Roland Castro funeral details confirmed
The funeral service for Time Off founder Roland Castro, who died last week aged 83, will be on Monday.
It will take place at 13.00 at Mortlake Crematorium in Richmond, TW9 4EN.
Roland invited people to send flowers if they so wish or to donate to the Soil Association (his favorite charity).
All inquiries should go to funeral directors JH Kenyon, 74 Rochester Row, London SW1 (0207 834 4624).
*Previous TravelMole story:
Time off founder Roland Castro has died aged 83, 10 years after selling the company to Thomas Cook.
He was one of the industry’s great pioneers and is widely regarded as the first true city break operator after founding Time Off in 1967, although Travelscene was started in the same year.
Paris and Amsterdam were the first destinations, but he soon expanded to include Brussels, Swiss cities and eventually all the main cultural cities of Europe.
What made the operator special was its style, and Castro’s obsession with detail and customer care which led to Time Off being voted Best Travel Company out of 60 contenders in the 1995 Observer Travel Awards.
Instead of standard brochures Time Off produced pocket-sized editions illustrated with water-colours, supported by pen portraits written by well-known journalists.
Customers were given vouchers for a meal or snack in an eatery typical of that city, and all hotels – from four-star down to simple but beautifully kept one-star – were personally inspected by Castro himself.
Other operators, including vertically integrated companies, grew to be bigger in city breaks than Time Off. Castro concentrated on the individual approach, but increasing financial pressure led him to sell out in 1996.
Time Off lasted until 2003 under Cook’s ownership, but was then absorbed into its own city break operation. Castro continued to do consultancy work until shortly before his death.
Castro was active in trade affairs, serving as a board member of both ABTA and the ITT.
Phil Davies
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