Staycotswold Reviews 

Stay Cotswold are a local company with a High Street presence which gives them a face. In the three years I have worked with them I have found them to be successful, achieving high booking rates, efficient, making prompt payments, and informative, sharing all booking details.

They communicate well, both making and listening to suggestions of property owners; and though being protective of their brand name and customer base they do not forget the property owner in the event of disputes which may happen from time to time. They can call upon their experience to arbitrate impartially and reach a solution acceptable to both parties.

They are a caring company with a professional team who keep me informed, advised, supported and listened to. I have no regrets having chosen Stay Cotswold.

We are very happy working with StayCotswold as the management company for our holiday cottage, The Smithy in Chipping Norton.

From the start, the team (Cassie, Tom, Lilly, Leona, Ellie and team) have been professional, super responsive and genuinely invested in the guest experience and the success of the property itself.

Their marketing and presentation of the cottage has been excellent and they’ve helped position the property strongly within a competitive Cotswolds market.

Communication has been clear throughout, and they’ve done exactly what they said at the start of the relationship.

The coordination behind the scenes is substantial, and it’s reassuring to have an experienced team handling it professionally. We ask for trends and profiling information and that is readily supplied.

Overall, we’ve found StayCotswold to be a trustworthy partner and would happily recommend them.

Really helpful establishment, absolutely love working with Stay Cotswold - reliable, organised and dedicated to providing wonderful service to guests throughout the Cotswolds. Would recommend.

Great service, booking was easy, they followed up promptly on a couple of questions we had about pets and travel cots. Beautiful property that exceeded our expectations and was the perfect base for our stay in the Cotswolds. With kids and dogs to cater for we appreciate the choice available and the transparency over what we are booking. I would absolutely use again and recommend to anyone who likes a company who does what they say they are going to do (and some).

Staycotswold are always super helpful, friendly and responsive, a pleasure to deal with and they make everything so easy.

I have been holiday letting my cottage with StayCotswolds for one year now and they have always been highly responsive, service driven, and professional.
Whenever things didn't go to plan for the property or a guest, they have been very supportive and handled these issues impartially and promptly ensuring the best possible outcome for everyone. I would highly recommend them to anyone who wants to holiday let in the Cotswolds.

I stayed in a beautiful cottage in the Cotswolds and I found Staycotswold to be very helpful when I needed them. They supplied me with lots of local information which was very useful during our stay. Would highly recommend 👍

Our stay at this charming cottage was absolutely delightful. The property was immaculately maintained, cosy, and ideally situated to explore the surrounding area. From start to finish, the team at StayCotswold provided exceptional support, always approachable, professional, and happy to help with any questions we had. Their attention to detail and warm hospitality really stood out and added so much to our trip. We wouldn’t hesitate to return and would gladly recommend both the accommodation and StayCotswold to others seeking a peaceful countryside escape.

We have recently stayed at a property booked through Stay Cotswold. The property was exactly as described and the booking process with Stay Cotswold was seamless. It was a pleasure to deal with them

I have been developing Manor House over the last 3-4 years. StayCotswold has been an exceptional organisation to partner with and at all times during the challenges that arise with meeting the exceptionally high standards we aspire to provide guests with, has been a supportive, responsive and understanding process.

A special recommendation sits with the leadership and resolutions team who have all contributed to ensuring fairness, customer satisfaction and high booking rates, during exceptionally challenging periods.

I, as an owner, am proud of the strong relationships built and commitment achieved so far which consistently ensure our guests, who book through StayCotswold experience a wonderful staycation, whilst making memories of a lifetime in the beautiful Cotswold area.

We had a wonderful stay in this lovely cottage, beautifully presented, comfortable, and in a great location. The StayCotswold staff were incredibly helpful, knowledgeable, and friendly throughout the booking process and during our stay. Nothing was too much trouble, and their excellent customer service really made the experience even better. We would highly recommend both the cottage and StayCotswold to anyone looking for a relaxing getaway!!

StayCotswold have got to be the most knowledgeable company I know of in the industry. All of the staff are extremely helpful and always reply in a timely manner. I would highly recommend StayCotswold to anyone looking to let their property as a holiday let.

Honeymoon trip. Qatar Airways cancelled our flights and forcibly refunded us; replacement fares ran to thousands more. We asked StayCotswold for any goodwill refund. What we got was a textbook performance: "we're so sorry," "we completely understand your frustration," "that's incredibly disappointing" — every soft phrase deployed before the polite refusal. The stated reason — "Airbnb have a strict cancellation policy that must be upheld" — is false in substance. Hosts pick the policy from Airbnb's menu; Airbnb's own guidance is explicit that refunds outside it are at the host's discretion. StayCotswold could have helped. They chose not to, then dressed the choice in sympathy so the no would slide down easier. That's greed wearing the mask of empathy — the worst kind of refusal, because it pretends to be something else. A small owner might warrant benefit of the doubt. A professional manager of ~200 properties does not.

Very disappointing experience with StayCotswolds, particularly their customer service.

The property we booked was advertised as the “perfect place for a romantic getaway,” but in reality there was an occupied annex directly beneath the accommodation causing noise disturbance, and it was positioned right beside the main driveway and gate, so it did not feel private as implied.

When I raised this as a formal complaint, StayCotswolds refused to offer any compensation and hid behind their terms and conditions. Communication was slow, dismissive, and ultimately unhelpful.

Based on my experience, once they have your money, do not expect them to take responsibility or resolve issues fairly.

I had the misfortune to book a property with this appalling and rude company. I was asked to pay for the property in cash at their Stowe office. I do not live in the UK or have a bank account. The owner Fergus Mitchell questioned my honesty and motive for renting the property. In 40 years of travelling and renting properties I have never been treated in such a disrespectful manner. I would strongly advise anyone thinking of staying in the Cotswold to avoid this company.

Avoid booking through this company. They use the ‘non refundable’ element of the booking to extort further fees from you. I was left with the choice of either not attending a £566 two night stay in the accommodation or to pay £80 fee for my dogs. They hid pet terms in the fine print and doubled the cost from £40 to £80 claiming it would be “double the cleaning” for two dogs. I wonder what they charge for big dogs?
They also attempted to take the funds from my card without authorisation which I found rather unusual.

Really soured my surprise for my pregnant wife’s birthday which they seemed completely immune to.

Their reply implies they encourage you to read the terms, but they use misleading terms like “pets” plural and they hide the fees in the legal terms section rather than displaying it in the many areas of the landing page where they could advertise the cost for bringing dogs.
They also say fees “may be applicable” to add ambiguity, I can now see this is deliberate.
I asked them politely to let me out of the reservation so I could go elsewhere, but they chose instead to extort £80 for the dogs in a venue advertised as pet friendly. I have even offered to pay £40 for both dogs and this too has been declined so far.

Avoid StayCotswold – Worst Experience Ever
I booked The Roost through StayCotswold for a peaceful countryside break, but what I got was the complete opposite. From the moment I arrived, the property was surrounded by active roadworks, heavy machinery, barriers, and constant drilling noise. It was unsafe to walk my dogs, impossible to park as advertised, and I was effectively trapped indoors. None of this was disclosed before booking, despite their pre-arrival email promising free on-street parking and easy access.
To make matters worse, the local pub and café – key reasons I chose this property – were closed for refurbishment, again without any prior notice. The property itself had issues, including a leaking toilet, adding to the stress.
When I raised these concerns, the company’s response was dismissive and completely lacking in empathy. They refused a refund, hiding behind terms and conditions, despite clear breaches of consumer protection obligations. Their communication was rude and unhelpful, and they showed zero accountability for the misleading information provided.
This stay left me more stressed than before I arrived. StayCotswold is the most unpleasant, unprofessional company I have ever dealt with. They do not care about their guests, and the owner was equally indifferent. If you value honesty, safety, and basic customer service, avoid StayCotswold at all costs.

I’d give zero stars if I could

Reply

Thank you for your response. However, I must clarify that at no point was any care shown during this situation.

The property manager arrived abruptly and before your email was even received, interrupting an important work call and giving me no time whatsoever to secure my dogs, who naturally began barking due to the unannounced visit. This was entirely avoidable and showed a complete lack of consideration.

Regarding the roadworks, your cleaner would have clearly seen them, and I have since confirmed that official notice was issued to residents back in November, which is also publicly available online. To suggest that no one was aware shows a lack of accountability.

The interactions throughout this process have been unpleasant and unnecessarily rude, resulting in a significant waste of my time and money. Your response does not reflect the reality of how the situation was handled

I would not recommend this company at all, stayed for a 3 week break with friends in December, when we arrived at the property it was filthy, there were dead wood lice in all the bedrooms, the main shower upstairs was disgustingly full of mould, and couldn’t be used, the whole house needed a good clean, the downstairs toilet wasn’t working, there was big stains all over the carpets, all the surfaces in the kitchen where disgusting, the table in the lounge was covered in sticky stuff,and the fireplace hadn’t even been cleaned, there was nothing for us to burn on the fire, we had to go out and get our own firelighters as there was nothing to light the fire with.

I have been going to the Cotswolds for many years and have never experienced anything like it, I have put a complaint forward but they only seem to pass it on and say it’s down to the owners, and they only advertise the property, I sent photos over not heard anything back, but I paid them and booked it with stay Cotswold, the cottage wasn’t fit for living in.

My friends and I will never book with this company again, it ruined our Christmas break. Your reply is also not accurate because everything was reported to the manager, company is a disgrace please do not book either these people, they also tell lies

We stayed at The Old Stables at Broadwell Manor. The transaction was seamless from booking the stay till checking out of the property. The property was in a perfect location for everything we had planned. The Fox Inn, was a couple of minutes walk away, and a perfect cozy pub. Top service and communication from StayCotswold - would highly recommend using their service over other platforms. 5 stars 🌟

I arranged a last-minute trip to Stow-on-the-Wold to visit family and booked the Cosy Cross Keys cottage on 4 November. However, on 7 November—nine days before my stay was due to begin—I received an email from StayCotswold informing me that my booking had been cancelled by the owner without any explanation.

After requesting clarification, I was told there had been an overlap between my reservation and the owner’s need to block the property for maintenance. When I contacted the owner directly, I was informed that the cancellation was due to Christmas decorations being installed throughout the week. I was also told that, because I had only booked a few days earlier, cancelling the reservation “wasn’t an issue.” Although the owner offered a 15% discount on alternative dates—which I appreciated—it was ultimately unhelpful, as my arrangements were already in place and the experience left me unwilling to rebook.

StayCotswold did provide five alternative property suggestions; however, three did not accept dogs, and none were located in Stow, so the options were not particularly suitable.

In addition to the cancellation issues, I discovered that a £250 security deposit had been reserved on my payment card on 10th November AFTER the booking was cancelled, which took 10 days to be released back on my card.

I also experienced problems during the initial booking process. When I first attempted to book the cottage online on the evening of 3 November, I immediately received a cancellation email despite the payment being taken. I submitted an online enquiry and waited for a response, but by midday the next day I had heard nothing. When I called StayCotswold, the representative mentioned he had seen my email that morning, which raised the question of why no one had contacted me. They proceeded to confirm the booking, and payment was processed but maybe I should have taken this as a sign that the booking was not going to be successful.

Overall, the experience was disappointing and fell well short of the communication, reliability, and professionalism I would expect.