Speaking to TTG ahead of the celebrations, co-founder and co-chief executive Harry Hastings described the next few months for the company as “a rebirth”, one he said would update its image – and bring it closer to the trade.
The operator’s main package brand, Ocean Florida, began dealing with the trade in July 2020 and accounts for 65% of the group’s business, with Ocean Beds, its B2B accommodation brand, accounting for a further 10%. The villa specialist sells properties via OTAs, and has 15 staff based in Florida’s Kissimmee.
The other brand is Winged Boots, a luxury leisure and corporate travel specialist, which accounts for the remaining quarter of the group’s business. Staffed by a team of six agents focusing on wealth clients needing "almost 24-hour care", it was named TTG Luxury Retail Business of the Year earlier this year.
Hastings, though, explained that after a pre-pandemic revamp for Winged Boots, the emphasis is on the group’s leisure business, with better trade relationships a key part of the plan.
“Our package business via Ocean Florida to the trade is the fastest-growing business unit,” said Hastings. “We have doubled the amount of trade business we have done in the past couple of months. Half our trade packages are for beyond Florida. We’ve signed three major consortia and have over 1,000 homeworkers.”
Hastings stressed he was not on the lookout for more agents. “It’s about cementing relationships with existing partners rather than sign more consortia or agents – it’s already going gangbusters.”
Those relationships will be bolstered into next year with chances for agents to win places on fam trips and monthly prizes and incentives. Hastings attributed the group’s success with the trade so far to “really simple stuff" – "answering the phone, listening to people and treating people with respect".
“It’s important to maintain our USPs," he continued. "We answered 95% of agents’ calls in January within 30 seconds, and we typically respond to emails within four hours. We also have destination specialists rather than someone that sells worldwide.” He said another USP was the ability to book 36 months in advance, something he believes will attract special occasion group bookings.
Ocean Florida sales are 80% Florida and 20% other US, Caribbean and Mexico, although the trade books 50% Florida. “Our goal is 50/50, but it’s not so much about new destinations – we’ve enough to do with the region we’re in."
