The Junior Hotel Inspector programme was launched in July 2024 and was a hit with agents, allowing them to take their children on fam trips to participating hotels – giving agents a unique insight into a property's suitability for specific clients while also alleviating summer childcare issues.
During the trips, youngsters acting as mini hotel inspectors were given free rein to try out the pools, the children's menus, kids' clubs and other family-friendly amenities, and then give their feedback.
Classic was shuttered on Wednesday (24 September), with On the Beach claiming the nearly 40-year-old brand – which it acquired in 2018 for £20 million – had not been able to deliver the level of growth necessary to justify the group's ongoing investment in a B2B operation.
"We've therefore made the difficult decision to commence a wind down of Classic Collection and focus on our B2C business, On the Beach, where there are the strongest opportunities for growth," said group chief executive Shaun Morton.
Classic will take no further bookings, but On the Beach has pledged to honour all existing bookings and to support agents with them as part of an "orderly wind down". Some 26 Classic colleagues will now enter into collective consultation with the group. Agents have accused On the Beach of running down the Classic brand since acquiring the business.
TravCorp, which recently acquired Specialist Holidays Group from Travelopia to provide a new home for the Sovereign Luxury Travel, Citalia and American Holidays brands, said it would "fulfil Junior Hotel Inspector trips already committed or confirmed" by Classic.
"These trips captured imaginations across the trade," said TravCorp group chief executive Andy Freeth. "More importantly, they gave children a sense of being part of their parents’ world. We don’t want those families to be let down.
"If you were due to travel on one of these fams, please email us – we’ll make sure you and your children still get the chance to enjoy the same experience.”
Any affected agents should email tradesupport@specialistholidaysgroup.com. TravCorp is also calling on those hotel partners who committed to the programme to get in touch and agree to honour those trips "so the initiative can be brought back to life".
"This industry is built on people and relationships," Freeth added. "By stepping in, we want to keep alive the fun and inspiration of the Junior Hotel Inspector idea - and make sure those kids still get their moment to shine."
