Top 50 2024 - North East - Now Lets Travel, Newcastle

Now Lets Travel’s Newcastle store is the beating heart of a growing business and brand in the North East. With six shops across the region, the agency’s Newcastle branch is perhaps best described as its nerve centre, handling new call centre and social media enquiries. The team of 10 share a staggering 188 years’ travel industry experience, but they’re learning all the time, regularly training with suppliers – especially all the major cruise lines.

Open seven days a week 9am-8pm, it’s always worth dropping by to check out the latest deals and offers, which are handpicked by the team for the window – illuminated by new ambient night lighting thanks to the council.

Gail and her team have big plans for the store; a new appointment service has been a hit, and they’re hopeful of creating a travel lounge for these more bespoke consultations. A mark of this business’s commitment to customer service was their response to last summer’s wildfires in Rhodes whereby the Newcastle store became a near round-the-clock service centre. The three-pronged response ensured clients in-resort, their family and friends back home, and clients waiting to travel were all kept up-to-date, while also managing the team’s workload. On another occasion, they were able to pull a few strings to reunite some clients with their bags in Barcelona during a strike. They then rang the port to get them to hold their ship, ensuring they made their cruise with minutes to spare. The store’s quarterly supplier speed dating evenings have been a hit, so much so they now have a waiting list of travel brands keen to get involved. A new internal intranet site, meanwhile, helps the team create new offers, several of which are shared with the agency’s 75,000-plus Facebook followers every day. The business has also invested in a bookable website.

nowletstravel.co.uk