A Look Inside Holiday Lettings’ Oxford Office

Holiday Lettings, (part of TripAdvisor) is a company that operates online travel platform allowing users to book over 140,000 holiday homes world wide, hired workplace design firm Oktra, to design their offices in Oxford, England.

“One of the key challenges in this project was that Holiday Lettings were proposing to relocate their staff from the leafy suburb of Summertown, to a business park on the outskirts of Oxford. Oktra’s designers therefore had to create an environment which would be inviting, fun and varied, supporting the change management process required to retain staff and attract new talented recruits. This environment included a canteen area with catering kitchen, games room and an outdoor seating area overlooking the beautiful man-made lake. Our team invested time into understanding the function of each department, thereby ensuring that the space supported the activities needed for Holiday Lettings to thrive as a business. We conducted workshops to gather information directly from staff and worked closely with departments heads to interpret this information into practical solutions for the space. Every element of the user experience was examined; from welfare facilities, to the benefits of height adjustable desks, to collaboration areas that encourage team working. All of this extensive design work was then underpinned by a comprehensive mechanical & electrical solution, to ensure that the site did not just look good, but was highly functional as well. Given Holiday Lettings’ expansion plans for this space, Oktra’s technical team had to ensure that the air conditioning and fresh air allowances would be adequate not just on Day 1, but throughout the lifespan of the lease. Careful attention was given to lighting levels, acoustic treatment around meeting rooms and in the open plan space, as well as using materials which would stand the test of time,” says Oktra

• Location: Oxford, England
• Date completed: 2016
• Size: 50,000 square feet
• Design: Oktra