Sykes Cottages

Turning property admin into a seamless owner experience

A mobile phone displaying the Sykes Owner app rests on a blue chair.

Modernising the owner experience

Sykes Holiday Cottages, now part of the wider Forge Holiday Group, is a leading UK and Ireland holiday rental agency offering over 25,000 self-catering properties.

With a successful customer app already supporting guests, Sykes turned its focus to the other side of the business: its cottage owners.

The challenge was simple: make property management easier. Owners were spending too much time searching for booking details, handling admin and chasing information across different channels. Sykes wanted to remove those frustrations, strengthen owner relationships and improve retention.

Drawing on our expertise in product strategy, user experience and mobile technology, Apadmi partnered with Sykes Cottages to create the Sykes Owner app—an owner experience built around the realities of day-to-day property management.

One app. Everything owners need.

Owners need quick access to the information that keeps their properties running smoothly—from guest details and booking schedules to cleaning tasks and changeover updates.

The new app brought these essentials together in one place, replacing fragmented processes with a clearer, more convenient experience.

Push notifications, intuitive navigation and a central information hub meant owners could find answers faster and rely less on support teams.

Clearer visibility over income

Understanding future earnings was a key priority. The app helps owners track projected income more accurately, giving them greater confidence when planning ahead and making decisions about their properties.

Bookings and payments at a glance

Owners can now quickly see upcoming bookings, guest payment status and key property information from their phone. What once meant piecing together updates from multiple sources is now available at a glance.

Helping owners unlock more revenue

Property Optimiser helps owners unlock more value from their properties by making it easy to opt in to proven changes with a single tap. Whether allowing pets, refining pricing or introducing flexible short breaks, the feature is built around five actions that make a property “optimal”. On average, optimal properties generate 15% more revenue and 25% more bookings.

Results

The Sykes Owner app quickly delivered measurable results, driving strong adoption, immediate engagement and meaningful commercial impact.

11K+

owners using the app at launch
320+

instant owner opt-ins for Property Optimiser
15%+

av. revenue uplift with Property Optimiser

A mobile phone displaying the Sykes Owner app peeks out of a blue bag.

Built for owners. Recognised by the industry.

Feedback from owners has been overwhelmingly positive. As one put it: “Brilliant new app – thank you! It will make life so much easier. We can keep track of everything conveniently… Now we have all we need in one place and readily to hand. Perfect.”

The Sykes Owner app won Project of the Year at the Travolution Awards (2024), recognition for a product that took admin and turned it into a reason for owners to stay, grow, and engage more with the platform.