Agency sets up luxury operator
Thursday, 19 Mar, 2009
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Independent agency Broadway Travel has branched out into tour operating.
The company has established Inspired Luxury Escapes as an upmarket operator specialising in holidays to Cyprus and Egypt.
The programme features 41 hotels, all of which have been handpicked and contracted by a team led by sales and marketing director Theo Demetriou.
Average prices are £780 per person, and the operator will be paying “generous” commission rates to the trade.
But precise details of these will not be made public as they are individually negotiated, the company said.
A concierge service – pre and post-departure – is included to organise extras from dinner reservations to spa treatments to resort airport transfers.
Demetriou, who reports into Broadway managing director Adam Pardini, said: : “Since the demise of XL people are returning to the high street agent to buy their holidays thanks to the human contact, security and peace of mind they offer.
“The majority of our sales – 90% – will come through the travel trade, and we already have agreed terms with Advantage, Hays Travel, Worldchoice, Travel Counsellors and Elite.
“Likewise the travel trade also need peace of mind that their suppliers are credible, knowledgeable and financially secure.”
He added: “The aim with Inspired Luxury Escapes is to give agents a range of truly aspirational hotels and seamless customer service to offer their clients and a wide range of scheduled and charter flights from all the main airports.
“For example all our clients travelling to Egypt will be met at the airport by a uniformed rep and will be fast-tracked through the visa entry system with no queuing. It is elements such as this that will make us stand apart from the competition.”
A brochure minus price panels is being sent to agents this week. It features a “prices from” guide on each page to prevent the brochure becoming out of date and give more pricing flexibility.
“The brochure is very much a sales tool to highlight the properties rather than give detailed pricing information. We believe more information and photographs are a better use of the page space than pricing grids,” said Demetriou.
by Phil Davies
Phil Davies
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