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Best Travel Planning Strategy



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!!
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