Clubbing operator Party Hard Travel is increasing its in-resort team after seeing sales spike by 100% ahead of this summer.
A total of 27 reps are being trained in resorts across Europe, from Greece to Spain, ahead of the current season – up on the 15 reps it employed last year.
The operator, whose co-founder and co-chief executive Nathan Cable won the Young Entrepreneur of the Year gong at the British Travel and Hospitality Hall of Fame on Monday, made as many sales in three hours earlier this year as it did in its entire 2015, and as many as it did in the whole of 2016 within three February days.
Its other co-founder and co-chief executive, Barry Moore, put the success down to a combination of Thomas Cook’s decision to close its Club 18-30 brand and “natural progression” of the business.
The cost of its Ultimate Event Package was dropped from £129 to £99 earlier this year – which Moore said drove a lot of business. “It’s our most popular package and by far our biggest seller and it’s gone from strength to strength this year.”
He said the extra interest has also come from a new-look website, built by Licklist, which specialises in clubbing and nightlife events in the UK.
This year they plan more influencer trips to help promote the brand, and from the first arrivals on June 3 is giving customers electronic wristbands to get into all the events on their package, removing the need for them to carry tickets.
It also plans to make it easier for agents to make sales of its packages, hopefully in the autumn, with changes in the pipeline to make its recently re-launched website to more trade-friendly.
Moore said the company’s relationships with local businesses in resorts has helped them grow, especially in destinations like Magaluf, Mallorca, which has recently been trying to move away from its reputation as a nightlife hotspot. He added: “We are a reputable company in resorts, we are trusted with events and customer service which has really helped us build those relationships.”
On his co-founder winning the Hall of Fame award, Moore said: “Neither of us were expecting it at all. It’s really good news for the business.”
Party Hard Travel launched in 2014 and currently has an Atol licence for 1,000 passengers.