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Who we are

Holiday Extras ... I've heard so much about them
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Who are we?

Holiday Extras is the UK market leader for airport parking and airport hotels. The company was the brainchild of founder Gerry Pack and started life in 1983 in his spare room. Today, Holiday Extras makes arrangements for 6.8 million travellers each year, has an annual turnover of £165 million and employs around 900 people in the UK and Germany.

What are we?

As well as airport parking and airport hotels, we sell airport lounges, travel insurance, theatre breaks and theme park breaks. We own the airport parking companies BCP and Airparks. In 2002 we expanded into the European market when we opened our office in Munich. We take bookings through our website and our award-winning call centre.

The Holiday Extras building in Newingreen

Where are we?

Our head office is a purpose-built, open-plan building in Newingreen, a village in the Kent countryside near Folkestone. More than 350 people are based here, with an average age of 30. We're easy to get to - we're five minutes from junction 11 of the M20, or 10 minutes' walk from Westenhanger train station. The office is set in landscaped gardens and is surrounded by fields and farmland - so we sometimes get sheep wandering outside the windows.

Holiday Extras is listed in the Sunday Times Top 100 Companies to Work For

How are we doing?

We're in great shape - we won a string of awards in 2009. We were crowned one of the UK's top 10 call centres for customer service, as well as employer of the year in the Kent Excellence in Business Awards. We were also listed in the Sunday Times Top 100 Companies to Work For for the fourth time. The list is based on a survey sent out company-wide - it's our people themselves who say Holiday Extras is one of the 100 happiest places to work in the country. Visit our awards page to find out more.

Innovation, inspiration, people, success

Why are we here?

We want to give our customers the best products and the best service, and we're constantly looking for new ways to do this - new services we can provide, or improvements we can make to our existing service. We want people who share this aim - and who will fit in well in our friendly, fun, madly busy yet happily relaxed workplace. Our core values - which were chosen by our people - are innovation, inspiration, people and success.

Holiday Extras in the news

Holiday Extras in the news

We recently had an article published in Kent on Sunday, dedicated to our recruitment drive. Here's the article in full.

Local employer promotes recruitment to battle recession
As one of east Kent's largest employers, Holiday Extras sees a future marked by growth and pursuit of the ideals that have put the company firmly on the map: innovation, inspiration, people and success.

The Hythe-based travel add-ons company has achieved nationwide recognition for the high-quality service it provides its 6.8 million travellers every year.

Since its foundation in 1983, the company has built a reputation as the UK market leader in airport parking and airport hotels, with its insurance, theatre and theme park breaks businesses growing every year.

Holiday Extras Founder, Gerry Pack, presents Lynden Bulger of British Airways with their certificate at the first-ever Holiday Extras Customers' Awards

An award-winning reputation
Whether scooping prizes from industry experts or receiving the plaudits of customers, Holiday Extras enjoys a prize-winning mentality matched only by its dedication to improving customer experience. Building on its past successes, 2009 has seen the company named in the UK’s Top 10 Call Centres, a Sunday Times Best 100 company to work for and Employer of the Year at the Kent Excellence in Business Awards.

This year also saw Holiday Extras offer its customers the chance to comment on the UK travel industry. The first ever Holiday Extras Customers' Awards were hosted by renowned travel journalist and broadcaster Simon Calder at an exclusive ceremony in London, bringing together representatives from some of the travel industry's leading companies.

Holiday Extras chairman Steve Lawrence

New jobs
"The current economic climate is unprecedented, and many companies have never faced such difficult times," says Holiday Extras chairman Steve Lawrence. "We have been proactive in facing the economic downturn head on, developing a growth strategy that has created new jobs as well as opportunities for existing team members. We firmly believe that the success of the company relies on our continuing dedication to meet and exceed our customers’ expectations."