Spear Travels, Wolverhampton

As well as receiving a warm Black Country welcome in this lively and bubbly store, manager Kim Kent and her team are always keen to get the best deal for customers; they know who to call to arrange that bottle of bubbly in the hotel room, or that cabin upgrade.

Kim, alongside senior travel consultants Elaine Price, Isabel Lakin, Jenny Westwood and Mandy Robinson, also look out for clients when sourcing the best hotels, flights and destinations thanks to their regular training events.

This agency, a focal point in the upmarket village of Tettenhall with its historic green, has built up an impressive network of contacts, but the hard work doesn’t stop there.

For example, it’s not uncommon for Jenny to work up until 1am to ensure her clients are checked-in for flights.

Repeat business is high at 90%, due to building up rapports with nearby businesses – such as cake shop Gluttons, which has hosted several events, including a Vietnam and Cambodia evening, for Kim and co.

Strangers, too, get red carpet treatment – evidenced by the agency scoring top marks in 2016 after being “mystery shopped” (not once, but twice) by trade magazines.

Spear Travels also has a lot of fun with its large front window; January saw a 10-foot tall bear appear, with sunglasses, in a deckchair to prompt passers-by inside to book their summer holiday.

Further afield, Facebook is proving an effective way of bringing in new business, including a recent wedding enquiry for 14 people that originated in Scunthorpe. A booking swiftly ensued.

The team’s familiarisation trips come in useful here, with visits between them last year to Dubai, the Maldives, Zanzibar, Anguilla and Antigua, among other destinations.

With a combined total experience of 125 years, strong work ethic and a team spirit, Spear is looking sharp as it makes its TTG Top 50 Travel Agencies debut.