Years ago we knew a Sales Manager named Eddie Kislan who was whip smart and spent as much time on airplanes as he did at the dinner table. Eddie never left town without his Travelers Notebook, a small (pocket sized) address book he put in his briefcase which had vital numbers and account numbers should…
During the lockdown non-refundable hotel rates pretty much disappeared. Along with airline and car rental suppliers, hotels were hungry for business, so they dropped cancellation and change fees and just about every product across the board was refundable, and in the case of Southwest Airlines, even non-expiring ticket credits became standard. Well, we’re not in…
A cursory examination of the Hotel and Airline industries reveals a huge disparity between how the two sectors have fared after a return to travel. Both experienced a crippling lockdown, a sharp reduction in staff and costly requirements for increased sanitation protocols. They both also experienced the same vigorous resurgence of business as pent-up demand…
How do you know you have a top-notch travel agent? Here are a few signs: They don’t take an hour to get the details of your reservation. Everyone loves a personable conversation. Your agent can chit-chat, make recommendations for your destination and even ask about your children, and yet not waste your time. But if…
Travelers aren’t created alike. There are those who never cause any trouble. They always book in advance, always use preferred suppliers and never misplace itineraries or receipts. Their expense reports are flawless, and they never, ever, complain. Then there are the other kind…And that’s not to say travel isn’t frustrating for everyone right now, with…
The part of your corporate travel policy which deals with refilling the gas tank of a rental car can have a big impact on your travel spend, especially if you have a large number of travelers who like to rent cars. The fact that gas is overly expensive at the moment just adds fuel to…
Everybody loves their travel agent. (Whether they should or not. That’s a hot topic for another time…) But, it is true. That time the CEO was stuck in Reno and airports were snowed out all across the Northwest and your travel agent saved the day and got him home in no time flat. These kinds…
While it may seem counter-intuitive to suggest that an event that had such a drastic, negative effect on an industry, will eventually become a great boon, boosting volume moving forward…it’s quite likely that may be the case. Two factors contribute to this point of view… Factor #1: Telecommuting The following telecommuting/remote work statistics were compiled…
Sold-out situations sometimes require extraordinary solutions. Flight times may not match up, or worse a traveler is stranded after a cancellation. Or perhaps it’s the weather making life hard for travelers. Whatever the situation, the best travel agents will already know most of these and can shift plans to accommodate travel when the first choice…
We work with a lot of travel managers. And the funny thing we’ve noticed is that while they are all different, we often see many traits and tendencies which are alike. Attention to detail is one…all travel managers have good attention to detail, it’s in the blood. Beyond that, many travel managers have other similarities…