Solmar Villa Holidays has appointed a new senior manager as it looks to further boost its trade sales.
Michelle Thake has joined as senior trade sales manager, bringing with her more than 30 years of travel industry experience.
Her appointment comes as the family-run business prepares to enter its 30th anniversary year and looks to expand further.
She has extensive industry experience having previously held positions at Not in the Guidebooks, Ocean Holidays, Jet2holidays and Ras AI Khaimah Tourism Development Authority, as well as running her own travel retail business.
She said: “I am really excited to join Solmar Villas and to be working alongside Dave Ison, Solmar’s international trade sales manager, as we look to grow the number of agents we work with as well as strengthen existing partnerships.”
Sharon Bradbury, marketing director for Solmar, added: “Michelle has extensive experience of the travel industry and a huge amount of knowledge and insight as to how agents operate and what they need and will be a huge asset to the team as we look to grow our agent partnerships.”
Bradbury joined the senior leadership team earlier this year alongside product and commercial director Gary Horsford, finance director Melanie Hopewell and operations director Emma-Jane Browning.
Solmar chief executive Julie Blake, whose parents started the Burton-on-Trent business almost 30 years ago with one Spanish villa, said: “We have serious ambitions for growth and the team we have put in place this year will be playing a huge part in driving the business forward.
“They are all great people who are exceptional at what they do and with their support, we are hoping to fulfil our goal of becoming the UK’s primary provider of villas with private pools.”
Solmar is set to start the 2024 holiday season with more than 2,000 properties in its European and US portfolio.
Villas on the Ionian coast, Kos, Ibiza and the Peloponnese have all been added as new destinations this year and the company has plans to expand this portfolio further over the next 12 months.