We’re thrilled to share that ASSC Member, Jack Alt-Stays was shortlisted for the prestigious West of Scotland Thistle Awards in the category of Best Self-Catering or Unique Stay!
Here’s an in-depth look at their journey to this remarkable achievement.
About Jacks Alt-Stays
Q. Please can you give us a little bit of background into your business?
A. Jack’s Alt-Stays is the next generation of self-catering accommodation in Scotland.
The family business is co-founded by cousins Daniel Jack & Adam Jack who share a love for adventure, unique experiences, and the environment. After staying the night in some weird and wonderful places around the world, we set out to bring it home to North Ayrshire. We decided that glamping is old news, and we’ve since been on a mission to create a one-of-a-kind accommodation space for unforgettable travel experiences in Scotland.
Located in Millport, Isle of Cumbrae, Jack’s Alt-Stays offers five uniquely themed cabins – three couple’s cabins and two family cabins – each with their own wood-fired hot tub.
The Significance of the Scottish Thistle Awards
Q. What does being a finalist for the Scottish Thistle Awards mean to you and your team?
A. We were over to moon to hear the news that we are 1 of 3 finalists for the “Best Self-Catering or Unique Stay” category in The West of Scotland Thistle Awards.
It’s a huge privilege to be recognised alongside some of the best and most prestigious tourism businesses across the country, and it’s a big motivation to continue to create amazing guest experiences at our cabins in Millport.
We’re now looking forward to attending the Thistle Awards night on the 19th of September where all the winners will be announced!
Commitment to Sustainability
Q. How do you ensure that your operations are environmentally sustainable and socially responsible?
A. In terms of environmental impact, we made a conscious decision on day 1 to create a genuinely environmentally sustainable business.
It all started with the initial build of the cabins – they were designed and built locally in North Ayrshire, all within a 15-mile radius from our site in Millport, and we used carefully selected sustainable and locally sourced materials wherever possible.
We now have 8 solar panels on the roof of each of our cabins – 40 across the full site – and we have 2 high performance Tesla Powerwall batteries which allow us to store the energy generated by our solar panels for use in off-peak times. The solar panels and battery system allow us to be 95% energy self-sufficient through summer, and 52% year-round.
Earlier this year we also installed 4x EV chargers on our site to provide our guests with electric car charging facilities, and help us attract environmentally conscious travellers.
Finally, we have 1 tree planted for every single booking made at the cabins, through our partnership with a tree-planting and carbon capture organisation called Ecologi, which has resulted in over 3000 trees planted in our name so far.
Local Culture and Community Engagement
Q. How do you incorporate local culture and community into your guest experience?
A. We love being a part of our network of island businesses, and we do a great job of spreading the economic benefit within our tourism-dependent island community.
We have well-established partnerships with local businesses where guests can choose “add-ons” at the point of booking which include breakfast packs from the butchers, bouquets of flowers from the florist, and fresh milk & orange juice from the dairy. We also have partnerships with the local bike rental shop and bakery. These partnerships not only enrich our guests’ local experience, but also allow us to work collaboratively with fellow local businesses.
Both Daniel and or myself are also at the cabins everyday interacting with guests and are always on-hand to provide local recommendations, from the top eating spots to the most scenic walking routes.
Marketing and Exceptional Guest Experiences
Q. What marketing strategies have been most effective for promoting your self-catering business?
A. The cousin co-founders are front and centre of the brand image, and we’ve built a combined following of 70,000 across our social media channels.
We focus on creating high quality video and image content around the themes of our story, the unique cabin experience, and the behind the scenes of running our business.
We then push these out through our Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and our 2,000-subscriber strong mailing list, with 60% of our bookings coming from TikTok organic content alone.
Daniel is also our numbers and data geek, and he’s well versed on creating paid targeted ads on social media.
The reason our marketing efforts are so successful is because our online audience resonate with our light-hearted Scottish personality, and that then continues onto the on-site guest experience.
Q. Can you share an example of a successful marketing campaign or promotion you’ve run?
A. We had a challenging time setting up our business through the Covid pandemic, which in some ways was a blessing and a curse. We experienced huge delays getting up and running, but this also gave us plenty time to perfect the cabin concept and tell our story ahead of opening.
We created a “Cabin Build Journey” series on YouTube as well as posting weekly updates on our social media channels which allowed us to take our audience along on our journey with us, drumming up a lot of excitement about the cabins ahead of our big launch.
As a result, we managed to go from opening with empty booking calendars at the end of 2022, to running at full capacity during the spring, summer and autumn months, and 85% occupancy through the winter.
Q. What is your approach to providing exceptional customer service to your guests?
A. Our approach is simply being there for guests when they need us. We always greet guests on arrival to show them to their cabin, and keep in touch with them during their stay. Some people are very chatty, are interested in the business, and want to hear your story, whereas some people just want to enjoy a private and relaxing escape. It’s all about being able to read what your guests are like and allow them enjoy their experience the way they want to. We always believe that nothing is too much trouble, and will go out of our way to give guests the best possible experience when they need us.
Q. How do you ensure that every guest has a memorable and enjoyable stay?
A. We’ve put a lot of time and love into creating our cabins from the interior design, to the comfort, entertainment features, and functionality of the space.
We’ve also created a one-of-a-kind sensory experience, playing upon each cabin’s individual theme.
Take The Jungle for example, where guests escape to the tropical rainforest all year round.
When they step in to the cabin, they see the Jungle inspired interior design, they taste the complimentary fizzy snake sweeties, and they smell the jungle fruits scent from the oil diffuser. If they shout “Hey Google, Enter The Jungle”, the Wi-Fi enabled blinds closed, and “Jungle Boogie” by Kool & The Gang plays on the speaker.
All this combines to a fun and memorable accommodation experience, which we see mentioned time and time again in our guest reviews.
Q. Can you share a story of a time when you went above and beyond for a guest?
A. As dog-friendly accommodation providers we always want our four-legged guests to feel just as welcome as the owners. As standard we provide dog towels, treats, bowls, and waste bags as part of a welcome pack for visiting dogs.
One particular time a guest had an excited vizsla puppy who was used to sleeping in a crate at home, but they’d forgot to it bring with them, so they ended up not having much sleep on their first night. Although we didn’t have anything to help them to hand, we spent the day searching for a dog crate while they were out enjoying themselves, and they returned to a lovely surprise that we’d sorted one for them, even though they hadn’t asked for our help. This ended up in a glowing 5-star review for us, and more importantly, a couple of undisturbed night’s sleep for our guests.
Staying Ahead of Industry Trends
Q. What role does technology play in enhancing your guest experience?
A. We’ve integrated smart home technology to our cabins to make them modern, and to create a unique experience which guests may not have at home or experience at other types of traditional tourist accommodation. All of our cabins have Google Nest Home Hubs which allow guests to control the blinds and the lights with simple voice commands like “Hey Google, close the blinds” or “Hey Google, turn on the mood lights”. This is a novelty which our guests love and also allows them to be really lazy whilst on their relaxing break – what’s not to love?
We’ve kitted out our website with really detailed and easy to navigate blogs with local information such as places to eat, unique things to see and do, and best pubs & beer gardens. We have also embedded Google Maps routes into our local walking routes guide and created video guides for using our wood-fired hot tubs. These are things that have taken a bit of time for us to set-up, but it makes things simple and easy for our guests.
And finally, we’ve integrated a ‘3D Walkthrough’ experience on each of our website’s cabin pages, where guests can virtually walk through the cabin and get a good feel for the space and discover its amenities before booking.
Q. What current trends in the tourism and hospitality industry are you most excited about?
A. For us we just about caught the end of the post-pandemic ‘staycation boom’, which was a great time to launch our business, and got us off to a brilliant start. However, now that we’re approaching 2-years of trading, it’s clear that there’s been a surge in the number of holiday lets and a lot more stiff competition. On the surface of it this seems like a negative thing, but we like to use it as a motivation to make sure our guest experience is spot on, continuously look to improve, and most importantly, stand out from the other offerings by offering a one-of-a-kind space and experience within.
As a result, 1 in 3 stays leave a Google or TripAdvisor review, and every single one of them has been 5-star. Our guests shout about their great experience, whether in reviews or on social media sites, and we’re now seeing the word-of-mouth bookings fly in.
Q. How do you adapt your business to stay ahead of industry trends and changes?
A. We like to keep a close eye on what other self-catering accommodation providers are doing. After all, our cabins are a product of being staycation enthusiasts ourselves, and taking inspiration from all of the best things we’ve seen on our travels.
Daniel and I often discuss how it’s important not to become complacent with what we’ve got, and we’re always looking to bring new exciting additions to the cabins. For example, and most recently, we’ve been enhancing our outside terrace areas with the addition of pergolas, festoon lights, hammocks and plant walls.
Advice for Fellow Self-Catering Operators
Q. What advice would you give to other self-catering operators looking to achieve similar success?
A. My advice would be to make sure you do all the simple and easily achievable things right. We often get feedback from guests saying “you’ve thought of everything”, which means a lot, and this is a product of listening to what guests have to say, not being complacent, and always seeking to improve the guest experience.
We’ve found that simple (and mostly inexpensive) things like a tea, coffee, and biscuits station, free milk & orange juice, clear guestbook instructions, good recycling facilities, clothes drying facilities, providing cleaning materials, and a well-equipped kitchen (we once had a 5-star review which praised us for having a potato peeler), are the simple things which can make an experience comfortable and let’s guests know that you’re thinking of them.
Future Goals for Jacks Alt-Stays
Q. What are your future goals for your self-catering business?
A. I always joke with Daniel saying we want a map of Scotland to look like it has chickenpox with all the locations you can stay at Jack’s Alt-Stays… so we’ll see how close we can get to that. Joking aside, we’re currently planning to expand locally in Millport by 3 more units, and would love to open new sites across Scotland in the future.
Final Words of Wisdom
Q. Any final words of wisdom or inspiration for other self-catering operators?
A. Focus on doing the simple things to the highest standard, always look to improve, and keep up the great work!