talking shop WISE COUNSEL
Out & About There have been plenty of training opportunities this summer around the country, and I was lucky to attend a wonderful evening at Little Dudley House in Dorking. The training evening was presented by
SATOA, in partnership with Tourism KwaZulu-Natal, Southern Sun, Namibia Tourism, Reve Tourism, Great Plains and Ellerman House, Air Namibia and Africa Hotel and Adventures. As South Africa is one of my favourite destinations, and there is always more places to learn about I enjoyed a very informative evening. Thank you to Sabi Sabi for the Hotel Chocolat and wine which went down a treat at home! I was delighted to be invited to some
great summer party events. First up was Selling Long Haul’s party. The invitation advised that the evening would be optional fancy dress with a travel theme. Hmmm, my body shape is not perfect to be a trolly dolly or belly dancer so after a fruitless search for a palm tree costume, I had to just go with what I could find in my size! This boiled down to transforming myself into a Japanese Geisha! The team at SLH appreciated the effort and I was rewarded with more Hotel Chocolat!
Great Operators I received plenty of nominations for the Most Helpful Tour Operator of the past month. For example, agent Jane Zollo nominated the Private Travel Company, a division of Caribtours. “A client asked me to book his honeymoon in the Maldives. He is a very frequent traveller and had loads of air miles and booked the flights with Etihad himself. I arranged the seaplane transfers and a beautiful water villa at the W Hotel in the Maldives. “He was due to travel on the Saturday night and I was just sitting down with a glass of wine when my emergency phone rang. He had used his passport so many times that the picture was rather worn. The check-in staff at the Etihad desk had rubbed the passport picture and it had
Pictured: Barbara in Geisha costume at Selling Long Haul's summer party, with fellow Travel Counsellor Katrina Angel, in Australian outback bush garb
80 September 2012 •
www.sellinglonghaul.com
BARBARA CHARLTON Regular columnist Barbara was voted Most Helpful Travel Counsellor of the Year for two consecutive years.
E:
Barbara.Charlton@
travelcounsellors.com T: 0845 0587 290
‘Turning Japanese to party’
CONGRATS! It was tough to pick an overall winner but the honour this month goes to Mamta at Travelpack, for her persever- ance and providing so much extra value for agent Stuart Woodford. A certifi cate is on its way to Mamta.
fallen apart!! He could not travel but Etihad changed his flights at no charge, allowing him to take his honeymoon a month later, after he had obtained a new passport!
“I contacted the Private Travel Company, and spoke to the lovely Sarah Miller who, like me, answered her work phone on a Saturday night. I was acutely aware that it was 100% cancellation charges and that it was also the client’s fault that his passport was not in order, so he was also not covered under his insurance policy. “I was absolutely delighted with the
service from PTC and the W Hotel in the Maldives – they changed the hotel and seaplane transfers and soon my honeymooners will be travelling to the W Hotel in the Maldives at no extra charge – and that's all due to the relationships that we all have with these wonderful suppliers, and in turn the relationships they have with hotels and ground agents.” Agent Stuart Woodford reckons that Mamta Sachdev at Travelpack 'is a star'! Stuart wrote: “An enquiry came by text from a regular client: ‘Do you do Burma, Stuart?’" they asked.
“I contacted Mamta who specialises in a country that is one of this years 'must do' destinations. The itinerary was created as a 'private tour' covering
“To reach a port, we must sail – sail, not tie at anchor; sail, not drift”
— FRANKLIN ROOSEVELT
Yangon (ex-Rangoon) Mandalay, Bagan, Heho and Inle Lake, taking in the history and beauty of this exciting country. "January is peak season and many hotels had already 'sold out' yet Mamta used her contacts to secure great rooms in great hotels. But because it took her three weeks to secure, Mamta has arranged to host a complimentary meal on arrival to give Vipul and Shilpa a 'taste of what's to come' and brief them on the tour ahead.
"The clients chose Business Class international flights which pushed the total booking to £11,036, a very nice booking by anyone’s standards! Moreover, Mamta's contacts and her going the extra mile has ensured that I have a very happy client,” said Stuart. Other nominations worth a mention, although space does not permit their full stories, include: Diane Faulkner at Crista,
TOP SELLERS Destinations that sold well for me this summer include South Africa, Sri Lanka and the USA on the long haul side, and Greece, Italy and the Canaries for short breaks. I have always said that economic issues rarely stop my clients from travel- ling – the secret is to provide them with the same excellent service and customer care wherever they go.
BEYOND THE CALL! These three ladies from Premier Holidays, with their certifi cates for being our Operators of the Month in July-August, are from L to R: Rayleigh Dolan (Senior Reserva- tions Consultant) Karen Aldread (Customer Services Supervisor) and Natasha Chapman (Senior Reservations Consultant).
Yvonne Spencer and Claire Reside at North America Travel Service, Sunny Singh at Travelpack, Tina Braden at Fenway, Sabina Shade at Mosaic and Claire Kalatziz at Sunvil.
Keep your nominations coming – and Happy Selling!
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