NEWS SPECIAL REPORT


Ocean Holidays has always looked to stay ahead of the technology curve, and now it has the offices to match its ambitions and to help luxury travel concierge Winged Boots take off. Lee Hayhurst spoke to co-founders Harry Hastings and Daniel Ox


Founders: Harry and George Hastings, and David and Daniel Ox


Ocean Holidays takes flight wit


Ocean Holidays’ new offices not only offer commanding views of Romford, but bring something of the pioneering spirit of east London’s tech city to the Essex/ London suburb.


For sibling co-founders Harry and George Hastings and Daniel and David Ox, the travel firm’s new HQ underlines not just how successfully the company has established itself, but is a statement of intent for the future. Ocean Holidays is the largest


operator of Florida holidays from Europe that doesn’t have its own airline, and is poised to turn its attention to doubling the size of upmarket travel concierge brand Winged Boots. It is this brand that best reflects the company’s east London


heritage with its celebrity The Only Way is Essex, football and City clients, and authentic ‘made in London’ brand affiliations. Ocean Holidays incorporates


three divisions: Ocean Florida and Ocean California, outbound B2C operators; Ocean Beds, the


US-based B2B inbound ‘receptive’ operator; and Winged Boots.


Brand growth


The latter, headed by David Ox, Daniel’s brother and company co-founder, is the firm’s fastest- growing brand (largely due to word of mouth) and accounts for a fifth of its annual turnover. Harry Hastings said the “dream scenario” is for this figure to grow to 35%. “This isn’t about switching or moving revenue,” he said. “It’s part of a strategy of continuing along a growth path for all our brands. “If you keep doing the same


things you are going to be down in a challenging market, so you have to keep innovating and charging uphill, which is what we are doing.” In the financial year to December 31, Ocean Holidays reported profits (Ebitda) of £1.3 million on revenues of £45 million – 10% and 19% year- on-year growth respectively. The firm is targeting £100 million


turnover by 2020, about double its forecast for this year, and is


14 travelweekly.co.uk 17 August 2017


“You have to keep innovating and charging uphill, which is what we are doing”


currently tracking at about 25% to 30% up this year. In the first quarter of 2016,


Winged Boots’ revenue was 46% up on the same period last year. Its core destinations are Las Vegas and Dubai, the latter accounting for a third of bookings. Following a doubling of the sales


team to 12 by the end of the year, plans include a biannual Winged Boots lifestyle magazine. This will be produced by an in-house editorial team and comprise 30% editorial, including destination and celebrity features, and 70% deals.


Events


There will also be a series of quarterly events for VIP clients,


with ideas ranging from golf days to a trip to the Monaco Formula One Grand Prix. The magazine and events will


build on celebrity and London affiliations forged with the likes of luxury menswear tailor Thom Sweeney, yacht brokerage Sunseeker London, and Pankhurst, the barber-cum-gentleman’s club. For the first time, Winged Boots will be cross-marketed to the 40,000 customers of Ocean Holidays, the official travel supplier to West Ham Football Club, which is based at the London Stadium in Stratford. Along with access to the O2


through a corporate box, the firm believes it can offer clients the perfect London entertainment experience. The hope is Winged Boots becomes the sort of lifestyle brand its clients look to for more than just holiday inspiration. “We want to be our customers’


expert in travel,” said Daniel Ox. “We want them to come to our events, to read our editorial, to live and breathe the brand. We want


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