About Sykes Holiday Cottages

We're a B Corp certified, holiday cottage rental agency with over 30 years of experience in the industry. We represent 22,500 holiday homes available across the UK and Ireland; from cosy cottages for two to larger properties sleeping 20 or more.

Whether you're looking for some peace and quiet in the countryside or a relaxing hot tub weekend away, there's something for everyone. As experts in holiday letting, we champion staycations, making it easy to book your holiday, whilst delivering unrivalled service to our customers and property owners alike.

At Sykes Holiday Cottages, we help travellers to enjoy experiences and make memories all whilst making staycationing simple for guests by offering quality accommodation and 'on holiday' customer service.

We are very proud to be B Corp Certified; part of a global community of businesses that are leading a worldwide movement for an equitable, inclusive and regenerative economy.

Find out more about us becoming a Certified B Corporation and hear from our CEO Graham Donoghue > 

Our Impact mission

As part of our commitment to making a positive impact on people, local communities, and the planet, we have six long-term environmental and social pledges.

Our strategy and objectives will continue to evolve ensuring we're making the right changes and focusing our efforts in the right places; delivering change that's the most beneficial and aligned with best practice scientific recommendations.

Our Impact Pledges:

Reduce our scope 1 & 2 carbon emissions by at least 50% by 2030… and reach Net Zero as soon as possible before 2050.

Work with at least 20 biodiversity projects every year across the regions we operate in through volunteering and sponsorship of initiatives.

Reduce and remove single-use plastic from the business as the employer ambassador of Sustainable Cheshire Plastic Free Taskforce working with the Surfers Against Sewage Plastic Free Champions initiative.

Inspire and enable 100% of our team to volunteer every year, supporting charities, community projects and social enterprises.

Enable 100 disadvantaged families to go on holiday every year and work to increase this number year on year.

Positively impact at least 10 community and charity initiatives every year, strengthening existing relationships while building new ones.

Partnerships & initiatives

The Sykes Impact Report 2023

The Sykes Impact Report for 2023 details how we are making a positive contribution to our people, planet and communities and the progress we are making on our pledges.

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Chester Pride

We're proud to partner with Chester Pride as their sustainability partner, helping to fund initiatives to cut back on plastic waste and promote recycling at the event.

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Time Away

Working with the Time Away charity and property owners we march up families with donated stays, gifting eligible families a Sykes holiday and the opportunity to make memories that will last a lifetime. 

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Better Business Act

Sykes Holiday Cottages supports the Better Business Act, calling for a change to legislation to put profit on an equal footing with the impact businesses have on people and the planet.

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Our Story

Our journey began more than 30 years ago, around a kitchen table in the Yorkshire Dales, and we’ve come a long way in that time. While the business has grown significantly over the years, our commitment to offering quality accommodation to travellers and being the best choice for holiday homeowners remains unchanged. We are proud to have been awarded ‘Best Large UK Holiday Cottage Booking Company’ at the British Travel Awards for eleven consecutive years. 

Alongside brands like Forest Holidays, Bachcare and UKCaravans4Hire, we are owned by parent company Forge Holiday Group, who collectively manage over 30,000 accommodation units, taking over three million people on holiday each year. 

Although our head office is based in Chester, the Sykes Holiday Cottages group spans regional brands with local offices throughout the UK. We have successfully integrated more than 20 regional businesses into the Sykes group to offer a local, service-led proposition backed by Sykes' technology. 

Our sister brands include Best Escapes, Best of Suffolk, Carbis Bay Holidays, Coast and Country Cottages, Coast and Country Holidays, Cornish Cottage Holidays, Dream Cottages, Helpful Holidays, Hogans Irish Cottages, John Bray, Lake District Lodge Holidays, Lakelovers, Lyme Bay Holidays, Manor Cottages, Menai Holidays, Northumbria Coast & Country, UK Lodge Breaks,  and Yorkshire Coastal Cottages. 

We believe in teamwork, a commitment to excellence and treating our colleagues, property owners and holidaymakers with the same respect as if they were sharing our kitchen table.

Our Values

We value our customers, owners and our people, and we live by four key principles that are at the heart of everything we do, providing us with the foundation to achieve the right results in the right way:

Be one team - we believe in what we do and we do it together as one team.

Own it - we care about our business as if it were our own.

Communicate honestly - we communicate openly to ensure we all deliver against our goals.

Learn, grow and innovate - we are a place where nothing stays still

Awards

• Northern Digital Awards - Best Charitable/Corporate Social Responsibility Award 2025

• Skift Short-Term Rental Global Awards – Responsible Travel: Community Impact Award 2024

• British Travel Awards 2024 - Won gold for "Best Large Company for UK Holiday Rentals" for the 11th consecutive year

• Northern Digital Awards 2024 Digital Marketing In-House Team of the Year: Performance Media Team

• Travolution.com Awards 2024 – Best Technology Project

• 'Top 100 Fastest Growing Technology Companies' and 'Top 15 Largest Companies' - Northern Tech Awards 2022

• 'Top 100 Sunday Times Fast Track' 2020

• 'Top 1000 companies to inspire Britain' 2019 - London Stock Exchange Group

• Graham Donoghue winner of CEO Today United Kingdom Awards 2018