Robbie O’Grady, who co-founded the agency with partner Jonathan Howitt in 2021, told TTG it was time to create some new roles to bolster the team of seven following consistent sales growth.
The Wirral-based agency, which also has an appointment-only office in Belfast, is looking to hire a full-time store manager, a full-time cruise planner and a part-time cruise planner. “We’re expanding the team," said O’Grady. "We’ve got to try and meet demand so we can work on a couple of other projects.
“We’re trying to do a few different things but there are only so many hours in the day and that’s why we’re going after a full-time store manager,” said O’Grady, while remaining tight-lipped for now about what exactly the other projects are.
He added the business is currently tracking 35% ahead year-on-year in terms of bookings, with 80% coming either from repeats or recommendations. “Word is spreading,” O’Grady added.
Last year, The Cruise Room opened premises in the southern wing of the former Harland and Wolff headquarters in Belfast. The shop operates on an appointment-only basis. “We’re a team of seven but we still don’t have anyone in our Belfast store," O’Grady continued.
"Currently, Jonathan and I travel to Belfast to meet the customers. That’s where we’re at with that. We’re trying to get somebody in there, and a lot of people have contacted us about that [role].
“Phase one for Belfast was about us trying to start the office. If someone rings up and arranges an appointment the next day, either Jonathan or I will be on the overnight ferry, but we’re now entering phase two, which is why we’re recruiting for someone to work there three days a week.”
O’Grady hinted that he wants The Cruise Room to “disrupt” the travel agency landscape in Northern Ireland as Barrhead Travel has done. “Northern Ireland has been quite settled for some time, but Barrhead has just announced a third shop there so they’re disrupting things a bit,” he explained.
“It’s been quite a while since anyone did that. The established agencies are Oasis Travel, Thompson Travel and Clubworld Travel. There are customers out there though that are looking for somebody new that’s a bit specialist."
Asked if The Cruise Room planned to launch a homeworking division, O’Grady said: “Never say never, but I don’t think we’ll do that at the moment. That’s not really our USP. We think we’re the only dedicated cruise agency on the high street in the UK.
"We’ve got a lot of guests from all over the country, but our guests walk in. We’ve got a lot of first-time cruisers who need the right advice. That said, I reckon one or two of our crew [staff] could become homeworkers in the future."
