"We could’ve sold the dome twice over this season."
We caught up with Vicki of Somerset’s Tractors & Cream to see how 2020 had treated their family business and to see what their predictions for 2021 would be for the UK hospitality sector. Vicki, her husband Bryan and their two children moved from Surrey to Somerset with the hope of starting a business back in 2012 – but at that point, they were not sure what that business might be! They went on a goat-keeping course before quickly deciding that it was not for them and so with their hospitality background (they met while working at a hotel) they started their glamping business in 2017.
Initially opting for a couple of yurts, they then trialled a bell tent for the small initial outlay but within the first week there had been some severe wind and they spent a lot of time putting the tent up and down and cancelling stays; so they hunted for the most wind-resistant structure that they could find and that hunt led them to TruDomes’ geodesic domes. Vicki says “Our TruDome geodesic dome has been the best choice. I love it and our guests love it too! It’s visually stunning from the outside and then when our guests enter our dome they’re stunned by the space and how amazing it is”.
It has been a challenging year for the hospitality sector which is why it’s encouraging to see that Tractors & Cream have still seen growth. Vicki and Bryan are confident and optimistic that they will see a good year ahead – so much so that they have already placed another dome order. Vicki says, “We could’ve sold the dome twice over this season and so we wanted to reinvest in our business by adding to our capacity and buying another dome from TruDomes for next year. Provenance is important to us and so it was an easy choice to opt to work with a British business that designs and makes their geodomes here in the UK.”
When asked about their experience of 2020 and whether they are shaken by a second lockdown the response from Vicki and Bryan was, “We’re not worried about it. We’ve had so many bookings for next year already – in fact, we’ve never had as many bookings at this point for the year ahead. We’re seeing more 7-night stay bookings for next year too. It shows that there is a shift to more people wanting to spend their main holidays in the UK.”
Do they ever wish that they’d not made the leap to being glamping business owners or opted to be goat keepers?! According to Vicki, “It is hard work, but I love it! Our guests and the people that we have met have just been lovely and make it worthwhile. I feel like we’re really lucky”.
For more information on Tractors & Cream Glamping in Somerset click here
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