The Greek specialist cruise line launched a tour operator brand – Celestyal Travel – in July before opening a shop to support the new operation in early September. The high street store in Surrey also houses Celestyal Travel's call centre and an agent training centre.
Speaking to TTG at WTM London on Tuesday (4 November), Haslett urged travel agents – particularly home-based ones – to consider using one of the seven available rooms in the Celestyal Travel shop.
The rooms available include the Logbook Lounge, The Helm, The Bridge, The Aegean Room, The Arabian Room, Crew Quarters and Celestyal Studios, where Celestyal currently films trade webinars.
Haslett said: "We wanted to create a space where travel agents feel comfortable and meet customers. They might be a homeworker and need to meet a customer somewhere. We see so much potential with our shop.
"We are Celestyal Cruises and Celestyal Travel, but there's also this space which people are welcome to use free of charge."
He revealed that while "a few suppliers" had used the shop to hold meetings, no travel agents had made the move. "If you're near Guildford and need a meeting point, we have space available," he stressed.
Asked if Celestyal Travel would open another shop in the future, Haslett said: "I would not say no to another shop if Celestyal Travel in Guildford continues to perform as it is doing and there's a return on investment."
Haslett confirmed Celestyal Travel would soon recruit a senior lead to work for Celestyal Travel managing director Janet Parton around the turn of the year. He revealed that the UK market had achieved "double-digit" growth in terms of revenue for Celestyal this year.
"We source globally but the rallying cry is for agents to book earlier," Haslett said. "In the Med, there's a race for space but in the Arabian Gulf, there's capacity as we grow.
"There's a real opportunity for great value from a late bookings perspective. We're happy with how it is performing. This is our first full season in the Arabian Gulf."
