Leverage the most out of the Great British Staycation with Waterlodge floating apartments – luxury holiday homes on water at a competitive price. 
If your holiday park boasts a lake or waterway, the contemporary Waterlodges provide an innovative and unique solution both to increase capacity and offer the relaxed pleasure of a holiday on water.

Staycations: here to stay

There’s never been a better time to invest in next-level staycationing; Covid-19 has created a new appetite for holidaying at home. Research by the Office for National Statistics showed that turnover in the camping and caravan sites sector was up 22.7% in August 2020 compared to the same month in 2019, at a record £688m.  

But the evidence suggests this is more than a flash in the pandemic pan; 71% of British holiday makers say they’re planning a UK holiday in 2021, according to a survey by the Cumberland Building Society.

Holiday homes on water: the experience staycationers are looking for  

Increased demand is a fantastic opportunity for park owners, and the key winners will be those who can provide new experiences for staycationers. Waterlodge floating apartments are the ideal solution – enabling you to offer all the existing benefits of your park life with the added dimension of the tranquillity of a marina experience. 

“Once the initial lockdown restrictions were eased, our phones began ringing off the hook from people looking for alternative, affordable holiday homes,” says Waterlodge UK’s co-director Andrew Hyland. “Waterlodges are obviously a much more affordable option than a bricks and mortar holiday home, with the added attraction of bringing people the calm they’re looking for in these challenging times by putting them onto the water, giving them the perfect escape from the town or city – and lockdown.” 

“Unlike traditional canal boats, Waterlodges are spacious, with full-height ceilings and space for proper beds – and unlike conventional boats, you don’t need a skipper’s licence or the specialist knowledge required to maintain them. So Waterlodges offer all the attractions of a marina lifestyle with none of the complications or the compromise on comfort. The enquiries we’ve had since May tell us it’s a winning combination for the staycationing British public,” adds Andrew’s business partner, Ian Watkins. 

An attractive investment for commercial and retail customers

Waterlodge UK have refined their designs and build processes to make them an attractive investment both for commercial and retail customers. Rigorous quality control enables Waterlodge UK to offer guarantees of two years on the overall package, with a predicted minimum lifespan on the roof of over 25 years.  There is no need for any maintenance or painting if the Waterlodge is used as a static home, and the central heating and hot-water systems are all Energy A+++ rating for low running costs.

“Holiday and caravan park owners can maximise ROI by either re-selling the Waterlodges to end customers or offering them for rental, with the option of B2B rental financing plans,” explains Ian.

“Holiday parks already have the service infrastructure necessary to support Waterlodges, so generally the only additional investment required is moorings for the Waterlodges, especially if you want to maximise how many berths you can offer. This makes them a uniquely cost-effective way of expanding capacity to take advantage of the uplift in Brits looking to holiday within the UK, as Waterlodges bypass the costly need to acquire new land,” adds Andrew. 

Intelligent design, quality finish

The beautiful, intelligent design creates a luxury holiday home experience, optimising the use of space inside and out, with enriching features such as panoramic windows and timber decking being fitted as standard. Customers can choose from a range of finishes, including luxury bathrooms and contemporary kitchens. Optional extras include solar panels, underfloor heating and furniture packs for both the bedrooms and living room.

Unique features such as the generous sun decks enhance the marina lifestyle and increase the appeal for the 53% of British staycationers who told the Cumberland they want accommodation with an outdoor space. “The same survey found that 57% of respondents considered a good view to be the most important staycation feature, while 74% said their top priority was relaxation – and what better, more relaxing view could there be than lying in bed or sitting on your private deck watching the water ripple gently in front of you?” comments Ian. 

Flexible floating holiday home solutions

Waterlodges range from the compact Waterlodge One sleeping up to four with 17m2 of internal space and an optional roof terrace, up to the spacious Waterlodge Six for up to eight guests with 50m2 of living space and 55m2 of outside space. 

“Our Waterlodges come with a range of standard configuration options, but each one can be tailored to your exact requirements, with different combinations of bedrooms and bathrooms – or even a sauna! Holiday park owners know what is most popular with their visitors, so we can create whatever layout will be most attractive and flexible for their customers,” says Ian.

Building on experience 

While Waterlodge UK is a relatively new venture, Andrew and Ian have a long history of relevant experience. “We’re both boat brokers by background – we know the boat industry inside out. We were the first people to take boat brokering online, setting up WhyBoats together in 2011 – effectively the Purple Bricks of the sector,” explains Andrew.

“Waterlodge UK has grown from our background within the boating industry,” expands Ian. “Nearly everyone loves being on water, but many people nowadays don’t have the capacity – either the skills or the time – to maintain a boat themselves. We’ve developed Waterlodges as a way to make holidaying on water much more accessible. 

“We’ve put all our expertise into developing and refining the product to withstand the particular challenges of being on water, for example injecting closed-cell foam to prevent water ingress and using plastic that is UV stable and impervious to water. We’ve combined this with meticulous attention to detail to create the best of both worlds – a luxury floating holiday home that doesn’t compromise on comfort.”

Staycationing is here to stay. Waterlodge can help you attract new holiday makers by offering a marina experience at your holiday park. Find out more at www.waterlodge.co.uk, call 02382 120000 or email info@waterlodge.co.uk