Style NOV (05.11.16)
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STYLE | travel 45<br />
Travel in <strong>Style</strong><br />
<strong>Style</strong> speaks with Sarah Crowe from House of Travel (HOT) High Street Lanes<br />
about the new central-city office and the interactive ‘dream station’.<br />
How important is it for HOT to be back in<br />
the city centre?<br />
We are very excited to be back in the central<br />
city and supporting an integral part of the<br />
Christchurch rebuild. Being the first tenants<br />
to move into the new innovation precinct,<br />
High Street Lanes, reflects our commitment<br />
to the importance of innovation, technology<br />
and growth.<br />
What is the ‘dream station’?<br />
This is the first interactive 55-inch<br />
touchscreen table for Cantabrians to explore<br />
destinations and accommodation information<br />
collated by our 450 House of Travel<br />
consultants. You can access street views of<br />
the hotel, and its surroundings and explore<br />
unknown destinations to get a feel for the<br />
area. Phase two, that will get rolled out early<br />
next year, will give our customers the option<br />
to access the dream station from the comfort<br />
of their homes, accessing sightseeing options<br />
to add to their existing booking.<br />
What has been the most rewarding travel<br />
experience the team has put together?<br />
We had a situation where our client was<br />
booked to attend a wedding as best man,<br />
on the day his flight arrived into Los Angeles.<br />
Due to an early morning airline cancellation,<br />
he was left stranded at Christchurch<br />
International Airport. The airline was insistent<br />
that he be rerouted via Melbourne with an<br />
overnight stay. After hours of trying to get<br />
himself rebooked, he phoned us in a panic.<br />
We were immediately on the phone to<br />
our airline representative, and, after much<br />
perseverance, managed to get him to be<br />
rerouted and onto the next available direct<br />
flight. He arrived just in time for the wedding<br />
reception and was able to give his speech!<br />
How much travel do the agents do<br />
themselves?<br />
Our agents travel a minimum of once a<br />
year, if not more. In the past 12 months,<br />
our team of five have been to Canada,<br />
USA, Fiji, Tahiti, Sri Lanka, The Philippines,<br />
Bali, Japan, Maldives, Singapore, Thailand,<br />
England, Croatia, and Czech Republic. In<br />
these trips, we see numerous hotels as well<br />
as experience all the sights of the destination,<br />
giving us the latest updated information for<br />
our clients which is shared amongst the team.<br />
To where should we be planning our next<br />
holiday?<br />
Europe is hot at the moment. Fares have<br />
never been lower with new airlines entering<br />
the New Zealand market forcing fierce<br />
competition. There are 15 airlines to choose<br />
from when travelling to Europe. Business<br />
class has dropped in price by 17% this year.<br />
I’ve also seen some fabulous cruise pricing<br />
through the Mediterranean and Baltic areas.<br />
With the excellent exchange rates out there<br />
at the moment, it’s a great time to book<br />
your holiday and have an exciting trip to look<br />
forward to for winter 2017.<br />
255 St Asaph Street, Christchurch • 03 339 3440 • highstreetlanes@hot.co.nz<br />
www.houseoftravel.co.nz/hot-stores/Christchurch/High-Street-Lanes
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