With categories including ‘Vintage and Retro’, ‘Eco-Stays’, ‘Towers and Forts’, and even ‘Private Islands’, Host Unusual will help tourists find somewhere rather more original for their holidays this year.
LEIGH-ON-SEA, ENGLAND – A brand new travel website promoting some of Britain's most quirky, unusual and exciting places to stay has just launched.
Cataloguing holiday properties from lighthouses to tree houses and everything in between, Host Unusual brings some of the country's most extraordinary hidden gems as an antidote to the ordinary, at a time when 'staycations' are growing ever more in popularity.
With categories including 'Vintage and Retro', 'Eco-Stays', 'Towers and Forts', and even 'Private Islands', Host Unusual will help tourists find somewhere rather more original for their holidays this year. There's even a 'Wildcard' category, listing anything too unusual to pigeon-hole – such as a Norfolk cottage with a quirky secret to their swimming pool, and a prison-themed cell in the basement of a Georgian townhouse in Margate!
Host Unusual, based in Leigh-on-Sea, Essex, is the creation of Dawn Crawford, the owner of one of the UK's first online vintage boutiques. Having run this business successfully for nearly 13 years, she wanted to branch out to the promotion of vintage and retro properties.
The idea grew and as Dawn's team discovered more and more unusual accommodation in the process, and Host Unusual is now taking shape as a comprehensive directory of all places quirky!
"I've been amazed at the diversity of unusual accommodation available in the UK, as well as the ingenuity of the owners who have created some truly unique vacation spaces for a holiday to remember," says Dawn.
A recent study found 67% of us are planning to take a 'staycation' this year, with the growing trend of domestic tourism set to grow by 25.3% by 2017. With a growing sense of patriotism playing a key role, an impressive 80% of respondents recommended the UK to be the perfect holiday destination!
However, of those planning a retreat in Britain, 64% would enjoy staying somewhere more unusual than a traditional B&B or hotel, such as a glamping site, a tree house or log cabin. This is where Host Unusual will play a key part in helping visitors find their perfect accommodation, helping to make that stay even more memorable.
To celebrate the launch of the site, Host Unusual is offering the chance to win a £250 holiday voucher to spend on a stay at any one of its listings, whether that's a luxury cave, an old windmill or an award-winning architect-designed house.
And it's not just the holidaymakers who will benefit from Host Unusual. The website has teamed up with the Family Holiday Association – a charity that provides British seaside breaks for families facing adversity – meaning 5% of every listing fee goes to a good cause.
Dawn says, "A holiday can make an enormous difference to our lives, so we wanted to find a charity which helped those less fortunate benefit from a break. The Family Holiday Association was the perfect fit."
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She holds a Bachelor's degree in Communication & Mass Media from Panteion University of Political & Social Studies of Athens and she has been editor and editor-in-chief in various economic magazines and newspapers.
