Top 50 2024 - East of England - Sunlounger Travel, King's Lynn

This King’s Lynn travel agency prides itself on doing the right thing by clients, whether that’s helping a customer who was effectively stranded in Thailand to reach her island-based hotel, or securing a full refund for a grieving couple who had been forced to cancel their holiday at short notice. Regular upgrades to the agency’s in-house management system help make the day-to-day operation of the store more efficient, from logging reminders to email customers pre-departure about visas, travel money and locating their passport to sending a personalised text 24 hours after they arrive in resort. Thanks to an active presence in relevant Facebook groups, the agency has also built a reputation as a go-to for offering tips and advice. Store manager Courtney Bunton and managing director Iain Kirkbright are passionate about providing opportunities for young staff, including two apprentices, and moving them up in the business. Courtney has developed Sunlounger’s own four-week course to enable new starters to slot into the team quickly and easily, and she took advantage of the quieter pre-Christmas period to reward staff with an advent calendar combining training and treats. Staff have attended a “business against abuse” course provided by local police to appoint the store as a “safe location” for victims of abuse to come in and speak while staff arrange the necessary support. It’s also a drop-off point for Radio West Norfolk’s Easter Egg and Toy appeals. The agency has its own solar panels and, in the past year, the team have partnered with Make It Wild to plant a tree for every booking made, supporting a regeneration project in a rural area of Norfolk.

sunlounger.com