Meet the Team...
Sarah Stanley
Director
Founder of Unique Home Stays, Sarah puts the ‘m’ in multitasking. With a background in farming, Sarah spent a good few years travelling the world before settling in Australia for 12 years. She returned to her beloved Cornwall in 2000 with the seed of an idea for a luxury holiday company. Sarah launched Unique Home Stays identifying a niche in the market for exclusive holidays and began the task of nurturing the business from her living room – also juggling a day-job and the demands of three then young children – Morgane, Josh and Bryce. Possessing a wealth of knowledge and understanding on anything to do with luxury holiday markets, Sarah is not one to rest on her laurels and constantly explores new ideas to drive the company forward. Renowned for hatching a new idea a day, Sarah’s enthusiasm, unbounded zeal and passion for the company is contagious!
Kahdine Roseveare-Shazell
Chief Operations Officer
With a head for figures and a keen eye for detail, strategy and business development, Kahdine’s directional approach is key in formulating the long-term plans for the business. Though Cornish born and bred, Kahdine’s global explorations have included trips to Indonesia, Bora Bora and Brazil. With a passion for property, Kahdine is currently project managing the planning and design of her own family pad. When not enjoying family days out with toddler Rupert, Kahdine enjoys nothing more than experiencing new eateries and luxury weekends away – all in the name of research of course!
Jess Clark
Interior Design Consultant
With an eye for design and our longest serving staff member (besides Sarah), Jess is an experienced veteran of the company. Having worked across all areas of the business – from bookings team to marketing, Jess’s passion for interior design can be seen in latest projects that include Firefly and The Stack. Although Jess can normally be found collating her next mood board, alongside working on interior design projects, Jess is involved with business development and brand awareness. When away from the office Jess can be found enjoying outdoor adventures with her children Lola and Bodi.
Francesca Reed
Marketing Manager
Francesca joined the team in Spring 2014 following several years working as an Interactive Media Consultant in radio. After completing her English and Communications degree at Cardiff University, Francesca continued her studies with the Chartered Institute of Marketing and has consequently built up a quite hefty a book collection! When not at work (or talking about work!) you´ll find Francesca working up a sweat in the gym, down at the beach or painting watercolours for her stationary brand. This jetsetter also loves to explore unique accommodation in more exotic locations, with past excursions including stays in a converted nunnery in rural France, a cattle ranch in the Australian outback and a tree house with yoga pavilion in Costa Rica.
Helen Marshall
Marketing Executive
Helen has recently relocated South in pursuit of Cornish coastal life with her fiancé Tom. A graduate from the Arts University at Bournemouth, former teacher and Head of Art and Design, Helen joins the team with a great eye for detail and a love for all things creative - especially interiors! Helen has settled into Cornish life by relishing in the area´s luxury eateries, planning her wedding and searching for the perfect new home. With a huge imagination and perfectionist approach to spelling and grammar, Helen is well placed to assist the Marketing Manager in the vast array of day-to-day marketing activities here at Unique Home Stays.
Harriet Warren
Press and PR Executive
Growing up in Hong Kong followed by Borneo, this cosmopolitan girl acquired a lust for adventure from a very young age. Harriet has also grown up with a passion for property and whilst at boarding school she yearned for her long holidays when she could help her sister in renovating Georgian Grade-II listed houses in Bath. Her two main loves being art and the outdoor lifestyle, Harriet decided to study drawing at Falmouth University and later returned to the Duchy after a stint in London. It’s her creative eye and appreciation for beautiful homes which makes Harriet perfectly placed in our marketing team and with a fun-loving nature, you´ll often find Hattie working on the next Unique Home Stays social event between tasks.
Samantha Cronin
Property Consultant
Sam has returned back to Unique Home Stays after taking some time to work on a property project of her own and we couldn´t be more thrilled! After her previous time with Unique Home Stays she has resumed to her role as Property Consultant, which means she has the fun job of visiting gorgeous properties the length and breadth of the country to consider them for inclusion within the Unique Home Stays portfolio. Cosmopolitan Sam was born in Italy and grew up in London until the charm of Cornwall persuaded her family to move here almost twenty years ago. A passion for horses and all things equine means that she is often to found out on a hack, admiring the beauty of Cornwall from the saddle. When not enjoying visits to wonderful properties, Sam devotes as much of her time as she can to her son, James.
Clare Towl
Property Consultant
Growing up in a family within the building and decorating industry, Clare has always had a passion for property. Clare worked in the financial services sector for 14 years where she accumulated extensive experience with homeowners and gained her CeMAP qualification in mortgage advice and practice as well as her NFOPP qualification of the sale of residential property, lettings and property management - meaning she’s perfectly placed for liaising with potential new Unique Home Stays owners! Epicure Clare likes the finer things in life and as a worldwide globetrotter has eaten at some of the world’s top dining destinations. When she’s not updating her wine collection, Clare enjoys a spot of golf or boating along the creek.
Catherine Weldhen
Property Consultant
Catherine (or ´Cat´ as she prefers) was one of the original members of the Unique Home Stays team many moons ago when she headed up the Home Stay Specialists team. After flying the nest to gain invaluable experience as a sales negotiator for a high end estate agency, Catherine is delighted to have returned to the Unique Home Stays fold in her role as Property Consultant and brings with her a wealth of knowledge. Although farming is in her blood, these days glamorous Cat loves nothing more than a weekend away exploring market towns and bustling cities, drinking cocktails with her girlfriends. Holidaying in such far flung places as Thailand, America and South East Asia is a particular joy for Cat and her fiance, although now that they have Yorkipoo puppy Coco she thinks that the diverse corners of the UK might have to satiate her wanderlust so that Coco can come too. When not socialising or exploring, Cat is a very proud auntie and cherishes time spent with her niece and nephew down on the family farm.
Tracy Ware
Portfolio Team Manager
Nature-lover Tracy has travelled extensively and her favourite trips have allowed her to indulge in diving the Red Sea, night time gallops across the palm groves of Morocco and exploring the Orang Utan forests of Indonesia. Tracy loves nothing more than to roll her up sleeves and get stuck into a new challenge, especially when it comes to DIY or cooking. These interests, combined with many years delivering first-class customer service, are what drew Tracy to Unique Home Stays’ where she has worked as Client Care and Hamper Manager before moving into her current role. Tracy has a busy home life and with her mischievous parrot Edward, rescue dogs Phoebe and Jeffrey and small herd of free-range guinea pigs we can see why she loves the relative peace and quiet of the office so much!
Lucy Thompson
Property Owner Consultant
Lucy grew up in the fresh air and green dales of North Yorkshire and enjoyed the stylish offerings of Harrogate before she and husband Neil, tempted by the sun, sand and surf of the Cornish coastline, moved here some years ago where they now enjoy a more relaxed way of life by the sea. Lucy has had a varied career, although predominately specialising in sales and accounts management. After a number of years with Unique Home Stays and with a keen eye for accuracy, Lucy now looks after the Property Owners, reviewing their properties general performance and feedback.
Charlotte Jenkins
Property Owner Consultant
Hailing from The Isles of Scilly, Charlotte grew up on her family´s farm complete with three holiday lets, which is where she learnt all about what makes the perfect home stay experience. Charlotte achieved a degree in Social Policy at the University of Birmingham, before setting off on an adventure visiting New York, Thailand, the Philippines and Vietnam. Charlotte now resides in Truro with her puppy Ted, but the archipelago just off the Southernwest tip of Cornwall will always hold a fond place in this proud Scillonian´s heart. In her free time Charlotte loves stomping the rugged cliffpaths (with puppy in tow of course), shopping in the quirky boutiques in Truro, and is currently in training for the World Pilot Gig Championships, due to take place on her home turf!
Philip Hill
Property Owner Consultant
Having lived between Australia, New Zealand and Europe, Phil returned to the UK to join Unique Home Stays with a wealth of experience following a rounded career in the Travel and Tourism industry. Immersed in the world of property since a young age, Phil helped his father buy, renovate and sell property before working many areas of the hotel industry; from young pot washer to manager of a boutique hotel. Phil’s affable nature and extensive experience specialising in high net worth clients are what make him well placed to strategically review property performance here in the Portfolio team. When not checking the stocks or property market, keen surfer Phil can be found taking to Cornwall’s waters, planning his next snowboarding trip or practising his swing dancing.
Sarah Turney
Client Services Manager
Northern lass Sarah moved from Cumbria to join the Unique Home Stays team here in North Cornwall. Having lived in Oxford, Norwich, York, Newcastle and Leeds throughout her career, she is certainly not new to relocation! Sarah has a degree in Visual Culture from Northumbria University in Newcastle where she took on a broad range of subjects including film, marketing and art & design, all of which she attributes to her keen eye for detail and love of the arts. She loves to travel and is passionate about music. Having travelled around Europe, Australia and America, Sarah says that it was the lure of the sunshine, beaches and laid back ‘Aussie-esque’ lifestyle that brought her to Cornwall. Sarah brings with her a great deal of professionalism and experience from her previous role in luxury holiday lettings in Cumbria.
Clare Gray
Home Stay Specialist
Having been with the team since 2011, Clare is the longest reigning member of the Home Stay Specialist team. Originally from Maidenhead, home counties girl Clare migrated to Cornwall in 2007, drawn by the west winds, beautiful scenery, outdoor lifestyle and the cool Cornish vibe. A foodie at heart, if she’s not checking-out the numerous local eateries, Clare is probably whipping up a storm in the kitchen. Of a weekend Clare loves nothing more than throwing body-board, walking boots and dogs in the van and sleeping under the stars with her fiancée and son Olly. With an extensive background in administration, Clare’s a real organisational whizz too!
Kelly Trebilcock
Home Stay Specialist
With a surname like that there´s no denying that Cornish maid Kelly is as ´kernow´ as they come. Born and raised on her family´s farm just outside of Newquay, equestrian-lover Kelly is happiest when competing with her loyal horse Lily, or tending to her adorable collection of animals which includes five horses, six dogs, three cats, Timmy the sheep and a new litter of kittens. One of Kelly´s rescue horses was even crowned the ´naughtiest pony in Cornwall´, but Kelly claims his escape antics were nothing to do with her first-class training skills. As well as her agricultural antics, Kelly has several strings to her bow, including hairdressing and customer services, but brings her keen attention to detail and excellent interpersonal skills with her in her role as Home Stay Specialist.
Amy Ormerod
Home Stay Specialist
Amy gained her stellar organisational and customer service skills working as a Sales Manager for a Language School in London. This role involved her travelling to Germany, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Macau to create liaisons with other language schools and Amy prides herself on her ability to deal unflappingly with people from all walks of life. Bali, Thailand and Malaysia are all favourite places on Amy´s ´already visited´ list, with Australia, Fiji and New Zealand taking the top spots for dream holidays for the future. Now that she has returned to her home of Cornwall, Amy is a lady with a penchant for all that is good and great about the Duchy! Outside of work, Amy loves walking the clifftops, enjoying dinner and drinks with family and curling up by the fire with a good book.
Simone Scott
Home Stay Specialist
Surrey-born Simone moved to Cornwall with her family at 11 years old and has embraced the Cornish way of life ever since. In the summertime Simone loves nothing more than stomping weekends away in her wellingtons enjoying the South West’s live music scene – Port Elliot and Glastonbury being particular festival favourites. In winter on the other hand, Simone prefers to spend her downtime curled up with a good book or movie. When it comes to holidays, this architecture fan always opts for a city break, with Paris, Rome and Amsterdam taking the top spots on her list of past destinations. With over twenty years’ experience working front of house at a private dentistry, Simone brings with her a wealth of customer experience and is well placed liaising with Unique Home Stays’ discerning clientele.
Rewan Taylor
Home Stay Specialist
Rewan graduated from Aberystwyth University with a degree in English and French before jetting off to the glamorous south of France to work as a language teacher. When he’d exhausted his passions for red wine and salad nicoise, Rewan embarked on a more unusual holiday romance: semi-professional paintballing! Rewan’s love affair with the sport came to end when he was called back to England to help rebuild his family home following flood damage and it was here that he found his passion for property. Since joining the team earlier this year, Rewan has taken to the role like a duck to water and uses his natural charm to assist guests and owners every day of the week. When not providing our clients with a top-class concierge service, Rewan likes to spend his time mountain biking, surfing and playing the guitar.
Jodi Fisk
Home Stay Specialist
Formerly flying around the world as Cabin Crew for Virgin Atlantic, aviation aficionado Jodi is possibly the most well-travelled member of the Home Stay Specialist team. Jodi’s attention to detail and strategic planning expertise gained in the prestige world of Private Jets affords her first-class organisation skills, perfect for her role here at Unique Home Stays. Escaping the hustle and bustle of city life, keen marathon runner Jodi recently moved to the verdant Devon countryside; where she can be spotted stomping the hills of Dartmoor or the breath-taking beaches of Cornwall alongside boyfriend James and with Border Collie Jess in tow. Having competed in New York, London and Berlin marathons, Jodi is currently in training for her next in Chicago.
Bryony Nott
Property Management Administrator
Organisational whizz Bryony has won no less than two awards for her business accomplishments and enhances the Unique Home Stays team with her flair for administration and stellar customer service skills. Cornish-born and Cornish-bred, this local lass has a penchant for stomping through the countryside come rain or shine with her beloved rescue dog Raven. Talented Bryony has a diploma in Interior Design and can be found getting creative alongside Interior Design Consultant Jess. With a magpie-like love of all that sparkles, Bryony sells some of her own jewellery creations in a local harbour gift shop; when not designing and creating jewellery, or up cycling her latest furniture finds, Bryony is a self-confessed foodie who loves to whip up a culinary storm in the kitchen and sample new eateries in her local area.
Reanne Burnett
Finance and Administration Officer
After graduating from Gloucestershire University with a degree in Events Management, Reanne returned to her beloved Newquay where she began her career as an Events Assistant for St Austell Brewery before she entered the world of property. Her experience as a Sales and Letting Negotiator for a large Estate Agency means Reanne brings a wealth of knowledge to the team, and she’s well-practiced in finding customers their dream homes! Reanne is currently pursuing her career in accounts by studying for her AAT accountancy qualification. Wanderlusting Reanne loves exploring new places, having visited Kenya, Canada, Mexico, Trinidad and Tobago, as well as having worked in summer holiday resorts both in the UK and beyond.
Gemma Woods
Finance and Administration Officer
Gemma joins Unique Home Stays with a wealth of knowledge and expertise taken from over 20 years working in Accounts and Administration across varied industries from education to high-end tourism. When not number crunching, Gemma loves nothing more than spending time with her Granddaughter Poppy or researching destinations to add to her bucket list, with past favourites including Toronto and Nigara Falls. Enjoying regular staycations with her husband there´s very few places Gemma hasn’t been on the English Isle which, combined with her experience, makes her the perfect addition to the team here at Unique Home Stays.
Harriet Frisby
Business Development Executive
After completing her degree in Creative Events Management at Falmouth University, Hattie worked as chief conference organiser for a media and events company, where she organised global corporate events in locations such as Bangkok, Dubai and the US. In her free time you are likely to find Hattie getting competitive on the netball court, or roaming the Cornish landscape with her family. Having been brought up in a family business selling high-quality country clothing brands, Hattie’s knowledge and ethics provide a perfect fit for Unique Home Stays clients and partners.
Dave Marks
IT Department
Self-confessed perfectionist and proclaimed king of tech-talk by all at Unique Home Stays, Dave is our IT systems consultant and guru. Raising the male compliment by 100% when he’s working in the office, Dave thanks his lucky stars that he’s not always in the same locale as all the girls. Dave has been developing the IT side of the company almost from the start having designed and implemented our bespoke systems and is responsible for the on-going development of the website.During those rare moments that he manages to escape from in front of the computer, Dave can be found throwing caution to the wind snow-boarding, mountain biking, caving and hill walking or pursuing an altogether more leisurely in-depth, academic (really) study of the merits of various locally brewed delicacies!
Jane Weldhen
Hamper Co-ordinator & Administrator
Bookworm Jane loves nothing more than an evening at home in front of the fire with her dogs Basil and Scout, a new thriller novel and a glass of wine or two! With a background in accounts and eCommerce, Jane runs a tight ship in the hamper department, hand-packing and overseeing each and every delivery that goes out to our guests and making sure the Unique Home Stays Prosecco levels never drop. As a dedicated sun worshipper, Jane regularly visits Spain, Bermuda and Australia to top up her mahogany Cornish tan. Known to hitch up her skirt for a boogie to Status Quo, Team Unique would be lost without Jane´s quick thinking, expert packing and logistical wizardry.
David Jackson
Ambassador
Originally starting out in the world of luxury hotels, David worked his way up the in the heady world of hospitality; running top hotels and high-end restaurants in Jersey and Scotland, before the lure of life as a country squire took hold of him. David has worked with Sarah and Unique Home Stays since the business began over 10 years ago, and has remained a hugely supportive advocate of the company. He has recently joined the team here at Unique Home Stays to act as a highly experienced additional point of contact to enhance our working relationships with our property owners. With a zest for life and a penchant for fine wines and golf, David relishes the chance to meet with our property owners as much as they adore meeting him!
Careers with Unique Home Stays
Join the team...
Interested in joining the Unique Home Stays team? Then take a look at our Careers with Unique Home Stays page.