The luxury villa and boutique hotel specialist is trialling the new portal with a number of existing trade partners with a view to rolling it out to agents "in the next month".

A key feature of the new portal, said Simpson, will be to allow agents to reserve villas and hotels for their clients, and then hold them for 24 hours.

Agents will be able to book villa and hotel packages through the portal, as well as make bookings on an accommodation-only basis. The portal will also give agents quick and easy access to their clients’ travel documentation and invoices.

In addition, Simpson will go out with a new trade brochure featuring some of the highlights of its 2024 property portfolio, spanning handpicked villas in Greece, Turkey, mainland France, Corsica, Majorca and Italy, as well as a range of adult-only and family-friendly hotels.

Hannah Naylor-Vane, head of trade sales at Simpson Travel, said the new portal and brochure would further enhance agents’ experience working with the operator.

"We believe the ability to hold properties for 24 hours, including some of our most sought-after villas, will be of particular benefit to homeworkers and those working outside core office hours," said Naylor-Vane.

She added: "Our relationship with agents is going from strength to strength and we are committed to building this still further. We are planning a number of fam trips for 2024, starting in spring with a visit to one of our Crete properties."

Agents wishing to register for the portal, receive a copy of the new brochure, find out more about Simpson’s fams or arrange an online or in-person training session with the operator should contact the trade team on agents@simpsontravel.com.