I believe this is why using a travel consultant is very important. Because of my contacts with a number of accommodation and tour representatives, I am able to book that elusive last room at a requested hotel, the guaranteed tour departure for parts unknown, and I can contact the sales manager at most hotels to ask them to look after my guests. Those are just a few of the things that qualified travel consultants are capable of handling. Here is another example:
Tales of Irene: Agents Show Their True Grit
by Dori Saltzman
As the full force of Hurricane Irene began to make itself felt last week, travel professionals did what they do every day. They anticipated difficulties clients might have, made alternate arrangements, handled on-the-spot re-booking needs and drew on their supplier relations to find last-minute hotel rooms and air seats.
Most of all, they were there for their clients.
As one agent said, no one in the profession wishes for weather disasters, but they sure do make it the value of a travel agent glaringly obvious.
Following are stories from travel sellers who put their customers’ needs first, often while weathering the storm themselves.
Sky-high call volume
“Call volumes at our emergency service centers (ESC) were very high over the weekend, marking the second busiest time ever for our ESCs. We saw an increase of 251% above forecast on Saturday and 149% above forecast on Sunday. (The European volcanic ash situation last year marks the busiest time on record.) CWT opened additional service centers and increased staff by bringing in on-call agents to assist with the extra phone calls, which ensured sufficient support.” – Janet Wheatley, vice president, traveler & transaction services, CWT North America
Cellphone headaches
“I am in Ulster County, N.Y., one of the disaster areas. There are road closures everywhere and lots of flooding. Power lines and trees are down. My office has power but no phone and sporadic Internet. I have three voice lines out. Using my cellphone to retrieve messages from my automated voicemail system and then returning calls is painful. I'm working on a large group and a couple of large-dollar cruises, and even though they [the clients] don't have power either, they don't really care that I don't. They want what they want, and I'm a professional, so I better get it all figured out." – Colleen Gillette, owner, New Paltz (N.Y.) Travel
Lemonade from lemons
“We had one honeymoon couple who was scheduled to return on Sunday, Aug. 28, on JetBlue. They are now returning on Thursday, Sept. 1 . . . the first flight they could get home. The hotel is working with them price-wise, and they do have trip insurance. The pro: four additional nights on their honeymoon! The only con: a little insurance paperwork when they get home." – Debbie Gorman, president, Fun & Sun Travel Center, Point Pleasant, N.J.
Thinking ahead
"We were warned that Hurricane Irene was going to be the storm of the century for the Long Island area. I feared our home would lose power and as a result my home office and my business would be put out of business. On Thursday I started preparing. I stocked up on batteries, water, ice, candles, an extra computer battery that could extend my laptop’s battery life. I also purchased a solar phone charger that would help keep me in touch with clients if power was lost." – Sheila Korte, owner, Korte Travel, New York
Preemptive actions
"Our main focus has been to provide unwavering support and guidance to our guests . . . while assisting them with reworking cruise, hotel, car and airline reservation needs. Upon news of the hurricane, Odyssey agents started assisting clients by offering a preemptive strike and proactive approach. I used my personal contacts at a hotel to ensure my guests were able to extend their stay for the extra evening needed, and I was able to get it for them at no additional cost." – Michelle Duncan, MCC, LCS, CEO/president, Odyssey Travel Inc., Centreville, Va.
Personal account: rescue operations
“I’m a volunteer firefighter and was being dispatched all over town all Saturday and Sunday. It sure was crazy. We tried getting residents of low-lying areas in East Brunswick (N.J.) to evacuate. Some complied, while others didn't. The Raritan River is said to have crested at 43 feet, which resulted in flooding. We had two fire department boats in the water on Sunday picking up people from their houses. . . . Roads were blocked by fallen trees, and our crew had to step out into the pouring rain and gusty wind to cut trees so we could get to where the call was. The rain was so heavy and coming at us sideways; we couldn't even see what we were doing at times.” – Ryan Ranahan, Crown Cruise Vacations, Princeton, N.J.
Customer appreciation
“The following thank you was submitted to us from an appreciative traveler: ‘One of your travel specialists worked ceaselessly day and night on Saturday and Sunday to help us both get back to our homes in the New York City area. While it still ended up taking three days for us to get back, she never stopped exploring the various options and was always available for consultation.’” – Wheatley, CWT North America
5 hours, 1 booking
“I had a family of seven originally booked to leave on Sunday for one week at Disney. I changed their flight to leave on Saturday with a change in Baltimore. Their flight was cancelled. It took five hours to get them re-accommodated with a flight and extend their Disney stay. I did all this from home on a cellphone, going back and forth with clients, as we had no power at work or at home. They flew out this morning (Tuesday).” – Helene Baillargeon, Travel Leaders / Donovan Travel, Woonsocket, R.I.
Job security for client
“I had a corporate client who had a job he absolutely had to get to on Sunday. I was able to get the airline to change his D.C. departure point to Pittsburgh, which enabled him to get to his Minneapolis appointment right on time. The same situations happened with our leisure clients. . . . It's not as if we hope for weather issues, but we are happy to demonstrate the value of having a travel professional on your side." – Candice DiSaia, Donovan Travel, Woonsocket, R.I.
Personal account: ‘Majorly impacted’
“I live in Highlands, N.J., on the Sandy Hook Bay, four houses from the water, and I was majorly impacted. We were under three feet of water. We still don't have power, though this morning [Tuesday] they turned our gas back on. I am in one of the shore communities our governor stated he would have ‘up and running’ for the last week of the summer but so far absolutely nothing has been done to help." – Claudette D'Arrigo, manager, Two Rivers Travel, Rumson, N.J.
Fred Gebhart contributed to this report.
