Very good travel companies
Expedia
Leading travel agent established in the UK since 1998, offering flights, hotels, car rentals and holidays online
- Innovation in Travel Award for Expedia Hotel View - The Globe Travel Awards 2011 presented by Travel Weekly
- UK's favourite Online Booking Website, as voted for by readers of the Mail group newspapers - The Globe Travel Awards 2011
- Best Online Travel Company - Telegraph Travel Awards 2005
- expedia.com named Best Flight Booking Company and Best Hotel Booking Company at the British Travel Awards 2010
- Ranked #2 - Travel websites - The Conde Nast Readers' Travel Awards 2011
- Favourite On Line Booking Website 2012 - Consumer Awards - Globe Travel Awards
- Expedia was named Best Travel Website at the Times and Sunday Times Travel Awards 2013.
- Expedia has been voted Best Online Travel Agency in the British Travel Awards 2013.
- Expedia’s #ThrowMeBack initiative has won Best Integrated Campaign in the inaugural Skifties social media travel awards 2014.
- Expedia has been named 2014 Europe's Leading Travel Agency in the World Travel Awards and is nominated for Europe's Leading Online Travel Agency and World's Leading Online Travel Agency Website in 2015.
- Expedia is included in the nominee list for Europe's Leading Online Travel Agency 2017 in the World Travel Awards.
- Expedia have been nominated for World's Leading Online Travel Agency 2018 in the World Travel Awards 2018.
- Expedia Group has received the Gold 2019 UserTesting Illumi Award for customer experience excellence and innovation.
- Expedia was named India's Leading Online Travel Agency 2022 at the World Travel Awards 2022. Expedia had also been nominated for the World's Leading Online Travel Agency 2022 award.
- As at December 2022, Expedia is included in the Top 10 UK Travel Companies of the Embryo travel index.
Blue Bay Travel
Independent UK travel company specialising in organising luxury holidays to the Caribbean, Indian Ocean and Far East. Blue Bay Travel's service, provided through personal travel consultants, has been widely recognised.
- BlueBay Travel named Travel Company of the Year 2011 at the TTG Travel Awards - also a finalist in the Online Travel Agent of the Year category.
- Winner - Top UK Call Centre 2013, 2012, 2011, 2010 & 2009, STAR Awards.
- BlueBay voted Top Independent Agent 2011, 2010 & 2009 at Virgin Holidays Awards and Agent of the Year 2011 at Thomas Cook Awards.
- Customer reviews and additional awards won by Blue Bay Travel can be found on their customer service plus page >>
- BlueBay is finalist for Travel Agency of the Year and Travel Team of the Year at the TTG Travel Awards 2013.
- Blue Bay Travel is a Finalist for TTG Travel Awards Travel Agency of the Year 2014.
- Nominated at Travel Weekly Agent Achievement Awards 2014 - Call Centre Agency of The Year.
- Blue Bay Travel have been named Most Outstanding Online Travel Agency in the SME News 2018 Business Elite Awards.
- Winner of Best Travel Agent Website in the Travolution Awards 2018.
- In the TTG Top 50 Travel Agencies 2018 Blue Bay was declared Top Online Agency.
- Blue Bay Travel has been nominated for Best Online Travel Retailer at the 2022 British Travel Awards.
Customer service travel awards
This is a further selection of customer service awards for top travel companies
- Jet2holidays awarded Best Customer Service accolade at 2022 Travolution Awards.
- OK To Travel have been awarded the Feefo 2023 Platinum Trusted Service Award.
- CruiseDirect.com has been named the Customer Service Department of the Year - Leisure & Tourism at the prestigious STEVIE Awards 2023
- Vietjet has been named Asia's Leading Airline for Customer Experience 2023 at the 30th Annual World Travel Awards.
- Garuda Indonesia loyalty program, GarudaMiles, received an award in Freddie Awards 2023 as 'Best Airline Customer Service' in Southeast Asia.
- Booking.com was named Best online travel agency for customer service at the the Elliott Advocacy Readers' Choice Awards 2023.
Sandals luxury resorts
Sandals Resorts specialise in providing travellers with the most romantic luxury experience in the Caribbean, offering the choice of 13 properties located in Jamaica, Antigua, St. Lucia, and The Bahamas.
- Sandals was named Favourite All-Inclusive, Favourite Hotel Chain and Favourite Environmentally Friendly Company at the Baxter Travel Media Agents Choice Awards 2010.
- Sandals was honoured with the title of Best All-Inclusive Resort Chain and Best Caribbean Hotel Chain at the Travel Weekly Readers Choice Awards 2008.
- World's Leading All-Inclusive Company and Caribbean’s Leading Hotel Brand – World Travel Awards 2009 and 2010 ; World's Most Romantic Resort - World Travel Awards 2010.
- Sandals was woted Best Hotel Chain Caribbean and Best Wedding and Honeymoon Hotel (Sandals Grande Antigua) in the Thomas Cook Awards 2008.
- Winner - Best destination choice - The Wedding Ideas Awards 2011 - Wedding Ideas Magazine and Voted Top All-Inclusive Brand - Brides Magazine's 2011 Best Honeymoon Survey.
- Sandals received the title of Best All Inclusive Hotel / Resort company at the British Travel Awards 2011.
- World's Most Romantic Resort - Sandals Grande Antigua Resort & Spa, Antigua - WTA 2011 - January 2012.
- Best All-Inclusive Resort Operator - Globe Travel Awards 2012 also, Oustanding Achievement Award for Gordon 'Butch' Stewart.
- Hotel, group or resort of the year in the Caribbean - Travel Agents Choice Awards 2011.
- Sandals has won an award at the 2022 World Travel Awards for its Outstanding Contribution to the Hospitality & Tourism Industry 2022.
- Sandals has received 12 accolades at the World Travel Awards 2012 including Caribbean's Leading Luxury All-Inclusive Resort and World's Leading All-Inclusive Company.
- Sandals received the Best All-Inclusive Resort Operator accolade at the Global Travel Awards 2013.
- Sandals has been named Best All-Inclusive Resort Operator in the 2015 Travel Weekly UK Globe Awards.
- Sandals has been voted Hotel & Resort Operator of the Year 2014 in the Travel Trade Gazette Travel Awards.
- Sandals has been voted Best All-Inclusive Resort Operator by travel agents in the 2017 Globe Travel Awards.
- Sandals has received four awards at the 26th annual World Travel Awards including World's Leading All-Inclusive Company 2019.
- Sandals has won an award at the 2022 World Travel Awards for its Outstanding Contribution to the Hospitality & Tourism Industry 2022.
- Sandals has won an award at the 2022 World Travel Awards for its Outstanding Contribution to the Hospitality & Tourism Industry 2022.
British Airways
Airline serving individuals and companies, direct or through travel agents and travel management companies
- British Airways was voted Favourite Airline in the Consumer category of the Global Travel Awards 2013.
- British Airways has collected the 2013 Best CSR Programme accolade at the British Business Travel Awards.
- British Airways was voted the best full-service airline flying from Cape Town International Airport in their 2012 Feather Awards survey.
- British Airways has won one of the Best Customer Service awards at the British Travel Awards 2013.
- British Airways have won Best Short-Haul Carrier, Best Frequent Flyer Programme, Best Airport Lounge and Best Product or Service Innovation at the Business Traveller Awards 2019.
- British Airways was named Best Short-Haul Airline at The Travel Awards 2019.
- British Airways was named Europe's Leading Airline Brand 2022 at the World Travel Awards 2022
- As at December 2022, British Airways is included in the Top 3 UK Travel Companies of the Embryo travel index.
- British Airways is included in the 2022 list of The top ten travel brands in the UK based data from YouGov BrandIndex - which measures consumer perceptions toward brands on a daily basis.
- British Airways is included in the 2022 list of the top ten travel companies in the UK based on data from YouGov BrandIndex - which measures consumer perceptions toward brands on a daily basis.
- British Airways is included in the 2022 list of the top 10 travel companies in the UK based on data from YouGov BrandIndex - which measures consumer perceptions toward brands on a daily basis.
- British Airways was named Best international airline for customer service at the the Elliott Advocacy Readers' Choice Awards 2023.
Holiday Autos (part of lastminute.com)
Holiday autos is the world's largest and leading leisure car hire broker - Part of lastminute.com .
- Best UK Travel Website 2010 - The Travel Press Awards 2010.
- Best Travel and Leisure Campaign at the Revolution Awards 2011.
- Holiday Autos was included in the Top 5 Travel Website list - Sunday Mirror 2010.
- Best Use of Social Media - The Travel Marketing Awards 2011.
- Holiday Autos is part of lastminute.com which was category winner in the Cool Brands 2011/2012 for Travel Agents.
Six Senses
Sustainable luxury accommodation and spa holidays in 7 countries including Maldives, Thailand, Vietnam, Oman, Fiji, Jordan, and Spain.
- Winner Global Tourism Business Award 2008 at the World Travel and Tourism Council's Tourism for Tomorrow Awards
- Overall Winner for Large Resorts/Lodges - Conde Nast Traveler - 2010 World Savers Awards and Gold List 2010 (Soneva Fushi by Six Senses, Maldives)- Conde Nast Traveler - USA The Gold List 2010
- Asia's Leading Resort Brand - Six Senses Resorts & Spas - World Travel Awards 2010
- Winner - Corporate Social Responsibility - Walpole Awards for Excellence 2010 (The Walpole British Luxury)
- Six Senses Con Dao is a Winner of Artravel Awards 2013.
- One for your European travel destinations list: Six Senses rue de Castiglione, Paris, France has won Best Luxury Emerging Spa in the World Luxury Spa Awards 2014.
- Six Senses Hotels Resorts Spas won the category Best Hotel Group in The Telegraph Travel Awards 2016.
- Six Senses Hotels Resorts Spas have been named Luxury Hotel Company of the Year at The TTG Luxury Travel Awards 2022.
- Six Senses Yao Noi has been included in the 2022 Conde Nast Traveler Gold List for The Best Hotels and Resorts in the World, Asia.
Greenforce
Greenforce is part of a group of travel companies which specialise in exciting and rewarding gap year and career break expeditions to remote destinations around the world. Member of the Gapforce group of travel websites
- Gapforce is the winner of the BETA British Youth Tourism Award for Green Tourism 2009
Virgin Holidays
One of the leading UK travel companies providing holidays to mainland USA, Canada, the Caribbean, the Far East, South Africa, the Middle East, Indian Ocean, Mauritius, New Zealand and Australia plus a well-established ski programme
- Favourite Long Haul Operator - as voted for by readers of the Daily Mail, Mail On Sunday, Metro and London Lite - Travel Weekly Annual Globe Awards 2009
- Virgin Holidays Customer Service Team - short listed for Customer Service Team - B2C - National Customer Service Awards 2010
- Favourite Long Haul Operator - Consumer Award Winners - Globe Travel Awards 2012
- Ranked #7 overall and first for Tourism - UK Customer Satisfaction Index results January 2012
- Finalist - Best high street, travel and leisure customer service - European Call Centre & Customer Service Awards 2012
- Virgin Holidays has been named Best Family TourOperator at the inaugural Sunday Times and Times Travel Awards 2013.
Club Med
Club Med offers premium all-inclusive holidays to over 80 exclusive Resorts all around the world. Each Resort has a wide collection of activities, sports, excursions and Spa packages.
- Club Med's Cancun & French West Indies resorts have ranked Silver on the 2019 U.S. News & World Report Best Hotels Rankings list.
- Club Med Punta Cana has been named the best all-inclusive resort in 2017 by Porthole Cruise Magazine.
- The annual British Travel Awards recognized Club Med as the Best Activity / Sports Resort, and Best Ski/Winter Resort worldwide in 2017.
cazenove+loyd
Expert award-winning travel company focusing on three exciting parts of the world (Africa+Indian Ocean, South+South East Asia Central+South America) where destination experts design luxury honeymoons, private safaris & ultimate family holidays.
- cazenove+loyd was ranked #1 for first-hand knowledge of destination - Worldwide Tour Operators - Conde Nast Travellers Readers' Travel Awards 2011.
- Top 5 - Specialist Tour Operator - Conde Nast Traveller Readers’ Travel Awards 2008 - 2011 (ranked #3 in 2011.
- Ranked #1 for level of expertise - Specialist Tour Operator - Conde Nast Traveller Readers’ Travel. Awards 2010.
- cazenove+loyd was the winner of the Specialist Tour Operator at the Conde Nast Traveller Readers’ Awards 2007.
- Cazenove + Loyd is included in the Top 10 list of The best general tour operators in the world 2023 in the Conde Nast 2023 Readers' Choice Awards.
Good customer service in travel
Our video on good customer serice in the travel industry can be found on You Tube
Travel companies with the best customer service
The travel industry is a highly competitive one, so it is more important than ever for travel companies to offer excellent customer service. Here are some things that travel companies can do to offer the best customer service:
- Be knowledgeable and helpful. Make sure your customer service representatives are knowledgeable about your products and services. They should be able to answer customer questions in a clear away. They should also be able to offer helpful suggestions.
- Be proactive and responsive. Don't wait for customers to come to you with travel problems. Be proactive in reaching out to them and offering assistance. If a customer has a problem, be responsive and take steps to resolve it quickly.
- Be friendly and approachable. Customers should feel comfortable interacting with your travel company customer service representatives. They should be treated with respect and courtesy.
- Be flexible and accommodating. Things don't always go according to plan when you're traveling. Be flexible and accommodating when things go wrong. Try to find solutions that work for the customer, even if it means going above and beyond.
- Be consistent. Customer service should be consistent across all channels. Before, during and after their travel, whether customers are interacting with you online, over the phone, or in person, they should have a consistent experience.
- Use technology to your advantage. There are a number of technology tools that can help travel companies improve their customer service. For example, chatbots can be used to provide real-time assistance to customers.
- Train your employees well. Your customer service representatives are the front line of your business. Make sure they are well-trained and equipped to handle customer inquiries and complaints.
- Listen to your customers. Get feedback from your customers and use it to improve your customer service. This feedback can help you identify areas where you can improve and make changes that will make a difference for your customers.
- By following these tips, travel companies can offer great customer service and create a positive experience for their customers. This will help them to attract new customers and retain existing ones.
2022 winners The World Luxury Travel Awards
The World Luxury Travel Awards identifies award-winning luxury travel providers around the world. Here is a selection of some recent winners.
- Anton’s Egypt Tours in the category Travel Agency (2022)
- Travelotus Luxury Tours Limited in the category DMC (MICE) Travel Agency (2022)
- Ultra Luxury Maldives in the category Travel Agency (2022)
- Italy Creative in the category Luxury Tailored Travel Agency (2022)
isango!
Source of exciting and colorful experiences for both consumers and travel professionals including holiday tours, sightseeing, attractions, activities and best things to do in more than 50 countries across the world to plan and book ahead
- Rising brand of the year - Travolution Awards 2009
- Named the 2nd fastest growing digital media company in Europe - GP Bullhound’s Media Momentum Awards 2009
- Best Travel Agent Website - Highly Commended - Travolution Awards 2010
- Shortlisted for Innovation in Travel and Leisure award in the Econsultancy Innovation Awards 2012 shortlist
- Best Attraction Website - Travolution Awards 2011 Winner
Journeys à la Carte
Travel agent which aims to find the right holiday, irrespective of budget, age, individual tastes and whether tailor-made or from a brochure.
- Best Travel Agent - Guardian/Observer Travel Awards 2008
- Ranked third in list for Best travel agent - Guardian, Observer and guardian.co.uk Travel Awards 2010
- Best Travel Agent - Guardian, Observer and guardian.co.uk Travel Awards 2011
- Journeys a la Carte were named Joint-winner - Best Travel Agent - at the Guardian, Observer and guardian.co.uk Readers' Travel Awards 2012
- Journeys a la Carte was voted Best travel agent in the 2013 Guardian and Observer Readers' Travel Awards.
Jumeirah Goup Hotels and Resorts
World class luxury international hotel group with properties located in many international travel destinations
- Middle East's Leading Hotel and Dubai's Leading Hotel (Burj Al Arab)- World Travel Awards 2009
- Best Business Hotel Chain in the Middle East (Jumeirah #1)- Business Traveller UK Awards 2009 - and, Best Leisure/Resort Hotel in the Middle East (Jumeirah Beach Hotel # 1) -The Business Traveller Middle East Awards 2009
- Best Middle Eastern Hotel (Jumeirah Beach Hotel)- Conde Nast Traveler Readers’ Choice Awards 2009 - and, Best Hotel / Resort in the Middle East (Burj Al Arab)- Luxury Travel Advisor Awards of Excellence 2009
- Best Hotel Chain in the Middle East (Jumeirah Hotels & Resorts)- Global Traveler Tested Reader Survey 2009
- Top Favourite Hotel - Grand City Hotel Africa & Middle East and Luxury Resort Africa & Middle East (Burj Al Arab)- Centurion Magazine Reader’s Choice 2011
- World’s Best Luxury Resort Spa (Talise Spa Madinat Jumeirah)- World Luxury Hotel Awards 2011
- Best Hotel in the Eastern United States (Jumeirah Essex House)- Global Traveler’s GT Tested Reader Survey 2010
- Best Business Hotel Chain in the Middle East (Jumeirah Group)- Business Traveller Awards 2010
- Winner - World's Excellence In Service Award 2011 - World Travel Awards 2011 - January 2012
- Nominee - Best Hotel Chain (worldwide)- Globe Travel Awards 2012
- Jumeirah Beach Hotel is one of the runners-up for Best hotels in the Middle East in the Ultratravel 100 list for 2012
- Jumeirah Bodrum Palace, Turkey is listed as a nominees for Europe's Leading Luxury Beach Resort 2017 in the @017 World Travel Awards.
national express
National Express is one of the leading travel providers in the UK offering train and coach services as well as transfer to airports and travel to large events such as music festivals and sporting events.
- National Express East Coast - top ranking - independent National Passengers Survey (NPS) - customer satisfaction league table of long distance train providers - autumn 2008
- National Express has been shortlisted for Employee Engagement (Loving the Customer) as well as Insight and Feedback in the 2013 UK Customer Experience Awards.
- Seen on Twitter in October 2013, very good customer feedback about National Express service >>
Travel companies with great customer service
We receive regular feedback via social media about travel companies offering a great customer service. On this travel agent page, we list a few examples below:
Very good service in travel companies
Very good service in travel companies is characterized by a number of factors, including:
- Responsiveness: Travel companies should be responsive to customer inquiries and concerns. This means responding to emails and phone calls promptly, and resolving issues in a timely manner.
- Accuracy: Top travel companies should provide accurate information about their products and services. This includes providing accurate pricing, availability, and cancellation policies.
- Solution-oriented: Travel companies should be solution-oriented when dealing with customer issues. This means working with customers to find a solution that meets their needs, even if it means going above and beyond what is expected.
- Empathetic: Top travel companies should be empathetic to customer concerns. This means understanding the customer's situation and taking the time to listen to their concerns.
- Appropriate follow-up: Travel companies should follow up with customers to ensure that their issues have been resolved. This shows that the company is committed to providing excellent service and that they value the customer's business.
Virgin Trains
Virgin Trains is a UK long-distance train travel franchise operator. For business and leisure travellers, they offer connections to UK major cities - London, Birmingham, Manchester, Liverpool, Glasgow and Edinburgh - via the West Coast Mainline.
- Virgin Trains has been voted the top long-distance franchise operator for 2012 by The Institute of Transport Management based on criteria such as price, frequency, punctuality, health and safety, comfort and cleanliness.
- Virgin Trains has been named best train operator by Which? Magazine in 2012
- Business Traveller magazine readers voted Virgin Trains the Best UK Domestic Rail Operator in 2012.
- In 2011 Virgin Trains won the British Quality Foundation's Achievement Award for Customer Satisfaction.
- In the National Passenger Survey results published in January 2013, Virgin Trains scored 92% for overall customer satisfaction, the highest level ever achieved by a franchise operation.
- Virgin Train won best rail operator 2011 in the Daily Mail Globe Travel Awards.
- Virgin Trains is included in the list of the top 5 transport companies according to the UK Customer Satisfaction index in January 2013.
- Seen on Twitter, a "customer service award" for Virgin Trains.
- Virgin Trains is included in the top 10 for the 2013 travel industry Social Brands 100.
- We have received a customer review about Virgin Trains via Twitter. To view click >>
- Virgin Train is one of the Top 5 Best rail company in the Guardian and Observer 2013 Travel Awards.
- Virgin Trains has been nominated for Best Rail Operator in the Business Travel Awards 2014 and in the Global Travel Awards 2014 organised by Travel Weekly.
- Great customer service review about Virgin Trains received via Twitter in October 2014 >>
- Virgin Trains is one of the finalists for Best Customer Service Co-Creation/Collaboration Award in the 2016 UK Customer Satisfaction Awards.
- Virgin Train has been named Best Rail Operator at the 2017 Business Travel Awards.
- Virgin Trains received the Design Innovation Award at the UK Rail Industry Awards 2018.