SHG announces dedicated agent booking team and self-service portal

Specialist Holidays Group (SHG) is creating a dedicated booking team, loyalty scheme and new self-service portal for the trade as it hails a significant rise in travel agent sales.

 

The group, which operates tour operators Sovereign Luxury Travel, Citalia, and American Holidays, made the announcements to increase its investment in the trade as part of a pledge to ‘make booking easier’ for agents.

 

It is currently recruiting for ‘personal travel planners’ to join a hybrid agent booking team based out of its Chester and Horsham contact centres.

 

The company already has around 40 staff handling trade and direct sales. There is no fixed number for the new team.

 

Jorge Quibell, head of trade partnerships, said the more ‘focused approach’ would allow the group to step up its service further in the coming weeks while giving agents the chance to develop stronger ties with individual staff.

 

“We need a dedicated team that deal solely with agents. We have not put a definite number on it; it’s more about the relationship piece. We want agents to build relationships with dedicated team members,” he said, noting: “We’ve seen significant sales growth; trade bookings in June are 57% up year on year.”

 

The bespoke trade booking portal is being developed inhouse for all three brands, including American Holidays for the first time. It will launch before the end of the year after a pilot with a select group of agents.

 

It will give access to a wider range of product than is currently bookable online as well as incentives and offers around-the-clock, and allow agents to print off travel documents, an option not currently available.

 

Currently most trade sales are dealt with by the team but in future the group expects more straightforward bookings to be made through the portal, freeing up staff to deal with more complex itineraries.

 

Quibell stressed: “This will open up so much more product to book online; agents will have so much more at their fingertips. The biggest part of our motto is making SHG easier to work with; agents can contact our dedicated team or book online.”

 

The new trade loyalty scheme, also set to launch later this year, will reward agents for booking with the company’s brands.

 

Quibell noted: “Every agent will have some form of reward but our best performing, top tier group of 20 to 30 agencies will get extra benefits, such as access to a priority line for the trade team or operator call centre, exclusive offers and VIP events.

 

“We have invested in the trade and they have invested in us; it’s a partnership and we need to reward loyalty.”

 

The plans come as the group hosts 40 agent guests at a lunch and cocktail drinks reception prior to Travel Weekly’s Agent Achievement Awards, where the group is hosting two tables of agents.

 

On Friday, the group is hosting 15 agents at Chester Races. This includes Ibiza in Symphony, a post-horse racing evening music event with a live orchestra.

 

Quibell said: “I don’t think we have ever done so many agent events; we are putting our money where our mouth is. We have to invest in the trade and we have had so much support under the Travcorp ownership.

 

“We have already expanded the trade team to four of us and we will look to expand that further in the early part of next year.”

The group was rebranded to Specialist Holidays Group from Travcorp Holdings in June this year.