Location: Lowestoft, Suffolk
Wanted: A couple want to go to Las Vegas as part of a week’s itinerary in
May with a couple of excursions from the ‘City of Sin’.
Budget: £3,000
Thomas Cook
111 London Road North
94%
The shop needed smartening up but had a good brochure selection. Nothing was too much trouble for the friendly agent, who was outstanding and knowledgeable about Las Vegas. I was offered Thomas Cook Airlines flights from Gatwick on May 14 with five hotel options from Cook’s Signature Florida and Las Vegas brochure: the MGM Grand (£2,472), New York New York (£2,475), Luxor (£2,286), Planet Hollywood (£2,624) and the Bellagio (£3,179). Excursions included the Hoover Dam (£55), the Grand Canyon (£79) and a Las Vegas Strip helicopter ride (£79). Travel insurance was offered and the Esta visa explained. There were a lot of options and the service was above and beyond.
Tui
120 London Road North
79%
I was approached with a smile after five minutes in a shop with sparkly windows that looked recently rebranded. From the Hayes & Jarvis brochure I was offered the MGM Grand for £2,456 or the Bellagio for £2,990, with British Airways flights on May 14 from Heathrow. I was shown YouTube videos of excursions, but not given quotes. The agent could have approached me sooner, given more hotel options and done more to close the sale.
The Co-operative Travel
141 London Road North
71%
The shop was clean but tired and I saw no brochure racks. From the Gold Medal and Funway brochures I was offered the MGM Grand (£2,486 room-only), Hard Rock Las Vegas (£2,214) and Westgate Lakes (£2,210), all with British Airways flights from Heathrow on May 14. Death Valley and Grand Canyon excursions were offered, but the agent seemed to lack Las Vegas knowledge, so asked a colleague for help and didn’t try to close the sale.
Winning agent
Paula Vingoe, sales consultant
“We get quite a lot of interest in Las Vegas but I’ve done a lot of research because I really want to go myself. I’m planning a trip later this year so I’m always looking it up or flicking through the brochures.”
Verdict
Thomas Cook’s upbeat agent impressed and covered every aspect of the holiday. Tui’s agent could have offered more hotels and excursions while the Co-op’s agent appeared to lack knowledge of this destination.
Top-scoring agent each month will win use of a car for 10 days.
The winning agent must be at least 25, for insurance reasons. Winners under 25 will win a week’s all-inclusive holiday at an Elite Islands Resorts property. The prize is non-transferable and the car must be driven only by the winning agent. The winner must not have any serious driving convictions. Elite Island Resorts will endeavour to supply the car to the agency but reserves the right to request the winning agent to collect and return the car from Essex or a central location