Western & Oriental, one of the UK’s largest luxury holiday providers, has appointed Prospect to review its digital strategy.

Over the course of the next two years, Prospect will implement key changes to Western & Oriental's online offer, starting with their tailor-made brand, W&O Travel. Prospect won the contract in a three-way credentials pitch and has already kicked off a complete review of the existing W&O Travel site. The revamped homepage is set to launch by December and will be further improved throughout 2011 and into 2012 with enhanced online booking features, a mobile internet site, mobile apps and social networking functionalities. The goal is to extend the reach of the group’s 3 brands (W&O Travel, key2holidays and Regent Holidays) and make the online platform a key support to Western & Oriental Travel’s sales experts in the delivery of their service.

Sarah Mason, Head of Marketing for Western & Oriental Travel, said “We are very excited about working with Prospect. We chose them for their strong creative capability and specific travel sector experience. They have a good understanding of our business objectives and will be a strong ally in our efforts to upgrade our digital channels.”

The reworked site will prominently feature W&O Travel’s new branding campaign, “W&Onderful”, developed with London Advertising. The campaign highlights the experiential luxury of the offer through rich imagery and brings the distinctive destinations to life. Prospect will be translating the new brand into the online channel, ensuring that customers will be immersed in the W&O Travel experience and enticed to book.

Kerry-Anne Smith, E-Commerce Manager for Western & Oriental Travel, said “We are looking forward to developing our digital offer to the fullest. Our business takes a bespoke, personal approach to holiday booking and our sales associates are travel experts that impart a lot of knowledge about our destinations. The challenge for Prospect will be to complement that approach in the most effective way possible.”

“Our creative team, led by Prospect founder Anja Klüver, is looking forward to the opportunities offered by Western & Oriental Travel”, commented Richard Eisermann, Prospect’s Strategic Director. “We will need to look into every aspect of the customer experience and understand how we’ll be able to add the most value in the most economical way possible. We will be taking a step by step approach, but see an exciting, integrated and sector leading Western & Oriental Travel offer in the future, “ he continued.

To find out more about W&O Travel’s current offer, visit: www.wandotravel.com

Read the Prospect case study