Wheeldon Trees Farm Case Study
A Hospitable Climate
Martin and Deborah Hofman of Wheeldon Trees Farm discovered an escape from the city and a chance to offer a little bit of what they love - a great place to stay and outstanding customer service.
Previously, the couple from North West London ran a successful business employing over 40 staff members. After a gap year travelling the world and a decision to sell the business, it was time for a change. Serendipitously, they travelled to Leeds to take their son to university and stopped off in the Peak District on the way home. Waking up to stunning scenery and hills that rolled on for miles, the couple were instantly taken by the location. Deborah explains, "We woke up, took a look around, and thought ‘wow, where are we?' This is amazing."
At the time they had no plans to run a self-catering business, but recognised an opportunity to take on a new challenge. In March 2007 the Hofmans became the new owners of Wheeldon Trees Farm located 6 miles from Buxton in the Peak District. New to the hospitality industry, their first self-catering guests arrived just three days later. The cottages were already tourist board rated and Deborah and Martin decided to allow the dust to settle before making any changes to the business.
Six months into their ‘new job' they began renovating the cottages. First they swapped tired storage heaters for a ground-source heat pump, allowing Wheeldon Trees Farm to be run on renewable energy. After perseverance with forms and applications, they received a grant from the Energy Savings Trust to cover 50% of the costs. Their green policy continued with extensive recycling facilities for guests, green cone food waste digesters and underfloor heating on the ground floors of the cottages. Installation of a wind turbine is also planned.
Deborah and Martin sought help from Visit Peak District & Derbyshire and Business Link while developing their business. Joining courses on marketing and benefiting from additional exposure and mentoring support, the Hofmans have been keen to get involved and give back. Likewise the local population in the nearby villages has welcomed them and benefited from increased employment and business to local suppliers including food producers. "By using local trades people and suppliers, it shows that you're interested in the local community," Deborah explains, "and they've been incredibly friendly to us."
So what are the secrets to the Hofman's success? First of all, customer service is their priority. In their previous business, they stood out from a crowd because of their commitment to their customers. And they continued this ethos at Wheeldon Trees Farm. It is also about building strong relationships with your employees who are the lifeblood of the business.
Wheeldon Trees has a steady influx of guests year-round which has been a surprise to the Hofmans. After a busy winter, they are tackling the economic downturn by making sure they continue to appeal to a broad target-market. This includes families, dog-owners, green consumers and disabled people. One of their cottages is completely wheel-chair accessible which was an important decision for them. Deborah says, "We had the impression that in the Peak District there were a lot of visitor attractions that were accessible to disabled people, but not a lot of places for them to stay. So despite the additional costs, we decided to provide facilities for them."
The future is all about continuing to delight their guests and to consolidate after their two year renovation project.
Time Line
March 2007 The Hofmans move into Wheeldon Trees Farm
July 2007 Instructed architects to prepare for planning application
Sep 2007 Application submitted to Peak District National Park
Sep 2007 Application made to the Energy Saving Trust for ground source heat pump
Oct 2007 Planning granted
Oct 2007 Green Tourism Business Bronze Award achieved
Nov 2007 Renovations begin
Nov 2007 The Hofmans participate in Visit Peak District & Derbyshire's marketing course
Nov 2007 Successful Self-Catering, Welcome, Cyclists & Welcome All (Visit Peak District & Derbyshire)
March 2008 The Hofmans take part in a Business Link's mentoring and support programme
April 2008 Renovations mainly complete - Wheeldon Trees Farm re-opens to the public including a brand new accessible cottage
May 2008 Search Engine Optimisation Course (Visit Peak District & Derbyshire)
May 2008 Pay Per Click Course (Visit Peak District & Derbyshire)
May 2008 Work completed on whole site
Oct 2008 Email Marketing Course (Visit Peak District & Derbyshire)
July 2008 Peak District Environmental Quality mark awarded
Aug 2008 Green Tourism Business Silver Award achieved
Oct 2008 Writing words for the Web Workshop (Business Link)
Nov 2008 Think Family Roadshow Course (Visit Peak District & Derbyshire)
Dec 2008 Web 2.0 - Making Sense of the Social Web Course (Business Link)
Jan 2009 Converting Website Visitors into Customers Workshop (Business Link)
Jan 2009 Working with Digital Images Workshop (Business Link)
Feb 2009 Grow your Peak Tourism Workshop (Visit Peak District & Derbyshire)
March 2009 Plans in progress for application for wind turbine at Wheeldon Trees
Wheeldon Trees Farm, Earl Sterndale, Buxton, Derbyshire, SK17 0AA
Tel: 01298 83219, Email: stay@wheeldontreesfarm.co.uk
Website: www.wheeldontreesfarm.co.uk