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Red Oyster Chair with purple cushion at Staying Cool

All about Staying Cool

The background

Staying Cool is an independent business offering design-led boutique serviced apartments, apartment hotels and now an overseas holiday home – aimed at people who want to feel both completely at home and thoroughly looked after.

Staying Cool currently operates serviced apartments at the top of the iconic Rotunda building in Birmingham and a stunning holiday home in Soller, Mallorca.

The well-travelled founders of Staying Cool are passionate about many things but three in particular stand out; design, detail and difference.

From the selection of each building down to the choice of individual pieces of furniture, we aim to provide an inspirational home away from home for the style-savvy traveller. From the colour of the stitching on a sofa to how comfortable a fork feels in your hand, the team knows how to sweat the small stuff.

Little extras really count – and we like to treat our guests to seasonal gifts and bespoke surprises. So much so that we won an ASAP Marketing Award for our #LittleExtras campaign.

Our company ethos

We have a strong commitment to sustainability and have always prided ourselves on our green and ethical approach. We use virtually all chemical-free products plus consumables for guests are predominantly green, organic and Fairtrade. Produce is sourced from local and regional suppliers and we work with as many local independents as possible. You can read more in our eco tourism award blog.

We think the secret to our success is that we consider all our guests to be VIPs and we enjoy surprising and delighting them. We treat our guests as we would like to be treated ourselves.

How did it all begin?

Our co-founders, Tracey Stephenson and Paul Taylor, are long-time friends. Staying Cool was born because they often felt frustrated by what was on offer on their business and leisure trips. They decided that there had to be a better alternative to a boutique hotel (great design but small rooms and a hefty bill) and a serviced apartment (more space but often blandly and cheaply furnished). “We wanted to offer guests the kind of place where we would like to stay,” says Paul.

Staying Cool started out with people staying for business, especially creatives, but they were soon joined by couples, families and tourists who liked what they saw.

Who is behind Staying Cool?

We’re proudly independent and still owned by our co-founders:

Tracey Stephenson – co-founder

Tracey is our Joint Managing Director and has day-to-day responsibility for running the operational business. She began her career in marketing and tourism and managed a range of commercial units in universities and local authorities, latterly at Salford City Council. Tracey then worked as a marketing and sponsorship consultant for clients including the Harlem Globetrotters and the Triathlon World Cup. She set up Staying Cool with Paul, combining the best of their travel experiences. A former trustee, Tracey is now a director and Chair of the Commercial Board at Birmingham Museums Trust and a former member of the Association of Serviced Apartment Providers (ASAP) Advisory Board and non-executive director.

Paul Taylor – co-founder

Paul is our other Joint Managing Director who takes the lead on all things design and creative. He manages the company’s development and growth strategy. Originally a media lawyer and board director of Granada TV/ITV, he then had a career change and re-discovered his creative roots and passion for design, returning to university to complete a degree in architecture at Manchester School of Architecture. He subsequently undertook a number of property redevelopments before co-launching Staying Cool. Paul is a non-executive director of Manchester Digital Creative Assets Board.

Our board

In addition to Paul and Tracey, the board is chaired by fellow director and shareholder Robin Sheppard of Bespoke Hotels Group. Robin is a classically trained hotelier with an eye for innovation, who by the age of 26 was General Manager of Bodysgallen Hall, the best hotel in Wales, moving on to be the GM of many outstanding hotels before co-founding the Bespoke Hotel Group, the UK’s largest independent hotel group, managing over 9,500 hotels rooms and £815m of assets.

During its early years the company also had a small advisory board including architect Glenn Howells, who transformed the Rotunda from derelict office block to stylish residential apartments with Urban Splash; James Lohan, founder of Mr and Mrs Smith; and Sue Vanden, co-founder of branding agency Hemisphere.

Just some of our awards and ratings

Gavin Burns and Tracey Stephenson receiving the Visit England ROSE Award for Outstanding Customer Service
Gavin Burns and Tracey Stephenson receiving the Visit England ROSE Award for Outstanding Customer Service

Please see our FAQ page for specific information about each of our locations.