Rachel Smith

Rachel Smith - House Captain

sparky, mischievous, go-getter…

Unlike the picture suggests, Rachel is not a professional jockey! But she is a New Forest local, and lives in Norleywood, a tiny hamlet, just outside Lymington in the National Park. Norleywood is frequented mainly by wandering donkeys and has an old post box. It’s a very exciting place!

Rachel is our ‘House Captain’ and wears two badges for us. She runs the pricing in our system and works with the team to ensure the houses are priced correctly through the year, tailoring for last minute gaps or cancellations. She also works with our owners and future owners, helping them to gauge pricing for the best returns.

Having worked at The George Hotel, Yarmouth on the Isle of Wight for 15 years, she helping with their marketing and pricing strategies. She’s a stickler for details and is often found tweaking the back end pricing system for us because she enjoys the challenge of supporting owners and filling our houses with guests.

Rachel has two big kids, one horse, one dog and one husband! She loves a wild swim and rides her horse daily.

In Dec 2021 she came 2nd in the New Forest Point to Point. It’s a tough race and we are super proud of her. She is humble about her horsey abilities, but she shouldn’t be. She has produced and competed horses, as has her daughter Hannah, to very high levels within the very competitive equine world.

Helping us go-green...

How do NFE’s social & environmental goals align with you & your job role?

The New Forest is a super special place, and one we are super keen to preserve. As House Captain, at New Forest Escapes, I spend a lot of time with our hosts (and prospective hosts), so am able to help spread the word about our greener and greater mission and really chat through improvements and strategies to help properties offer a more eco-conscious stay. Many of our clients actively ask questions, and feedback about the mailers that we send out, which is really encouraging and shows that we are all in this together.

From our regular litter-picking efforts, to our work supporting local companies (Noble Bee’s Christmas gifts were a hit!), our eco focus is definitely something I have taken on board personally too…starting with cycling to work in the summer!

Q&A...

Where is your favourite place to go in the New Forest?

I love wild swimming at Hordle Cliffs (I try and do this before work a couple of times a week to get the blood pumping!), but at the weekends we are normally riding through Boldrewood, or sailing from Lymo to Yarmouth

Where do you go to get away from the crowds and escape?

You can’t beat any of the forests for a bit of tranquility, but I especially love heading deep into the woodlands for a ride!

And if you prefer it busy, where's the best local event?

The Round the island Race is one I never miss.

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