Recently appointed UK & Irelands Top Luxury Leisure Agency 2025 in the inaugural Top 20 Travel Agencies by TTG, Winged Boots has built its reputation on delivering exceptional travel experiences for discerning clients. Through Winged Boots For Agents, that expertise is now being made available to the trade.

Designed for the enquiries that matter most, Winged Boots For Agents is the partner you can turn to when the itinerary is complicated, the budget is significant and the client expectation is exceptional.

David Ox, managing director says: “Luxury travel is becoming more complex. Clients are asking for bespoke, multi-centre, experience-led travel, often spanning multiple destinations, across continents. Agents need trusted partners who can handle these enquiries without compromising service.”

“Winged Boots For Agents exists to solve that problem.”

The sales team behind the brand each have a minimum 10-years’ experience planning luxury travel and will offer 360° end-to-end journey management as well as 24/7 support via phone, WhatsApp or email. Winged Boots For Agents also offers award-winning concierge service as standard, going beyond the booking to help deliver moments that define luxury journeys and celebrate milestone moments.

EXPERIENCED WITHIN THE TRADE SPACE

Launching into trade is a natural progression for Winged Boots. Part of Ocean Holidays, its sister brand Ocean Florida launched Ocean Florida Trade five years ago, and it now accounts for a third of the group’s overall revenue.

“We know there is growing demand for specialist luxury partners within the trade,” says David Ox. “That’s why we’re combining the proven trade expertise of Ocean Florida Trade – including members of its founding team – with the award-winning service, supplier relationships and product expertise of Winged Boots to create Winged Boots For Agents.”

WINGED BOOTS FOR AGENTS LAUNCH

Winged Boots For Agents will officially launch at Black Book, TTG’s new luxury travel trade show, where it is a Premier Partner. You can book a 1-2-1 meeting with the experienced team when the event calendar opens early September.

“We’re excited to start discussing our offering with travel agents at Black Book. We know we have the tools and expertise to elevate their holiday planning and become an extension of the team, working behind the scenes to ensure that customers enjoy expertly designed, tailor-made holidays,” Ox says.

After a successful ‘soft-launch’ with a select few luxury travel agencies, Winged Boots For Agents has been described as ‘giving complete confidence when arranging travel for clients’.

“As a luxury travel specialist, it’s so important that I work with partners I can trust, and Matt is exactly that,” says Mandy Fisher, Nesoi Travel. “His knowledge is exceptional, and he always goes above and beyond to help. Rather than offering a one-size-fits-all solution, he takes the time to understand what’s needed and provides a range of options, explaining the benefits of each so we can make the best decision for our clients.”

Agents will also gain access to the Winged Boots Extra Mile programme, offering exclusive networking events, luxury brand partnerships and client-hosting opportunities throughout the year.

The waitlist to join Winged Boots For Agents is now open. To be amongst the first to use this new luxury travel operator, complete the short application form today. Once reviewed, you’ll be able to start selling tailor-made luxury holidays through Winged Boots For Agents when it officially launches on 21st October 2026.

Leading USA specialist reassures British holidaymakers with long-term price freezes, flexible booking and protected travel planning.

With many UK travellers feeling uneasy about booking expensive, long-haul holidays, Ocean Florida has reaffirmed its commitment to stress-free travel with the introduction of its Confidence Guarantee – led by a headline promise to guarantee holiday prices on all departures until 2029.

Amid growing concerns around flight disruption, rising travel costs and changing travel rules, families are increasingly delaying big holiday decisions. Ocean Florida’s Confidence Guarantee is designed to remove that hesitation by protecting customers’ plans from unexpected costs and last-minute changes.

New booking data from the specialist tour operator shows demand for the USA remains strong, with a 33% year-on-year rise in enquiries, as travellers look for destinations that feel familiar, reliable and good value, but only when the right reassurances are in place.

At the heart of the initiative is a long-term price guarantee, allowing customers to lock in today’s holiday rates for departures through to 2029. Once a deposit has been paid, the overall package cost will remain unchanged, even amid rising flight fares or wider operational increases, giving families greater certainty when planning ahead.

The Ocean Florida Confidence Guarantee includes*:

• Price lock up to 2029 – Price guarantee lets travellers lock in today’s rate: once the deposit is paid, the cost of the trip remains the same.
• Free date change & ESTA cancellation cover – One complimentary date change along with full cancellation protection if your ESTA application is declined.
• ABTA & ATOL protection (through the operator’s partnership with Hays Travel) – As an ATOL and ABTA protected provider, Ocean Florida adhere to a strict Code of Conduct, ensuring travel arrangements are 100% secure. If a flight is cancelled Ocean Florida will offer the option to re-book or accept a full refund.
• Exclusive savings & experiences – Exclusive Florida experiences worth up to $800 per family of 4(from airboat rides to laser tag).
• Expertise to craft the perfect itinerary – First-hand advice from people who are experts in USA getaways.
• 24/7 support from Orlando team – The team in Orlando are available 24/7 to handle any queries or recommendations.
• Award winning service – Ocean Florida is a multi-award-winning company and Trustpilot’s Highest Rated Florida Specialists.

The operator is also highlighting alternative ways to make long-haul travel feel more seamless. While Orlando remains the most popular choice, Ocean Florida has seen growing interest in flights into Tampa, with travellers increasingly drawn to its calmer airport experience and competitive fares. To make the journey even easier, customers flying into Tampa also receive up to $300 Uber credit to help cover return transfers between Tampa and Orlando, allowing families to start their holiday more smoothly from the moment they land.

Harry Hastings, co-CEO of Ocean Florida, said: “People still want something exciting to look forward to, especially family holidays, but understandably they want reassurance before booking. The Confidence Guarantee is about protecting those plans, whether that’s fixing the price years in advance, offering flexibility if circumstances change, or knowing there’s real support before and during the trip.”

With more than 20 years’ experience specialising in planning holidays, Ocean Florida says reassurance, flexibility and expert human support are now just as important to customers as the destination itself.

By combining long-term price certainty, flexible booking options and on-the-ground expertise, Ocean Florida is giving travellers greater confidence to plan ahead and book their holidays with peace of mind.

*Terms and conditions apply.

Ocean Beds has entered the next phase of its platform evolution, announcing that Intuitive iVector – intuitive’s single hotel API solution is the first certified distribution partner to go live with the Ocean Beds API. The milestone unlocks access to Ocean Beds’ growing portfolio of more than 6,000 hotels and 3,000 villas for a significantly broader network of travel trade partners.

The announcement marks a transition from platform development to distribution scale. Following the launch of its enhanced website and expanded inventory in 2024, and the successful delivery of its API infrastructure across villas and hotels in 2025, Ocean Beds is now focused on enabling seamless, large-scale connectivity across the global travel ecosystem.

At the heart of this strategy is a clear goal to tackle the long standing fragmentation in vacation rental distribution. Sourcing high quality villa accommodation at scale has traditionally been difficult for tour operators, online travel agencies and bed banks due to inconsistent standards, limited connectivity and fragmented supply.

Ocean Beds is positioning itself as a villa first B2B aggregator built to solve that challenge. By bringing together curated inventory and standardising content, availability and pricing through a single API connection, the platform allows distributors to integrate villa product just as easily as hotels.

With Intuitive now live as the first certified partner, that vision is becoming a reality. Intuitive’s customer base, which includes tour operators, OTAs and bed banks across the UK, can now access Ocean Beds’ full portfolio, including partners who have not previously contracted directly with Ocean Beds.

“This is a pivotal moment for Ocean Beds and for villa distribution more broadly,” said Daniel Ox, co-founder and co-CEO of Ocean Holidays “Over the past two years, we’ve focused on building the right platform and infrastructure to support the travel trade. Now, with our API live and Intuitive as our first certified partner, we are scaling that capability and opening access to high quality villa supply in a way that simply hasn’t been possible before.”

Intuitive’s role as the first partner highlights the readiness of Ocean Beds’ API led model. As a leading technology provider to the travel industry, Intuitive enables its customers to integrate third party inventory directly into their booking environments.

“Going live with the Ocean Beds API is an important step,” said Andy Keeley, Commercial Director at intuitive. “Our customers can now access a curated range of villas and hotels via a single, standardised connection, simplifying what has traditionally been a fragmented area of the market. We’re happy to support Ocean Beds as they continue to expand their distribution to the travel trade.”

This integration is the first step in a wider global rollout. While Intuitive initially strengthens distribution across the UK, Ocean Beds is already progressing integrations with additional partners across Europe, the Gulf Cooperation Council, North America, Latin America and Australia.

As distribution grows, Ocean Beds remains focused on a clear ambition to make villa bookings as accessible, scalable and reliable for the travel trade as hotel bookings. With its API now live and new partnerships underway, Ocean Beds is moving firmly into its next phase, reshaping how villa inventory is sourced, connected and sold across the global travel industry.

Part of the Ocean Holidays Group, Ocean Beds, the largest wholesaler of vacation homes in Florida aims to grow its villa portfolio tenfold and open up new global markets.

Villa holidays have become one of the fastest-growing segments in travel, with more holidaymakers opting for vacation homes over traditional hotels. But while demand is booming, the way villas are booked and distributed has not always kept pace with modern expectations.

Ocean Beds the villa wholesale division of Ocean Holidays and the largest supplier of vacation homes in Florida to the global travel trade is changing that. Unlike consumer platforms such as Airbnb or VRBO, Ocean Beds doesn’t sell directly to holidaymakers. Instead, it works exclusively with the travel industry, providing agents and tour operators with instant access to villa inventory that can be packaged seamlessly with flights, car hire and other essentials.

Following the successful launch of its new booking platform last year and the addition of 6,000 hotels to its portfolio, Ocean Beds is now rolling out Phase 2 of its technology and product overhaul. The upgrade includes a rebuilt API and significant investment in increasing inventory. By January peaks inventory will increase by 50% to just under 5,000 homes.

This latest step marks Phase Two of the brand’s wider global growth strategy, having already completed Phase One with the launch of their new and streamlined website in 2024. Phase Two looks to:

Offer more choice | Expanding beyond Florida into new destinations across North America, Canada, UAE the Indian Ocean and the Caribbean with an additional 4,000 new hotels set to be added to the portfolio.

Reach more travellers worldwide | Building on its UK base and partnerships in more than 25 countries by opening up to new trade markets including Latin America and Europe.

Looking ahead to Phase Three, Ocean Beds will become the first villa bed bank to offer ancillary extras such as car hire, theme park tickets and guest experiences within the next two years.

“Villa holidays are no longer niche; they’re at the heart of how people want to travel. Our mission is to make them as easy to book as a hotel room. With Phase 2 of our technology upgrade, we’re giving the travel trade the tools to offer customers unrivalled choice and seamless access to villa stays worldwide,” said Anna-Maria Janssen, Group Product & Commercial Director and Managing Director of Ocean Beds.

Ocean Beds is also integrating with all major back-office systems used by the industry, meaning new properties can go live for travellers almost instantly once they’re onboarded.

Backed by Ocean Holidays, Ocean Beds is redefining how villas are booked and distributed worldwide.

Ocean Holidays has announced that a 13-strong team of employees, including co-founders Harry and George Hastings, will travel to Zambia this July to take on a remarkable challenge: running a combined 190.5KM — the equivalent distance from the company’s Romford headquarters to the English Channel — or in this case, from Zimbabwe to Zambia over the breath-taking Victoria Falls.

The team, known as Ocean’s 13, is aiming to raise £10,000 for Play It Forward, a Zambian charity founded by Oliver Brendon, CEO of long-standing Ocean Holidays partner Attraction Tickets. The organisation empowers young people in Livingstone through sport, education, nutrition, and sexual health awareness — with a focus on empowering girls and sustainable community impact. Its professional football club is the only team known to pay both men and women equally.

“This challenge is about far more than distance — it’s about shared values, meaningful partnerships, and doing the right thing,” said Harry Hastings, Co-Founder and Co-CEO of Ocean Holidays. “Play It Forward is an incredible organisation making real, lasting change in Livingstone, and we’re proud to support them. This run is our way of turning belief into action.”

The initiative is part of Ocean Holidays’ broader mission to make travel the best it can be by being a company that cares — about their customers, team, partners, and communities. The business has long championed accessible, inclusive travel, helping more families experience holidays regardless of physical or cognitive barriers. Supporting Play It Forward is a natural extension of this ethos: travel as a force for good, both at home and abroad.

The run also marks a symbolic moment in Ocean Holidays’ 15-year+ relationship with Attraction Tickets Ltd and its trade brand DoSomethingDifferent.com. Both companies have grown organically and are leading entrepreneurial businesses in the UK travel industry, now sharing a renewed sense of purpose following Attraction Tickets’ recent transition to employee ownership.

Ocean Holidays invites its customers, partners, and the wider travel industry to support the team’s fundraising efforts and help reach the £10,000 target. Every pound donated directly supports Play It Forward’s mission to empower the next generation in Zambia.

To donate or learn more, visit: https://www.justgiving.com/page/oceans13