Hampton Gray Travel, a Spokane-based travel agency founded earlier this year, says response here has been strong for a service the company has begun offering to businesses.

Erin Gray, owner of Hampton Gray, has introduced an online portal for companies to use—at no cost—on their own internal websites so employees can use them to book their travel plans.

Gray previously worked as a travel agent for Princess Cruises and Holland America Line. Hampton Gray Travel is a franchisee of Dream Vacations/Cruise One, based in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

“The first and most common response is, ‘It’s free? How could this be?’’’ says Gray, who became a franchisee and launched the agency in February.

She says as a franchisee she doesn’t charge service fees or consultation fees. Her commissions for booked travel come exclusively from Dream Vacations/Cruise One.

Of the new service, Gray says, “It includes access to our company travel site, a website with your company’s branding accessible through your intranet or other internal communications platform and online booking with the help of a local travel agent.”

“One of the biggest misconceptions is that you can go online and book travel and save money,” she asserts. “What people don’t understand is that travel companies don’t post all their travel packages online so it helps to have an agent who has direct access to the travel company.”

Gray, the agency’s only employee, operates the business mostly out of her home in the Latah Valley area of Spokane as well as out of roughly 400 square feet of office space at 304 W. Pacific, in downtown Spokane.