How do you know if you truly are getting the best value or
best possible vacation experience if you don’t know much about the area you
will be visiting? A good travel agent
can help you with this; providing professional guidance and knowledge from
their experience to assure the best vacation experience possible.
~IN
2012 TRAVEL RESERVATIONS MADE ONLINE INCREASED MORE THAN 10% FROM 2011~
Online travel services have expanded rapidly; providing a
user friendly method of presenting travel products from all over the world to
consumers directly. For the savvy traveler
with plenty of time to research this can be a somewhat effective tool. How can a consumer separate the marketing
hype and fluff from reality? There are
some online ways to do so as well, poring through reviews, etc. from sometimes like-minded travelers. No matter how savvy you are this is a laborious
time-consuming process, and still one can’t be sure what is truth and what is
not.
Travel agents have access to resources not available to
consumers, and are dedicated to keeping on top of facts, trends and upcoming
situations. I receive advance notice of
upcoming sales from the luxury cruise lines and tour operators I work with, and
I share that knowledge with clients.
Many a time I have advised a client to wait 2 days before booking a trip
to take advantage of a huge promotion as yet unreleased to the public. Many a time I have advised a client to either
stay away from a company – property – cruise ship that has an unfavorable
reputation within the industry, or conversely to consider something that is
very favorable within the industry and to past clients. You can’t get that insider knowledge in this
fashion online.
~USING A MIXTURE
OF TRADITIONAL TRAVEL AGENT, ONLINE TRAVEL SERVICES AND HOTEL CONCIERGE IS YOUR
BEST WAY TO GET THE MOST IDEAL VACATION EXPERIENCE POSSIBLE~
Hotel Concierge? Why
is a Travel Agent bringing this up? Good
question! I am a firm believer in
utilizing your Hotel Concierge to get the most out of your vacation. Why is that?
Is it because I have been a Concierge and Concierge Manager for 4 and
even 5 star properties in several distinguished areas in the United
States? Yes! Is it because Hotel Concierge services have
truly enhanced my own personal vacations many times? Yes!
Is it because numerous clients of mine have expressed their appreciation
to me when I involved the Hotel Concierge with their vacation and it really
enhanced their vacation tremendously?
Yes!! All of the above makes this
a standard procedure for me when arranging trips for clients. Do I make a dime from Concierge
arrangements? Nope! What is my “angle” then, you ask?
~A HOTEL
CONCIERGE DEPARTMENT HAS LOCAL KNOWLEDGE, RESOURCES AND CLOUT UNMATCHED BY MOST
ANY TRAVEL AGENT, EVEN AGENTS THAT SPECIALIZE IN THE AREA~
Hotel Concierge specializes in that city / area, are there
daily and work with numerous guests weekly.
The have specialized intimate knowledge and have developed contacts
& alliances with the prime places of interest to travelers; from
restaurants and theaters to limo drivers and sightseeing guides, and more. They can best match up your needs with the
appropriate local provider, much more so than a Travel Agent halfway across the
world, even if the agent has been there before and has decent knowledge and
connections there.
For this reason I gladly steer my clients to the Hotel
Concierge for some services as it is in their best interest. That is why one wants to engage a Travel
Agent in the first place, to get the best possible vacation experience
possible, right?
I assist clients with major vacations, typically revolving
around a luxury cruise or high end tour.
Many times a client wants to arrive a couple days before or stay after
the cruise or tour to enjoy that destination, understandably so. My expertise and knowledge is instrumental in
securing the best cruise or tour, the best suite on board, advising of the best
time to go, etc. My income comes from
the commission provided by the cruise or tour, and that very same program would
cost the client THE SAME – IF NOT MORE – than what it costs by purchasing it
through my services (not only is the cost the same or less, most of the time I
can include additional perks such as on board spending credits or complimentary
upgrades, etc.).
As my goal is to provide the best possible experience for my
clients, I consider it an obligation to provide advice and services that do not
always generate an income for me. A
happy client is a loyal client who will call me again and again. I am just fine with the income from the major
component of the travel such as a cruise or guided tour, and to simply assist
with the peripheral components such as transfers and local sightseeing by
recommending the Hotel Concierge.
I strongly feel a Hotel Concierge provides a local viewpoint
with knowledge and contacts unmatched by most any Travel Agent, therefore I
utilize their services on a regular basis as it is in the best interest of my
clients. The Concierge department on
premise is right there, same time zone, able to instantly adjust and assist you
however you wish.
~THE BEST WAY
TO PLAN YOUR VACATION IS TO START WITH AN EXPERIENCED TRAVEL AGENT WHO KNOWS HOW
TO COMBINE THE SERVICES OF AN ONLINE TRAVEL SERVICE AND HOTEL CONCIERGE ALONG
WITH THEIR PERSONALIZED TRAVEL SERVICES~
If you are not very familiar or experienced with Hotel
Concierge services, I urge you to incorporate their services into your future
travel plans. I look forward to your
positive reports, not to say “I told you so”, but to say “you are most welcome
for the advice”! Happy Travels…
NEXT WEEK –
Cruising! Stay tuned for my next blog
focusing on my favorite way to explore the world!!