Comments on: Time for a new kind of travel agent? http://www.travelblather.com/2010/01/a-kind-of-new-travel-agent.html Banter between travel writers, travel PRs and travel social media people Mon, 06 Feb 2012 08:59:53 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: tomtravel2 http://www.travelblather.com/2010/01/a-kind-of-new-travel-agent.html/comment-page-1#comment-82 tomtravel2 Tue, 26 Jan 2010 18:21:30 +0000 http://www.travelblather.com/2010/01/time-for-a-new-kind-of-travel-agent.html#comment-82 Excellent blog and very thoughtful commentary here. I agree with RTWFlights that messaging is important and putting that message where the eyeballs are is becoming crucial. Providing a superior customer service experience has served us well. Making our brand visible on the Internet and via social media provides a further edge. The entire travel agent industry has done a very poor job of messaging during the rise of Internet travel sites. Surveys show widespread dissatisfaction with the online booking experience. The business is there for the taking for those with the knowledge and skills to make the entire process from concept to plan to booking easy, price competitive and satisfying. We are home based agents in the US catering to an affluent clientele and our business grew year over year in 2009. It looks to further increase for 2010. Chat me up on Twitter: @tomtravel2 Excellent blog and very thoughtful commentary here. I agree with RTWFlights that messaging is important and putting that message where the eyeballs are is becoming crucial. Providing a superior customer service experience has served us well. Making our brand visible on the Internet and via social media provides a further edge. The entire travel agent industry has done a very poor job of messaging during the rise of Internet travel sites. Surveys show widespread dissatisfaction with the online booking experience. The business is there for the taking for those with the knowledge and skills to make the entire process from concept to plan to booking easy, price competitive and satisfying. We are home based agents in the US catering to an affluent clientele and our business grew year over year in 2009. It looks to further increase for 2010. Chat me up on Twitter: @tomtravel2

]]> By: Rtwflights.blogspot.com http://www.travelblather.com/2010/01/a-kind-of-new-travel-agent.html/comment-page-1#comment-81 Rtwflights.blogspot.com Wed, 13 Jan 2010 09:53:12 +0000 http://www.travelblather.com/2010/01/time-for-a-new-kind-of-travel-agent.html#comment-81 Odd - won't let me sign in with twitter? Well no point being coy Jeremy - its Intrepid and their store on Upper Store is more a concept store - you can browse idea, check their site online, talk to their consultants. And it looks great too. I think the original idea was lets look at another form of distribution away from heavy media buys (we were all getting hammered by TNT and News International - fair enough the ads worked then). But talk to Daniel at Intrepid. He helped set it up and it has evolved with some great talk nights, expert nights etc. Worth a visit too. I'm a fan. The truth is retail has to pay for itself. There's a Foxtons opposite us that has branded itself as an "Estate Agents cafe". You can go in, chat to someone - usually someone desirable in high heels if thats your bag - ho hum, watch Sky News, have a beer or expensive mineral water or cappuccino or frappocino or whatever you desire. They'll also hammer the seller for 3% of any sale, which on an average £800K flat round here equates to £24,000. So they can afford to be generous with the free Tizer and In Bru. I would too. Unfortunately we don't work on that size of gross profit (5-6% stat fans). I do think that if the Maths worked then a "retail experience" would have been done. Maybe if the cost travel had kept up with the rest of the economy instead of coming down in price. In 1990 I did a RTW for £1400. The same itinerary today would cost £1250. But its not all gloom. We're mentally busy! Cheers Stu Odd - won't let me sign in with twitter? Well no point being coy Jeremy - its Intrepid and their store on Upper Store is more a concept store - you can browse idea, check their site online, talk to their consultants. And it looks great too. I think the original idea was lets look at another form of distribution away from heavy media buys (we were all getting hammered by TNT and News International - fair enough the ads worked then). But talk to Daniel at Intrepid. He helped set it up and it has evolved with some great talk nights, expert nights etc. Worth a visit too. I'm a fan.

The truth is retail has to pay for itself. There's a Foxtons opposite us that has branded itself as an "Estate Agents cafe". You can go in, chat to someone - usually someone desirable in high heels if thats your bag - ho hum, watch Sky News, have a beer or expensive mineral water or cappuccino or frappocino or whatever you desire. They'll also hammer the seller for 3% of any sale, which on an average £800K flat round here equates to £24,000. So they can afford to be generous with the free Tizer and In Bru. I would too. Unfortunately we don't work on that size of gross profit (5-6% stat fans).

I do think that if the Maths worked then a "retail experience" would have been done. Maybe if the cost travel had kept up with the rest of the economy instead of coming down in price. In 1990 I did a RTW for £1400. The same itinerary today would cost £1250.

But its not all gloom. We're mentally busy!

Cheers
Stu

]]> By: Jeremy Head http://www.travelblather.com/2010/01/a-kind-of-new-travel-agent.html/comment-page-1#comment-80 Jeremy Head Tue, 12 Jan 2010 21:14:33 +0000 http://www.travelblather.com/2010/01/time-for-a-new-kind-of-travel-agent.html#comment-80 @ James. I already emailed my pet wealthy business entrepreneur but he is out of the country at the moment (seriously!) However one of the points Stuart makes above... which I was thinking about too (honest) is the Borders example. Clearly, even with a great retail presence based around experience ratheer than stacked shelves you are still vulnerable to pure-play online competitors. @ Stu - is the large adventure tour company that opened this kind of a more experience-based store still open there? Did the concept work? I do think the one sector that has tiptoed down this route probably is independent/backpack travel. What I'd love to see is someone try it for say Family Travel. I'd like say Tui/Thomson to stick their necks out and open a concept store... AND sell product from competitors too. @ James. I already emailed my pet wealthy business entrepreneur but he is out of the country at the moment (seriously!)
However one of the points Stuart makes above... which I was thinking about too (honest) is the Borders example. Clearly, even with a great retail presence based around experience ratheer than stacked shelves you are still vulnerable to pure-play online competitors.
@ Stu - is the large adventure tour company that opened this kind of a more experience-based store still open there? Did the concept work? I do think the one sector that has tiptoed down this route probably is independent/backpack travel. What I'd love to see is someone try it for say Family Travel. I'd like say Tui/Thomson to stick their necks out and open a concept store... AND sell product from competitors too.

]]> By: james dunford wood http://www.travelblather.com/2010/01/a-kind-of-new-travel-agent.html/comment-page-1#comment-79 james dunford wood Tue, 12 Jan 2010 18:56:14 +0000 http://www.travelblather.com/2010/01/time-for-a-new-kind-of-travel-agent.html#comment-79 Hi Great post, and I entirely agree that there is a hole screaming to be filled here. The closest I have seen is some walk in travel agent stores in Paris, where you get a cappucino, loads of travel books to browse (not brochures, though some of those too), some free wifi and PCs, Chopin in the background, and some lovely looking people (lets leave it at that!) waiting to serve you. Windows full of gorgeous super size images of Aman resorts, and no ghastly text or offers. Kuoni seem to be trialling upmarket looking agencies in my local high street, and I heard Black Tomato had a walk in store. If someone gave me 5m quid guess what, I would open a chain of these feel good travel agencies. Who wouldn't walk into a store with enticing hotel images in the window and a cappu machine in the corner and a stack of CN Travel magazines on the rack? Above all, you could go in and book hotels from consultants who had actually stayed in them, or knew someone who had. Anyone out there got £5m? Actually one would do... Hi

Great post, and I entirely agree that there is a hole screaming to be filled here. The closest I have seen is some walk in travel agent stores in Paris, where you get a cappucino, loads of travel books to browse (not brochures, though some of those too), some free wifi and PCs, Chopin in the background, and some lovely looking people (lets leave it at that!) waiting to serve you. Windows full of gorgeous super size images of Aman resorts, and no ghastly text or offers.

Kuoni seem to be trialling upmarket looking agencies in my local high street, and I heard Black Tomato had a walk in store. If someone gave me 5m quid guess what, I would open a chain of these feel good travel agencies. Who wouldn't walk into a store with enticing hotel images in the window and a cappu machine in the corner and a stack of CN Travel magazines on the rack? Above all, you could go in and book hotels from consultants who had actually stayed in them, or knew someone who had.

Anyone out there got £5m? Actually one would do...

]]> By: Rtwflights http://www.travelblather.com/2010/01/a-kind-of-new-travel-agent.html/comment-page-1#comment-78 Rtwflights Tue, 12 Jan 2010 16:07:37 +0000 http://www.travelblather.com/2010/01/time-for-a-new-kind-of-travel-agent.html#comment-78 Top article as per Jeremy. So as a travel agent for the teenies we should have or offer: 1. Great customer experience - (I agree - we get some great feedback). 2. Great Customer Relationship Management - pax of mine texted me on Xmas day to change a flight - I know a lot of my pax personally and know what they drink and travel wise what they want to do before they do half the time (listening helps too). And readers I married one. Above and beyond that one... 3. Highly experienced consultants - average 5 year experience with degree level education (and good consultants in London cost £25-30K) 4. A niche - round the world flights for us. 5. No 1 in google - plus the rather expensive associated Google adwords buy needed to stay No 1. 6. Highly active in social media - we're trying. 7. Ultra competitive pricing or the perception of it - on lower margins than before. 8. Shop in a decent area with a big footfall - we have a shop in Islington (with a new carpet - am v proud - with original window posters - that I designed on photoshop elements - just added!) but weirdly the shop footfall can clash with the niche activity of roundtheworldflights.com. I can't tell you how much my heart drops when some well-meaning soul mouths "I want to go somewhere hot...". A large & successful adventure tour company tried the NIKE TOWN/APPLE STORE retail experience in Islington too - probably with more success that us if I'm honest - but they had mega buck budgets to start with. Still they get a lot of pax who are just browsing and maybe liking the brand. Hard to monetize or measure that though.... IMHO retail and talking to a really knowledgeable consultant works well after someone has seen and done their research online or by phone or by email. (Bit dead mouse sarnie but at roundtheworldflights.com for example). Another thing to mention about retail is the rather sad story of Borders – great to sit in supping lattes in their very own Starbucks – especially with screaming nephews - and browse and have a coffee - problem was everyone was buying their books from Amazon afterwards! 9. A fresh constantly updated website with added video, twitter, blogs, facebook - ie loads of stickability - again we're trying 10, ATOL and IATA bonding – not easy for new entrants these days 11. Be open late and 7 days a week - for this I take the inspiration of a Beijing Travel Agent who sold me a train ticket - and shamed me when he said he shut 7 hours - a week. 12. Be ahead of the game Not enough hours in the day for that lot, is there? I still think most decent travel agents (and I know half a dozen good ones) will do well, especialy in their niche markets, even if it is in an extremely tough market. It does strikes me that most TAs are morphing into Quasi-tour operators – some online most offline - seems the future to me - control and monetize your own product with a decent and updated site, a decent shop, great staff and a good user experience. We're just middle men after all - an interlocutar between those who supply and those who want(the pax) - so if you want a decent RTW, from a good company - you know where to come. Cheers Stuart ps looking forward to seeing offermeatrip.com Mark - it's an intriguing idea. Top article as per Jeremy. So as a travel agent for the teenies we should have or offer:

1. Great customer experience - (I agree - we get some great feedback).
2. Great Customer Relationship Management - pax of mine texted me on Xmas day to change a flight - I know a lot of my pax personally and know what they drink and travel wise what they want to do before they do half the time (listening helps too). And readers I married one. Above and beyond that one...
3. Highly experienced consultants - average 5 year experience with degree level education (and good consultants in London cost £25-30K)
4. A niche - round the world flights for us.
5. No 1 in google - plus the rather expensive associated Google adwords buy needed to stay No 1.
6. Highly active in social media - we're trying.
7. Ultra competitive pricing or the perception of it - on lower margins than before.
8. Shop in a decent area with a big footfall - we have a shop in Islington (with a new carpet - am v proud - with original window posters - that I designed on photoshop elements - just added!) but weirdly the shop footfall can clash with the niche activity of roundtheworldflights.com. I can't tell you how much my heart drops when some well-meaning soul mouths "I want to go somewhere hot...".

A large & successful adventure tour company tried the NIKE TOWN/APPLE STORE retail experience in Islington too - probably with more success that us if I'm honest - but they had mega buck budgets to start with. Still they get a lot of pax who are just browsing and maybe liking the brand. Hard to monetize or measure that though....

IMHO retail and talking to a really knowledgeable consultant works well after someone has seen and done their research online or by phone or by email. (Bit dead mouse sarnie but at roundtheworldflights.com for example).

Another thing to mention about retail is the rather sad story of Borders – great to sit in supping lattes in their very own Starbucks – especially with screaming nephews - and browse and have a coffee - problem was everyone was buying their books from Amazon afterwards!

9. A fresh constantly updated website with added video, twitter, blogs, facebook - ie loads of stickability - again we're trying
10, ATOL and IATA bonding – not easy for new entrants these days
11. Be open late and 7 days a week - for this I take the inspiration of a Beijing Travel Agent who sold me a train ticket - and shamed me when he said he shut 7 hours - a week.
12. Be ahead of the game

Not enough hours in the day for that lot, is there? I still think most decent travel agents (and I know half a dozen good ones) will do well, especialy in their niche markets, even if it is in an extremely tough market. It does strikes me that most TAs are morphing into Quasi-tour operators – some online most offline - seems the future to me - control and monetize your own product with a decent and updated site, a decent shop, great staff and a good user experience. We're just middle men after all - an interlocutar between those who supply and those who want(the pax) - so if you want a decent RTW, from a good company - you know where to come.

Cheers Stuart

ps looking forward to seeing offermeatrip.com Mark - it's an intriguing idea.

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