It is without a doubt that 2020 has been the hardest year for us. We are Prop-Tech and Holiday Rental company, servicing predominantly international travellers from around the Globe.
“Suspension of International flights from 19th March 2020, Suspension of Domestic flights from 25th March 2020 followed by the official lockdown on the 26th of March 2020”
(Cancellation % between January and December 2020).
In just over 30 days our business had gone from rapid growth plans to dropping quicker than BA’s share price. We had to think fast and are proud to have found a rapid solution through what we call “Midterm corporate lets”, providing a continuous and somewhat secure income for our hosts. We had to pivot quicker than a new strain of Covid! In the wise words of Winston Churchill “Never let a good crisis go to waste”.
We are excited and proud to share continued growth through 2020 with some very exciting plans for 2021.
Bloomsbury Estates: A year in numbers
3 New Hires
We are delighted to welcome 3 new very experienced and talented superstars to the team!
Lesley Chan joins us from an undisclosed company sell out it in Singapore and brings with her an incredible work ethic, attention to detail and in her short time here has completely restructured our accounting team. She has introduced a whole new accountancy software and uncovered cost savings.
Jake Orr joins us from Plum Guide and brings a wealth of knowledge, contacts, experience. He adds a calm, collected (dare I say almost hipster) vibe to what was once a formal office. In his short time here he has helped double the size of the managed properties and continues to be an invaluable asset to our growth plans.
Lucy Clarkson joins us as a Literature graduate and has already had a great impact on our marketing plan and as a content editor. We look forward to seeing more of her in 2021.
16 New Properties
Yes, that’s right, 16 new luxury properties have been invited to our managed portfolio in both London and Bath. These are tough times so the fulfilment of earning a client’s trust and managing their asset for the better is what makes what we do so gratifying.
1 New Development under construction
We have a stunning new development being launched in February 2021, what can only be described as a 6-bedroom, architectural marvel with 3 acres of land overlooking Bath! Watch this space.
2 New Promotions
Our CEO wrote a whole post about this so I will keep it short; first and foremost, Thomas Dolman joined as a graduate with no experience in the world of property and short lets, this didn’t stop him. He has been the bedrock of the operations department and has integrated some cutting-edge tech in our offering. 2021 is going to be a good year Tom!
Our Director of Sales & Marketing changed the title to CEO, he never liked big titles but with the predicted growth it is important to have a head!
1 New City
Bath is one of the most quintessentially British cities in the UK, surrounded by picturesque Cotswold villages and serene landscapes. We say, if it is okay for prime ministers, George Clooney, Kate Winslet and good old Jeremy Clarkson, it’s okay for us. We have a plethora of international tourist and professional travellers that when staying in our London properties, often wish to escape for a few days. The expansion into Bath will complement our offering of luxury high properties in prime locations.
5 New Prop-Tech Services
Invested into the latest prop-tech services giving us the edge over competitors: new PMS system, new channel manager, new dynamic algorithmic pricing platform, new AI Automations, new, host, web, based performance dashboard.
4 Kickstarter Applications
Applied for 4 news hires through the Governments Kickstarter Scheme.