DO YOU have a secret crush on someone in the travel industry, and would you like to send them a bunch of red roses on Valentine’s Day?
Well, Backchat has teamed up with Avis to help smooth the path to love on your behalf.
On Valentine’s Day, Avis will send 20 bunches of roses to people in the travel industry who have been nominated by Backchat readers.
Avis’ public motive for such generosity is that it wants to celebrate its industry partnerships with companies including British Airways, British Midland, Going Places and Air Miles.
However, an insider admits there is another, more private motive. Several Avis staff have found love with people in the travel industry, and the company hopes to spread its own happiness more widely.
Avis’ global accounts manager with responsibility for BA, Sacha Cooper, is married to Portland Direct managing director Mike Cooper. And Avis’ ex national sales manager Steve Barrass – who is now at Unijet – is married to former Thomson business development manager Alison Barrass. In fact, they’ve just had a baby boy.
However, Backchat doesn’t believe either of these squeaky clean reasons for Avis’ romantic gesture. We suspect that Avis’ self-styled spin doctor Tom Knopek, who has never got over the excitement of being nominated for Backchat’s Hunks Hall of Fame competition last year, is behind the whole wheeze. He is evidently hoping to achieve even greater glory as a Valentine’s Day nominee, thereby forcing his own company to fork out for a bunch of roses for him!
Dream on, Tom – Backchat hereby bars you from taking part, if anyone actually decides to nominate you.
So, our bout of cynicism over, all those romantics among you should start declaring your private passions to us now.
Write to Backchat, giving the name and company of your object of desire, and your reasons for nominating them.
Pictures would be helpful, but don’t worry, even if you have just admired someone from afar, or spotted them in the pages of Travel Weekly, your nomination will be considered.
The address is Backchat, Red Hot Roses Offer, Travel Weekly, Quadrant House, The Quadrant, Sutton, Surrey SM2 5AS.