The Secret Serviced Podcast

Welcome to Episode 13 of Season 2 - Double Bookings & The Entrepreneurial Paradox In this episode we give a run down of our visit to the #shortstaysummit in London, we talk about the stress of double bookings as we attempt to tie up loose ends with our #channelmanager switch to Hostaway, and we reflect on the entrepreneurial paradox ahead of Mark's jolly jaunt to Italy next week. We hope you e...

Welcome to Episode 12 of Season 2. It's been a busy week! In this episode we give the low down on the big switch over to our new channel manager, we reminisce about running the business from sunny Mallorca (which seems like a lifetime ago already) and we look ahead to the #shortstaysummit this week in London We hope you enjoy the episode! Don't forget to send us a DM on instagram @secretservicedpo...

Here it is! Welcome to Episode 11 of Season 2. Find out what has been happening for us this week in the crazy world of #servicedaccommodation! In this packed episode we talk about changing locks (again!), we speculate about whether Booking.con are deliberately being obstructive when it comes to paying hosts their money and we celebrate the 1 year anniversary of the @netgainclub. And we have a very...

It's landed! Welcome to Episode 10 of Season 2. In this packed episode we talk about changing locks and changing channel managers, team training, and the art of replying to guest reviews (and how not do it!) We also catch up with Lisa again and play our first game of Review Roulette in Season 2! Don't forget to like, subscribe and leave us a review! Fancy being our next guest on the podcast? Send...

Welcome to Episode 9 of Season 2. We've been traveling the length and breadth of the UK this week and we have lots to report! In this episode we talk about our team outing to the Coach House in Hambledon, we prepare to launch our WhatsApp #marketing campaign, we share plans for upgraded service to our #landlord clients and we play a game of Mr and Mrs! Don't forget to like, subscribe and leave us...

Episode 8 of Season 2. It's been a busy week with plenty of ups and downs to share as always! In this episode we talk about a new #aparthotel that we have taken under management and the commitment we have made to launch by the Easter weekend! We have a hilarious update on how the flooded bathroom saga played out and we talk about our plans to ditch some of our #smartlocks. Let us know in the comme...

Episode 7 of Season 2 is here and we have so much to share including another very special guest! In this episode we talk about our #techstack and our hunt for a new channel manager, we talk about our plan to take a break from the business (to make it better!) and we speak to our special guest Joanne Simcock from @airhostandcleanltd. Quite honestly we could chat to Joanne all day- we talk about #re...

Episode 6 of Season 2 has landed and we have got something special in store for you in this episode! 🤩 We talk about the implications of the Spring Budget on the holiday-let industry, we have an update on the planning application at Eton House and we speak to a very special guest all about the importance of direct bookings. This week we welcome to the podcast the champion of the #bookdirect movem...

Episode 5 of Season 2 has landed 🚀 We've had another very busy week! In this episode we get rid of a cleaning team that were not performing, we line up a game-changer of a booking for Eton House and we speak to Lisa about her first two weeks working in the business. In our next episode we have a very exciting guest joining us on the podcast to talk to us about our big hairy goal of achieving 70%...

Welcome to Episode 4 of Season 2 and it's a chunky one! We talk in-depth about the press release the government made this week with regards the upcoming clamp-down on holiday-lets in England, we have an update on how the site visit at Eton House went with the planning Case Officer and we have another edition of At Your Serviced in which we chat to Ed and Lora from EDJ Property and Hinkley Homes. Y...

Welcome to Episode 3 of Season 2! In this episode Lisa gets a baptism of fire on her first shift with the business, we are talking about skill-based recruitment and we chat to Kim again about what to do when things go wrong with your cleaners! ABOUT THE SHOW  Dive deep into the heartbeat of the hospitality world with Mark Winship and Caroline Winship, your hosts and the power couple behind a...

Welcome to Episode 2 of Season 2! In this episode we get de-listed by Booking.com, we make a big pledge to our team and we have news on that bombshell we promised in Episode 1 ABOUT THE SHOW  Dive deep into the heartbeat of the hospitality world with Mark Winship and Caroline Winship, your hosts and the power couple behind a burgeoning empire of hotels, serviced apartments, and vacation renta...

We are back for another season of The Secret Serviced Podcast! In Episode 1 of Season 2 - Christmas was ruined by roof repairs and exploding boilers, Booking.com steal our money again and the team now has a new international flavour! ABOUT THE SHOW  Dive deep into the heartbeat of the hospitality world with Mark Winship and Caroline Winship, your hosts and the power couple behind a burgeoning...

Episode 29 is the Season 1 Finale! Mark and Caroline give a local celebrity the tour of Eton House and the whole team get together for a very special wrap up of 2023. Happy Christmas everybody! ABOUT THE SHOW  Dive deep into the heartbeat of the hospitality world with Mark Winship and Caroline Winship, your hosts and the power couple behind a burgeoning empire of hotels, serviced apartments,...

In Episode 28 A despicable guest will stop at nothing to get a refund, Mark and Caroline are faced with a 20k repair bill for roof issues at various properties and another clean is missed with a guest left waiting outside the apartment! In another episode of At Your Serviced we chat to Cara Shardlow from Yorkshire Coast Holiday Lets. Cara operates 21 fabulous units across beautiful Whitby and Scar...

In Episode 27 A cleaner loses the plot and starts trying to charge for receiving WhatsApp messages, a landlord client bites off more than they can chew and Kim dons a Hazmat suit to clean The Madison this week! ABOUT THE SHOW  Dive deep into the heartbeat of the hospitality world with Mark Winship and Caroline Winship, your hosts and the power couple behind a burgeoning empire of hotels, serv...

In Episode 26 Mark and Caroline are talking all things systems. Mark tells us about the AI tool that is changing his life, Mark and Caroline discuss the challenges they are facing in syncing up systems with their new cleaning team and we hear about how the Gateway Accommodation team will double in the next few weeks! ABOUT THE SHOW  Dive deep into the heartbeat of the hospitality world with M...

In Episode 25 Mark and Caroline report back on a meeting they had with a real estate developer and agent in Dubai and the team tackle a suspected burglary and a big fire scare all in the space of a few days! In At Your Serviced, Mark and Caroline review their accommodations in Dubai. ABOUT THE SHOW  Dive deep into the heartbeat of the hospitality world with Mark Winship and Caroline Winship,...

In Episode 24 Mark and Caroline are recording all the way from Dubai. They have an update on their new ChatBot, they reveal the review they received from the difficult guest at Delven House from last week's episode, and frustrations continue to rise over the planning application for Eton House. Danielle is back for another round of Review Roulette and we are all introduced to Angry Danielle! ABOUT...

In Episode 23 Mark and Caroline secure a monster booking for Eton House, Caroline gets a bit emotional about the NIMBY responses to their planning application and they recount a frustrating interaction with a guest at Delven House. Kim is back for another round of Better Call Kim in which she hits us with a whole tool bag of practical maintenance jobs to get on top of during the slow season! ABOUT...

In Episode 22 Mark and Caroline lose a cleaner and find a new one within the space of a few days, one of their rental units becomes a casualty of the new fire regulations and a new management opportunity comes their way. In another round of At Your Serviced the team also chat to Dilip Gurung of Gurkha Stays. Dilip has an inspirational backstory and he is building a thriving serviced accommodation...

In Episode 21 Mark and Caroline talk about their Christmas photo shoot and the best guest review they've ever had, Genna has a big announcement to make and opportunity knocks! ABOUT THE SHOW  Dive deep into the heartbeat of the hospitality world with Mark Winship and Caroline Winship, your hosts and the power couple behind a burgeoning empire of hotels, serviced apartments, and vacation renta...

In Episode 20 Mark and Caroline talk about the development of their new chatbot, Mark has a rant about the new fire safety regulations for holiday lets and they catch up with Danielle to reflectg on take-home messages from the Scale Rentals conference in London. Link to fire safety regulations for small paid sleeping accommodation: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system...

In Episode 19 Mark and Caroline talk about dealing with a leak at Eton House, out of the box thinking for the alternative use for holiday-let properties and they prepare for a visit from the fire authority. Better Call Kim is back and the team talk about house rules and how to enforce them. ABOUT THE SHOW  Mark and Caroline Winship own, operate and manage serviced apartments, holiday homes an...

In Episode 18 The team come together to get some clarity on their brand vision, we launch a new feature on the podcast called At Your Serviced and Mark and Caroline talk about working with angel investors. Nikki Smith from Glasswing Stays is our first guest on At Your Serviced. You can connect with Nikki on instagram @glasswingstays, @mrandmrssmithdevelopments and @nikkismith ABOUT THE SHOW ...