news
Our news section is the place to come for all the latest announcements from HotelConnect. See below for our latest news articles.
HotelConnect is communicating with every independent agent in the country to re-confirm that the specialist is ABTA bonded as a principal for accommodation only bookings.
Head of sales Emma McNamee says “Agents have been contacting us with questions about liability and are understandably concerned. So we’re going out on the road to remind agents that they can trust HotelConnect to take responsibility for quality checks on their clients’ accommodation.”
McNamee has a six-strong sales team which will be visiting independent agents across the country, with face-to-face meetings backed by a mailing campaign underlining the health and safety, liability and bonding benefits of working with the company.
Managing director Chris Fraser adds “When I set up HotelConnect 13 years ago I decided to take a tour operator’s approach to client safety – hand-picking the accommodation and applying a rigorous Health & Safety policy to anything we contract. We never take beds from GDS or other 3rd party feeds into our system for the very reason that it is impossible to individually inspect that many hotels.”
The operator admits that its portfolio of 2,000+ properties could look small compared to the figures boasted by so-called bed banks, but insists that this is one area where size does not matter. “No agent needs 50,000 hotels to offer clients” says Fraser. “We book 250,000 people a year – mostly into European cities and resorts – making us one of the largest accommodation suppliers working with the trade. What agents do need is confidence that the properties have been inspected, passed a Health & Safety audit and – in the rare event that anything goes wrong – that their accommodation supplier will take full responsibility to resolve any client issues. The message we have to re-iterate to agents in the coming days is that they can have confidence in HotelConnect to do all those things – and deliver consistently low prices.”
Advantage’s Commercial Director, Julia Lo Bue Said has added her support to HotelConnect’s stance, saying “We fully endorse suppliers that act as the principal, offering our members peace of mind and complete protection.”
HotelConnect is ABTA bonded and a member of TIPTO (Truly Independent Professional Travel Organisation). It is a preferred partner for Advantage Travel Centres, Flight Centre and Global.
It was a very happy Christmas for one lucky agent who bagged £1000 in cash in HotelConnect’s 2005 Christmas book-to-win promotion.
The well known face of HotelConnect, Mr Secret Agent, visited Flight Centre Uxbridge this week to present Lucie Boreham, with the prize! The briefcase full of cash, which was the star prize in HotelConnect’s 2005 Christmas book-to-win promotion, certainly made Lucie’s Christmas!
Lucy, who had no idea she had won when Mr Secret Agent turned up unannounced at the shop said: “I was totally shocked; I was waiting for the cameras to come out and tell me it was Christmas Joke! This is a great prize and it shows that HotelConnect really appreciate all the bookings that agents make with them. Thanks HotelConnect, I will definitely be having a few drinks on you over Christmas!”
Runner up prizes included two cases of champagne, IPod Nano’s, M&S vouchers and digital cameras, were also awarded to 10 lucky travel agents, all of whom booked with HotelConnect between 01 and 16 December and were picked at random.
Well known comedian, Jimmy Carr, presented HotelConnect, the hotel specialist, with a prestigious award for the Best European Call Centre at the Call Centre Awards at the Hilton
in Birmingham last Wednesday night. Short listed to the final six and up against high profile companies such Experian,
Virgin Wines and The Phone Room, HotelConnect, the only travel company in the running, beat 100 entrants to the award,
sponsored by Invest Northern Ireland and judged by an independent industry panel.
The Director of the Institute of Customer Service, Paul Cooper, was one of many judging the awards, and was looking for a call centre that could demonstrate its ability to function to full customer, client and staff satisfaction. Particularly innovative or unique customer service practices were also a key element and judges were impressed with some of HotelConnect’s procedures which include sending all call centre staff on hotel visits to review the hotels in order to strengthen their product knowledge.
Clare Lindop, Customer Operations Manager, who accepted the award on behalf of HotelConnect said: “I was delighted to accept this award on behalf of HotelConnect and the employees who all work extremely hard to maintain our high levels of customer service through our extremely successful call centre”.
HotelConnect have the best customer satisfaction rate in the industry with 94% of its respondents rating their service as good or excellent and an unusually low complaint rate of 0.4%. This latest award compliments the CBI Customer Excellence Award which they won in 2004, which proves their consistency is continuing to strive to only the best customer service levels.
At a fantastic setting on the terrace of the Hilton Hotel in Sorrento, with the champagne cocktails flowing, HotelConnect was presented with the award for Best Accommodation-Only supplier as voted by the Advantage membership.
Susana Lorena, Business Development Manager, comments:
“It was great to share the experience of the "Dolce Vita" against the lovely backdrop of the Neapolitan coast with so many agents that have supported us so far. We also met many new members that hopefully now know a lot more about HotelConnect. We are extremely pleased to have been voted Best Accommodation Only supplier and look forward to being a part of the future with Advantage.”
Over 470 delegates were in Sorrento to experience its delights and hear about the new-look Advantage as well as plans for the future of the consortia. The highlight of the long weekend was without doubt the "speed dating" day where over 1000 appointments were carried out between members and business partners.
Guests that HotelConnect sponsored also give their comments on the conference:
“A great big thank you to HotelConnect for sponsoring me and special thanks to Susannah and Diane for looking after me so well in Sorrento. The Advantage conference lived up to all expectations and also helped to forge many useful new contacts.”
Gino Guibarelli
Senior Travel Consultant
Clifford International Travel
“Many thanks for inviting me to the Conference I thoroughly enjoyed it and found the sessions most beneficial.”
Caroline Crane
Ryedale Travel
For more information about HotelConnect, please visit our about us section, or contact Maretta Moriarty, Product Development Manager, on 020 8731 1515 or mmoriarty@hotelconnect.co.uk.
