The project
The Old Cartshed is a converted barn near Stow-on-the-Wold — exposed beams, a wood-burner, a copper bath, the lot. Gorgeous. And almost entirely dependent on the big booking platforms, handing over a chunk of every stay in commission and never owning the relationship with a single guest.
The problem
A holiday let lives or dies on two things: being found, and being booked directly. The Cartshed was beautiful but invisible outside the platforms — no audience of its own, no reason for a past guest to come back direct, no presence when someone searched "Cotswold barn near Stow." Every booking cost more than it needed to.
What we did
We turned the property and its setting into a content engine designed to drive direct bookings — the ones with no commission skimmed off the top.
- A steady stream of social posts that sell the feeling of the place, not just the rooms
- A guest newsletter so past guests rebook direct instead of through a platform
- Google Business posts so the Cartshed shows up the moment someone searches nearby
- A blog on what to do around Stow — the exact thing guests Google, and a quiet way to rank
Sample — social caption
The bit the listing photos never quite capture: 6pm, wood-burner lit, the valley going gold through the window, not another sound for miles.
A few autumn dates have just opened up. Book direct through the link in our bio — it's the same barn, just better value than the booking sites.
Sample — guest newsletter excerpt
Subject: Your table by the wood-burner is still here
Hello again —
It's been a year since you stayed at the Cartshed, and autumn is quietly its best season — misty mornings, log fires, the Cotswolds at their emptiest.
Because you've stayed before, here's first refusal on our autumn dates, booked direct (no platform fees, better rate). Just reply and we'll hold one for you.
Sample — blog opening
A perfect slow weekend near Stow-on-the-Wold (from people who live here)
Most "things to do" lists are written by someone who's never been. This one isn't. Here's exactly how we'd spend a weekend from the Cartshed's front door — the walk, the pub with the good fire, the farm shop worth the detour…
Why it works
For a holiday let, content isn't vanity — it's margin. Every guest you bring in directly is a guest you didn't pay commission on, and every past guest you keep in touch with is a rebooking you didn't have to win twice. The property was always the asset. We just made it findable, and made it theirs.
The Old Cartshed is a concept project created to show how we'd turn a real holiday let into a direct-booking engine.
