The best way to find out whether TUI’s oneBrand strategy is effective is to ask the people who have already tried it out: our customers. We accompany Lea and Alex, who have booked their first holiday together through TUI: to Majorca and Robinson Club Cala Serena.
“That travel agency looks nice,” Lea calls to Alex, walking a little faster. They have spent the whole afternoon searching online for the right holiday – but there was so much on offer they couldn’t decide. This is their first holiday together, and they want it to be perfect. “Who needs a travel agent these days? You can do everything online,” Alex keeps insisting. Lea takes a different view. “We research it online, then book it through a travel agent.” That, she tells him, will give her reassurance. She wants to be certain they will actually get the holiday they are booking.
When the couple enter the TUI Travel Store in Frankfurt, Lea knows her instincts were right. The room is bright and spacious, and the big beach landscapes on the walls make this a relaxing atmosphere. True enough, three quarters of an hour later the holiday has been booked and they can start to think about packing. With sound advice, it was easy to agree on something to suit them both: a holiday in Robinson Club Cala Serena on Majorca. Even looking at photographs of the resort and the surroundings, they can’t wait to be there – and even Alex is glad he went to see the travel agent.
Research and booking
TUI Group includes many tour operators, all leading players in their home markets. Bookings can be made online through well-known portals, or in TUI travel shops – almost 1,600 across Europe at present.
On the way
8 weeks later. A bewildering buzz of voices, among them a few screaming children. Alex yawns. It may be early in the morning, but things are already bustling at Frankfurt Airport. While Alex watches the board to see if their flight has been called, Lea queues at the TUI desk. Soon it’s their turn. The woman from TUI gives them a friendly welcome. Check-in and bag drop don’t take long, and off they go to the gate. Lea is not that fond of flying, but she is enjoying the airport atmosphere and the cheerful spirit around her.
It’s just as lively on board the TUI fly plane: families with toddlers, elderly couples, but lots of younger people. A cabin attendant helps Lea and Alex find their seats. Lea is starting to feel nervous. The flight to Majorca will take two hours. “You don’t like flying, right?” smiles the lady next to Lea. She nods and leans back. She can see the TUI logo everywhere. Never mind the nerves! She knows she is being well looked after.
The flight
TUI has six airlines of its own with around 140 medium- and long-haul aircraft, including a fleet of the latest Boeing Dreamliner.
When our guests land on Majorca, the path from the plane to the exit is easy. The “follow the SMILE” principle works well: just stick with the TUI logo, straight into the arms of the team from destination services. They are ready and waiting for this fresh batch of holidaymakers, and greet them with a cheerful “Guten Morgen – Buenos Dias – Goedemorgen”. A Dutch tour escort shows Lea and Alex to the right shuttle bus, which will take them to their hotel. As Alex takes his seat next to Lea in the blue coach, he nods appreciatively: “No chance of getting lost here.”
Arrived!
As the couple leave the bus and walk down the path into the Robinson Club, any last doubts disappear: they have got this one completely right. Let the holiday begin! The resort, built in the style of a Majorcan finca, stretches away beneath the palm trees. The atmosphere in the Club is relaxed and open. Everyone says hello, and the staff are warm and informal. The upbeat mood is naturally infectious, and the guests soon pick it up.
Lea and Alex enjoy the first day of their stay reclining on a double deckchair with views across the turquoise bay. Alex is using his TUI app to forge plans for their next moves. The travel agent told them about all kinds of excursions: for tomorrow they will probably book the stand-up paddling. A day trip to Palma should obviously be part of their programme. And one of the TUI people recommended that nature conservation area not far from the hotel. “That should be the perfect place for a walk,” Alex calls to Lea as he somersaults into the pool. But they have the whole week ahead of them. Today they will just hang around the Club and make the most of its many facilities. What with the home-made tapas, Majorcan wine and all these opportunities to relax, they have everything they could possibly wish for. TUI’s all-inclusive no-worries package is taking effect. Holiday mode on!
The Hotel
TUI’s growth strategy centres on expanding its core brands in Hotels & Resorts: in the next few years, the Group will significantly beef up its own hotel portfolio around the world with its brands Riu, Robinson, TUI Blue and TUI Magic Life and its formats Sensimar, Sensatori and Family Life.
The destination
Around 6,500 people in over 100 countries work for TUI Destination Services (TUI DS). They look after our customers on the spot, tirelessly devoted to giving them a perfect holiday under the motto “We create smiles”.
