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BookOTel Newsletter - September 2011

Company Update

Welcome to the September 2011 issue of the BookOTel newsletter. We hope you've all had a great summer and got the chance to get away and enjoy some sun!

The voting for the annual HBAA awards is now closed and we would like to thank everyone who voted for us as their Agency of the Year and will keep you updated with however we get on.

We can already celebrate to our travel department who were awarded 3rd place in the Airlines Travel Management Company of the year at the recent JTA awards dinner.

The Teams

Since our last newsletter we are delighted to announce that Bruce Canty has joined the travel team as a Business Travel Consultant, and Helen Williams has joined the Events Management team on a one year placement as part of her university course.

Sadly, Natasha has left the travel department and we wish her all the best with her university degree.

I (Ben) will be leaving the company on a three month sabbatical to go travelling across America and will return to the office on December 19th. I hope to bring back some great pictures of the BookOTel Bear on his travels and will share them with you all in December!

Ema Ierston is getting married on 24th September, we hope she has a wonderful day and has a great time on her honeymoon in Menorca.

Employee Of The Quarter

In each newsletter, one member of staff will be profiled to give you the chance to learn a little bit about the voices on the end of the BookOTel phones. This edition sees me interviewing Employee of the Quarter - Bianca Sedgwick.

1. What is your role within BookOTel? Reservations Supervisor (Now acting Reservations Manager)
2. How long have you been in this role? Reservations Supervisor for a year and a half, but I have been with the company for 3 and a half years
3. Brief career history: Before joining BookOTel I worked as a waitress from the age of 16 to 19, then as a hotel receptionist for 2 years, and then in a hotel sales office for a year.
4. What did you aspire to be as a child? Many things! To name a few: a vet, a surfer, a lawyer and a superbike champion.
5. What would your dream job be? To work as a sports therapist with the Springbok rugby team
6. Describe yourself in three words: Germophobe, organized, friendly.
7. What are your hobbies? Dancing, arts & crafts - fun DIY projects.
8. Favourite holiday destination? I've only ever been on holiday in South Africa, but I'm going to the Caribbean this year so I'm sure it will be the Caribbean
9. Favourite hotel ever visited? The Tower in London (Guoman)
10. What do you think it takes to become Employee of the Quarter? A lot of hard work.
11. What are the highlights of working at BookOTel? Friendly colleagues.
12. If you could have one super power what would it be? To be able to orb - ability to teleport in a flash
13. What is your motto? Everything happens for a reason

PHOTO: [Bianca with her Employee of the Quarter award

Events

August saw our Events team onsite at Newmarket racecourse to help run Gala Coral Group's Supplier Charity Day. Kirsty, Laura and Victoria arranged the day for 200 of Gala Coral Groups top suppliers and their guests which culminated in a charity raffle with some impressive prizes being donated from the suppliers, followed by the highlight of the evening entertainment - Sir Tom Jones.

During the 3 course dinner, racing tips were provided by Channel 4 racings top tipster Tommo, his advice and recommendations helped a few people enjoy the day all the more with a flutter on the horses, with one supplier kindly donating their table's entire winnings to the charities!

As this was a charity day the Events Team offered their services for free which included a branded website, delegate management, venue liaison and onsite assistance on the day. The charity event raised over £20,000.00 for Gala Coral Group's chosen charities which this year are Alzheimer's Society, FAB (Families Activity Breaks - supporting bereaved service families), and BLESMA (British Limbless Ex Service Men's Association).

If you have any enquiries for our Events Team for corporate hospitality, incentives or events please do contact us on 01905 610016, option 4 and speak to Laura or Kirsty in our Event Management department

CSR

Fundraising for our 2011 charity West Midlands Autism has gone brilliantly so far, raising a total of £873.06 to date.

In September, the reservations department are organising an office table football tournament fundraiser and we'll let you know who wins and how much we raise in the next issue of the newsletter.

ISO / Quality Performance

Investors In People

We are delighted to announce that we have had our Inspectors In People certification renewed.

After a rigorous inspection which involved a number of extensive interviews with staff members we achieved a Silver award which is only held by 10% of the businesses currently registered as Investors In People.

Technology

BookOTel Website Relaunch

The BookOTel website has recently been redesigned for easier use and accessibility.

Go to www.bookotel.com to see the new design and improvements and keep up to date with the latest news and services from BookOTel.

If you have any suggestions or feedback please email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Our new Facebook page

We have now launched a Facebook page which you can find at: www.facebook.com/BookOTel

'Like' us to be the first to know what's going on in the BookOTel office.

Sign ups & Alerts

It's never been easier to sign up to our distribution lists.

Our Travel Alert System keeps you up to date with the latest air and rail news wherever you are in the world and to subscribe just enter your details on the BookOTel website here.

It's also now even simpler to sign up to receive our newsletter every quarter, just follow this link to be the first to find out what's going on at BookOTel!

Industry News

Olympics

With the London 2012 Olympics now less than a year away, we will keep doing our utmost to prepare you for the period of high demand.

Be prepared to for a busy capital during the run up and aftermath of the Olympics and This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it to arrange your free consultation now to avoid the rush.

Arrange your Christmas Party

It's now less than four months until Christmas, so beat the rush and send your Christmas Party enquiry over to our events team to see what BookOTel can do to help plan your festivities: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Travelodge Discount

We're always looking for ways to save our clients money, and are delighted to announce reduced rates in all UK Travelodges.

Our special corporate discount entitles us to 5% off all web rates, so get in touch with our reservations team to benefit from reduced rates when booking a Travelodge.

Bears Tales

In this issue of the BookOTel newsletter, there has been two sightings of the BookOTel bear!

First he was seen attending a conference at Newmarket:

Then two bears were sighted with Yoda in the Avelo offices. (A special thanks must go to Sue Warburton for sending this one in!)

We are always in need of new bear photos! If you need a BookOTel Bear or have any pictures of his adventures please email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Handpicked Hotels

Meetings ETC - Events Training Conferences

Imagine a board meeting free from distractions, a presentation in impressive surroundings and generating ideas that inspire a high return on investment. At Hand Picked Hotels, we provide the environment that inspires ideas to maximise your return on investment.

Our newly launched conference brand Meetings ETC is now active in all 17 of our 4-star country house hotels which are ideal for meetings, events, training and conferences ranging from 2-300 delegates.

Each of our hotels has a dedicated events team who will respond to your enquiry within 2 hours, and help tailor make an event to suit your every need.

Bye For Now

We look forward to hearing from you, whether it's a new enquiry, your thoughts and comments or just general feedback.

Please feel free to check out our Twitter page to gain a better insight into the day-to-day happenings of BookOTel and the hotel industry.

We aim to be a 'one-stop' booking service, so why not give us a call and we'll take care of it all for you!

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