p9 news mar20 18/3/09 22:05 Page 9
ttglive.com
news
New agent slams
Hayes praised
for price-match
‘commission hunt’
INDEPENDENT agent Tim Giles has praised Hayes
& Jarvis for quickly price-matching after the
operator undercut him online.
Giles, owner of Bath agency World Market
Philippa Jacks.
Travel, had two customers within a week who
AGENTS struggling during the economic found identical Hayes & Jarvis holidays online at
downturn have only themselves to blame, a new prices he could not match.
London agency has claimed. It followed an incident last month when Giles
Red Carpet Travel started trading in January, criticised Libra after he lost a customer when the
and is a member of the Global Travel Group. operator advertised a Sharm el Sheikh holiday
Director Sam Osbourne said his focus was online at a discount higher than his agency’s
on delivering exceptional customer service commission (TTG February 20).
whatever the client’s budget. Giles said Hayes & Jarvis responded quickly
“The travel industry needs to change. If some when he complained the two customers had
companies are facing problems, it’s not because found the same holidays cheaper online, and
of the credit crunch, it’s because of the way allowed him to match the price while keeping his
they’ve been working for a while,” he said. full commission.
Osbourne had considered moving into travel The first was a £7,500 booking to Kenya, and
for some years but said the catalyst was a poor the agency kept £800 commission.
experience when booking his holiday last August
with soon-to-close Apollo Travel, part of The
Co-operative Travel Group. Red Carpet Travel’s Sam Osbourne and Zoe Shaw
“Everything went wrong, from the booking
Incredible India
to the holiday itself. We arrived at the hotel in “One client wanted to spend two or three
Alcudia after midnight with two young children months doing hardcore Thai kick-boxing – not takes to the road
to be told there was no reservation,” he said. something I know a lot about. But I told him to
“Too much emphasis is placed on earning as give me a couple of days and I did some research. A SERIES of Incredible India roadshows kicked off
much commission as possible. We might only get commission on the flights but this week in London.
“Agents are forgetting that it’s easier and he’ll be a customer for life,” she said. The five roadshows, run by marketing firm The
cheaper to retain someone as a long-term Sharm el Sheikh and Dubai have been the Network, are targeting agents, including home-
customer than trying to win over new ones.” biggest sellers for the agency so far. workers and independents, and offer the chance
Red Carpet manager Zoe Shaw, who has previ- Red Carpet’s walk-in store is in Charing Cross, to meet operators, airlines and hoteliers.
ously worked for American Express, said flight- with Liverpool Street the next potential location. The roadshows, which saw 30 exhibitors and
only had sold well, with some unusual requests. The Co-op declined to comment. 150 guests at each event at Birmingham and
Liverpool this week, head to Glasgow on March
23 and Dublin on March 25.
Broadway hits the luxury sector
Pictured below are Stacey Hodkinson (left),
client services manager, and Sally Morgan, busi-
ness director, both from The Network, with
INDEPENDENT agent Broadway Travel has no queuing. Elements such as this will make us Jagdish Chander, UK director, Incredible India.
launched Inspired Luxury Escapes, an operator stand apart from the competition,” he said.
specialising in holidays to Cyprus and Egypt. Demetriou said 90% of sales would come
The programme features 41 hotels, and through the travel trade, and the operator had
includes a pre and post-departure concierge agreed terms with Advantage, Hays Travel,
service to organise extras for the trip, including Worldchoice, Travel Counsellors and Elite.
dinner reservations, spa treatments and resort The brochure for Inspired Luxury Escapes is
airport transfers. being sent to agents this week and has “prices
All hotels were contracted by Theo Demetriou, from” guides rather than price panels.
Broadway’s sales and marketing director, The average price is said to be £780 per per-
who said the operator aimed to provide son per week.
“aspirational” hotels and “seamless customer Agents can get detailed price information from
service”. viewdata, or by calling 0844 544 6773 or email-
“All our clients travelling to Egypt will be ing agencysales@inspiredluxuryescapes.com
met at the airport by a uniformed rep and
fast-tracked through the visa entry system with ■ New player pumpkin ‘100% trade’, p28
20.03.2009 09
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