What is a luxury travel product? Where does it begin? Certain products are clear luxury leaders. But there are also more mainstream companies that offer luxury-priced products, along with amenities not seen by the average customer, such as a mass market cruise line that offers a suite fit for a ...

Luxury travel sometimes seems to be the Holy Grail for agents at home seeking the mother lode of all travel sales. Many agents working from home specialize in luxury travel, booking high-end cruises, hotels, and tours for their upscale customers. Many are associated with so-called "carriage trade" travel agencies, which ...

Last October Enterprise Rent-A-Car introduced a travel agency program offering a flexible commission and rate structure for agents. In June the company upgraded its travel agent-dedicated website (www.enterprise.com/ta) so agents could make bookings online and decide the rate and commission structure for each individual booking. Here we interview Ron ...

The key to selling luxury travel is competitive pricing with exceptional personal service

I recently spotted a billboard along the freeway that said, "Just because I was born rich doesn't mean I'm stupid." This statement really struck a chord with me as I thought back 10 years ago to ...

Turn down unprofitable business and stay focused on your best clients

When you're having one of those days when you're completely exasperated by a client who is whining about the high prices of hotels in Europe or the ridiculous last-minute fares on flights to Chicago, take a few deep ...

Some answers to the legal challenges faced by agents at home

I recently spoke at an industry conference attended primarily by host agencies and agents working from home. What follows are some of the questions asked during my seminar and my responses to them. I've focused specifically on those ...

The art of working with a client whose travel arrangements have gone awry

I recently traveled through the Atlanta airport during a time of severe thunderstorms throughout the East Coast and Southeast. Needless to say, there were flight delays, cancellations, long faces, late flight crews, screaming kids, mechanical issues, ...

Brenda Anderson's wanderlust pays off -- for herself and for clients traveling to Italy

Brenda Anderson is a travel ambassador for women like her-women who have put their own wanderlust on the back burner while they poured their energies into family and community, and then decided that it's time ...

A few suggestions on how to find pied pipers in your own hometown

It's a recurring challenge for anyone seeking to sell more group travel: Where do you find good groups and good group leaders? The answer is that sellers of group travel should never stop seeking out "pied ...

Imagine the commission you can earn for a trip on which your client rents a private jet, and then upgrades to a higher-level jet, to fly off to a tropical paradise to stay in a $15,000-a-night suite. Imagine arranging limos, tee times, restaurant reservations, sightseeing, and babysitting. This ...

Luxury is alive and well... and so is the luxury cruise business

Here is some exciting news for travel sellers that can lead to happy clients, big sales, and big commissions: Businessis booming in the luxury cruise sector.

     Now let me clarify: I mean it is booming ...

 Why you should consider focusing on the high-end market

A feeling of satisfaction comes over you as you've closed the sale for your client's first family cruise vacation. Granted, their choice-a three-night cruise on a low-priced ship-would not have been yours, but it's a start. Maybe they'll move ...

The Luxury Alliance surveys the latest trends in upscale travel

Many agents want to specialize in luxury travel, but not as many know just how to go about it. They either can't find the right clients or don't understand the right product mix. In articles elsewhere in this issue, ...

What's new at the world's top luxury and premium cruise lines

The luxury cruise segment continues to evolve in order to upgrade its products and to appeal to the new travel tastes of the massive Baby Boom generation, now turning 60 and entering their prime cruise and vacation years. ...

How high-end operators are meeting the demands of upscale clientele

Product control, luxury-level access, high-end niche markets. These practices are becoming travel industry standards. And wholesalers are embracing them as much as any other segment of the industry.
     
As Jerre Fuqua, president of Newport Beach, Calif.-based Travcoa, ...

The days of having only a few luxury chains from which to choose are long gone. Today, agents have more choices than ever for their upscale clients. What follows is a sampling of some of the top luxury hotel chains and what they do for agents.

FAIRMONT HOTELS & RESORTS ...

AUBERGE ST. ANTOINE: You can feel that you have earned a Ph.D. in social history by luxuriating at this fascinating, 94-room hotel in Quebec City's old town by the waterfront. Artifacts uncovered prior to its 2003 opening are theatrically displayed but not overdone. Outside the entrance to the top penthouse ...

A look at medical insurance programs for travelers

With the average cost of medical evacuation while on a trip said to be $50,000, several companies are specializing in travel medical insurance. This emergency assistance coverage, which is not usually included in those companies' regular travel insurance plans, can be ...

Upscale Valerie Wilson Travel recognized early on the value of agents at home

Valerie Wilson Travel, Inc., was a high-end travel agency from its launch in 1981. And what were then most commonly known as "outside agents" or "independent contractors" were an integral part of the agency's business model ...

Selling air can be profitable if you work with the right companies

In general, an international airline consolidator is a company that has contracted net fares from many airlines and sells international airline tickets to travel agents at reduced prices. Consolidators receive discounted net contracts because of the high ...

Luxury packages and amenities await guests at Hawaii resorts

Posh and not-so-posh Hawaiian hotels and resorts are taking aim at luxury guests this year. Companies such as Four Seasons Hotels & Resorts and The Luxury Collection of Starwood Hotels & Resorts, as well as individual properties such as Oahu's ...

Hawaii wholesalers offer luxury programs, high-end accommodations, and other upscale perks

Wholesalers of luxury tours and packages to Hawaii typically offer programs priced between $300 and $600 per day, excluding airfare. Their programs feature small group sizes, top-rated resorts, gourmet meals, and the promise that every last detail will ...

New promotions are designed to raise the island's brand presence

Barbados tourism officials know how important it is to maintain visibility in the market and to ensure a continued presence in North America. That's why the Barbados Tourism Authority (BTA) has formed several partnerships over the past few months ...

The family-friendly property reopens after a major renovation

The location and name are the same, but the Hilton Barbados is now totally new. The resort, located on Needhams Point, a peninsula that features white-sand beaches, reopened in June after a complete refurbishment. The renovated resort sits on the site ...

 This venerable resort has new owners and big plans for the future

Calling the current scene at Cable Beach Resorts a "work in progress" would be a serious understatement. But, while ambitious transformation plans are afoot at the Bahamas complex, its three mid-scale properties-with their clean, sandy beaches, ...

This island nation is building its tourism base with new and renovated resorts

"By 2007, tourism to Fiji will be a billion-dollar industry," Bill Gavoka, CEO of the Fiji Visitors Bureau, proudly announced at the recent Bula Fiji Tourism Exchange (BFTE). 
     
Now in its 11th year, ...

Highlights of Australia's newest top operators, hotels, and attractions

If destinations are all about experiences, Australia certainly has more than enough to go around. From great beaches and coastline to wine-growing regions to the wildlife and outback to cities with spectacular settings, the country has something to offer nearly ...

 Australia highlights its newest hotels, attractions, and receptive operators

Vietnam, one of Asia's most appealing destinations, offers an amazing breadth of experiences, history, cuisine, and culture. And, most important, all of this can be enjoyed in a tension-free atmosphere with warm, welcoming people.
     
While there's no ...

South Africa's tourism product is moving very much into the mainstream

South Africa seems to have it all: The country's natural resources include amazing game preserves that are home to the African Big Five (lion, leopard, water buffalo, rhinoceros, and elephant). Cape Town's well-developed Garden Route is highlighted by ...

If you've really "walked the walk," now it's time to "talk the talk." Granted, telling the world what you know for free may seem counterintuitive. Recently we've been told not to waste any time with clients until they cough up some kind of fee or we have some commitment from ...