kate & tom's
kate & tom's (The Big Cottage Company) is a UK-based, privately-held online travel agency that curates and rents large holiday homes (sleeping 6-80 guests) across England and Wales to families, friend groups and corporate clients for celebrations, reunions and retreats.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1996
- HeadquartersCheltenham, United Kingdom
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What kate & tom's does
kate & tom's (trading as The Big Cottage Company) is a UK-based, privately-held online travel agency that curates and rents large holiday homes across England and Wales to group travellers. The company's proposition targets the underserved segment of group accommodation (properties sleeping 6-80+ guests) for occasions including family holidays, milestone birthdays, hen and stag parties, family reunions, retirement celebrations and corporate retreats, in locations such as the Cotswolds, the Lake District, the South West coast and rural Wales. The operating model is direct-to-consumer: customers discover and filter properties through a website-based booking platform (bigcottage.com, with kateandtoms.com serving as the marketing/occasion layer), supplemented by phone-based support seven days a week; no third-party OTA distribution is used. Inventory is curated ('hand-picked') and grouped into occasion-specific verticals (Big Holidays, Big Weekends, Party Houses, Hen Party Houses, Team-Building Getaways, Reunion Venues, Retirement Celebrations) with dedicated SEO landing pages.
Under the hood, the platform is a property-listing website with search and filtering by party size, location, amenity (pool, hot tub, beach access, games room) and occasion, and standard e-commerce booking functionality with availability calendars. There are no disclosed APIs, SDKs, mobile apps, or proprietary technology features beyond the website itself; integrations are limited to a Trustpilot widget for reviews and referral links to external catering partners (Choice Catering, Dine Indulge). Distribution is search-led through an extensive library of SEO-optimised landing pages.
kate & tom's firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- kate & tom's
- Legal name
- kate & tom's
- Website
- https://bigcottage.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1996
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- kate & tom's (The Big Cottage Company) is a UK-based, privately-held online travel agency that curates and rents large holiday homes (sleeping 6-80 guests) across England and Wales to families, friend groups and corporate clients for celebrations, reunions and retreats.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
kate & tom's industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Holiday home rentals
- NAICS
- Other Traveler Accommodation (72119), Accommodation (721), All Other Traveler Accommodation (721199)
- SIC
- Hotels, Rooming Houses, Camps & Other Lodging Places (7000)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Whole-Home Rentals (Houses, Villas, Cabins) (THAGANAA)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Large Group & Event-Friendly Homes (THAMAAAM), Family & Group-Friendly Rentals (Large Homes, Multi-Unit Compounds) (THAGANAI), Luxury Vacation Homes & Residences (THAMAEAB)
Keywords
Where kate & tom's is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Cheltenham
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
kate & tom's business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others
Revenue model
- Holiday Property Rentals: Revenue generated through short-term rental of large holiday homes across the UK. Pricing varies by property, season, and stay duration (weekend, midweek, week). Standard booking terms include one-third deposit at booking and balance due three months before arrival.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Weekend stays (2 nights) |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Midweek stays (3-4 nights) |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Full week stays (7 nights) |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels5 records
kate & tom's product offering
Product offeringCore offering
kate & tom's rents out a curated collection of large, luxury UK holiday homes (sleeping 6 to 80+ guests) across England and Wales for family holidays, celebrations (hen, stag, birthday, retirement), reunions, and corporate retreats. Bookings are taken via a website-based platform with property search, availability calendars, and direct phone/email support, with flexible weekend, midweek and week-long stays.
Product overview
kate & tom's (The Big Cottage Company) operates a booking platform for large luxury holiday home rentals across England and Wales. The core product is an online marketplace connecting group travelers with properties sleeping 6-80 guests for celebrations, holidays, and corporate events. The offering is organized into occasion-based service categories including Big Holidays (extended stays), Big Weekends (short breaks), Party Houses (celebrations including birthdays, hen/stag parties, corporate events), Team-Building Getaways (corporate retreats), Reunion Venues (family gatherings), and Retirement Celebrations. Properties feature various amenities such as heated pools, hot tubs, tennis courts, games rooms, home cinemas, and scenic locations across Cotswolds, coastal, countryside, and Lake District regions.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Big Holidays Extended holiday home rentals (typically week-long stays) in luxury UK properties for families and large groups booking through kate & tom's.
- Big Weekends Short-stay weekend rentals (typically 2–3 nights) in large UK holiday homes for celebrations and group getaways, booked through kate & tom's.
- Party Houses Large UK properties suitable for celebrations including birthday parties, hen parties, stag parties, corporate events and weddings, featuring hot tubs, pools, games rooms and other entertainment facilities.
- Hen Party Houses Large UK holiday homes that welcome hen parties, with amenities such as hot tubs, pools, games rooms and outdoor entertainment areas.
- Team-Building Getaway Cottages Corporate retreat rentals for team-building events, with properties offering on-site activities such as clay pigeon shooting, sailing and archery, plus meeting spaces.
- Reunion Party Venues Large UK holiday homes and estates suitable for family reunions and friend gatherings, with venues accommodating 10 to 40+ guests across England and Wales.
- Retirement Celebration Cottages UK holiday rental properties suitable for retirement celebrations, with luxury amenities and accessible layouts for guests of all ages.
- Large Holiday Homes (property portfolio) Luxury holiday cottages and manor houses sleeping 8–80 guests across England and Wales, with features including heated pools, hot tubs, tennis courts, games rooms, home cinemas and waterfront locations.
Quantifiable outcome
- Properties accommodate groups from 6 to 80+ guests across 40+ UK locations
Companies that use kate & tom's
Customer profileNamed customers6 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
kate & tom's technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature1 record
kate & tom's partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Two partnerships are on record, tiered minor.
- Choice CateringminorRecommended external catering partner for The Grotto property. Choice Catering (Debbie) provides catering services from cold buffets to canapes, including cheese towers, for celebrations at The Grotto.
- Dine IndulgeminorRecommended catering partner referenced on retirement party venue page for hiring professional caterers for celebrations.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights4 records
kate & tom's competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Vrbo (Expedia): Major global short-term rental platform with substantial UK inventory and explicit large-group/whole-home filters; competes at the distribution layer for owners and for group-travel demand.
- Hoseasons: Major UK holiday letting brand (part of Awaze) with broad UK lodge, cottage and large-property inventory; competes in family and group stays across coastal and countryside destinations that overlap with kate & tom's portfolio.
- Booking.com: Largest global OTA with a deep UK holiday-home vertical and growing curated/luxury accommodation category; overlaps at the customer-acquisition and supply layers with kate & tom's niche.
- Airbnb: Global short-term rental marketplace with growing large-group and Airbnb Luxe inventory across the UK; not a direct specialist but increasingly competes for the same group/celebration search traffic and owner supply.
Direct peers
- Oliver's Travels: UK-based luxury villa and large holiday home specialist; competes head-to-head with kate & tom's for large-group, hen/stag and celebration bookings across Cotswolds, Cornwall and coastal England.
- Sykes Cottages: UK's largest holiday cottage agency with thousands of properties across England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland; directly overlaps with kate & tom's on large-group and family home rentals but operates at much greater scale.
- Rural Retreats: Premium UK holiday cottage agency focused on high-end countryside and coastal properties; overlaps in Cotswolds and luxury large-home segment, though with more couples/family skew.
- Big House Experience: UK agency exclusively curating very large holiday homes for celebrations and groups; nearly identical target customer (large family reunions, hen/stag, corporate) and overlapping geographic footprint.
- Unique Homestays: Curated UK boutique and luxury holiday home collection covering large group properties in Cotswolds, Cornwall, Devon and Wales; competes for the same celebration and premium family buyer.
- The Landmark Trust: UK charity curating historic and architecturally significant properties for short stays; comparable in curation and heritage positioning, with some larger properties suitable for group bookings.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
kate & tom's social profiles
Digital presencekate & tom's financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
kate & tom's leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
kate & tom's funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
kate & tom's M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about kate & tom's
What does kate & tom's do?
kate & tom's rents out a curated collection of large, luxury UK holiday homes (sleeping 6 to 80+ guests) across England and Wales for family holidays, celebrations (hen, stag, birthday, retirement), reunions, and corporate retreats. Bookings are taken via a website-based platform with property search, availability calendars, and direct phone/email support, with flexible weekend, midweek and week-long stays.
Is kate & tom's a public or private company?
kate & tom's is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was kate & tom's founded?
kate & tom's was founded in 1996. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is kate & tom's based?
kate & tom's is headquartered in Cheltenham, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does kate & tom's make money?
One revenue line is on record: holiday Property Rentals.
Who are kate & tom's's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Vrbo (Expedia), Hoseasons, Booking.com and Airbnb. Direct peers are Oliver's Travels, Sykes Cottages, Rural Retreats, Big House Experience, Unique Homestays and The Landmark Trust.
Does kate & tom's have an API?
No public API is recorded for kate & tom's.
What industry is kate & tom's in?
kate & tom's's product category is Holiday home rentals. Its primary akta.pro industry code is THAGANAA, Whole-Home Rentals (Houses, Villas, Cabins), with a secondary code of THAMAAAM, Large Group & Event-Friendly Homes. Its NAICS code is 72119 and its SIC code is 7000.