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Jacobs gears up for Holiday Hotels web launch
Holiday Hotels, the new website offering resort apartments for as little as £6 a night, is expected to go live within two weeks.
Several million pounds has been pumped into the company, which is a subsidiary of car rental giant Holiday Autos.
It is aiming to fill a gap in the market by offering up to 1,500 properties, ranging from two-star apartments to five-star hotels, in resorts throughout the Mediterranean. There will also be some city centre properties on the site.
Holiday Autos chairman and chief executive Clive Jacobs (pictured above) said: “We have spent a lot of time getting this site ready, but we are now approaching the launch. It is exciting because this product is not available in the way we are doing it.
“More and more people want flexibility when they go on holiday. They want to book a low-cost flight and then book their own accommodation. They don’t want to be told they can only go for seven or 14 days and they don’t want to have to book 12 months in advance.”
Mr Jacobs, who is currently in the spotlight as the star of the BBC fly-on-the-wall documentary ‘The Secret Life of The Office’, said agents needed to adapt their thinking to new products to survive in the new market environment.
“We need a return to the art of selling and that is something that was stressed in the programme. The market is changing and you cannot bury your head in the sand about it.
“But there is still so much opportunity out there for travel agents to make money if they are prepared to sell products other than just the package holiday. Commissions are vanishing and retailers have to adapt. If people want a low-cost flight, a good agent will also suggest car rental and accommodation.
He added: “Let’s be honest. We haven’t launched Holiday Hotels to be a saviour of travel agents. We’ve launched it because there is a gap in the market. But we also think it can be an opportunity for agents.”
Mr Jacobs said he expected some people would book direct but added that many bookings would still come from travel agents.
Holiday Hotels is thought to be paying commissions up to 12% to retailers and is being headed by former Holiday Autos group marketing director Sara Zimmerman. The company’s website is http://www.holidayhotels.co.uk
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