Our Ocean Beds brand, the leading wholesaler and partner for specialist villa and hotel bookings in North America and beyond, has launched a new one-stop online bookable platform – oceanbeds.com. 

With new advanced filters and enhanced API functionality, Oceanbeds.com now allows trade partners to select multiple accommodations at one time, plus, the advanced filtering now makes it quicker and easier to find a dream home due to ease of search, making the process smoother for non-villa specialists. Ocean Beds has also bolstered its inventory to include wholesale rates to over 6,000 NEW hotels across North America and beyond – ranging from affordable accommodation to worldwide luxury. This is in addition to their existing collection of over 3,000 Florida villas and townhomes.  
 
Harry Hastings, Co-CEO and Co-Founder of Ocean Holidays said “This is an exciting day for our group of travel brands, our valued trade partners globally, and all their guests. As the leading wholesaler of Florida villas over the last 10 years, we’re proud of what we have achieved so far. However, we are delighted to now expand our Ocean Beds offering by over 6,000 new hotels across North America, Canada and The Indian Ocean – just to name a few extra destinations.  

This is on top of a content overhaul of our existing inventory of 3,000 villas and phase 1 of a new, simpler website which paves the way for us to be the go-to wholesale partner for long haul and premium ground products as well as services for consortia, tour operators, OTA’s, travel agents and home workers packaging their own holidays.” 

Hastings continued “Ocean Beds will continue to provide a personal service with a smile throughout the customer’s journey and is still the only European-focused wholesaler with a dedicated in-resort Customer Service Team based in Kissimmee – just 10 minutes from Walt Disney World Florida – alongside its UK HQ for 24/7 assistance.” 

To celebrate the launch Ocean Beds is offering a range of Florida hotel offers including but not limited to; 7^th night free at the Rosen Inn Shingle Creek, ideally located for the forthcoming Epic Universe and Stay for 14 nights and pay for 12 at the Drury Inn & Suites and Drury Plaza. Plus, up to 10% off select Exact Homes booked before 1^st October 2024 for travel dates up to 16^th December 2026. 

The new site also features the latest news on the newest villa communities, exciting new hotel partners and opportunities at the most popular destinations. For trade partners looking for accommodation only, visit Oceanbeds.com today. For trade partners looking for package offers, please call Ocean Florida Trade on 01708 200521. To register as a partner, visit Oceanbeds.com/sign-up. 

Romford-based holiday provider, Ocean Florida, celebrates one year of its accessible travel initiative, with 1,000 bespoke bookings driving £8m in sales. 

With data showing one in five are living with a disability in the UK¹, the villa holiday expert launched its accessible travel initiative in November 2022. One year on, it helped tailor 1,000 dream holidays to the sunshine state, generating over £8 million of sales for the Florida Specialist. 

As part of the launch, the holiday provider, which is part of the Ocean Holidays Group, ran a survey to reveal over half (51%) of respondents with a disability associate going on holiday with stress, while 36% associate travel with frustration.² 

To help reduce stress for disabled travellers, customers who book directly with the Orlando and Florida experts, as well as travel agents who use the service, now have access to uniquely-trained specialists, who work directly with the customer to tailor their trip to their individual needs.  

Considering hearing and visual impairments, as well as disabilities impacting mobility and cognitive function, customers can secure accommodation, travel and attraction itineraries best suited to them. For example, those with mobility needs can expect accommodation with widened doorways, hoist-entry pools and walk-in showers, as well as wheelchair accessible beaches, airline assistance and local transfers. Alternatively, there are options for autism-certified hotels and parks with low sensory areas with specially trained staff available for those with cognitive needs.  

Customer feedback conducted throughout the first year of the initiative however, shows booking the trip is only half the potential stress. To help tackle that challenge, customers can now expect to be assigned a dedicated accessibility coordinator, who will reach out 4-6 weeks prior to travel, to ensure a smooth journey. 

To celebrate one year of the initiative, Ocean Florida has partnered with Visit Florida and influencers Hannah and Becky Cheetham, who run Cheethams with dreams on Instagram, to further highlight the sunshine state as an accessible holiday destination.  

Hannah, who has cerebral palsy, her sister Becky, and their mum and dad will all embark on their own dream holiday this November, including access to the Kennedy Space Centre, Universal as well as heading to St. Pete Clearwater on Florida’s Gulf coast, for some family beach time.  

Not only do all customers have access to agents with unique accessibility training, the holiday provider has also invested in its website to provide a content hub of information, designed to help customers streamline their personal travel experience. 

Lindsey Brumby, Accessibility Co-ordinator at Ocean Florida comments: “As someone with a disability myself, I’m personally really proud of this initiative. Not only does it help all customers have the holiday of their dreams, it also puts the customer in complete control. This is particularly important because everyone’s experience with disability is different and unique to them, and everyone should be able to build a holiday specifically designed to them and their needs.” 

Director of Product and Commercial at Ocean Florida, Anna-Maria Janssen adds: “We’re so proud of this initiative here at Ocean Florida, and are thrilled to say we’ve helped over 3,500 people with unique requirements to book their dream holiday in the first year. We truly believe everyone deserves to travel comfortably and without stress, no matter what. 

“It’s crucial for travel agents and holiday providers to not be fearful of accessible bookings, which is why we invested in training our accessibility champions, to ensure they have the skills necessary to give all customers the best experience possible. We’re thrilled with the success of this program so far, and will continue to learn and develop the initiative as we help more and more customers book their dream Florida holiday.” 

For more information on accessible holidays, visit: https://www.ocean-florida.co.uk/accessible-holidays/, or to speak with an accessibility trained agent, make an enquiry today. 

A year of celebrations planned including giveaways, competitions and fresh new branding

A year of celebrations, giveaways, competitions, trade-facing incentives and a brand refresh are all on the horizon for Ocean Holidays Group, the UK’s fastest growing travel company post-pandemic according to ATOL statistics, as it celebrates its 20th anniversary this year.

Speaking at an exclusive event at the US Embassy in London to kick off the celebrations, Harry Hastings Co-Founder and Co-CEO, Ocean Holidays said: “For the last 20 years, we have prided ourselves on being a people-first organisation. Without the support of our staff, customers and business partners we wouldn’t be where we are today. This is a great moment to reflect on where we have come from and where we are going – and, of course, take this opportunity to thank everyone who has been a part of the journey.”

The 20th anniversary celebrations will continue into next year, with chances for agents to win places on fam trips, and monthly prizes and incentives, as well as working with local community charity partners.

The rebrand, which primarily involves the Group’s Ocean brands – Ocean Florida, the largest direct-to-consumer Florida specialist in Europe; and Ocean Beds, the largest global provider of Florida holiday homes to the travel trade – is central to the celebratory activity for this milestone year. The Group also includes Winged Boots, a leader in personalised holidays.

At the heart of the brand refresh is Ocean Holidays’ mission ‘to make holidays the best they can be, every step of the way’ highlighting the group’s ethos. As the inaugural winner of Employer of the Year, the rebrand which launched internally earlier this year, introduces three new values to the business – Do the right thing; Strive to be the best; and Make it happen – imprinted through the entire business.

Hastings commented: “Whether you are an employee, partner or customer, your travel experience with us is personal. We understand that holiday purchases, now more so than ever, are a significant purchase, which is why we treat every holiday like it was our own.

“Each of our brands has the technology, ambition and commitment to do the right thing for our people and customers.”

Looking ahead, Hastings confirmed the group is looking to expand its destination portfolio, across the USA, and potentially to other worldwide destinations in time.

Hastings continued “Since we launched our trade programme in July 2020, we have focussed on delivering unrivalled service, value and flexibility to our trade partners and have seen huge growth in sales for Florida and the wider USA.”