Travel House ‘to thrive under Hays ownership’
Juliet Dennis
Travel House bosses say they trust new owners Hays Travel “implicitly” to take the agency to “its limits” following its sale. The acquisition of Wales’s largest
independent agency chain, for an undisclosed sum, takes Hays Travel’s retail network to 476 shops, after it added 45 in September with the purchase of Just Go Travel. The 16-shop agency in south
Wales was set up by hotelier and entrepreneur Martin Morgan, owner of investment company
Swansea.com, in 1992. It has been a member of Hays Travel Independence Group since 2021. Explaining the rationale for the
deal, Morgan said: “We have reached a place where we have taken Travel House as far as we can. “Now is the time to expand
and thrive even further under the guardianship of Hays and Dame Irene, who I have known for almost 30 years, so can trust implicitly to take Travel House to its limits.” He also cited turning 61, moving
to Spain and getting married next year as reasons for the sale. Morgan previously sold Travel House in 1999 to Thomson Holidays for £40 million before buying it back again in 2004.
Jacob Hughes and Dame Irene Hays
Iglu declines to comment on report it is up for sale
Bosses of
Iglu.com, the UK’s biggest independent online cruise and ski travel agency, remained tight-lipped this week after it was reported that the business had been put up for sale with a potential price tag of £100 million. Lloyds Banking Group’s private
equity arm Lloyds Development Capital was reported by The Sunday Times to have appointed investment bankers from Rothschild & Co to oversee an auction of Iglu as demand for its holidays recovers after the pandemic. According to the newspaper,
City sources suggested the company’s owner would want to sell the business for a valuation of about 10 times forward earnings. Adjusted earnings before
Travel House group managing
director Jacob Hughes said the agency already felt “part of the Hays family”, adding: “There is no other organisation we would trust our team’s future with, we know they are in great hands.” Hays Travel owner Dame
Irene Hays confirmed all Travel House staff would be retained. She described Morgan as
a “brilliant entrepreneur” and said her agency was “honoured” to make the acquisition. She said: “We have given him
and his excellent team our assurances today their jobs are safe, and they
Royal Caribbean boosts sales team with seven appointments
Royal Caribbean has restructured its sales team and made seven appointments. Three key account managers have been promoted, with Luke Vanderhoeven appointed as field sales manager and Sophie Wilson and Kelly Ashby made divisional sales managers responsible for the north and south respectively. The sales development manager team has also increased from four to six.
8 30 NOVEMBER 2023
will be welcomed into our Hays Travel family.” Hays said the acquisition “further
supports our strategic priorities”. Jonathon Woodall-Johnston,
chief operating officer at Hays, said the agency’s teams would “work closely with our new colleagues to offer support and development opportunities”. Travel House head of retail
Leanne Williams will stay with the business under the deal. Hughes said the decision to move
Swansea.com away from travel had “not been easy” but the time was right to focus on other projects.
Sales rep Tony Byrne to retire after 45 years on the road
One of the trade’s best-loved sales reps is to retire after more than 45 years in the travel industry. Tony Byrne has spent most of his career on the road visiting and training agents on behalf of tour operators including Titan Travel, Cosmos Tourama, Great Rail Journeys and, most recently, Typically Holidays.
interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation was £8.9 million last year. The figure includes income from ski division Iglu Ski. The company said: “We don’t
comment on speculation in the press. The business is focused on continued growth in this very busy trading period. “We are looking forward to
continuing to deliver exceptional service to our customers, and to supporting our partners, in 2024 and beyond.” Last month the agency marked
25 years since it was set up by founder and chair Richard Downs.
Travel Weekly parent completes Online Travel Training acquisition
Travel Weekly parent Jacobs Media Group has completed the acquisition of Online Travel Training. The deal includes all OTT’s assets, including 14 employees and contractors, and will see it continue to trade as Online Travel Training within the JMG portfolio. The training specialist provides bespoke courses, virtual events, webinars, incentives and rewards for staff in the travel industry.
travelweekly.co.uk
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