÖD is actively looking for new partners with beautiful and secluded land interested in generating additional income in an “investment-light” way. The Partners have unique land and operate the houses. ÖÖD offers the partnership model to transform the property into a new business or bring new revenue streams to an existing business.
Learn more about ÖÖD Partnership: https://oodhouse.com/partnership/