Redhill Holidays is a family-run business that offers luxury glamping pods in the stunning countryside of Herefordshire.
The business is run by husband and wife team James and Fiona, who are passionate about giving their guests an unforgettable experience.
“We want our guests to feel like they are truly getting away from it all when they stay with us,” Fiona says. “We’ve created a place where they can relax and enjoy the simple things in life.”
Redhill Holidays has become a popular destination for city dwellers and glamping enthusiasts alike, looking to escape the hustle and bustle of daily life. “People are really craving that connection with nature,” James says. “And that’s what we offer here at Redhill Holidays.”
Whether you’re looking for a romantic getaway or a countryside adventure, Redhill Holidays is the perfect place to create memories that will last a lifetime.
We bought Redhill in November 2015 with vision of creating a luxury glamping venue for couples. When we saw the amazing views and the fact that Redhill is bordered by National Trust woodland and Badley Wood Common, this left us in no doubt that this would be the perfect venue for our new venture.
Redhill was originally a small equine holding so we decided to keep the equine focus by converting the stables to private shower rooms but keeping the feel and look of the old stable block setting.
However, the first job was to ensure the house was safe to live in! We had a tree growing through the lounge and water was coming through the bank and into the house! Once the house was habitable we set to work on the glamping project.
Once planning permission was granted for change of use and the erection of four glamping domes, together with the conversion of the stable block to 4 luxury shower rooms the real work began.
As a couple we knew what we wanted and more importantly what we didn’t want. The view was the key driver and we wanted to maximise this with raised wooden platforms which followed the topography of the land.
There are no steps up to the domes they just follow the path and the raised platform takes away the slope ensuring the view is unspoilt. The domes are green in colour which ensures the view from the other way isn’t affected. The treatment plant, waste pipes and electrics were all put in and the raised platforms were all put in throughout 2017.
The choice of dome was easy as we wanted a big front window to maximise the impact of the view, they even had skylight windows to allow you to make the most of the dark sky enjoyed in the area, what a romantic setting.
We set up a website with online booking facilities, we also had a logo designed with the strap line, which says everything about Redhill “It’s just for you”.
The first 2 domes were open to the public in October 2018, Fiona and I will never forget the nervous feeling we had when the first couples stayed with us. The changes we had to make based on the first feedback was mainly due to the cold snap we had, but overall, they loved it here.
Thicker duvets, heat logs to allow the fires to burn for longer, outdoor camping heaters were all added, plus a few nice to have items like a clothes airer, hooks for the gowns by the hot tub. We are still listening to and encouraging feedback as this is so important to continually improve what we offer our guests.
Bookings were mainly coming through word of mouth, so this was encouraging as it meant that our guests were liking what they were getting and willing to pass this on to friends and family, we owe a lot to our early guests and the loyalty they show by coming back time and time again to experience Redhill in the different seasons.
All our bookings are now direct, this means we can ensure prices are still at the level they were in 2020 when the Four in a Bed show was screened. We have a large amount of repeat business so we continue to try and improve things to ensure every time guests come back there is something added or improved to make their stay that little bit better.
As for the future, Fiona and I are always asked if we intend to build more domes, our answer is a very firm no. We offer couples peace and tranquillity in one of the UKs loveliest areas, more domes will not enhance this offering, instead, we want to further enhance the current offering at Redhill to allow our exclusive guests to switch off from the stress and strains of everyday life.
“It’s just for you”
By the spring 2019 bookings were steady but not sufficient to warrant investing in a 3rd pod at this stage. However, we had a call from Channel 4 asking if we would be interested in going on the show called “Four in a Bed”. After much deliberation we thought it would be a huge free advert so we decided to go ahead and do it. Filming was set for September 2019 so we had the summer to get the 3rd pod built and operational.
Four in a Bed was a big turning point for us. The weather was perfect and we had some lovely competitors who all enjoyed the Redhill experience. We became the first glamping venue to win the show! This was a very proud moment for us. The airing of the show was delayed due to COVID so during the first lockdown we took the opportunity to construct the final dome, this turned out to be a good decision as once the show aired in July 2020 bookings went through the roof!
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