Former On The Beach commercial director Johnny Pollard has joined Bookable Holidays as a director bringing 23 years of travel experience to a firm with ambitious growth plans.
Bookable’s 120 staff have recently moved into new 6,000 sq ft offices in Aldermaston and it currently serves 100,000 customers annually and claims to be growing by about 25% each year.
Pollard’s appointment as commercial director takes the board to four in number along with existing directors Jason Dwyer, Craig Ashford and Tim Reed.
Pollard said: “The foundations Bookable has built are exceptionally good. The growth and the expectations of the company are looking up and we have some exciting plans.
“As somebody who wants to be a part of building something again this was the only choice of the options I had that I wanted to do.
“I had a few options but there was never any question I was going anywhere else and I’m excited about the challenges that lie ahead of me and am looking forward to working with the team at Bookable.
“I’m lucky because I’m coming into a business that wants to do exactly what I want to do. The reason I wanted to come here is Jason and the two other directors are really entrepreneurial and open to ideas.”
Dwyer, Bookable chief executive, said the firm’s in-house technology gives it an edge over rivals and that this was something it will look to exploit.
“We are now using a piece of software we have been developing over three years which, with additional plug-ins, is quick and simple and the rewards are huge,” he said.
“Something that can take our competitors six months to plan, we can have implemented in a fraction of the time.
“Technology is a major part of our industry now and we have been able to design and implement one of the best systems in the industry and are fully confident we are ready to meet the expansion, development and challenges that will be coming our way.”
Bookable says its focus is on providing its customers with a better experience by increasing service levels and reacting to feedback.
Dwyer said the key was not necessarily to offer millions of deals but the right deals to the right customers at the right time.
Pollard added: “We have aspirations to increase the product and give customers what they want. Over the next 18 months we have a perfect opportunity to put one or two ideas in place.”
One area being looked at is luxury travel and long-haul destinations utilising British Airways and Virgin Atlantic flights. Expansion overseas is also on the cards.
As well as Bookableholidays.com the firm launched Bookit Quick last year.