Our Values
Nine core values underpin the way we work and guide all that we do, from key business decisions to our relationships with holidaymakers, property owners, partners, suppliers and each other:
Family-Origins
The Original Cottages' founding brand Norfolk Country Cottages was established by Richard Ellis and his late wife Lesley in 1992 and Richard was until recently involved as Non-Executive Chairman.
Local
Each of our family of brands is based in small, local offices and staffed by specialists with a first-class knowledge of the areas and properties they represent. These local teams are usually the first point of contact for holidaymakers and homeowners – they create an important rapport with both ‘customer groups’ and are ambassadors for the brands they represent. We get involved in our local communities because they’re where we live as well as where we work.
Friendly
Our open, friendly manner means that holidaymakers and homeowners know us by our first names and feel that they can pick up the phone or call into the office whenever they have a question, suggestion or concern they’d like to discuss. We can be formal when required to be, but we’ll take the lead on that from the people we’re dealing with.
Reliable
Original Cottages is in an enviable position – all our brands have a strong reputation for offering high standards of holiday accommodation, customer service, local knowledge and industry experience, some for over 40 years. Holidaymakers and homeowners know they can trust us to look after them to the very best of our ability, and we do all we can to make staff feel the same. Consistency and fairness are key in all our relationships – whether you’re an employee, a customer or a homeowner, you can expect to receive both from us.
Customer-focused
We understand how important a customer’s holiday is, and we’ll do all we can to make it memorable for all the right reasons. We also understand how important property is to its owner, and will do all we can to help him/her achieve the bookings he/she desires. In all things, we aim to treat customers as we ourselves would like to be treated.
Honest
Our reputation is only as good as the next experience someone has of dealing with us. We won’t make promises we can’t keep; we will offer advice and suggestions based on industry knowledge, local insight and our own experience.
Innovative
We are already leaders within our local areas, but we strive to be leaders within our industry too – whether that’s within tourism, IT or marketing. We want people to work for us because they want to excel at what they do and because they want to grow with us. We want to be ‘the one to watch’.
Flexible
We aim to be flexible in terms of the holidays and homeowner services we offer, and we endeavour at all times to be flexible towards our staff too. We understand that our staff have responsibilities outside of work and we encourage them to discuss ways of working that suit their personal needs as well as the needs of the business.
Progressive
Original Cottages encourages initiative, innovation and a culture where everyone is encouraged to learn new skills so that they can look forward to further development and employment, whether within Original Cottages or elsewhere.
