Mystery Shopper's seller of the week: Lara Chlopas, Thomas Cook

Thomas Cook

14 London Street

Score: 86%

Mystery Shopper said: The shop’s exterior was clean, well-presented and inviting. There was a good range of holiday offers and destinations available in the window display. When I entered the store I was greeted immediately by a consultant and made to feel welcome. The agent asked about travel dates, location, party size, catering preference, budget and the type of hotel I preferred. I felt that they were enthusiastic and made me feel included in the research. Overall I felt that the product suggested – a B&B stay with Gatwick flights for £1,781 – was a good match for me. The holiday was well within my budget and I was also shown pictures from the website to check if I was happy with the hotel. The agent told me that they could book the holiday if I wanted it. I felt the agent came across as professional and friendly and I would happily recommend them to friends and family.

Lara Chlopas
Apprentice consultant
Thomas Cook

How long in travel?
I started at Thomas Cook in August so its eight months now. I came straight into the job from sixth form.

How often do clients ask about Bulgaria?
It’s not a common request really; however, we’re selling a lot of Greece at the moment.

If you weren’t in travel?
I love the selling aspect of the job and the relationships that you develop with the customers. So I would have to say it would be something similar – maybe an estate agent.

Bucket-list destination?
I would love to go back to New York. I visited a couple of years ago for a few days but felt that I could have explored more.

Next holiday?
I’ve been looking at Croatia recently – the coastline looks lovely with its beaches and historic sights.

TTG has teamed up with React Surveys to simulate a realistic booking process each week – that means a mystery shopper looking for the best deal from agents and operators on the high street, online, on TV or in newspapers. The Mystery Shopper research is carried out on behalf of TTG by React Surveys,and no further details or information can be disclosed. Researchers take into consideration first impression, sales process, product and budget match and extras offered before giving an unbiased opinion of which channel/company they would have booked with on that occasion. We do not claim that the winner is the best in an area or specialist sector, as we may report on competing travel firms in the future. Please note that the aim of Mystery Shopper is not to criticise individual agents or companies, but to promote good sales technique for the benefit of all in the travel trade.