Classic Collection has unveiled a new booking platform as it completes the move from two agent-facing brands to a “one brand, one platform” model.
The On the Beach-owned operator previously announced a restructure of its trade division to streamline its Classic Collection Holidays and Classic Package Holidays operations and said the single Classic Collection brand will offer “more product choice and booking flexibility”.
The launch follows face-to-face events with more than 150 trade partners in Manchester, Birmingham, Edinburgh and Belfast, while a further 300 agents were given a preview on a webinar.
Si Morris-Green, B2B director, said “From today we are giving agents the chance to book with a 100% trade-focused operator.
“Our brand-new booking platform has gone live featuring more than 5,000 hotels across 78 destinations in the Americas, the Caribbean, Europe, North Africa, The Emirates, the Indian Ocean and Thailand.”
He added: “Agents have reacted well to the fact that we now have more single centre product than ever before on sale 24/7 via an easy-to-use and speedy trade-only portal.”
Morris-Green said the portal would “capitalise on the growth in short-haul airline capacity for 2024” with flight options from more than 20 UK airports and options for agents to adjust commission levels.
The portal will also serve as a “gateway” to a tailor-made sub-site featuring twin-centre, cruise, rail and premium luxury holidays bookable by phone, but Morris-Green said: “We’ve streamlined this area of our product offering to concentrate more on those areas in which we have always excelled.”
Referring to “slower than usual” call response times during the transition, Morris-Green added: “I would like to thank our agent partners for their patience and understanding as we’ve embarked on this exciting new chapter in our company history.
“Thanks are also owed to the entire team at Classic Collection who have worked tirelessly to deliver our one brand and one platform ahead of schedule.
“More than ever before Classic Collection will support agents to grow their business by acquiring new customers and retaining existing ones.”
He said: “We count customers in the thousands rather than the millions, a smaller size and scale which gives us the opportunity to showcase the enhanced customer service which has always been associated with the Classic Collection brand.”
The operator is offering launch discounts of £50 and £75 off Summer 24 and Summer 25 bookings respectively, with no minimum spend requirement. All bookings made in June will also be entered into a daily draw for a £50 Classic Collection Black Card reward.