US-based travel experience company First in Service Travel (F1S) is joining the Advantage Travel Partnership ahead of opening of its first UK office next month.
Industry veteran Barry Whittaker will lead the expansion as managing director UK and Europe as the company opens a base in Covent Garden, London.
Whittaker said: “Although First in Service Travel has been established in the United States of America for over 30 years and Spain for three years, coming to the UK is just like starting again, from the beginning.
“This is why we chose to join the Advantage Travel Partnership. The team at Advantage are industry professionals who engage specialists from each area of our industry so that we can be sure that whatever questions or concerns we may have as a start-up business in the UK, our colleagues at Advantage are there to support us.”
Advantage global business travel director Guy Snelgar said: “We’re pleased to announce the new partnership with First in Service Travel as they enter the UK market for the first time.
“With a well-established reputation of providing excellent service in the North American market, it is an exciting development and opportunity to work together as they further expand in Europe.
“We’re looking forward to working closely with Barry and his team moving forward and assisting them with a successful launch in the UK.”
Whittaker’s career in travel spans more than 50 years including at Abercrombie & Kent, Tzell UK and Global Travel Collection.
Founded in New York in 1991, First in Service provides travel experiences for leisure, corporate, entertainment and events clients and also has a presence in Los Angeles, Miami, Bogota, Toronto and an already-established European office in Madrid.