A homeworker has bagged the biggest booking ever made at online travel agency Blue Sea Holidays.
Ria Tabassum, who has been with the 14-year-old agency since 2011, secured the £54,000 booking after speaking to her Hertfordshire-based customer on and off for 10 days this month.
The booking to the Moon Palace Resort in Cancun, Mexico, for 21 people – including seven children – was confirmed last Friday.
Tabassum, who is based in Hyderabad, India, said: “I had a strong feeling that he might book it, but it was case of finding him the best hotel in the destination.
“It feels so great to have such a nice booking. Everyone is so excited for me. It was a lot of effort with 21 passengers.”
Tabassum (pictured) said she had heard of the hotel but had never booked it. “[The customer] did enquire about other hotels but his heart was set on the Moon Palace,” she added.
She admitted that the booker was “sceptical” about going ahead as Mexico is currently on the red list in England, but she reassured him by explaining how his booking was protected.
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Co-owner and sales manager Andy Brewer confirmed that Tabassum’s booking is the biggest in the OTA’s 14-year history and added that he is “unbelievably proud”.
“The previous best booking was about £30,000,” said Brewer. “I did not think the families would book because they went round in circles. Ria spoke to them nearly every day.”
According to Brewer, Tabassum has earned enough commission to buy a new kitchen but would not disclose the exact amount.
The enquiry came via price comparison site TravelSupermarket, said Brewer. “It links to our website via an API feed,” explained Brewer. “[The customer] was never going to book online – he could not get enough information.
“Ria had to talk to the hotel about restaurant bookings. It’s much better to book the tables in advance.”
The booking was made on Brewer’s birthday. “It was the best birthday present that I could have got,” he said.
“Our sales figures for this month are better than September 2019. Since last Friday, it has gone mad.”