The entrepreneur tells Samantha Mayling about his passion for hospitality and travel, as he plans to open a fourth shop
Q. How did you set up Murray Travel?
A. It started as a project to allow me and my wife to work together and enjoy more time travelling. Sarah worked in sales and I ran a hospitality business, for which I travelled extensively. I enjoyed planning almost as much as travelling, and joked we should start an agency. We could apply the business model of our restaurants, and build a small client base that would cover Sarah’s salary. Our agency in Inverness was born in 2014.
Q. How did you cope over the pandemic?
A. The pandemic was challenging for travel and hospitality. Our portfolio was balanced, but then Covid came and it became apparent that you can’t plan for some eventualities. We switched to working from home almost overnight and kept in touch with our teams with gifts and remote social events to boost morale. During the latter stages of lockdown, another local agency wanted to sell and made us an offer we couldn’t refuse. Also, we promoted the fact that we were a family business, and Inverness Travel rebranded to Murray Travel.
We switched to working from home almost overnight and kept in touch with our teams with gifts and remote social events to boost morale
Q. How did Hays Travel Independence Group help?
A. They were incredibly helpful. We moved to them in April 2020, one week after lockdown. We visited head office when things were shutting down. The team was incredibly obliging and helpful, and always at the end of the phone for any queries.
Q. What is your background in travel?
A. I have run several businesses, with a belief in customer service. This approach can apply to any business, so the agency move was exciting and a no-brainer. I cut my teeth in hospitality with the Hilton hotel group, in HR, training and operations. It was an incredible company, I learnt a lot. I built a business with six restaurants in the Highlands of Scotland, and I’ve had manufacturing, IT and engineering businesses. But my passion remains hospitality and travel, so I divested my interests in the rest.
I built a business with six restaurants in the Highlands of Scotland, and I’ve had manufacturing, IT and engineering businesses
Q. What was your first booking with Murray Travel?
A. It was a simple two-night city break to Rome for a friend. Sarah and I spent 10 days getting it right, and neither of us wanted to be the one to confirm it on the system in case we made a mistake. Our first significant booking was a client who wanted to go to Australia but was unable to fly. We sold two half-round-the-world cruises to the value of about £35,000. That was the turning point when we realised this business could be more than just a small project. Our average booking value has increased as more high-net-worth customers refer us.
Our first significant booking was a client who wanted to go to Australia but was unable to fly. We sold two half-round-the-world cruises to the value of about £35,000
Q. What is your service ethos?
A. I’ve always operated a profit-last business model. If you ensure the quality of the product and service is exceptional, profits will follow. As part of this process, our new shop is being designed like an airport lounge/hotel reception. We want to manage customers’ expectations – it’s unusual for us to get requests for somewhere sunny and cheap in the school holidays.
Q. What sales trends are you seeing?
A. For the first three days of peaks, I was worried we had reached a plateau. However, from day four onwards it just didn’t stop. We are seeing a fairly balanced array of destinations – Japan and southeast Asia are getting more popular, along with South America and expedition tours/cruising. People are seeking value for money. They are happy to pay big bucks but demand a higher level of return. The demographic we serve is quite resilient to the cost-of-living crisis. About 80% of bookings are repeat clients, and most of the rest comes from referrals.
We are seeing a fairly balanced array of destinations – Japan and southeast Asia are getting more popular, along with South America and expedition tours/cruising
Q. What are your own travel plans?
A. We built a house in Thailand a few years ago and plan to return in October. Abu Dhabi was a twin-centre trip with Mauritius in December for the F1 final Grand Prix. We took our son for his first birthday to his first F1 race. Every few months, I book two or three nights somewhere new, and the last two were Lima and Bogota.
Tell us about your agencies
I am passionate about local business. I can see high streets returning to what they looked like in the 1970s and 80s, with small local businesses making up most of what’s on offer. People nowadays really value local service and convenience. Our fourth store will open later in June in my hometown of Nairn, 200 yards from one of my restaurants, and 600 yards from home. We aim to have three full-time staff initially and will run a series of opening events – some targeted at existing customers who live in the area, some for local businesses and some targeted at the general public.
We started in Inverness and have branches in Forres and Elgin, as the agency we bought had premises there. Our flagship store in Inverness is designed along the lines of an airport lounge/hotel reception. It aims to manage the customers’ expectation of the level of service they receive from the minute they walk in the door. We would like to expand our retail estate by another two branches over the next two or three years. Also, we are looking at a separately branded online model.