One Drake Road, an independent accommodation operator in Devon and Cornwall, UK, has reported 58% growth in bookings over the past three years after bringing its expanding portfolio of B&B rooms, self-catering apartments and holiday homes together through eviivo Suite™.
As One Drake Road expanded beyond its original boutique B&B, managing its increasingly varied portfolio became more complex. Finding suitable technology also proved difficult, as many of the systems considered by co-owners Iain and Jack White-Duncan were designed either for hotels or holiday rentals, rather than for hybrid businesses operating across both categories.
One Drake Road now comprises eight distinct properties, including a four-room B&B and seven short-term rental units. Both its room-based and unit-based inventory are now managed through the same calendar and rate grid in eviivo, giving a single view of availability, pricing and reservations across the portfolio.
Messages from Booking.com, Airbnb, Expedia and direct bookings also feed into one inbox, while routine guest communication, payments and pre-arrival information, including parking and access instructions, are automated.
Iain White-Duncan, co-owner of One Drake Road, said: “We live on eviivo. It manages our arrivals, departures, guest messaging, housekeeping and bookings wherever we are.
“Automation hasn’t made our hospitality less personal. It’s actually allowed us to become more personal. The right technology allows us to maintain exceptionally high standards while continuing to deliver the very personal experience that guests remember long after they’ve checked out.”
Between 2023 and 2026, One Drake Road has also increased room nights sold by more than 60% and average daily rate by over 30%, alongside its 58% growth in bookings.
Bringing its operations together has also helped reduce the time Iain and Jack spend on daily booking administration by 83%, from up to three hours to around 30 minutes. This is particularly important because the couple run the business themselves without dedicated reception or administrative staff.
eviivo’s Channel Manager centralizes reservations and reduces the risk of manual errors and double bookings, while its reporting and Key Figures dashboard provides a central view of occupancy, revenue and overall business performance without having to compile information from multiple systems or spreadsheets.
The time saved is being reinvested in the guest experience, with Iain and Jack focusing on everything from sharing local recommendations and welcoming guests personally to restoring vintage furniture, redesigning interiors, improving gardens and photographing the properties.
Ruth Whitehead, COO at eviivo, said: “The boundaries between traditional hospitality and short-term rentals are becoming less distinct, with more independent operators managing a mix of rooms, apartments and entire homes. eviivo manages mixed room-based and unit-based inventory in the same calendar and rate grid, so an operator running both doesn’t need one system for rooms and another for holiday rentals.
One Drake Road demonstrates how a diverse portfolio can be run as one connected business without losing the character or personal hospitality that makes each property distinctive. Bringing its inventory, booking channels, communications and reporting together gives Iain and Jack greater visibility and control as the business evolves.”
One Drake Road has received a series of accolades over the past year, including Gold for Best B&B at the Devon Tourism Awards 2025–26, Silver for B&B and Guest House of The Year in Great Britain at the VisitEngland Awards for Excellence 2026 and Green Tourism Gold Award.
To learn more about eviivo and how its all-in-one platform supports independent accommodation businesses, visit eviivo.com.
Read the full One Drake Road case study at https://eviivo.com/case-study/devon-cornwall-business-grown-bookings-mixed-portfolio-with-eviivo.