The add-ons specialist has committed to a new £1 million-plus recruitment drive for more than 50 roles across the business, and has appointed Elizabeth Hogg to a new chief operating officer role.

It has also launched a UK short breaks programme to offer "unique" trips bridging gaps between overseas holidays, which will include exclusive hotel and ticket packages for theme parks, city breaks, river cruises and theatre trips.

Hogg said the HX team had been working "tirelessly" behind the scene to develop a strategy to leave lockdown firmly behind. 

"This year will see us be more ambitious than ever, moving faster and making the most of the precious time our customer has when they’re taking a break," she said.

"We’ve worked hard to adapt to the climate and we’re looking for passionate people to join our mission as we look to give travellers the most hassle-free holiday yet."

HX will recruit for a wide range of roles across the business, including software engineers, contact centre agents, designers and people managers.

It is is launching a fast-track programme to steer talented, tech-savvy individuals into new coding roles in just 12 weeks, with the business on the look out for more than 20 new software developers in the UK and Germany.

Hogg will focus on strengthening HX’s product and operations, while supporting employees to progress. She will work closely with chief executive Matthew Pack to deliver the company’s new vision. She is a previous group finance director of Big Issue Invest and was chief financial officer at No1 Lounges.

HX said it had reviewed every booking cancelled last year owing to the Covid crisis, circa 700,000, to ensure refunds and vouchers have been issued, and issued a further 8,700 to customers whose bookings couldn’t ordinarily be cancelled.

Its new Flextras promise, meanwhile, promises to allow travellers to cancel their booking up to an hour before departure.