Boss treats employees to a Marbella getaway

It's not the first company to send employees abroad

Ian Lucas treated all his employees to three days in Marbella (Red 7)

There are work outings and then there’s an all-expenses-paid, three-day trip to Marbella to bond with your colleagues.

Red7, a travel company which specialises in stag and hen dos, recently celebrated its 20th anniversary by whisking the entire workforce to the Costa del Sol.

Managing director Ian Lucas, who founded the Brighton-based company and organised the trip, treated all 42 of his underlings to four-star digs, Michelin-starred cuisine and VIP nightlife. They were given a boat tour around the Med, had a slap-up dinner, and then stayed on to make a weekend of it, spending time at Oak, Tibu, La Sala by the Sea and Mahiki Beach, the first outpost of the legendary London club, which opened in June.

The nightlife might well have been the highlight, since the company has organised over 300,000 trips to 50 destinations over the past two decades.

The group had a boat trip around the Med to kick off their stay (Red 7)

Lucas described his employees as the “beating heart” of the company and said they deserved the treat.

“Some of them have been with the company since it started, so it’s only right that these people are at the centre of our celebrations,” he said. “A cash bonus or a gift is a nice reward in the moment, but I can’t think of a better way to express my thanks than by treating my employees to a lavish, money-can’t-buy trip and creating lasting memories."

He told The Independent: “Marbella is our biggest-selling Spanish destination, so this was the ideal opportunity for my staff to experience what they organise for our clients.

“It was a fun break and a reward for their hard work, but equally it was an educational trip and a chance to make sure that the team has a first-hand understanding of what our partners provide.

“Red7 staff invest their time, effort and hard work in the company - it’s only right that we invest in them too. This trip is the perfect example of that – blending experience-based training with an all-expenses paid jolly.”

It’s not the first time Lucas has treated his employees – every year on "Red7 day" he does something special. To mark the 10th anniversary of the company, he flew all his staff to Benidorm, and he says he’s already planning the next milestone – which could be Vegas.


 The company specialises in stag and hen dos 
 (Red 7)

Treating employees to foreign trips isn’t unheard of in the travel industry, and it’s also a growing perk for forward-looking startups and US-based companies.

San Francisco-based Betabrand, which uses a crowdfunding model to manufacture clothes, picks an employee to send on a trip to a destination of their choice every four to six weeks. Other startups spring perks such as Christmas trips abroad for staff.