Solmar Villa Holidays has entered the long-haul market as the company continues to grow.
The Burton upon Trent-based firm has launched holiday packages to Florida for the first time and is said to be the only UK independent villa operator to organise villa, flight, car-hire and attraction ticket packages in-house to the US.
Chief Executive Julie Blake said: “No other independent villa operator is a one-stop shop organising villas, flights, transfers, airport parking, car hire and attraction tickets in-house so we’re very excited about this latest addition to our portfolio.
“We know from our own research that our customers want packages, they want ease of booking and they want to book everything in one place, so we’re delighted to be able to offer customers bespoke packages to suit their needs – all with the security of ATOL and ABTA bonding.”
Solmar will be offering 214 different Florida villas – with more than 150 of these situated in Orlando and a further 62 on the Gulf Coast – but this number will rise to 300 plus by next year.
The properties are mainly in residential complexes and range from three-bedroom family homes to 10-bedroom villas. Some of the villas have themed character rooms for Disney and Harry Potter fans.
The move into long-haul destinations is part of a wider investment by Solmar, which was started by Julie’s parents when they bought their own villa in the 1980s.
The company specialises in private villas with pools and now has more than 1,500 properties across Europe and the Mediterranean on its books.
Earlier this year, Daily Focus reported that the company had expanded its portfolio for the fifth time in less than 12 months.
A wash-out summer in Britain saw September bookings soar by almost 200 per cent, as reported here.
