Tourist Accommodation — Market Assessments, Feasibility Studies and Business Planning

Whether you’re exploring a change of use for a single-visitor accommodation unit or developing a lodge site or glamping offering, we can help you conduct a detailed assessment to test the commercial viability of your project.

As a landowner or developer, you may already have developed a specific accommodation scheme or you may be at the early stage of planning the scheme. We can advise on the scale and type of development from a market and operational perspective. One of our directors before setting up Planning Solutions in 1995 was a senior director at Rank Hotels and Development where he played a leading role in developing the Oasis Holiday Village in Cumbria which was subsequently acquired by Center Parcs. 

What we do

We are specialist consultants focused on tourist accommodation projects. While we are not planning consultants ourselves, we work closely alongside planning professionals to provide the evidence base and analysis needed to support successful planning applications.

Our core services include:

• Operational reviews of existing tourist accommodation businesses
• Market demand assessments, understanding the opportunity, the audience, and the competitive landscape
• Feasibility studies and business planning, rigorously assessing viability from the outset, and building the case for investment or planning consent

Selected Projects

• Forest Holidays: Provided site reviews, market demand analysis, strategic development planning and business planning to support the ongoing expansion of their forest lodge product across the UK. Forest Holidays currently operates 12 sites nationwide
• Oaksey Park, Cotswolds: Working with the landowner, we assessed the feasibility of introducing a cluster of self-catering cottages within a wider rural landholding in the Cotswolds
• Rempstone Estate, Dorset: Commissioned to prepare a business plan supporting the development of 22 luxury woodland cabins alongside an existing camping operation. The project has since been taken forward as Burnbake Luxury Lodges
• Newport City Council and Monmouthshire County Council: Commissioned to address a shortage of visitor accommodation and support the development of the Gwent Levels as a sustainable tourist destination. The project involved navigating a range of planning and landscape sensitivities, including restrictions on new build and the conversion or extension of existing provision
• Private Landowner, South East England: Feasibility study to develop a glamping product, assessing market demand, site potential and commercial viability
• Neath Port Talbot County Borough Council: Feasibility study to repurpose an existing cottage as a self-catering holiday let, alongside the introduction of supporting glamping pods.
• South West Water, Roadford Lake: Worked with the client to build the evidence base needed to secure planning permission for a holiday accommodation development at Roadford Lake
• Hartlepool Borough Council: Carried out a feasibility study for a watersports activity centre with linked overnight accommodation on the waterfront, assessing both commercial opportunity and operational requirements
• Private Landowner, Historic House: Commissioned to carry out a market demand study and options appraisal to evaluate the introduction of tourist accommodation within a historic house, considering the constraints and opportunities presented by the setting

Please click here to find out more about other tourist accommodation projects we have worked on.

Clients have said a few words about our work

“I was extremely pleased with professionalism and thoroughness of the work done by Planning Solutions Consulting. The brief was a difficult one dealing with environmental constraints and stakeholder sensitivities. Even our planning services thought the work was useful.” Lynne Richards, Destination Development Manager Newport City Council

“Forest Holidays has been working with Planning Solutions Consulting Limited for over a decade. Working closely with our senior management team they have been providing expert market reviews and carrying out site assessments across the UK. They have also been providing strategic input to analyse growth market targets and to help shape our development strategy. This has helped Forest Holidays to expand our portfolio of sites across the UK. We have found that the quality of advice has always been very sound and robustly argued and we have often reverted back to PSCL’s earlier research work and reports which has demonstrated their validity over time. Planning Solutions Consulting deliver their work within budget and on time. We would have no hesitation in recommending Planning Solutions Consulting to other organisations.” Gary Fletcher, former Chief Executive Officer, Forest Holidays

What makes us different?

Unlike most consultancies, we don’t just advise on tourism projects — we operate a number of tourism businesses.

Our sister company, Planning Solutions Limited, has direct investment in and management of a hotel on the Isle of Wight, together with several visitor attractions, including CONKERS, Kent Life Heritage Farm Park, and the Cotswold Country Park and Beach. The company has also previously owned and managed a luxury self-catering cottage. Additionally, one of our senior colleagues served as a director on the board of Burnbake Lodges, a high-quality self-catering business in Dorset.

This hands-on operational experience sets us apart. It means we bring commercial realism to every project, we understand the real challenges tourism businesses face, from the pressures of COVID-19 recovery to today’s economic climate. These insights guide our market assessments and financial analysis, helping us build projects that are financially sustainable, visitor-focused, and beneficial to the wider community and local economy.

Contact

If you have any questions about our work or would like to discuss a potential project on a confidential basis, please contact Richard Linington on 07866 742628 or email richard@pslplan.co.uk