PICTURES: Alex Maguire; Shutterstock/Tonktiti
JOEL GRANT The sales consultant from John Stewart Travel tells Samantha Mayling about being treated like royalty in Cyprus
Q. Why did you enter the competition? A. My manager John Stewart told me to apply as I’d enjoy it. A week later, I saw three missed phone calls on my mobile and it wasn’t until Jet2holidays business development manager Aileen Rutherford called the shop that I found out. I couldn’t believe it!
Q. How was the
Jet2.com flight from Manchester? A. It was smooth sailing through security. We also got a £10 voucher to spend on the flight. I bought 50 scratch cards and shared them out between our group. Everyone was chatting and getting to know each other. I’d flown with
Jet2.com on personal holidays, but never on a work trip. About 95% of my personal European holidays are with Jet2. It’s a very reputable brand and their airport staff are very helpful. We get customers saying: “I don’t want to see any other prices. I just want Jet2.” In Paphos, there were no delays, no hiccups. It was just brilliant.
Q. What did you think of the Constantinou Bros Asimina Suites Hotel? A. We got a private transfer to the hotel and had a Jet2holidays quiz to win one of two upgrades to a swim-up room. The standard rooms were incredible, but swim-up rooms were extra luxurious. The staff and food were amazing. My room was brilliant. I’d never seen a bathroom like that – it was enormous. Views of the sunsets were stunning, with the sound of sea and the waves as well. The staff treated us like royalty.
Q. What excursions and activities did you do? A. We did a gin-tasting and a masterchef experience at the Asimina Suites Hotel, watching them skilfully preparing fish fillets. During a winery tour, we picked grapes and then stamped on them in a barrel. My favourite experience was the sunset yacht trip with a buffet and drinks. The yacht was so relaxing and we were all talking like we’d known each other for years. People buy from people. I tell [clients] about my first- hand experiences, instead of reading from a computer
travelweekly.co.uk
screen. You get excited and the customer buys into it, thinking: “This person knows what he’s talking about, because it comes from first-hand experience.”
Q. What did you think of the food? A. I am the world’s fussiest eater. My idea of a perfect meal is chicken nuggets and chips. However, I did try most things, including the Cypriot breakfast banquet. I had about 15 Cypriot crepes with sugar and lemon.
Q. Have you sold any Jet2holidays trips to Cyprus? A. The week that I got back, I sold two trips. For people saying that they don’t know where they want to go, if you have been to certain places, you don’t need to read from a screen – you can actually tell them about Cyprus, then they want to look at it. You can show them pictures on your mobile phone. It is authentic – genuine experiences definitely help.
Q. What happened on your photoshoot? A. I had two – the first location had a lush mountain backdrop and the second one was next to Aphrodite’s Rock. One of the other agents had a photoshoot by Aphrodite’s Rock, so they turned the camera the other way for me to get a different backdrop.
Q. How was the reunion at the Travel Weekly Globe Travel Awards in January? A. It was a brilliant night, especially sitting with Jet2holidays, who won three Globes, and Constantinou Bros Hotels won a Globe too. We keep up to date with each other in our group chat from the trip. We met up a few hours beforehand, as we were all staying in the same hotel. We were standing up, swirling our napkins and cheering. The presenter, Claudia Winkleman, said: “This is the most enthusiastic table I’ve ever seen.” That was my first Globes. I have been to a few award ceremonies but the Globes was a much better experience. We spent half the night on the dance floor, and I got a caricature done too.
JOEL’s career
I was an apprentice welder between 16 and 18 but damaged my back in a car accident, so started working in an agency when I was
19, around the corner from where I am now. My mum was booking her holiday with John and mentioned that I was at that agency. He asked about me and gave my mum a business card. I called, we had a chat and he offered me a job on the spot – that was in May 2022. We have got a brilliant team of 27 people over three franchises and we go on nights out. I’m in the Dundee city centre branch. We sell anything from UK breaks to round-the-world cruises. I’m a Florida expert and others are cruise specialists. When I started, I went on a fam trip to Guernsey. My second fam trip was to Bulgaria with Balkan Holidays – and I got a tattoo of their logo. I also got Jet2holidays’ logo tattooed on my leg when I was on the Cover Stars trip in Cyprus. I’ve won SPAA awards as I go above and beyond for customers.
Joel
on the sunset cruise
1 MAY 2025
23
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