Whether you organise a day trip or a long haul holiday, it’s often the people you deal with who can make the difference - and our finalists this year are great at supporting groups. It’s over to you to choose the winner.
Forming an important part of the annual Group Leisure & Travel Awards, this category was created to recognise an individual from the travel trade for their service to group travel organisers.
It’s about the people behind a successful group trip, those working with GTOs to make the process easy and with a memorable end result.
The Excellence Award has been won by all types of people across the sector. Previous winners have included those working for tour operators, hotels and popular attractions.
Read on to find out more about this year’s final four and the work they do to help GTOs create memorable trips, and vote for your winner.
Your 2025 Excellence Awards finalists are…
Laura Cook, group sales senior advisor, Daish’s Holidays
Laura helps to arrange accommodation and coaching options for group organisers and their guests for Daish’s 12 UK hotels. She usually works with GTOs over a year, from the first enquiry, until they return from their trip.
Being located at the Bournemouth Sands Hotel, she quite often meets the group organisers that are staying and says that she enjoys getting to know them face-to-face, as well as over the phone.
Getting to understand a group’s particular interests and building up a professional relationship with the group organiser is a big part of Laura’s job, and fully appreciating their needs is vital, so she is able to produce a worthwhile trip for everyone.
She said: “When I have the opportunity, I like to try and meet up with my GTOs outside of work hours to have a drink and catch up. I love hearing all their stories about their trips and just life in general. I feel I have formed a strong bond with a lot of our organisers over the years and I’m looking forward to continuing that bond and getting to know any new organisers that come to us.”
Having worked in the travel industry for the last 24 years booking holidays for people, it’s in the last four years with Daish’s Holidays that Laura feels she has really flourished. She said that working for Daish’s feels as if everyone is one big team.
She told us: “Most of all, I really enjoy working for Daish’s Holidays. I wouldn’t be able to do what I do without the support of my colleagues in the groups team, as well as the support I get from all of our other in-house departments, hotel staff and the directors. Working with groups has given me the opportunity to get to know the organisers on a more personal level. A lot of them I now regard as friends.”
Daish’s Holidays specialises in coach holidays and hotel accommodations, offering a variety of destinations, entertainment and optional excursions for groups at 12 locations across the UK.
Kelly Kennedy, group sales executive, Alfa Travel
Building itineraries and working closely with group organisers to create bespoke holidays is what Kelly does best. She tols us that she has enjoyed building strong professional relationships with her bookers over three years through the role and loves understanding the specifics of what each group needs.
Kelley offers practical solutions that meet the needs of the group, and stressed to us how she takes pride in promoting the company and maintaining an excellent standard of service. This includes attending events like the Group Leisure & Travel Show where she can meet with GTOs in person to discuss potential trips, build connections and stay up to date with industry trends.
She said: “Working directly with groups is a completely different experience compared to other roles I’ve had in the past and it’s one I truly enjoy. I get to work closely with group organisers, ensuring that every detail of their trip is perfectly suited to their group’s needs. The opportunity to build strong relationships, understand individual preferences, and provide a bespoke service is incredibly fulfilling.”
Having a sense of ownership over each group’s experience and being able to offer a personal touch is something that Kelly thrives on. Whether it’s helping them with last-minute changes or offering advice and support, this role is certainly her most rewarding.
She added: “It’s great to know that the work I put into planning and creating tailored itineraries leads to successful trips. I really value the feedback I get from organisers, as it shows I’ve played a part in making their group holiday a success.
“Knowing that my efforts help make everything run smoothly is what makes the job worthwhile. I also appreciate the variety of working with different organisers and finding ways to improve each experience, which keeps things interesting and keeps me motivated.”
Alfa Travel is a UK-based tour operator specialising in coach holidays and self-drive breaks within the UK and Ireland. The company aims to provide groups with enjoyable and fun holidays, working closely with sister company Leisureplex hotels.
Christine Oakes, customer service administrator, Kynren
Christine is one of the main contacts at Kynren and assists with anything that GTOs and coach tour operators need. She oversees all aspects of a group going to see the historical show and works out the logistics of each booking to make sure it is as smooth as possible for groups.
She said: “My time at Kynren began as a volunteer – and in fact is something that I still do now every summer with my daughters – and I have always loved everything about this show, it truly is very special. From the camaraderie of working with other volunteers and the friendships you make to the skills you learn and the immense pride you feel at the end of each performance – it’s like nothing else I’ve ever been a part of.
“I thoroughly enjoy talking to different organisers who come to Kynren year after year whilst also establishing relationships with new groups – seeing them experience Kynren for the first time and their reactions as they leave the show in awe never gets old.”
Christine is not only passionate about Kynren, but also coach travel, establishing the ‘come by coach’ initiative last year, which involved working with multiple coach companies and tour operators across the country to create an interactive map which shows the current coach pick-up points across the UK.
She said that she gets a satisfying feeling when she is able to help a group finalise their booking, or answer questions to help them make the most of their Kynren experience. She told us: “You really do leave the office at the end of the day feeling as though you’ve really accomplished something. You’re able to make a positive impact upon someone’s overall experience and I feel very privileged I get to do that.
“Plus, being able to speak with so many lovely groups and organisers – whether that be on the phone, via email or in person – is such a lovely part of my job and one I don’t take for granted. I get a lot of joy knowing that I help make organisers feel happy. It’s lovely to receive so many thank you emails from organisers and operators, they truly mean the world.”
Based in Country Durham, Kynren - An Epic Tale of England is the UK’s biggest outdoor show performed on a seven-and-a-half-acre stage featuring pyrotechnics, stunts and a 1,000-strong volunteer cast and crew. The show takes audiences on a journey through 2,000 years of British history.
Amiee Thomas, sales manager, Longleat
Having been at Longleat for more than 11 years in many different roles, Amiee now finds herself in charge of booking in group visits to the Wiltshire estate. She provides GTOs with key information about their trip, along with confirmation letters, marketing assets, invoices and feedback surveys to improve her service.
Working at Longleat is something that she remembers dreaming about from an early age, with regular family trips to see the monkeys climb on the car in the road safari. She said: “Longleat is like my home from home and working here offers something different and exciting, every day. My morning commute includes views of a beautiful stately home, magnificent landscapes, and I can even hear the roar of Lions on my walk to the car some evenings.”
Amiee is there to go the extra mile for GTOs, one time working throughout her weekend to keep her customers in the loop about a storm which meant that the attraction had to close The Festival of Light. She said: “These were extremely difficult phone calls to make, especially considering how far in advance everyone had booked, but safety is key, and everyone understood that.
“Every call I made was different, and I needed to think on my feet about the solution based on the circumstances of the group. Some were staying locally, others travelling internationally or day tripping from across the UK. I’ve always been a problem solver, and I received emails of thanks from organisers about how I handled the situation, which was really appreciated.”
She added: “In recent months, I’ve spent time speaking to groups in detail about their specific interests and as a result, have worked more closely with our heritage team. I’ve learnt so much more about the history of the estate, Longleat House and the amazing range of tailor-made tours we can provide.
“If you have met me you will know that I am incredibly passionate about the business and the product, and I love talking to people about everything we offer. To work for an organisation that provides such exciting activities for people to create new memories, is incredibly rewarding.”
Longleat is a renowned attraction located in Wiltshire, with groups able to explore the historic house on-site as part of a visit, along with its huge safari park. It opened in 1966 and holds the distinction of being the first drive-through safari park outside of Africa.
Thank you to our official 2025 Awards Partners…
Votes must be received on or before Sunday 11th May to be counted.
The winner of The Excellence Award will be announced at the 2025 Group Leisure & Travel Awards ceremony at the five-star Royal Garden Hotel in Kensington, London, on Thursday 26th June.
For more information go to groupleisureandtravel.com/awards.
