Leading Villa and Hotel Wholesaler Ocean Beds Launches New Website Including 6,000 New Hotels

Our Ocean Beds brand, the leading wholesaler and partner for specialist villa and hotel bookings in North America and beyond, has launched a new one-stop online bookable platform – oceanbeds.com. 

With new advanced filters and enhanced API functionality, Oceanbeds.com now allows trade partners to select multiple accommodations at one time, plus, the advanced filtering now makes it quicker and easier to find a dream home due to ease of search, making the process smoother for non-villa specialists. Ocean Beds has also bolstered its inventory to include wholesale rates to over 6,000 NEW hotels across North America and beyond – ranging from affordable accommodation to worldwide luxury. This is in addition to their existing collection of over 3,000 Florida villas and townhomes.  
 
Harry Hastings, Co-CEO and Co-Founder of Ocean Holidays said “This is an exciting day for our group of travel brands, our valued trade partners globally, and all their guests. As the leading wholesaler of Florida villas over the last 10 years, we’re proud of what we have achieved so far. However, we are delighted to now expand our Ocean Beds offering by over 6,000 new hotels across North America, Canada and The Indian Ocean – just to name a few extra destinations.  

This is on top of a content overhaul of our existing inventory of 3,000 villas and phase 1 of a new, simpler website which paves the way for us to be the go-to wholesale partner for long haul and premium ground products as well as services for consortia, tour operators, OTA’s, travel agents and home workers packaging their own holidays.” 

Hastings continued “Ocean Beds will continue to provide a personal service with a smile throughout the customer’s journey and is still the only European-focused wholesaler with a dedicated in-resort Customer Service Team based in Kissimmee – just 10 minutes from Walt Disney World Florida – alongside its UK HQ for 24/7 assistance.” 

To celebrate the launch Ocean Beds is offering a range of Florida hotel offers including but not limited to; 7th night free at the Rosen Inn Shingle Creek, ideally located for the forthcoming Epic Universe and Stay for 14 nights and pay for 12 at the Drury Inn & Suites and Drury Plaza. Plus, up to 10% off select Exact Homes booked before 1st October 2024 for travel dates up to 16th December 2026. 

The new site also features the latest news on the newest villa communities, exciting new hotel partners and opportunities at the most popular destinations. For trade partners looking for accommodation only, visit Oceanbeds.com today. For trade partners looking for package offers, please call Ocean Florida Trade on 01708 200521. To register as a partner, visit Oceanbeds.com/sign-up. 

Ocean Holidays Hits £100K Target for Children’s Hospice Haven House

Today we proudly announce that we have surpassed our £100K fundraising target for West Essex children’s hospice Haven House, following our fourth annual charity clay pigeon shooting event.

Winged Boots, a luxury travel concierge company under the Ocean Holidays Group, hosted ‘Shoot Day’ at The Royal Berkshire Shooting School on 7 June in partnership with Maddox Gallery, raising £13,700 through a series of donations and raffles.

Haven House Children’s Hospice provides critical medical support to children with life threatening or life limiting conditions across West Essex, North-East London and Hertfordshire, offering a range of services to over 400 children and their families, including day and overnight care, physiotherapy and bereavement support.

Co-Founder and Co-CEO of Ocean Holidays Harry Hastings said: “The importance of the services provided by Haven House to families in our community cannot be overstated. We’re honoured to have raised £100K since 2019 when we committed to support Haven House’s efforts for seriously ill children and their families through devastating circumstances, and we remain committed to continued fundraising for this cause.
The exceptional support Haven House offers is a beacon of hope to so many families, including my own. At 6 months old in 2020, my son was diagnosed with a rare genetic condition and Haven House now plays a critical role in his health and happiness. I would like to thank all of its staff for the incredible care they provide, as well as our team at Ocean Holidays, clients and sponsors for their generous donations over the years.”

Our consumer brands, Winged Boots and Ocean Florida, had raised a total of £90,150 for Haven House through previous iterations of the shooting competition, and other charitable events including an annual sponsored walk in honour of Harry Hasting’s son named ‘Rudy’s Ramble’, as well as sponsored skydives, bake sales and an online raffle.

Ralph Coulbeck, CEO of Haven House, said: “Raising £100,000 is a monumental achievement that will make a profound impact on our mission. To achieve this extraordinary milestone is a credit to Ocean Holidays and Winged Boots’ commitment and unwavering support.
Haven House could not exist without the support of our long-term corporate partners and their dedication exemplifies the power of collaboration and community spirit.”

Co-Founder and Managing Director of Winged Boots David Ox said: “Our clients and partners displayed considerable generosity throughout our Shoot Day event, but one moment stands out in particular. Despite having made donations throughout the day, as soon as we announced that we were close to reaching the £100k mark, the whole room clubbed together to ensure our target was met.”

The Shoot Day was attended by Winged Boots and Maddox Gallery customers, with One&Only and Overfinch sponsoring the fundraising event.
Winged Boots offers all aspects of ultra-luxury leisure and corporate travel, spanning flights, accommodation, yacht charter, private jet charter, as well as a concierge service for restaurant reservations, bespoke gifting and one-of-a-kind experiences.

To learn more about Haven House, please visit www.havenhouse.org.uk

For more information about Winged Boots, please visit: www.wingedboots.co.uk

Ocean Holidays Wins Inaugural Travel for All Award at the Travel Weekly Annual Globe Awards

We were delighted to win the inaugural Travel for All Award at the Travel Weekly Globe Awards last night at London’s Grosvenor House Hotel.

The award recognises and honours a travel company which has excelled in ensuring its product is truly inclusive and accessible. The judges selected us following rigorous testing of both our website and our dedicated accessibility hub, as well as conducting mystery calls to assess the knowledge and service of our sales team and their dedicated Accessibility Champions.

Our Co-Founder and Co-CEO, Harry Hastings, was on hand to pick up the award last night and said, “It feels fantastic to be recognised in this way and I’m so proud of the team. We’ve worked hard to embed a culture, and this is proof that the hard work is worth it. What makes it even sweeter is the fact it was our 20th-anniversary last year, which saw us undergo a brand refresh. Of course, good sales during peaks are a priority right now but equally to take a step back and be recognized for the work we are doing in striving to make holidays accessible for all helps put into context the importance of making really great holidays available to everyone.”

Our dedicated accessibility programme was launched in November 2022 and reported £8 million in sales in its first year. Spearheaded by Director of Product and Commercial Anna-Maria Janssen, the programme takes a holistic approach and considers both visible and hidden disabilities.

Janssen said of the award win, “I couldn’t be prouder of this award, and this is a testament to the hard work of the entire company in our mission to redefine all-inclusive and make holidays accessible for all. We pride ourselves on our service and we have spent a huge amount of time training our accessibility champions within the business, streamlining our processes and systems, ensuring we are able to provide the holiday of a lifetime for everyone. We are thrilled with the success of the programme so far and will continue to evolve and develop this.”

For more information about our accessible holidays, visit https://www.ocean-florida.co.uk/accessible-holidays/ to speak with an accessibility-trained agent or to make an enquiry today.

Love at first flight – get perfectly paired for a world first, all-inclusive first date to Florida

  • Ocean Florida is looking to send two singles on a once-in-a-lifetime first date where they get to test theme parks and beaches 
  • The chosen pair will be sent on an all-expenses paid trip to Florida, worth over £25,000 
  • The nine-day long trip has an extensive itinerary full of action-packed activities 

What if you could catch flights AND feelings? 

Ocean Florida and partners are putting two people to the ultimate test by offering a nine-day, all-expenses-paid trip to Florida…the catch? It will be their FIRST DATE! 

If chosen, YOU could be staying in a luxury villa, rating roller coasters, strolling down golden beaches and soaking up the scenic views from above in a romantic hot air balloon ride – all with your blind date while in the Sunshine State of Florida.  

The pair chosen to embark on this unique experience, worth over £25,000, will be selected by industry expert and globally accredited international matchmaker, Michelle Begy, the Managing Director and Founder of Ignite Dating, who will assess all submissions and pair the most compatible matches. 

So, if you’re a thrill-seeker hoping to find true love, what better way to put your relationship to the test than jetting off over Valentine’s week in 2024 for the experience of a lifetime? 

“Count me in! How do I apply?” 

  • First, you’ll need to fill out a simple first-stage application form on the Ocean Florida website here 
  • Entrants must be UK residents aged 25-60, hold a full UK driving licence, and of course – be single! (full t&c’s here
  • Entrants must be available to take the trip between the 12th – 21st of February 2024 
  • Ocean Florida is looking for two people who aren’t afraid to get stuck into adrenaline-packed activities, documenting their journey with a Go-Pro provided for the trip 

The selected couple will be notified on the 17th of January 2024 

“What can I expect from the trip?” 

The lucky couple will travel in style with Virgin Atlantic, leaving from London Heathrow Airport and heading straight to Orlando, where you’ll spend eight nights in luxury villas and hotels, with your own private rooms and ensuites. 

Trial all that the Sunshine State has to offer with this multi-centre trip across Orlando, Central Florida and Anna Maria Island. Whether that be testing your nerves high up on roller coasters or getting up close (but not too close) with Florida’s famous alligators while zooming down a zip wire at Gatorland USA

We’ll let you test your fear factor and discover your adrenaline junkie side at heights of 35 feet and speeds of 68 miles per hour on the Serengeti Flyer at Busch Gardens. You’ll also be encouraged to take it slow while admiring the scenic views of the Florida skyline during a serene hot air balloon ride with Central Florida. 

Test the water whilst jet skiing or taking a dolphin spotting cruise around Anna Maria Island and enjoy toes in the sand dining whilst watching one of the most romantic sunsets on the Gulf Coast. The fun doesn’t stop there, you’ll also receive a pair of basketball tickets, where you will be seated front-row at Jernigan’s to watch Orlando Magic play on Valentine’s night.   

And this isn’t all – the full itinerary has an array of other activities to occupy your trip and keep you busy! 

At the end of each day, wind down and get to know each other better over romantic dinners in a selection of amazing restaurants that Florida has to offer. Plus, all of your food and travel allowance is fully covered, so the only thing either of you will have to worry about is turning up! 

Explaining why activity-focused dates are so effective when looking for love, matchmaker and founder of Ignite Dating, Michelle Begy, states: “Everyone dreads awkward silences on a date, so it can help to have activities planned where you can really get to know somebody better. Sharing an experience gives you plenty to talk about and can help you relax because you are both doing something you enjoy.  

It can feel a lot more natural to break the ice with a shared activity rather than meeting solely face-to-face across the dinner table, politely trying to keep the conversation flowing. People tend to be themselves when they are in the moment, truly enjoying what they are doing, which can really help in getting to know somebody better and eliminate the nerves that can strike when you are dating.”  

One year on: Accessible holiday offering huge success for Ocean Florida

Romford-based holiday provider, Ocean Florida, celebrates one year of its accessible travel initiative, with 1,000 bespoke bookings driving £8m in sales. 

With data showing one in five are living with a disability in the UK¹, the villa holiday expert launched its accessible travel initiative in November 2022. One year on, it helped tailor 1,000 dream holidays to the sunshine state, generating over £8 million of sales for the Florida Specialist. 

As part of the launch, the holiday provider, which is part of the Ocean Holidays Group, ran a survey to reveal over half (51%) of respondents with a disability associate going on holiday with stress, while 36% associate travel with frustration.² 

To help reduce stress for disabled travellers, customers who book directly with the Orlando and Florida experts, as well as travel agents who use the service, now have access to uniquely-trained specialists, who work directly with the customer to tailor their trip to their individual needs.  

Considering hearing and visual impairments, as well as disabilities impacting mobility and cognitive function, customers can secure accommodation, travel and attraction itineraries best suited to them. For example, those with mobility needs can expect accommodation with widened doorways, hoist-entry pools and walk-in showers, as well as wheelchair accessible beaches, airline assistance and local transfers. Alternatively, there are options for autism-certified hotels and parks with low sensory areas with specially trained staff available for those with cognitive needs.  

Customer feedback conducted throughout the first year of the initiative however, shows booking the trip is only half the potential stress. To help tackle that challenge, customers can now expect to be assigned a dedicated accessibility coordinator, who will reach out 4-6 weeks prior to travel, to ensure a smooth journey. 

To celebrate one year of the initiative, Ocean Florida has partnered with Visit Florida and influencers Hannah and Becky Cheetham, who run Cheethams with dreams on Instagram, to further highlight the sunshine state as an accessible holiday destination.  

Hannah, who has cerebral palsy, her sister Becky, and their mum and dad will all embark on their own dream holiday this November, including access to the Kennedy Space Centre, Universal as well as heading to St. Pete Clearwater on Florida’s Gulf coast, for some family beach time.  

Not only do all customers have access to agents with unique accessibility training, the holiday provider has also invested in its website to provide a content hub of information, designed to help customers streamline their personal travel experience. 

Lindsey Brumby, Accessibility Co-ordinator at Ocean Florida comments: “As someone with a disability myself, I’m personally really proud of this initiative. Not only does it help all customers have the holiday of their dreams, it also puts the customer in complete control. This is particularly important because everyone’s experience with disability is different and unique to them, and everyone should be able to build a holiday specifically designed to them and their needs.” 

Director of Product and Commercial at Ocean Florida, Anna-Maria Janssen adds: “We’re so proud of this initiative here at Ocean Florida, and are thrilled to say we’ve helped over 3,500 people with unique requirements to book their dream holiday in the first year. We truly believe everyone deserves to travel comfortably and without stress, no matter what. 

“It’s crucial for travel agents and holiday providers to not be fearful of accessible bookings, which is why we invested in training our accessibility champions, to ensure they have the skills necessary to give all customers the best experience possible. We’re thrilled with the success of this program so far, and will continue to learn and develop the initiative as we help more and more customers book their dream Florida holiday.” 

For more information on accessible holidays, visit: https://www.ocean-florida.co.uk/accessible-holidays/, or to speak with an accessibility trained agent, make an enquiry today. 

US government announces vaccine mandate dropped from 11th May

Harry Hastings Co-CEO and Co-Founder, Ocean Florida said “We are thrilled that the vaccine mandate for all UK travellers to the USA is being dropped from 11 May 2023. As the UK’s largest independent operator to Florida, we’ve witnessed 20% of our cancellations since borders opened attributed to members of the travelling party being unvaccinated. The continued vaccination requirement has led to widespread confusion with 10% of our bookings being terminated at the final confirmation stage due to a lack of clarity of the entry restrictions.” He continued “The USA is one of the last countries to drop the vaccination requirement. The lifting of these final restrictions is an extremely welcome move and marks a great day in what has been a turbulent few years for the travel industry.”

Ocean Holidays Group Celebrates 20th Anniversary With Prizes and Rebrand

A year of celebrations planned including giveaways, competitions and fresh new branding

A year of celebrations, giveaways, competitions, trade-facing incentives and a brand refresh are all on the horizon for Ocean Holidays Group, the UK’s fastest growing travel company post-pandemic according to ATOL statistics, as it celebrates its 20th anniversary this year.

Speaking at an exclusive event at the US Embassy in London to kick off the celebrations, Harry Hastings Co-Founder and Co-CEO, Ocean Holidays said: “For the last 20 years, we have prided ourselves on being a people-first organisation. Without the support of our staff, customers and business partners we wouldn’t be where we are today. This is a great moment to reflect on where we have come from and where we are going – and, of course, take this opportunity to thank everyone who has been a part of the journey.”

The 20th anniversary celebrations will continue into next year, with chances for agents to win places on fam trips, and monthly prizes and incentives, as well as working with local community charity partners.

The rebrand, which primarily involves the Group’s Ocean brands – Ocean Florida, the largest direct-to-consumer Florida specialist in Europe; and Ocean Beds, the largest global provider of Florida holiday homes to the travel trade – is central to the celebratory activity for this milestone year. The Group also includes Winged Boots, a leader in personalised holidays.

At the heart of the brand refresh is Ocean Holidays’ mission ‘to make holidays the best they can be, every step of the way’ highlighting the group’s ethos. As the inaugural winner of Employer of the Year, the rebrand which launched internally earlier this year, introduces three new values to the business – Do the right thing; Strive to be the best; and Make it happen – imprinted through the entire business.

Hastings commented: “Whether you are an employee, partner or customer, your travel experience with us is personal. We understand that holiday purchases, now more so than ever, are a significant purchase, which is why we treat every holiday like it was our own.

“Each of our brands has the technology, ambition and commitment to do the right thing for our people and customers.”

Looking ahead, Hastings confirmed the group is looking to expand its destination portfolio, across the USA, and potentially to other worldwide destinations in time.

Hastings continued “Since we launched our trade programme in July 2020, we have focussed on delivering unrivalled service, value and flexibility to our trade partners and have seen huge growth in sales for Florida and the wider USA.”

Ocean Holidays Group Hails the Trade as They Report Record-Breaking Peak Booking Period

Romford, 02 February 2023: Ocean Holidays has confirmed a record-breaking January with sales up more than 50% compared to 2020, the last peaks experienced prior to the pandemic.

Ocean Holidays group, the long-haul and luxury specialists, also reported that 20% of their January revenue came from trade distribution compared to 10% pre-pandemic. 

Harry Hastings, Co-Founder, and Co-CEO, of Ocean Holidays, said: “It’s incredible after such a turbulent few years to finally see, not only a return to normal, but a bumper peaks. This January has been a jolt of confidence the industry needed after so much uncertainty.” He continued “We are so grateful for the support from our relatively new trade partnerships of which we are so fortunate to be enjoying mutual success together.”

Following feedback from several listening groups with key trade partners, Ocean Holidays has adapted their trade programme to provide agents with best-in-market working practices and incentives to help them increase sales as we enter 2023. New initiatives include a market-leading incentive to earn up to £600 per booking and quick response times to all calls, with the operator reporting over 95% of calls from travel agents were answered in under 30 seconds. 

Hastings said, “As the largest independent specialist to Florida, we pride ourselves on our service levels and we are extremely proud that despite experiencing the largest ever volume of calls in our 20-year history we managed to answer over 95% of calls from travel agents in under 30 seconds.” 

As Ocean Holidays looks to expand its destination portfolio, the operator reported almost half of bookings in the last month included destinations outside of Florida, including the wider USA, as well as growth from Winged Boots to luxury hotspots such as UAE and Indian Ocean. 

This bumper January follows a fantastic start to the year as the operator was recently awarded the prestigious accolade of Employer of the Year at the Travel Weekly Globe Awards. 

On the award, Hastings said, “Our people are at the heart of everything we do and we believe that is reflected in our exceptional service levels we are able to offer both the trade and customers alike.” He continued “As a business, we are constantly listening to our staff so that we can continue to evolve with them and make this a place where all employees can thrive.”