Former Bath Travel boss pays tribute to John Hays
Stephen Bath, the former owner of Bath Travel, has paid tribute to John Hays, describing him as a ‘very clever, kind and generous man’.
Hays bought the 60-branch Bath Travel in October 2013.
Bath said: "I knew John for thirty years as a fellow travel agent and we were friendly and not really competitors. But he expanded his business very quickly and became bigger in turnover than Bath Travel in 2008. He later bought Bath Travel in 2013.
"The Bath family was delighted to sell to another family business who knew how to look after their staff, and Bath Travel thrived and expanded further under John’s watch.
"John was a very clever, kind and generous man. He was very well-liked and respected in the industry. He was completely self-made, starting Hays Travel in the back room of his mother’s dress shop near Sunderland less than forty years ago. Until Covid-19 struck earlier this year, the business was expected to turn over almost three billion pounds in 2020.
"The stress of the past nine months must have been unrelentingly awful, and surely must have affected his health.
"He will be sorely missed."
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