Travel Agent Professional January 2012 Issue 15
By Scott Koepf Vice President of Sales Avoya Travel/American Express
By Paull Tickner Creator of Special Interest Britain
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January 2012
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anuary
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By Scott Koepf Vice President of Sales Avoya Travel/American Express
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Clients For Life Stick to the Basics!
By Mitchell J. Schlesinger Vice President, Sales & Marketing Voyages to Antiquity
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Girls Getaways to London And the Cotswolds
By Paull Tickner Creator of Special Interest Britain
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BIGGER in Not Always Better
By Les-Lee Roland Owner of The Package Deal
Showcase
Ad Index
Amadeus..................................................15 Cruise Holidays ........................................13 Montrose Travel ........................................... 9
Auto Europe................................IFC http://www.AutoEurope.com
Sabre ...........................................19 www.sabretravelinetwork.com/tmu
Avoya Travel/AVC.........................23 http://www.joinavoya.com/default.cfm?ref=115
Travel Planners Int’l......................17 http://www.myhosttravelagency.com
Leisure Pops ...................................7 http://www.leisurepops.com/
Voyages to Antiquity ......................3 http://us.voyagestoantiquity.com/
Royal Caribbean Line ...................BC http://www.royalcaribbean.com/
Travel Agent Professional
2012
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How to Handle a... Client
Travel Agent Professional January 2012 Issue 15
Travel Agent Professional P.O. Box 120202 Staten Island, NY 10312 E-mail: info@travelagentprofessional.com Phone: 718.227.7541
Joel M. Abels
Legend In the Travel Industry April 1927 to January 2007
Ann M. Hoek Publisher/Creative Design Bonnie Walling Editor
Meet Our Editorial Board Mitchell J. Schlesinger Vice President, Sales & Marketing Voyages to Antiquity www.voyagestoantiquity.com Mary Brutscher Former Host Agency Owner & Travel Educational Instructor cruisefacecruises@yahoo.com Rusty Pickett, ECC Shellback Cruises www.shellbackcruises.com Les-Lee Roland Owner of The Package Deal Scott Koepf Vice President of Sales Avoya Travel/ America’s Vacation Center www.joinavoya.com/default.cfm?ref=11583 Sherry Laskin, ACC Travel Writer/NACTA Webinar Moderator www.cruisemaven.com Sue Shapiro, President Shapiro Travel Resources sue.shapiro@gmail.com www.shapirotravelresources.com Paull Tickner, Creator of Special Interest Britain pjtickner@yahoo.co.uk www.greatdays.co.uk
Contributions Lee Rosen, CEO Leisure Pops www.leisurepops.com
Travel Agent Professional has its roots in Home Based Trade, the first magazine of its kind, started by Joel Abels in 2004. Joel and Lenore Abels ran Travel Trade for nearly half a century – it was started by her grandfather, John S. Lewis, and her father, Sidney Lewis, in 1929, and they took the publication over after her grandfather’s passing. Under Joel’s direction, the company grew to be one of the travel agent industry’s leading publications, reaching more than 45,000 agents throughout North America. It spawned a famous series of trade shows and three monthly magazines – Cruise Trade, Tour Trade and Home Based Trade. The Abels also garnered enormous respect – Joel received the Neal Award, called “the Pulitzer Prize of the business press,” for his hard-hitting editorials. On a personal note, after working with Joel for over a decade and staying with him until the end, I grew to truly care for and respect the man. He was like a second father to me. Joel was old school, he stood by his word and believed in his work. There will never be another. While nobody can replace this industry legend, we’re hoping that this new publication, which reunites the original Home Based Trade editorial board, will be able to carry on his passion for travel and those who sell it.
Ann M. Hoek This online magazine is dedicated to the memory of Joel Abels, Travel Trade's editor and publisher. Joel and his life's work may be gone, but with your help it can live on.
September 2011
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4
How to Handle a...
By Scott
Client
Koepf Scott Koepf Vice President of Sales Avoya Travel/American Express www.JoinAvoya.com
After
an eight year absence from being onstage, I was able to play one of my dream roles recently in a local production. For years, I wanted to play the role of Lancelot in the musical Camelot, but when the show was finally a possibility, my advanced age forced my dream to shift slightly. I was cast as King Arthur. In truth, it is a much meatier and fun , so in this instance, I was glad for my slightly grey hair (and a beard which I actually had to dye so that I wouldn’t look like King Santa Claus).
While his round table and Kingdom are thriving, he simply cannot understand how to handle his wife Guinevere, whom he adores. So he recalls the teachings of his court magician, Merlin, and finds his answer through song.
As you know, King Arthur created a new and revolutionary order of chivalry and yet all of his plans were unraveled as one of the greatest love triangles of all time destroyed his Kingdom. One of my favorite moments and songs in the play occurs when he realizes that what he cherishes most is slipping away from him.
January 2012
5 Now before you begin wondering what all of this has to do with selling travel, I believe the lyrics of the song the King sings are perfectly appropriate for your businesses. While lamenting the intense competition of our industry, the relentless focus on price and discounts, the complexities of booking travel and more, your success is now more than ever dependent on your relationship with your clients. Some cry out that loyalty is dead (think “chivalry is dead“), but I believe successful agents must still work for that elusive goal on a daily basis because it does exist!
Do I flatter them I begged him answer, do I threaten, cajole or plead Do I brood or play the gay romancer? Said he smiling, “No indeed.” Then how to handle a client, “Mark me well, I will tell you, Sir. The way to handle a Client is to love them, Simply love them, merely love them, love them, love them.” King Arthur was so distracted by creating new and exciting laws and wordly plans that he took his eye off of his first love. This should sound familiar as travel agents run from building Web sites, to social media postings, to newfangled promises of easy solutions to bring in hordes of clients. All of these things and more may have a place. However, when the focus remains on the relationships with your customers, that is the best and most assured way to long term success. And just how do we get to the kind of relationship we desire? As I take on the role of the “wise old man” (well, the old part rings true), it is not by begging, threatening, cajoling or pleading. It is by loving your clients.
But how do we achieve that “new order of loyalty” in today’s environment? How do you handle your clients so that they will appreciate the services you provide, tell all of their friends about you and have them stay in your travel agency kingdom? With a slight adjustment to the lyrics, I think King Arthur’s song gives you the answer: How to Handle a Client There’s a way said a wise old man A way known by every cient, since the whole rigmarole began
Travel Agent Professional
It sounds so simple (and yes, even strange) but it is true. I often hear travel agents go on and on about the fabulous products we sell or the last trip they took, but I only hear a few talking about their clients with adoration. Indeed, I hear the opposite as tales are told of being squeezed relentlessly and how unappreciative clients are. Just like in a family ,we do not always have to like what clients do, but we do need to love them no matter what. So step back and refocus your thoughts and efforts so that when it comes to your clients you will: “Simply love them, merely love them, love them, love them.”
6
Clients For Life
By
Stick
Mitchell
to the
Basics!
J.
I spoke to a travel agent who expressed some level
Schlesinger
of contentment with the notion that his agency was retaining approximately 35% of their customers. I immediately asked some questions including:
•• • • Mitchell J. Schlesinger Vice President, Sales & Marketing Voyages to Antiquity m.schlesinger@voyagestoantiquity.com
Don’t you think that figure is low? Do you have any idea why some or all of the other 65% didn’t use the agency again? Do you have any idea where or from whom the other 65% purchased travel? Do you have any idea how much referral business you have received from current clients?
The
agent didn’t have answers supported by any real data or research which segues directly to a review of the basics of customer service and the role they play in the concept of Clients for Life. There are a litany of authors who specialize on customer service, and I referred to the writings of Michael Le Boeuf, PHD, who has published a number of books on the subject. Let’s start with some things to consider:
1. 2. 3.
Customers “quit” because: They are dissatisfied with the product (15%) Service indifference (70%) Unhappy customers will tell eight to 10 people, and one in five will tell 20 other people! Seventy percent of complaining customers will return if their issue is eventually resolved and 95% will return if the resolution is virtually immediate. (continued on page 8)
January 2012
Leisure Pops: Your Ultimate Assistant Leisure Pops sits quietly on your desktop and waits for an opportunity to help you. It can save you time and keystrokes, or remind you of preferred-supplier offers, or notify you when there is an opportunity to sell add on products like show tickets or travel insurance, or automatically log your qualified bookings into contest sites like Win With Amex, or Las Vegas Agent Rewards.
With Leisure Pops you "Pick your Pops": meaning tyou turn on the Pop Campaigns they choose and get only those Pops when pertinent. With Leisure Pops you will never get a Pop that you have not asked for!
Leisure Pops "electronically taps you on the shoulder" at just the right time for your product offerings. Sell more add on products and have access to your specials at just the right time when they can help you.
Leisure Pops saves you time and makes bookings extremely efficient by moving data for you. One click takes you to the chosen site, automatically logs you in, shops the site, and even moves data (client data into and reservation details back) making the reservation process fast and easy.
Leisure Pops helps you make more money as you will sell more preferred suppliers, more add on products and can easily and automatically participate in reward programs.
Everyone wins with Leisure Pops: Agents better service clients and make more money; Agencies and consortia get more preferred bookings, Suppliers get more sales from preferred agents, and perhaps best of the all the consumer's interests are best served developing long term consumer - agent relationships..
To learn more visit leisurepops.com
8 4. 5. 6.
It costs five times more to generate a new client than to keep old ones. Customer loyalty and referrals can be ten times more valuable than a single purchase. Younger customers are innately less loyal but as they get older and the spending per purchase rises, they tend to be more loyal. In this evolution, the opportunity to retain customers enhances dramatically with the right service approach.
We
are all in the hospitality industry, yet exceptional customer service is so rare that any time we encounter it, it shines like a beacon. Why is it not more commonplace? Three main reasons:
1. 2. 3.
Employees do not understand the basics of customer service on their own, mainly because it is not their business and they have no perspective of what is at stake, until this education and training process is implemented. As owners and managers, this is your responsibility and it is equally important as product knowledge. Every single contact by a customer or potential customer is a “judged” experience. These “moments of truth” can provide anywhere from warm and fuzzy feelings to those of indifference by customers who then use these reactions to project what the full service experience might entail. For travel sellers, this is especially crucial as products sold get more expensive. There is no reward system in place for both employees and the customers themselves. Exceptional customer service is an uphill climb to achieve, so businesses that do not reward employees for providing excellent service will never get to the top of the hill. And for customers to really believe they are cared about, there needs to be two reward systems in place, one for them when they repeat purchase and another for referrals.
(continued on page 10)
January 2012
Showcase
Grammy-Winning Kenny G Host Special Celebrity Cruises Alaska Sailing in 2013 Cool jazz, cool brand, cool environment combine to create rare vacation opportunity
MIAMI - January 5, 2012 Grammy Award-winning artist Kenny G has chartered modern luxury line Celebrity Cruises' Celebrity Millennium to create a special vacation experience in Alaska, May 17-24, 2013. The world-renowned saxophonist will not only offer multiple performances during the sailing, but also will mix and mingle with guests onboard throughout the cruise. Other recognized artists yet to be announced will perform during the sailing, as well. In a recording career spanning nearly three decades, Kenny G is the biggest-selling instrumentalist of all time, with sales of more than 75-million records worldwide, and more than a dozen climbs to the top of Billboard's contemporary jazz chart. In the past year alone, Kenny performed in more than 100 concerts in the U.S., Asia and Russia. He continued his iconic status with recent appearances on Saturday Night Live, performing with Foster the People, played a prominent role in pop artist Katy Perry’s video hit, “Last Friday Night,” and appeared on several Audi TV commercials featured during the 2011 Super Bowl. Since the early 1980s, Kenny G’s combination of unparalleled instrumental talent and enduring melodies have resulted in him being recog-
nized as one of the most successful music icons of his generation. “I’m excited for the opportunity to cruise with my closest fans aboard Celebrity Millennium,” said Kenny G. “The experience of playing with my band and sharing the breathtaking sights of one of the most beautiful destinations in the world will be one I’ll remember forever. This cruise will allow me to spend quality time and get to know the fans onboard, just as they've gotten to know me through my music. Sailing with them on a week-long Celebrity Cruises vacation will be a highlight of my career, and I can’t wait to share the journey.” “We had the thrill of having Kenny perform on our newest Solstice Class ship, Celebrity Silhouette, during the ship's Stateside debut in November, and watching the crowd interact, hearing his exceptional musical talent, and observing his engaging personality was so exciting,” said Celebrity Cruises Director of Corporate Sales and Charters Ron Gulaskey. “He's approachable, funny, smart and interesting. The opportunity to sail with him for a week, and experience all this upclose, will create incredible memories for the fans onboard.” For More... check TAP's website
About Montrose Travel: Montrose Travel, a family-owned travel management company, has grown from 14 employees in 1990 to more than 150 today, and is firmly established as a top 50 Travel Management Company and a Top 5 Host Agency nationwide, at $130-million. Montrose Travel strives to provide the highest quality services and most complete leisure, corporate travel and group travel management solutions for its customers and home-based travel agents. Growth has been solely out of the reinvestment of profit and positive cash flow. www.MontroseTravel.com
Travel Agent Professional
At Montrose Travel we are doing a few interesting things with it that will be of interest to travel agents including home based agents: 1. As you know most charters are not commissionable to travel agents, but we're opening this up to the travel community to sell. The premium pricing on this value added sailing translates into a profitable business opportunity for agents for FITs and groups. 2. This is the first time a host agency has ever taken on a project like this and opened it up to their agents to sell into. We have a ton of excitement flowing amongst our agents. 3. This product will make a great incentive trip for individuals and groups due to it's uniqueness. 4. Very special guests will be announced as we move along. We've just added Louis Van Amstel (Dancing with the Stars and LaBlast exercise dance fitness program) who will be conducting dance classes on board! http://louisvanamstel.com
10 And it is this last point that is so critical. The rewarded customer purchases, repeat purchases and provides the multiplier effect of referrals. Think about yourself as a customer and the service you encounter anywhere from a Ritz Carlton level hotel to your favorite restaurant, to picking up your dry cleaning. Eye contact, attention to YOU, attention to the detail of your order, any recollection of who you are, purchase habits, preferences, enticements for you to return or tell others.
The
final thought is the incorporation of the customer service basics into the “non selling process”. “Non selling? Here is why:
1. 2.
3.
The primary objective should not be about just short term dollar sales, but in creating customer relationships that provide both short and long term dollar sales. Employees must be taught to “help customers buy,” which requires taking the perspective of what the customer needs and wants in order to fulfill their vacation expectations. They might think they want a certain ship to a certain destination, but it is your responsibility to make sure they understand which ship is really right for them to deliver the experience they desire and expect. And after all, the ultimate reaction to the fulfillment of expectations is what dictates customer loyalty. The combination of numbers1 & 2 fulfills the notion that customers like to buy, but do not want to be sold. Think about how often customers come to your agency already pre-disposed to purchase a trip. You don’t have to sell them the desire to go — but you do have responsibility to make sure that they purchase the right product.
Focus on what customers need and want, help them buy what’s best for them and reinforce the purchase decision. Just like a building needs a foundation, a successful business needs to understand and implement the basics of customer service in order to create customer relationships that result in Clients for Life.
January 2012
Travel Agent Professional
12 B y P a u l l
Girls Getaways
to London and the Cotswolds
T i c k n e r
When returning home from North American sales trips, I used to while away the time immersed in a good book or walking from one end of the terminal to the other before being incarcerated in a flying metal tube for eight hours or so. That changed after the 2010 ASTA Trade Show in Orlando, when I took a much closer look at the business cards I’d collected and discovered that over 70% of them were for female travel agents. It happened again after the Ensemble Travel Group conference and it has been repeated at every travel trade event since, sometimes with the ratio exceeding 80%. Returning home, I spoke to a number of my more creative suppliers and have found that there’s an Aladdin’s Cave of eye-catching bright ideas for all-woman tour groups. (continued on page 14)
Paull Tickner, creator of Special Interest Britain, is affiliated with the Greatdays Travel Group. For over 30 years, he has been developing and operating customized niche travel programs for the United Kingdom and Ireland. For more information, visit his Web site at www.greatdays.co.uk and E-mail him at pjtickner@yahoo.co.uk
January 2012
Showcase
Substantial Cruise Savings Remain in Caribbean & Mediterranean 2012 Cruise Trends Survey Also Names Celebrity Reflection as Most Anticipated Ship of 2012 Minneapolis, MN (January 4, 2012) — Cruise prices remain in consumers’ favor going into 2012, according to the Cruise Holidays 2012 Cruise Trends survey, with prices to the Caribbean and the Mediterranean still averaging lower than they were in 2008, 2009 and 2010. However, prices to these destinations have actually risen slightly since 2011, which is seen as a positive trend overall by the cruise industry because it demonstrates increased demand for travel. Additionally, it appears that cruisers' tastes are becoming more sophisticated: Celebrity Cruises – a “premium” cruise line – boasts the most popular new ships for both 2011 and 2012, according to Cruise Holidays cruise experts across North America.
when it debuts in October, then will cross the Atlantic to begin cruising the Eastern Caribbean.
These are just two of the more noteworthy trends coming out of the Cruise Holidays 2012 Cruise Trends survey, which is based on actual bookings from Cruise Holidays’ proprietary booking system, as well as from a supplementary opinion survey* taken by top Cruise Holidays owners and agents. The bookings include any staterooms booked by Cruise Holidays from January 1, 2011, to December 21, 2011, for any cruises slated to begin in 2012.
Another remarkable development – perhaps reflecting the evolving tastes of cruisers – is that the second most popular ship expected in 2012 is an upscale river cruise ship: AmaWaterways’ Amacerto. The Amacerto is a 164-passenger ship that will sail itineraries on the Danube, Rhine, Main and Mosel Rivers. It features extra-spacious suites, deluxe hotel-style bedding, and a heated sun deck swimming pool. River cruising allows passengers to explore Europe's greatest treasures from the middle of the action – the ships often dock right in the heart of historic cities and provide vacationers with instant, convenient access to explore Europe the way it was meant to be seen. The AmaCerto will mark its inaugural cruise with a “Tulip Time” cruise through Holland and Belgium this April. Thereafter, it will sail some of AmaWaterways’ most popular itineraries, with frequent visits to Prague, Nuremburg, Budapest, Vienna and more.
Most Popular Ships: Celebrity’s “Solstice” Class & New European River Ships Capture Cruisers’ Hearts Price is only one factor that contributes to cruisers' vacation decisions. The ship itself along with the itinerary are just as important, which is why fans of premium cruise lines like Celebrity Cruises have another reason to celebrate. In this year's survey, Cruise Holidays experts selected the Celebrity Silhouette as their favorite ship to debut in the past calendar year. They voted the fifth and final Solstice-class ship, Celebrity Reflection, as the ship they are most anticipating for 2012. Reflection will sport an additional deck compared to previous Solstice-class ships, with three new types of suites, and more than 50 international craft beers in its enhanced "Michael's Club." Reflection will do a short series of European itineraries
Travel Agent Professional
“Most of our Cruise Holidays owners and agents have sailed aboard the Solstice class since Celebrity's development of the game-changing Solstice in late 2008,” said Mark Schiffner, Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of Cruise Holidays. “This class of ship has since become one of the most celebrated in the industry – known for its innovative stateroom design and industry firsts such as the Lawn Club. There’s an element of style and sophistication that oozes from every corner of the Solstice-class ships,” stated Schiffner.
Rounding out the top five in the survey of most popular ships for 2012 are the Disney Fantasy, Oceania Cruises’ Riviera and Viking River Cruises’ Freya, also a river-cruise ship. For All the Top Popular Cruise Destinations of 2012... check this month TAP’s Wedsite for the full article.
14 As I live in the ancient Cotswold market town of Chipping Campden, I decided to concentrate my attention on this neck of the woods.
So far, I’ve discovered:
• • • • • • •
A number of award-winning tea rooms that can be brought together as tea room tours, one to the north Cotswolds, the other in the south of the region; A chef who helps to create a Strawberries, Lavender and Roses tour; A textiles and ceramics programme that brings together William Morris and the Arts and Crafts Movement; A Foodie Tour which includes an evening at the famous Pudding Club; In nearby Stratford upon Avon, a tour of the Shakespeare houses that looks more closely at the lives of women in Elizabethan England; An antiques trail that meanders through picturesque villages like Broadway, Stow on the Wold and Tetbury; A couple of golf courses that will arrange a Sollheim Cup tournament for women golfers as part of a Golf, Gardens and Antiques package.
Returning to London, your clients can take an ‘Odd Men and Necessary Women’ talk and tour of Blenheim Palace which gives a colourful insight into life above and below stairs at one of our must see stately homes. Alternatively you can take a Miss Alice’s Behind the Scenes tour which shows how she lovingly looked after the treasure filled Waddesdon Manor, home of the Rothschild family. Taking another route back to the capital, you can include a visit to Woburn Abbey, which is where the English tradition of taking afternoon tea is said to have been introduced by Duchess Anna Maria, wife of the Seventh Duke of Bedford. Not far away from here, you’ll also find Kathy Brown’s Edible Garden. (continued on page 16)
January 2012
Showcase Amadeus & Travelodge Sign Golobal Distribution Deal UK’s fastest-growing budget hotel company now bookable through Amadeus London, UK, 10 January 2012: Amadeus, a leading travel technology partner and transaction processor for the global travel and tourism industry today announces a distribution deal with Travelodge, the UK’s long-established and fastest-growing budget hotel chain, with more than 490 properties in the UK, Ireland and Spain. This deal enables Travelodge to expand its distribution reach to budget-conscious travelers using the services of travel professionals. Around 80% of Travelodge hotels are located in major city centers and popular holiday locations. The budget hotel chain is also growing rapidly with plans to operate 70,000 rooms (approximately 1,000 hotels) by 2020 and today is the biggest hotel operator in London. This distribution agreement will help Travelodge to attract more business travelers to their properties, as rooms for the chain will be seamlessly integrated into Amadeus Selling Platform and its user-friendly Hotels Plus booking tool, used in more than 90,000 travel professional points of sale worldwide. Travelodge rooms will also be bookable through Amadeus eTravel Management, the self-booking tool for corporate travelers, as well as being made available to online travel sites and 3rd party developers using Amadeus Web Services. Hugo Ehrnreich, Head of Hotel Distribution at Amadeus, said, “Our
goal at Amadeus is to provide travel agency subscribers with the widest range of hotel content. Whether travel agents are looking to book five star accommodations, create itineraries for budget-conscious business travelers or help people enjoy more getaways at affordable hotels such as Travelodge, Amadeus has something to suit everyone. For hoteliers, we deliver an unrivalled global distribution network of professional travel consultants who w e l c o m e providers that help streamline their workflow by offering integrated content that saves time and helps them to sell accommodation more easily.” Andy Besent, Sales Director, Travelodge, said, “Our exciting expansion plans mean it makes perfect sense to work with a forwardthinking company like Amadeus with their focus on growing the choice of content available and their extensive local and global reach within the travel agency community.” It is anticipated that the 490 Travelodge properties will be available to Amadeus customers to book starting January 10, 2012. Travelodge has also signed up to the Amadeus Best Available Rate guarantee, which means travel agents can book with confidence in the knowledge that their customers are getting the best deal. No special training is required to book the new content and the data is fully integrated with the Amadeus Passenger Name Record (PNR), which speeds up the booking process.
About Travelodge The first budget hotel brand to launch in the UK in 1985, Travelodge now operates over 490 hotels and over 33,500 rooms across the UK, Ireland (11) and Spain (4). Travelodge plans to grow its estate to 1,100 hotels and 100,000 rooms by 2025. Over 13 million people stayed with Travelodge last year and 90% of reservations are currently made online at www.travelodge.co.uk, where room rates start at £19 per night. The chain employs over 6,000 staff. About Amadeus Amadeus is a leading transaction processor and provider of advanced technology solutions for the global travel and tourism industry. Customer groups include travel providers (e.g. airlines, hotels, rail, ferries, etc.), travel sellers (travel agencies and websites), and travel buyers (corporations and individual travellers). The group operates a transactionbased business model and processed 850 million billable travel transactions in 2010. Amadeus has central sites in Madrid (corporate headquarters and marketing), Nice (development) and Erding (Operations – data processing centre) and regional offices in Miami, Buenos Aires, Bangkok and Dubai. At a market level, Amadeus maintains customer operations through 73 local Amadeus Commercial Organisations covering 195 countries. Amadeus is listed on the Madrid, Barcelona, Bilbao and Valencia stock exchanges and trades under the symbol “AMS.MC”.
To find out more about Amadeus please go to www.amadeus.com To visit the Amadeus Investor Relations centre please go to www.investors.amadeus.com
Travel Agent Professional
16
Topped and tailed with London, these ideas are being promoted by a number of travel agents across America and in a couple of cases, they are trying to increase numbers by offering ideas that will appeal to husbands. In the Cotswolds, the options include visits to microbreweries, a full day at the fascinating Heritage Motor Centre at Gaydon and tutored whisky or real ale tastings. Between January and March, I’ll be attending a number of regionally based U.K. trade shows and from these face to face discussions, new ideas will emerge for “Girls’ Getaways” to destinations that are within an hour of London. Having Portobello Road Market, Petticoat Lane, Harrods and West End Shows as part of the itinerary will ensure their saleability. One final point: If you’re keen to develop a UK Girls Getaway programme and you’re a CTC, CTA or CTIE, think about updating and expanding your knowledge by joining me on the seven-day, six-night Education on Location programme that I’ve created for the Travel Institute. It has as its main event a full day at the annual Best of Britain and Ireland trade show, where you’ll be able to talk face to face with suppliers whose knowledge and enthusiasm will be hard to resist.
January 2012
18 BIGGER in Not B y L e s - L e e R o l a n d
Okay, stop your snickering. Les-Lee Roland Owner of The Package Deal
At the end of 2011, I was reflecting on experiences that I truly enjoyed. Yes, I have been on the big, gigantic cruise ships that are getting all the attention. I remember my first visit to the Oasis of the Seas. I couldn’t believe it took 90 people to check in in everyone. (I also couldn’t believe the shelves and shelves filled with items taken away from passengers when they were boarding — irons, liquor and steamers were among the forbidden goods that passengers thought they could not live without for one week.) Upon boarding, a representative of the cruise line provided me with a backpack, a canteen, and a boxed lunch to get me through the morning while on the inspection. Yes, the ship is incredible. And the Epic is also incredible. Each ship has its own personality. However, it seems that not all passengers want bigger. Twice on RCI, when the Captain was hosting a past passengers event, he would mention their new 6,000-passenger vessels. People were quite vocal that they were quite happy on the ship they were on, which accommodated less than 3000 people.
January 2012
19
Always Better As much as I enjoyed sailing on the Allure and the Epic, I want to give kudos to a couple of smaller and maybe forgotten cruise lines that have left lasting impressions. In its pre-Epic days, NCL sported some ships that had a beautiful art deco theme. Louis Cruises has a couple of them now, and I was fortunate enough to sail on one through the Greek Isles. I felt that the time spent on the ship was reminiscent of the old cruises — before all the bells and whistles that are on the new ships. How nice to have fabulous food, served leisurely. How nice to be reintroduced to the art of conversation, with so many nice areas to sit and talk to fellow passengers. No mad dash to save seats for the shows — which were entertaining, by the way — just a great appreciation for sailing along in comfort. Who needs anything else? If you want to book your clients for the Greek Isles, you don’t have to use Louis directly. You can book a choice of major tour operators who use Louis. Now, I have been to most of these islands before, on a larger ship, but I saw more and enjoyed more on this one. Yes, Greece is in the news with its problems, but a pre- and post-cruise package in Athens should be on everyone’s bucket list. Our guide, Nicolas, who represents Louis in the US, is the expert. He made a trip on the subway
a lesson on antiquity. He knew all the best restaurants with incredible views in both Athens and Istanbul. Just watching the Captain maneuver into port in Turkey amid other, larger ships was amazing — especially since I still have a problem with parallel parking. I could go on and on about the itinerary, the incredible history, and yes, the commercial areas. And Louis is not just a cruise line, they also have some fabulous hotels in their family brand that are wonderful places to stay in. Another memorable smaller-ship cruise was on Fred.Olsen. I was one of only six U.S. citizens on a Southern Caribbean sailing. Everyone else was from the U.K., all flown to the ship on charters. They were the lucky ones, since they were sailing for two weeks or longer. Shore excursions — including golf in many of the ports — were enjoyable and extremely affordable. I fondly remember the great sailboat regatta we participated in, racing against another team of passengers. The food served onboard destroyed the myth of English food being bland. Every meal was incredible. And sitting with the Brits, I saw a difference in how they eat at a buffet. They take smaller, portions, and eat healthier. In fact, it seemed like everyone was fit, although I never saw anyone working out. (continued on page 20)
Travel Agent Professional
20 Every night, the showroom — more a cabaret than a formal theater — was packed. And every night the entertainers were delightful — comics, singers, musicians. They didn’t need the hoopla of a three floor theatre, and the light shows. It reminded me of smaller Vegas showrooms in hotels that have since been demolished, with the Rat Pack performing on stages so small that the band took up most of the space. Today, everyone has to be in a arena or have thousands of people in the theatre, and that intimacy is no more. When I was disembarking in Barbados, to fly home, it was a sad day. I made a lot of friends in one week. And their vacation was continuing, since they were going on to Cuba. Tomorrow, I am escorting a group on Navigator of the Seas. I have used this ship before for my groups. Yes, it has the parade down the Promenade, and the ice show, and lots of glitz and glamour. I even had to pay $400 for card tables to be brought onboard for the group. These big ships don’t seem to have a place for people to gather to play bridge or mah jong. This group will like that, I am sure. But if I could entice them to try Louis or Fred.Olsen, I think they would be pleasantly surprised. I haven’t planned my personal trips for 2012 yetand I love the variety of what is out there. While bigger can be great — it may not always be better. Isn’t it great to have a choice of what to offer. You just have to know what will appeal to your clients, and then tell them that you have the perfect ship or the perfect itinerary to whet their appetite.
January 2012
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