Inevitably several times a week I get a call asking if I can meet or beat a price from an OTA (Online Travel Agency-Kayak, Hotels.com, Expedia) and while the answer might be yes, more often than not I simply say no.
Why?
Because that is not what I do, nor is it what good travel advisors do. We are much more interested in value, and I think you should be too. I can book with Expedia too and get the same price you can.
But wouldn’t you rather have value?
What happens when you want to book that hotel, and you find it for $20/night less than the rate that was quoted to you by a professional travel advisor? Do you take it? Do you wait to find out what sort of value your advisor can bring?
Depending on your advisor’s connections or the consortia they belong to, your advisor can add to your booking, such as free breakfast, or an upgrade to a higher category, or a food and beverage credit, or a spa credit, all of which can translate into hundreds of additional dollars of value.
How does that $20 look now?
Let me tell you why even if this particular hotel isn’t offering the added amenities I mentioned above, that you are still gaining value that normally you would not get by booking it yourself. Your advisor will have contacted the general manager on your behalf and let them know that they have a very special client coming. If there is any way to add an amenity or get an upgrade, I have requested it. I can promise you one thing; you are not able to VIP yourself. And the OTAs will never be able to VIP you.
How about when you get it wrong? Ok so value means different things to different people, I get that, but would you find it valuable to be able to reach out to your professional travel advisor when something goes wrong? Is your plane delayed, did you miss your connection, how are you going to get to your cruise? What now?
How would it feel to know that you could send a text or call and your advisor would begin working on solving the problem rather than waiting for over an hour to reach someone from the online travel agency or the airline who doesn’t have a vested interest in your journey? Did you make a mistake and book the wrong day? Did you not factor in that you arrive the next morning when you fly to Europe? How is that $20 looking now? I realize that no one wants to overpay for anything. But service and value are the stuff that makes your trip truly an experience, a treasured memory for years to come. Besides the obvious amenities and personal connection, your travel advisor is a professional and has spent years learning, traveling and experiencing the products she is recommending to you. A vacation is supposed to be stress-free, why not allow someone to add value to your trip and make sure it is perfect? Is that a good financial investment? Yes, it is true, we do talk a lot about value.
