Interactive Travel Agency Set to Change Retail Experience

A new travel outlet which features international soundtracks, a client lounge and visual media to inspire Kiwis travel experiences could be rolled out nationwide if successful.

The House of Travel prototype store in Takanini, Auckland is open seven days a week and allows Kiwi travellers a more modern and innovative experience when making their travel arrangements.

Project Manager and owner operator Leigh Somerville, says the new look and feel was designed to meet the changing needs of customers.

This has led to a move away from the traditional transactional space to a design that is more in keeping with a relationship-based environment.

“We’ve created House of Travel Takanini to inspire the travel dreams of our clients from the moment they walk in.  We’ve worked hard to minimise barriers to interaction and create a vibrant, relaxing atmosphere that allows us to add value to the planning and booking process, generate discussion and excitement and where the environment itself resonates with our local community.

“Importantly, our customers are the centre of attention. With music playing, relevant reading materials, inspiring imagery and visual media, we want our clients to enjoy a total experience when they visit,” says Ms Somerville.

The travel specialists at the new outlet also have the flexibility to move more freely with their clients within the store and have built foundations to embrace new technology.

The sales and marketing director for House of Travel, Carmen White, says the new concept store showcases the company’s commitment to innovation and meeting customers’ evolving needs.

“We are excited to hear the feedback from our customers’ on the new design and this may influence the way we conduct consultations in-store nationwide,” she says

Ms Somerville says the new store layout is a great fit for the local community who are well travelled and says the Pacific Islands are a favoured destination.

“South Aucklanders do have a high propensity to travel – from river cruises in France, to family holidays on the Gold Coast, locals are really open to new adventures and expanding their horizons,” she says.

“Our community is very diverse with people from all walks of life and different cultures so many of them love to travel to visit relatives or friends overseas. This also means we are naturally more inquisitive and open to different experiences, which inspire us to travel.”

The new House of Travel outlet is located in stage one of the new Takanini Village complex on 30 Walters Road, which once fully completed is set to host around 20-30 high quality mixed-use retail stores.

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