Month: August 2021

COFTON SCOOPS STAYCATION TITLE

Posted on August 5, 2021

COFTON SCOOPS STAYCATION TITLE

PRAISE FOR COFTON Holidays and its directors (from left) Mellony Kirby, Helen Scott, and Chris Jeffery.

Experiencing the busiest summer in its history, with occupancy rates running at 98%, up 8% on 2019, Devon’s multi award-winning Cofton Holidays has been named the UK’s Best Caravan/Campsite at the prestigious iTravel Staycation Awards 2020/21. Having been shortlisted in more categories than any other tourism business in the UK, the team at Cofton attended the virtual Staycation Awards, held to celebrate the cream of the crop within the tourism sector. After receiving more than 1,000 nominations and entries across 14 fiercely competitive categories., the virtual ceremony, hosted by Countryfile’s Sean Fletcher, whittled the list down to the final champions, with winners coming from as far North as Loch Lomond in Scotland, right down to Penryn in Cornwall. Facilities include a heated indoor pool with a splash pad area and hydrotherapy loungers, a gym, restaurant, pub, steam room, sauna, fitness studio, soft play area, playground, sports wall, outdoor pools and much more. Guests also have access to five coarse fishing lakes, miles of cycle paths and nature trails that take visitors through woodland to the golden sands of Dawlish Warren beach and nature reserve.

 

COVE COMMUNITIES FAST TRACK REOPENING

Posted on August 5, 2021

COVE COMMUNITIES FAST TRACK REOPENING

THE NEW OWNERS of Bunn Leisure fast-tracked the park’s re-opening this summer.

In 2019 international holiday park operator Cove Communities, which runs 28 sites across the US and Canada, announced its plan to take over West Sussex-based holiday park Bunn Leisure. Banking on the growth in UK staycations, the acquisition of the 265- acre site in Selsey was the company’s first step in developing a premium UK holiday offering as part of a substantial investment in the UK holiday park sector. By April this year, the new owners faced a race against time to ensure its 800 team members were prepared and fully trained to welcome back the 11,000 holidaymakers and holiday homeowners the park hosts each year.

The objective was to ensure that the parks opened safely and that all team members had received the appropriate training. Erango software was chosen because of its speed of deployment and its ability to make HR managers’ lives easier by giving them access to reliable data on employees. Ross Cumming, Software Development Manager leading the deployment of Erango commented, “Park Managers were under pressure of deadline to reopen the parks safely. Erango was chosen to help track employee skills and competencies for many reasons. These included the speed of deployment and its ability to help with health and safety compliance.” Erango can be set up and deployed in most instances in less than a day. The intuitive platform is easy to navigate and so far, it has been used to track 350 employees who have completed food safety courses, hygiene training and accreditations, health and safety training courses, GDPR compliance and allergy training courses.

 

HOBURNE NEW CEO CONFIRMED

Posted on August 5, 2021

HOBURNE NEW CEO CONFIRMED

JIM FORWARD has taken the reins of the Hoburne Group

The Hoburne Group has confirmed the appointment of Riviera Travel chief commercial officer Jim Forward as its new CEO. He will take over from Rod Tucker, who will be retiring from his position of managing director at the end of this year after seven years of leading the family- run business.

Forward has worked in the holiday sector for over 25 years and has held senior management positions at companies including HF Holidays,Warner Leisure Hotels and Butlins.Most recently, as chief commercial officer of Riviera Travel, Jim has taken his team and the business through the challenges of COVID while maintaining his strong commitment to doing the right thing for customers, an approach that Hoburne has also taken through the pandemic.

“Hoburne has a fantastic history and as a family-run company, it genuinely believes in respect and integrity,” said Jim. “From my experience of meeting with team members, I am already impressed by their enthusiasm and concerted efforts to offer an outstanding level of customer service.”

 

SAT NAVS SET FOR NORTHWALES

Posted on August 5, 2021

SAT NAVS SET FOR NORTHWALES

THE RWST holiday lodge park in North Wales opened to guests this summer.

The picturesque North Wales market town of Llanrwst is welcoming the launch of ‘Rwst’, a luxurious new holiday lodge park. The £1.8m development opened its doors to its first guests in July, just as North Wales topped the charts as the UK’s most popular staycation destination, overtaking the coastal and rural charms of Devon and Cornwall for the first time, according to a survey by Sykes Holiday Cottages. Rwst occupies a prime location on the edge of the historic town, with scenic views across the River Conwy to the Gwydir Forest and Snowdonia mountains beyond. The park, which is a high-end redevelopment of the much-loved Trem Gwydir holiday village, includes 22, five-star holiday lodges, with one, two, and three-bedroom single-storey lodges available for holiday rentals