Solmar Villas said it has secured more than 200 of James Villas’ European properties following Awaze’s decision to axe the 40-year-old brand, and has pledged to support JV staff affected by the closure.
Holiday rental group Awaze on Monday (30 October) confirmed it had stopped taking new JV bookings and would mothball the brand with immediate effect, putting 40 jobs at risk of redundancy.
However, Solmar Villas has stepped in just days later to help James Villas customers. The family-run company is offering customers with bookings affected by the closure of JV the chance to rebook their holidays for the same dates.
It has set up a dedicated landing page where customers can go to find their villa and start the rebooking process. It has so far picked up villas across Greece, Spain, Portugal and Cyprus, predominantly Greek island properties.
The specialist features more than 1,600 properties across Europe through its own programmes, and has recently added Florida to its portfolio.
Solmar has also pledged to do "everything it can" to support James Villas’ Kent-based staff who it said were "facing an uncertain future".
It comes after fellow villa specialist Oliver’s Travels threw a lifeline to agents with affected bookings, offering a 5% "goodwill discount" if they rebook their clients with the business.
Elsewhere, the boss of SPL Villas had invited any James Villas staff affected by the closure to get in touch to see what opportunities are available to them.
’Extremely sad’
Sharon Bradbury, Solmar’s marketing director, said: "The announcement that James Villas is closing is extremely sad. The company has been part of the UK holiday industry for almost 40 years and this news will have left many holidaymakers’ plans in tatters, especially if flights and car hire have already been arranged.
“We’re delighted to be able to help some of those holidaymakers with their 2024 plans, with Solmar Villas so far securing more than 200 of James Villas’ former properties, with more being added daily.
“We’re able to give those customers hit by cancellations the opportunity to rebook through us on the same dates, keeping their travel plans intact.”
SPL Villas, meanwhile, said it would announce “some significant, trade-friendly, strategic enhancements” soon, and encouraged James Villas’ staff to contact the company.
Managing director Edward Frampton-Fell said: “[I] would be very happy to hear from anyone was on the James Villas team – particularly those from customer operations roles who’d like to be a part of what we expect to be a busy 2024.”
Frampton-Fell, who used to be a member of the James Villas senior team, added: “I was personally saddened to hear about the closure of the James Villas brand and have very fond memories of my time there and the team with which I worked.
“It is a particular shame as our data shows that demand for villa and short stay rentals is strengthening – something that was reinforced by Abta’s Holiday Habits report published this week, which showed the number of people renting a house on holiday rose to 12% last year."
