Our philosophy is
The Art of Intelligent Travel Organising
Expressions Holidays is a luxury tour operator which has been organising luxury, tailor-made holidays and travel experiences around the world since 1989. The company is now based in Exeter, Devon, after having been in Belsize Park, NW3, for about 20 years.
We have carefully selected a range of elegant and prestigious hotels and resorts in countries and regions such as Italy, France, Spain, the Caribbean, the Indian Ocean and Sri Lanka. We also offer specialist programmes including Rail Holidays where we use our knowledge of destinations to create a bespoke holiday which suits clients with special interests or requirements.
We have an excellent client base of customers who appreciate our attention to detail and efficient, professional service. We also have an appealing and extensive website that attracts new clients to us. We specialise in matching the requirements of our clients in an accurate and commercially viable way.
We use our expert knowledge to offer the best solution to our clients, ensuring that we provide excellent customer service from start to finish. Many of our employees speak foreign languages, have lived abroad or have travelled extensively, and are eager to pass on their passion and love of other countries to our clients.
Expressions Holidays is owned and run by Marcelle Hoff and Martin Garland, who head up a committed and dynamic team, passionate about travel. We provide in-company training, regular travel and work in an international environment as well as plenty of opportunities for progression within the company.
The company is based in light and spacious offices in a business park on the eastern edge of the city of Exeter and is just a few minutes’ drive from the M5 yet easily accessible from the city centre by car, train, bus or bicycle. Exeter has an excellent network of cycle paths and regular buses serve the area from the University and the city centre. Exeter is a vibrant and charming city, surrounded by beautiful countryside, within easy reach of the stunning beaches of the south Devon coast and Dartmoor National Park. Road and rail connections to other parts of the country are good, whilst the city’s airport is just outside the city centre (only 10 minutes’ drive from our office).
Exeter has a large population of young professionals and offers plenty of accommodation options including house shares, making it ideal for recent graduates.
CURRENT JOB OPPORTUNITIES
Here are the details of current employment opportunities:
PERSONAL TRAVEL SPECIALISTS - TAILOR-MADE TRAVEL
We are recruiting for personal travel specialists to work in a sales capacity on both our European and long-haul tailor-made, luxury holiday programmes.
Our programmes include:
• Tailor-made, luxury hotel holidays to France, Italy, Spain, other Mediterranean countries, the Caribbean and the Indian Ocean
• Tailor-made touring holidays for individuals to Italy, France, Spain, Norway, Sri Lanka, Vietnam and New Zealand
• Tailor-made rail holidays throughout Europe including Italy, France, Spain and Norway but also to Switzerland, Austria, Germany and other central European countries
• Special interest holidays such as gardens, wine appreciation, walking, cookery and opera
• Cultural and sporting holidays for families
What does this role entail?
• Responsibility for putting together appropriate holidays
• Pricing holidays from scratch
• Tailoring the holiday details to fit the client brief
• Making sure all the elements are in place
• Delivering outstanding customer service.
It is a sales role with company and personal targets, but driven by the need for high-quality personal service and integrity of product delivery to our customers.
In support of this front-line sales activity (and driven by financial targets) you may be involved, (according to the season), in product updating, itinerary and copy writing, pricing, contract loading and product development and planning.
The role will be based at our newly refurbished offices in Exeter.
What are we looking for?
• Energetic and highly motivated people.
• Drive and passion for travel plus an understanding of what niche and specialist travel at the high end is all about.
• An understanding of our client base and what we have to do to deliver exceptional and honest holidays to them.
• An ability to work to generously-remunerated financial targets whilst delivering top quality service to our clients.
Skills required
• Previous luxury travel experience with a tour operator and proven track record in luxury sales is not essential. However, knowledge of our destinations and suppliers is an advantage as is a clear understanding of our clients (their background and purchasing habits).
• An ability to communicate with our clients is essential. Absolutely correct spoken and written English is required.
• You should also have a commercial aptitude and be very numerate.
• Accuracy with detail on our high value and complex bookings.
• You should be at ease with high sales values (£10K to £20k per holiday).
• Goal focus combined with trustworthiness.
• An ability to juggle volume, deadlines and the unexpected at once
• A competitiveness and eagerness to 'close the sale' is important as is a resilience and tenacity in the current competitive market place.
• You will have an ability to communicate with suppliers in different countries and knowledge of Italian, French, German and/or Spanish is a requirement.
You will be educated to UK degree level, ideally from a Russell Group university. You should have very good Microsoft Office skills and experience. Any foreign language is an advantage (the company uses French, Italian, Spanish and German regularly) as we are an international business.
You will be joining a team of other graduates, some from Exeter, others from other UK universities, who work across the company in holiday sales, marketing, product, admin and accounts, based in our attractive offices in Exeter. Training will be provided on the job, in-house and externally.
You will be expected to undertake visits overseas to inspect and explore our suppliers and their regions. On occasion you will be required to represent the company at events with suppliers and travel agents, both in the UK and overseas.
Starting salary
£26,000 per annum plus targeted bonus of up to £10,000.
How to apply
If you are interested in this role then please send your CV and a covering letter explaining why you want to work for Expressions Holidays to recruitment@expressionsholidays.co.uk
PARTNERSHIP EXECUTIVE
We are looking to recruit a Partnership executive who will be responsible for our commercial partnerships with third parties such as travel agents and closed user groups.
This is an extremely exciting opportunity for a graduate to gain experience of the travel industry, to take ownership of projects, to work independently within a team and to contribute to the well-being of the company.
The focus of the role is on liaising with our travel agent partners and others such as closed user groups to achieve our business targets. There will be an element of servicing existing relationships but also a requirement to target new partners.
The role involves:
• Reviewing the performance of travel agents
• Maintaining the agent database
• Identifying new agent partners
• Engaging new agent partners
• On-boarding new agents
• Managing agency contracts
• Negotiating special offers and incentives for partners
• Partnership marketing communications – print and digital
• Attending agency events
• Arranging agent educational trips
• Creating and implementing monthly newsletters for agents
• Identify closed user groups
• Implementing a marketing strategy for closed user groups
• Negotiating deals with closed user groups
• Up-dating our sales team about new partners, incentives and targets
Skills and requirements:
• Commercial understanding
• Desire to win and get a deal
• Focused on achieving goals and targets
• Clever and personable negotiating skills
• Able to approach new contacts and communicate fluently
• Combine a drive for success with inter-personal skills
• Good organisational skills
• Accurate with numbers and use of English
You will be educated to UK degree level, ideally from a Russell Group university. You should have very good Microsoft Office skills and experience. Any foreign language is an advantage (the company uses French, Italian, Spanish and German regularly) as we are an international business. Previous experience is not a requirement although some knowledge of the travel industry may be.
You will be joining a team of other graduates, some from Exeter, others from other UK universities, who work across the company in holiday sales, marketing, product, admin and accounts, based in our attractive, newly-refurbished offices in Exeter. Training will be provided on the job, in-house and externally.
On occasion you will be required to represent the company at events, both in the UK and overseas.
Please note: this is a full-time, not a part-time role.
Starting salary
£30,000 per annum
How to apply
If you are interested in this role then please send your CV and a covering letter explaining why you want to work for Expressions Holidays to recruitment@expressionsholidays.co.uk
SUPPLIER RELATIONSHIP EXECUTIVE
We are looking to recruit a Supplier Relationship Executive who will be responsible for this important commercial role within our company.
This is an extremely exciting opportunity for a graduate to gain experience of the travel industry, to take ownership of projects, to work independently within a team and to contribute to the well-being of the company.
The focus of the role is on managing and administering the relationships the company has with many international suppliers (mainly hotels, but also local transport and experience companies).
The role involves:
• Supplier contract management
• Supplier database management
• Up-dating website with contract information
• Up-dating website with special offers from suppliers
• Loading costs and rates from suppliers into our reservations system
• Maintaining accurate information from suppliers such as bank account details
• Managing commercial terms with suppliers
• Liaising between suppliers and our sales team for contracts and agreements
• Dealing with invoice queries
• Obtaining images from suppliers for product management
Skills and requirements:
• Commercial understanding
• Being methodical and disciplined
• Perseverance
• Ability to finish a project, not to leave loose ends
• Good organisational skills
• Able to work as part of a team but also willing to challenge
• Eye for detail – accurate numbers and use of English
• Accuracy
• Communication skills – external with international suppliers and internal
• Displaying sensitivity to cultural differences between suppliers
You will be educated to UK degree level, ideally from a Russell Group university. You should have very good Microsoft Office skills and experience. Any foreign language is an advantage (the company uses French, Italian, Spanish and German regularly).
You will be joining a team of other graduates, some from Exeter, others from other UK universities, who work across the company in holiday sales, marketing, product, admin and accounts, based in our attractive, newly-refurbished offices in Exeter. Training will be provided on the job, in-house and externally.
Please note: this is a full-time, not a part-time role
Starting salary
£26,000 per annum
How to apply
If you are interested in this role then please send your CV and a covering letter explaining why you want to work for Expressions Holidays to recruitment@expressionsholidays.co.uk
OR send details by post to:
The Managing Director (recruitment)
Expressions Holidays
Lynx House
Pynes Hill
Exeter
Devon
EX2 5JL