New London travel agency claims to have transformed the high street

A newly-opened travel agency in central London is claiming to have transformed the traditional high street shop.

Called peoplestravel, the new agency in Baker Street has replaced “brochure racks, cluttered windows and impersonal desk structures” with “comfortable discussion nooks and interactive touch-screens”.

A division of Emerald Global, the 2,000 sq ft open-plan space has white walls acting as large-scale movie screens.

Customer can use a permanent blog wall or explore a map of the world covered with tips, suggestions and inspiration from other peoplestravel customers.

The agency claims customers will be able to get immediate access to hotel room photos, tourism destination info and a whole lot more by using one of the touch-screens.

“With the recent collapse of a number of airlines, in addition to operators such as XL, we’re maximising the opportunity for holidaymakers to choose a secure, ‘bricks and mortar’ option in order to be financially protected and enjoy the benefit of human contact and guidance through holiday choices,” said Alyn Burgess, peoplestravel general manager.

“When designing the space, we wanted something that would truly transform the high street. We wanted a space that clients would feel comfortable going into.

“We wanted to create something more than an agency – an actual travel destination venue that might see customers coming from near and far to experience.

“It is not only customers who will benefit from the innovations we are providing. The trade has the opportunity to really create a high street presence as our open-plan multitude of spaces, screens and windows allow the industry to fully brand the shop and make it a showpiece in any marketing strategy.”

Customers can browse from the comfort of a sofa or curl up and watch a DVD on the plasma-screen.

Instead of going to the desk, staff bring the desk to customers in the form of a high-speed laptop.

From January, peoplestravel will run a calendar of in-store activity designed to add even more to the booking process, ranging from talks from renowned explorers to cooking demonstrations and dance lessons.

By Bev Fearis