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BookOTel Newsletter - January 2012

Company Update

Welcome to the January 2012 issue of the BookOTel newsletter. We hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. We look forward to hearing from you throughout 2012, in what is sure to be an exciting year.

The company has had a great year and continues to grow and improve with each passing month. For our daily updates, follow us on Twitter and Facebook!

The Teams

Since our last newsletter we are delighted to announce that Jenna has joined our venue finding team and Sophie has joined our accounts team.

Jody has left BookOTel to join our sister company Autograph Events as Sales Manager and we wish her all the best in her new role.

Nyree has left the company on maternity leave and gave birth to her son Connor on the 27th December! We look forward to Nyree's return next year, and send our best wishes to them both.

I (Ben) have returned safely to BookOTel following my sabbatical leave in America. I had a great time and as you will see later in the newsletter, the BookOTel Bear had a great time as well!

Since the last newsletter we have been busy both in and out of the office. Several of the team enjoyed a Madhatters Tea Party at the Highgate House and Woodside Grange and can be seen below with representatives from Off Limits and Sundial Events. We would like to thank Jess, Mia and Carlie for a great time and thoroughly enjoyed the chance to see their venues first hand:

PHOTO: [Left to Right - Jess (Off Limits Events), Maria, Kim, Faye, Emma T, Nyree, Mia (Sundial Events), Carlie (Sundial Events), Kate (Sundial Events)]

The team also visited the Menzies Strathallan and after a tour of the bedrooms and meeting rooms they were treated to dinner and a game of bowling! Thanks to Michael and Emma from the Menzies team for a fun evening:

PHOTO: [Left to Right - Kirsty, Michael (Menzies), Emma T, Emma (Menzies), Laura T, Maria, Faye, Nick]

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 - Demi Humphries.

1. What is your role within BookOTel? Reservations Consultant
2. How long have you been in this role? 2 years
3. Brief career history: Before working at BookOTel I was both a hairdresser and a dance teacher assistant.
4. What did you aspire to be as a child? To be a ballerina - who doesn't?!
5. What would your dream job be? A dancer in the West End
6. Describe yourself in three words: Drama-queen, funny, sensitive.
7. What are your hobbies? Going out, freestyle dancing, going to the gym.
8. Favourite holiday destination? Florida
9. Favourite hotel ever visited? Jumeirah Lowndes Hotel London
10. What do you think it takes to become Employee of the Quarter? Working hard, paying attention, never giving up, helping out others.
11. What are the highlights of working at BookOTel? Winning Employee of the Quarter and winning Most Improved Colleague last Christmas.
12. If you could have one super power what would it be? To be an invisible, flying genius princess.
13. What is your motto? I don't really have a motto, but my favourite phrases are: 'I've got the moves like Jagger' and 'Pooooooottaaaatooooooooe!'

PHOTO: [Demi with her Employee of the Quarter award]

CSR

Fundraising for our 2011 charity West Midlands Autism went brilliantly, and we raised a total of £1540 throughout the year! Among the events to raise money...

Jack had a sponsored leg wax:

PHOTO: [Jack from our Accounts Department having his leg waxed]

We had a 'Spooky Monday' which included dressing up for Halloween and the sale of pumpkin soup and spooky snacks:

PHOTO: [The BookOTel staff dressed up for Spooky Monday.]

The staff swapped their work uniforms for pyjamas for the day:

PHOTO: [The staff dressed up for Pyjama Day.]

Everyone had a great time raising money for a very worthy cause, and look forward to doing it all again for our 2012 charity!

ISO / Quality Performance

BookOTel Annual Internal Survey

Over the course of the next month, our annual staff survey will be sent to all BookOTel staff members in our continued effort to ensure that the voice of every employee is heard.

We will let you know the feedback in the next issue of our newsletter!

Technology

IT Upgrades

We have recently upgraded both our phone system and computer server as the latest investments in a long line of continued improvement to the company's IT systems.

The most up-to-date computer systems ensure we are best equipped to make arranging your business travel as efficient and effective as possible.

BookOTel Website

Our website has been re-designed and is up and running, so stop by www.bookotel.com and let me know what you think! ( This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it )

Industry News

London 2012 Olympic Games

With the London Olympics drawing ever nearer we wanted to offer you our continued support for the busy time ahead.

10.8 millions tickets have been made available for the Olympics, plus London will host 14,700 athletes, 22,000 members of the media, 80,000 members of the Olympic family and a 170,000 strong games work force. In addition to these figures, there will also be 'atmosphere tourists' attending non-ticketed events such as public screens, and this is expected to exceed the estimated 660,000 who attended in Beijing.

To be as best prepared as possible for this increase in demand for hotel rooms, work with your Account Manager over the coming months to plan as far ahead as possible. Restrict your business travel during the Olympics to the most essential of meetings and where possible postponing or relocating meetings that are due to take place in London at this time.

If you need any advice on planning your business travel during the busy Olympic months please contact This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Katla Volcano

The Katla Volcano in Iceland is larger in size that the Eyjafjallajokull Volcano which erupted last year, and there are signs that it could erupt in the near future.

Seismic activity in and around Katla has led scientists to believe that the long overdue eruption may be imminent and depending on the size of the eruption, it could have similarly disruptive consequences.

Sign up to our travel alert system to be the first to know how your travel plans may be affected by volcanic activity and to be kept up to date with all of our travel alerts.

Bears Tales

In this issue of the BookOTel newsletter, there have been two sightings of the BookOTel bear around the world!

Firstly, there has been a rare sighting of the bear in Yosemite National Park in California:

Then the bear was seen at the Hawkshill by Rex resort in Antigua enjoying a drink and some sun:

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

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 or Facebook 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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