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MYSTERY SHOPPER WIN MY BOOKING


SOUTHAMPTON


WANTED: A couple want two weeks of sunshine in Thailand in February. They are looking for a beach location and would ideally like somewhere all-inclusive or full-board. BUDGET: £4,500


WINNING AGENT


SENIOR TRAVEL CONSULTANT SARAH HILLARD


Bath Travel 91 ABOVE BAR STREET


I was acknowledged immediately by a patient and friendly agent. The agent


established my needs by asking for my budget, the location I was interested in and the type of facilities I wanted. I was


impressed by the agent’s knowledge and I received lots of handy local advice about the resort being recommended. The





I have been with Bath, now Hays Travel, for just over five years,


and before that, I was at STA Travel for eight years. I love travelling and it was a no-brainer that I wanted to get into travel after going to Australia and southeast Asia. The beauty of working for Hays is that we are free to create and offer something to suit our customers’ needs.


VERDICT


All three agents recommended only one option, but the winner set herself apart with her friendly approach and good service.


* This week’s Mystery Shopper was carried out before Hays Travel announced that it would be rebranding all Bath Travel stores


74% SCORING SYSTEM


50% Advice and product knowledge


25% Customer service


15% External/internal appearance


10% Overall experience


TIME OUT


Any agency that keeps Mystery Shopper waiting without acknowledgement for 10 minutes will fail to score!


The agent seemed patient, but not


overly enthusiastic, simply asking where I wanted to go and if I wanted a stopover. The consultant didn’t seem to have much knowledge of the destination, and the


recommendation was being slightly over budget at £5,332 for two weeks at the Centara Grand Beach Resort & Villas Krabi. I would have liked the agent to have established my needs a little better.


Again this agent was friendly, but


showed no passion for my enquiry. I was simply asked when and where I wanted to go. The agent didn’t seem to know much about the destination, but said family members had been and would recommend it. I was quoted £2,840 to


stay at the Patong Merlin Hotel in Phuket on a B&B basis. I thought more of my budget could have been utilised.


Kuoni JOHN LEWIS, WESTQUAY


Thomson HARBOUR PARADE


55%


consultant quoted £3,873 for two weeks’ B&B in a villa at the Bandara Resort & Spa in Koh Samui. The price, provided through Hays Faraway, included flights with British Airways. I would have liked a second quote for comparison purposes, but it ticked all the right boxes. I would have booked at this agency because of the good customer service I received.


87%


THIS WEEK’S WINNER


44 travelweekly.co.uk 26 November 2015


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