Savenio’s first shopfront

THE Savenio luxury home-based agent network is expanding into the high street, this month formally opening its first “Savenio Travel Hub” in the Victorian regional city of Ballarat.

The business is being operated by Craig Stepnell, whose LinkedIn profile indicates he was previously with Flight Centre Travel Group for 14 years & most recently as manager of Stepnell & Turner Travel Associates.

Savenio founder David Brandon told TD he expected the new venture to be the first of many Savenio Travel Hubs, which will also potentially have a strong focus on the cruise market.

He said Savenio’s model, where members receive 100% of base commissions, was unique in the market, with the shopfront option complementing the group’s existing network of homebased luxury “independent travel designers” across the country.

“Some agents want to work in an environment out of home,” he said, with the hub providing a new option for consultants to join and work together with like- minded colleagues.

“It gives them the independence to do whatever they want to do,” Brandon said, noting that the agents have the freedom to sell whatever products they wish, as long as they are from an ATASaccredited supplier.

Savenio charges its members a modest monthly fee, and Brandon said he had a number of prospective Savenio Travel Hubs and Cruise Hubs in the pipeline.

The group is a member of Virtuoso and has a number of other luxury brand affiliations.