December 27, 2011
House of Travel has been noticing an increase in people valuing their time over getting a 4-star hotel “in the area” on Orbitz. Not only are the usuals (the wealthy, middle-aged & professionals) utilizing travel consultants, but now young couples, single ladies & all the cool kids are starting to see the value in letting a travel agency assist with their travel. Just as you would go to a doctor for a medical diagnosis, you should call a travel expert (aka: a travel agent, a destination specialist, that guy with the inside scoop on friends & family deals for Royal Caribbean) when you need ideas & information on your next trip…& obviously, to make your reservation.
Why spin your wheels on the Internet when you have human contact at your fingertips? Trick question. Go ahead – look around on the web, we don’t mind. See what you find, get an idea of what you’re looking for & even send a few deals to your inbox. BUT, call your trusty travel expert to discuss with you which way’s up & the tips & tricks of travel to that destination learned only through working in the industry. We might even agree that you picked the best hotel for the best price. Congrats! At least, you’ll have some reassurance instead of heading blindly into what’s supposed to be a relaxing vacation, only to find out you’re 20 miles away from the heart of town with an older room in the hotel (speaking from experience).
Or, maybe we could put you at the same hotel, but with a room upgrade, breakfast & spa credits – complimentary! Or, we could blow the price you found online out of the water (think 50% less at a W Hotel). You’d be amazed at what we could do while offering customer service you don’t find online. Once we nail down a locale, transportation & hotel, we can also let you know what to do on your trip & get you reservations at those restaurants that are always booked. It’s called our concierge desk – take advantage of it.
We will spare you the details – for now – of how & why travel agents are thought of as “an extinct breed,” (thanks Obama), but we will say that it’s absolutely not true. You might need us in a different way than when you could only get your airline ticket from a travel agency or at the airport (yes, physically go pick up your ticket – mind-blowing!), but you need us. We think an article in Sunday’s Miami Herald explains a lot. Here’s a snippet:
If you need more analogies (a little slow?): we provide a similar service as attorneys, CPAs and constructions companies – you pay them to get the job done so you can spend your time making more money. You listen to their advice (sometimes don’t take it) & likely think to yourself, “I could do that.” But would you really build your own house? Probably not a good idea, since someone can do it better…faster…& provide value. (“Faster” does not apply to the construction business in South Florida.)
And just like a doctor, you should probably listen to their diagnosis over the diagnosis of your neighbor who was also experiencing fatigue & headaches. Not everyone has malaria, just like not everyone is credible regarding travel. Feel free to ask your friends that are carbon copies of you whether they liked their last hotel or had a pleasant experience on a cruise ship. But, in the end, there’s a reason we are the comeback kings.
If that’s enough…everybody’s doing it.
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[...] To read more about our bounce back in 2012, read this article that expands on the Comeback King article in the Miami Herald. [...]