North East Escapes has been named Start Up and Grow Business of the Year
July 12, 2026
North East Escapes has been named Start Up and Grow Business of the Year at the North East Chamber of Commerce Awards, and honestly, we're still taking it in.
When Steve founded North East Escapes in June 2024, the goal was never to win awards. It was to build something the North East could be genuinely proud of: a locally owned, locally run holiday home management company that would put people, property owners, guests, team members and communities, at the very heart of everything it did.
Less than two years later, we've grown from 13 properties to more than 130 holiday homes across Northumberland and the wider North East. We've built a team of eight core members, and we support dozens of local housekeepers, maintenance contractors, tradespeople and suppliers across the region. We operate from our headquarters in Alnwick with a marketing and sales presence in Tynemouth, and we're just getting started.
Why We Started
Steve spent many years in senior leadership roles within the holiday let industry. During that time, he watched regional agencies get absorbed into larger national brands, and with that consolidation came something troubling: a loss of local knowledge, local accountability and local care.
He knew there was a better way.
So he invested his own savings, backed his vision and launched North East Escapes with one clear purpose, to combine the professionalism and technology of a national operator with the responsiveness, personal service and deep regional expertise that only a true local independent can deliver.
That idea resonated. Property owners across the North East trusted us with their homes, and we've worked every single day to honour that trust.
What We've Built Together
Our fully managed service covers everything a holiday home owner needs: professional marketing, dynamic pricing, listing management across all major platforms, guest communications, housekeeping coordination, maintenance management, compliance support and detailed performance reporting. Our guests get carefully selected homes, expert local recommendations and a team that genuinely knows and loves this part of the world.
But beyond the services, what we've really built is a community. One rooted in relationships, transparency and a shared belief that the North East is one of the most extraordinary visitor destinations in the country, and that it deserves to be showcased as such.
What This Award Really Means
In Steve's own words:
"Winning Start Up and Grow Business of the Year is incredibly special for all of us. When we launched North East Escapes, it wasn't about building the biggest business, it was about building the best business we possibly could. We wanted to create a company that genuinely cares about people, whether that's our property owners, our guests, our team or the communities we work within.
"Everything we've achieved has been built on relationships, trust and an unwavering belief that the North East deserves a holiday home management company that is proudly local, deeply invested in the region and committed to delivering exceptional service every single day.
"Growth has never been the goal in itself. Growth has been the outcome of our vision. This award belongs to every member of our team, our property owners and everyone who has supported us along the way."
What's Next
We're not stopping here. Our ambition is to become the leading independent holiday home management company in the North East, continuing to invest in our people, our technology and the long-term success of the region's visitor economy.
To everyone who has been part of this journey so far, thank you. To our team, our property owners, our guests and the communities we serve: this is yours as much as it is ours.
Here's to what comes next.
Thinking about letting your holiday home with a local agency that genuinely cares? Find out how North East Escapes could help you earn more.
