ttglive.com
news Loyalty pays for agents
Sophie Griffiths. A NEW online system will allow hotels, resorts and destinations to directly re- ward agents for their loyalty.
Mybookingrewards.com has been designed to allow hotels and other suppliers to identify which agents are promoting their products. Suppliers already signed up to the scheme include Palm Beach Hotels in Barbados, Heritage Hotels in Kenya and SuperClubs in Jamaica.
The system helps agents access a range of rewards
can take about 28 days. With this scheme, after a traveller has checked in, the system invites hoteliers to approve the reward so that agents can instantly redeem their rewards online, or have vouchers sent to them.” To use the website, agents must complete a registration form and then register bookings they have made with the suppliers listed on the
site — whether direct or via an operator, bed bank or other third party.
Destinations can also reward agents through the website. The first to do so, Nassau Paradise Island, will give Ticketmaster vouchers to agents who book seven nights for two people in one of its 17 member hotels. The Jamaica Tourist Board has also signed up to the programme. Managing director of site developer Expo-
sure4, Darren Pearson, said the reward scheme differed from other initiatives because it enabled hotels to send vouchers immediately, rather than forcing agents to complete and send off complicated paperwork. “With other reward schemes, paper forms get sent out that agents have to fill in, and the process
Each supplier can choose its own way of
rewarding agents. Gifts currently on offer include shopping vouchers, places on educationals and Ticketmaster vouchers. Agents can then choose to either redeem their rewards straight away or “bank” them.
The system also allows suppliers to send messages to agents and collect data about spe- cific bookings. “Hoteliers will be able to see which agents use them the most, and to reward them for their efforts,” said Pearson.
■Register for the scheme at mybooking
rewards.com
Aix appeal
Aix-en-Provence is as chic as it gets, and easy to reach with Eurostar. Make one simple change in Lille or Paris and you could be stepping out in the heart of this stylish city in 6hrs 30mins.
Among the Italianate splendour of the 17th-century Mazarin quarter you’ll find the cours Mirabeau, a double avenue of shady trees lined with smart boutiques, symbolic fountains and Belle Epoque cafés. It’s the ideal place to “frimer” or pose in the shade with local folk, from smart business types to trendy young minettes. Or gather with the buskers playing jazz around the sparky fountain in place d’Albertas. Elsewhere, peer through glass windows at the excavated ruins of the Roman baths built by Caius Sextius in 122 BC. Or maybe relax like a Roman yourself, relieving those Aix and pains at the Thermes Sextius Hydrotherapy Complex. This haven of peaceful decadence offers luxurious pampering alongside the ancient Roman site, with treatments including saunas, facials, mud cures and toning sessions. Wander past Aix-en-Provence’s main squares like place des Prêcheurs and place de la Madeleine, and be struck by the powerful aroma of Provençal lavender, goat’s cheese and olives. Smell fresh mint, basil and rosemary sneaking out of the fruit and veg market in place Richelme and pick up a bouquet of lavender or a sunflower stem at the flower market in place de l’Hôtel de Ville. To indulge your artistic side visit the studio of
END OF A GOULDEN ERA: Managing director Mike Greenacre gathered with agents at The Co-operative Travel store in Stockport to mark the retirement of adviser Maureen Goulden. Maureen started with The Co-operative Society in November 1982 and moved to the travel division in 1991. “The industry has changed beyond all recognition since then,” she said. “Computers were barely used 28 years ago and a holiday like a cruise was a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Now customers take two or three cruises a year.”
impressionist artist Paul Cézanne; set in a rural cottage and garden it’s still laid out as it was at his death in 1906. Wander the ochre landscape and green-grey olive groves while breathing in the surrounding Provençal air and you’ll soon understand the colour and scents that inspired his work.
To find out more, contact us on: 08448 224 334
eurostar4agents.com
03.09.2010 11
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