First Class Holidays to launch dedicated luxury brand

The new brand will launch with a dedicated 60-page brochure on November 1, focusing on its existing high-end product, as well as new additions.

Managing director Dan Gathercole told TTG the move came in anticipation of a significant “organic” increase in average spend with the operator next year.

Average spend per booking with First Class Holidays is currently around £9,500, but Gathercole said he expected this to grow to more than £10,000 during 2019.

MORE: First Class Holidays forecasts 22% revenue growth

“We already operate in a more premium market and are seen as a relatively high-end brand so we’ll further differentiate how we service customers,” said Gathercole.

“What we are aiming to do is create a product offering specifically for genuinely high-end, luxury consumers – we want to make sure if someone wants an extra-special hotel, service or experience, we can deliver it. For anyone who has the budget to do things like that, we can tailor our product.”

Gathercole said further delineating its high-end product would help First Class tease out its highest spenders and better cater for them end-to-end.

Luxury Collection by First Class Holidays, said Gathercole, will have a different team, different phone number, different section on the website and different branding “but will share the same First Class Holidays values around service”.

“We’ve looked at everything, from ticketing and quotes to their experience when they arrive,” said Gathercole, adding it would be up to individual agents to assess what the right path is for each customer.