By Raj Sond
Holidays are a time to recharge, have fun and spend time with friends and family. Taking time out of work provides the perfect chance to switch off from the day-to-day routine which is often exhausting for anyone running a small business. However, for many SME owners it is not easy to switch off completely.
British holiday park operator Parkdean Resorts has experienced a sales sizzle, which follows on from a £25m investment commitment to modernise and enhance the luxury of its sites, introducing hot tubs and more to make trips more glamorous for travellers.
Virgin Trains has seemingly taken inspiration from Netflix with the launch of BEAM, a free on-board entertainment platform designed to deliver luxury and convenience with some 200 hours of content for passengers, including Captain America: The Winter Soldier, House of Cards, Top Gear and Frozen.
Tech startup Seatfrog has secured a AU$1.2m seed round to support the launch of a new live bidding platform, which will allow travellers to compete for last-minute flight upgrades ahead of takeoff – ideal for those with a love of business class.
Last week, I experienced one of my biggest annoyances. I walked into the lobby of my hotel, where I’d booked a room online. I’d already provided all my personal information – my address, my credit card, everything – but when I arrived to check in, they didn’t have any of these details.
Automotive giant Jaguar Land Rover has launched InMotion, a new startup arm of the business that will use tech to develop mobile services designed to solve issues faced in the transport industry.
By Chris Conway
Running a business used to require an office or high street presence, but now technology means you can run your firm from anywhere in the world and still be connected with customers and clients. Is it time to head to the beach
After identifying that one of the biggest problems for holiday let owners is “empty weeks in their calendar”, founders Matt Fox and Dan Harrison – both with backgrounds in the travel industry – realised that the UK’s self-catering holiday market was in need of its own lastminute.com, which secured its spot in our Everline Future 50 2016.
With the latest instalment of our annual Everline Future 50 initiative now only days away, Real Business goes back to its first year and finds out how Secret Escapes, a company billed as “hotel porn”, has gone from a disruptive idea to one with a multi-million pound turnover and big plans to further shake up the travel industry.
Heaven on Earth will open to visitors in April 2016 and it can be found on Thanda Island – a private East African paradise that will cost high net worth tourists $10,000 a night.
