Hays Travel will introduce a new dedicated cruise team as part of a brand overhaul of its in-house tour operating arm Hays Travel Tour Operator (HTOL).

From the end of 2023, HTOL will be renamed to Vista and offer agents a greater product offering and expertise across cities, beach, cruise-and-stay, and touring holidays, by bringing in a dedicated in-house product team to drive further growth.

As well as deepening its connection and visibility within the travel industry, the move will also see Vista expand its offer beyond the city breaks and beach holidays it is well-known for, with the addition of a dedicated cruise team to service the operator’s ever-increasing number of cruise-and-stay enquiries.

Kathleen Molloy, who headed up sales and product for HTOL, will take on the new role of head of Vista sales and product. “We have done a lot of work to build HTOL’s expertise and reputation over the past three years and now is the right time to rebrand,” she said.

“It’s an opportunity to move our operation to the next level, by strengthening our existing relationships with agents and building partnerships with new ones.”

Hays to introduce 24-hour customer emergency line through Vista

In terms of after-sales, the Vista operations team will support agents and supplier partners with a 24-hour emergency line for customers at UK airports or overseas.

Former head of HTOL operations Tracey Luke will take on the new title of head of Vista operations. She said: “We are focused on delivering exceptional service, efficiently and accurately, every time and some of the feedback we have received around the service we provide has been amazing – including for the 24-hour emergency line we have in place for customers at UK airports or overseas. ”

It comes after Hays Travel homeworking division rewarded its top 15 cruise selling agents with an all-inclusive trip to the US. Former Celebrity Cruises vice president and managing director EMEA Jo Rzymowska recently joined the agency as a non-executive director.